When planning my trip to Santorini, I saw thousands of pictures of these iconic blue domes plastered all over the internet and presumed (perhaps foolishly) that they were easy to find and that I’d bump into them wherever I went! If only! The reality is that it’s actually quite difficult to find these domes if you don’t plan ahead and know where to look! In this post I’ll try and explain where you can find them and where the best photo spots are.
The Three Bells of Thira
The Three Bells of Thira at Agios Theodoros (also known as the Virgin Mary Orthodox Church) is one of Thira’s most iconic sights. However, its rather tricky to get to! This is because to get the view of the dome and bells from above you don’t actually want to walk to the site directly, but to a viewing point (or, rather, a slightly deserted car park!) 10 minutes away. To get there you want to walk past Agios Theodoras until you get to Mama Thira Tavern. Turn right and walk up until you get to a car park – there you should see the blue dome!
Αναστάσεως Church (Imerovigli)
To get to this church, walk up the main road (Thiras-Oias) but this time towards Oia rather than down to Thira square. When you see a pedestrian pathway open up on the left, head to the pathway and follow it up the hill, past Agios Nikolaus and the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church (walking to the right of the Church to get to the pathway). Carry on following that pathway straight on as it snakes to the left – you should be surrounded by hotels and villas by now – carry on straight until you see the Church!
The Blue Domes of Oia
View 2: To get to view 2 you want to walk down the Main Street of Oia (Nikolaou Nomikou) towards the castle and then turn left at the Thomas Jewellery Goldsmith, down a small pathway and when you get to a fork in the road, turn right and you’ll see the view. (but do note that beyond the path is private property)
View 1: To get here, instead of taking the first left at the Thomas Jewellery Goldsmith, carry on a little further to the pathway after Thalassia – here you’ll see view 1 on the left hand side – again it’s blocked off as private property but well worth a peek over the top!
Looking to plan a trip to Santorini? Don’t forget to read my ultimate guide of what to see and do.
