You are planning a vacation in Greece and Santorini is most likely one of the islands you want to visit. By now , you’ve probably read everything you got your hands on, whether it was in a published travel guide or online. You most likely booked a ferry ticket to Santorini already and plan what to do once you get on the island. No matter which type of traveler you are, there are some things you should know before arriving in Santorini.

Greeks speak Greek …and English

The official language in Greece is Greek but on such touristy places like Santorini you don’t need to worry about finding someone who speaks English. Most Greeks under 40 years old speak English and the rest have learned at least some basic phrases to be able to help the tourists. At the restaurants, hotels or hostels you really don’t need to worry about the language. In more remote places, such a taverna hidden somewhere on hill, you’ll need to brush up your Greek skills. And by the way: learning some words in Greek go a long way and proves you are also interested in the culture, not only the sights, sand and sea.

Santorini is safe

With so much info on the riots in Athens , many believe that traveling to the islands can be risky. Most of the unfortunate events take place in Syntagma Square in Athens, which you can easily avoid even if you transfer through the capital. There’s the express bus X96 which takes you from the airport directly to the port of Piraeus. Or you can catch the metro to Monastiraki station then a train to Piraeus. Either way, you won’t be going through Syntagma. In case of a public services strike, there are always taxi drivers willing to help.

It’s unlikely to be the victim of pick pocketing in Santorini , but you might just feel you’ve been ripped off by a store or restaurant. Try to exercise common sense and find places to eat and shop further from the really touristy areas.

You will need to use the public buses to get around

Santorini might not a very big island, but it doesn’t mean you can cover absolutely all distances on foot. Plus there are a lot of things to do in Santorini outside of the most popular ones. You can walk from Fira to Karterados (2 km) or Imerovigli (also 2km) but you might want to take a bus ride to Oia (10 km).

Also you’ll need to take a bus from the airport to Fira and then connect to other buses, if you stay in a different village. Likewise, if you arrive by ferry , you’ll need to catch a bus from the port to elsewhere on the island. Here you can find the timetable for the buses connecting the villages, as well as connections to the port and airport.

Alternatively, you can consider renting a car or a scooter. Just remember that most of the people on the island are tourists – especially during the travel season – so the road conditions aren’t exactly the safest possible.

Greek toilets are…weird

Even in high end hotels and restaurants, you might be asked to do the business in the toilet ball and put the paper in the small basket located right by the toilet. The modern Greek plumbing system is not capable of handling the toilet paper. By the way: there’s usually a sign showing that you cannot flush the paper.

Oh and fining a way to flush the toilet is also quite interesting. It’s not always a standard flush, sometimes it’s just a button or a foot-pedal flush. Just use your detective skills and you’ll figure it out eventually.

Time is relative

There are two things I learned from my Greek friends: they don’t like to wake up early and time is relative. With that being said, aside from the airplanes which leave on time (mostly), everything else is governed by the “being late” rule. Oh and ferries might leave early, too. That’s usually when the weather is changing and , instead of leaving during the bad weather they’d rather go to the next port and then consider other alternatives. So, be in the port earlier (1/2 h at least) than the scheduled departure.

Greeks smoke

You’ll probably be safe from the cigarette smoke if you stick to eating in touristy restaurants , cafes or tavernas, but once you venture into the places where locals like to eat, then you’ll be faced with smoke. A lot of it. Greeks smoke all the time and although it’s illegal to smoke in public areas, that’s not exactly something they abide to.

Map via Google Maps

Photo credits:Santorini ; Toilet in hotel by Cristina Puscas