Santorini, Greece is nothing short of magical. The island is small and shaped like a crescent (or a 'C') with its villages nestled high on the cliff-sides above the beautiful blue Aegean Sea. Anywhere you go on the island provides beautiful views so when you visit, you can't go wrong no matter where you go or stay (and there are plenty of amazing options). Whether you're headed there for your honeymoon, a romantic getaway or exploring with your besties to just take in the views, I promise you won't regret it.

So for those of you wanderlusters who have added Santorini to your 'bucket list,' I thought I might share with you a few things I learned while visiting.

Villages to visit:

First things first, I recommend you take your time to explore the islands towns. When you arrive in Santorini you will be in the capital town of Thira (otherwise known as Fira). It's a more touristy area as it's considered a port city, and I preferred to spend a little less time here and a little more time visiting the other villages like Oia (pronounced eee-yah), Pyrgos (I blogged about this small village here) and Imerovigli.

Pyrgos is the highest village and provides sweeping views of the island. It's a lot less crowded than the others so I definitely recommend heading over early to explore and feel alone and lost in the maze of narrow white-washed pathways.

In the middle of the island lies Imerovigli, which is a great place to catch the sunset and grab dinner!

Oia is the most popular of all the towns (read: definitely full of tourists), but it sits on the point of the island so you feel a bit more isolated, which of course, I love. It's a beautiful little village and great place to take ~~some~~ hundreds of photos, do a little shopping and explore. If you aren't staying in the village it can be difficult to get the photos you're looking for because a lot of the pathways are blocked off with restricted access only to hotel guests. So if you're headed to Santorini, definitely look into staying at one of their incredible hotels (more on those below).

What to do:

You can wander and explore on your own as I did, or you can opt to take a tour or rent scooters / four wheelers. The island is small so you feel like you can take your time a bit more in your explorations. If you're on a romantic getaway, I think taking a wine tour would be so fun (when you're not lounging by the pool or having sex with your honey haha). Check out Santorini Brewing Company or Boutari Winery.

What to wear:

When packing for Santorini, you guys know me, I couldn't wait to pack beautiful flowy dresses, like this one, that would compliment the white-washed villages and crystal blue seas. Hence, I packed a lot of blue and white. It's actually pretty warm there (aka super hot even in October when I was there), so a breezy dress is the perfect option. As for a bag, my backpack was ideal because I could carry any trinkets I bought and my big old camera when it wasn't strapped around my neck. Other than that, all you really need is a few swimsuits, sandals, tees, shorts and a scarf for when it gets chilly in the evenings and you're good to go!

Where to stay:

Anywhere you stay will provide gorgeous views of the Aegean Sea, so you really can't go wrong! But definitely check out Mystique, a Luxury Collection resort in Oia, Kirini in Oia, Santorini Secret in Oia or the Gold Suites in Imerovigli.

How to get around:

Once you arrive in Fira you can either find a taxi, take the bus or have your hotel arrange for a car to pick you up. As I mentioned in this post here, if you do take a taxi, be sure to grab your drivers card if you head to a more remote village like Pyrgos so you can call him to come back and get you.

How to get there:

You can fly into Fira or take a "high speed" ferry from one of the other islands. I however took a beautiful cruise on the 'Jewel of the Seas' by Royal Caribbean Cruises. It was a beautiful 11 day cruise that left from Rome, Italy and we visited Positano + Sorrento before heading onto Greece (Santorini, Mykonos, Athens) and then Turkey (Ephesus).

However you choose to visit, it's sure to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.