Santorini Sunrise: Where to Watch It, and When

The Santorini sunrise is the half of this island’s light that nobody photographs, and the reason is geography. The famous sunset happens over the caldera, facing west, with four thousand people watching it from Oia. The sun comes up on the other side entirely, out of the open Aegean, and it is seen from the east coast beaches, from the inland villages and from the eastern edge of the rim. Different places, different light, and almost nobody there. We drive guests to the ridge and the beaches at five in the morning more often than people expect, and our Santorini Tours start at whatever hour the light does.

The honest framing. The Santorini sunrise is not more spectacular than the sunset. What it is instead is free, uncrowded, cool, and available every single morning without a reservation, and it lights the white villages from the front rather than silhouetting them.

The Short Answer

It rises in the east, so the caldera rim looks the wrong way for the disc itself and the right way for what the light does to the villages.

For the sun coming out of the sea, stand on the east coast: Kamari, Perissa, Monolithos or Vlychada.

For the best photograph, stay on the rim at Oia, Imerovigli or Fira and shoot the village as it lights up.

Roughly 06:05 in June and 07:40 in December, with everything in between. Check the exact time for your date.

Nothing is open and nothing runs. No buses, no taxis, few cafes. Arrange the morning the night before.

You will have it to yourself, which is the whole point of the Santorini sunrise.

The Island Before Anyone Is Awake

Santorini Sunrise at a Glance

Rows five and six are why we bring this up with guests at all. Everything else about the Santorini sunrise is a matter of taste; those two are the reason it is worth setting an alarm for.

Where to Watch It

There are two entirely different Santorini sunrise experiences and it is worth knowing which one you want before you set the alarm.

Oia, from the east side. Walk through the village to the northern and eastern edges, above Baxedes and the open sea. The famous blue domes face west, so at dawn they are lit from the front and glowing while the caldera behind them is still dark. This is the shot people travel for and there is nobody in it. Our Oia guide covers the village.

Imerovigli. The eastern side of the highest village on the rim looks straight down over the plain, the airport and the sea beyond. Ten minutes’ walk from most hotels and completely deserted at that hour. See our Imerovigli guide.

Fira, from the eastern streets. Less dramatic and far more convenient if you are staying in town. Our Fira guide has the layout.

Kamari beach. The purest version: a flat black beach facing due east, the sun coming straight out of the water, and a paved promenade to stand on. Thirty seconds from a ground-floor room. Our Kamari guide explains the resort.

Perissa and Perivolos. The same thing over seven kilometres, and emptier still. See our Perissa guide.

Monolithos. Shallow, calm, with a few tamarisk trees and a view of the sun clearing the horizon over a flat sea.

Vlychada. The wind-carved cliffs on the south coast catch the first light and turn the colour of bone. The best Santorini sunrise for anybody who cares more about rock than about villages.

Ancient Thira. The ridge sees both coasts at once, and the sun rising over the sea with Kamari four hundred metres below is extraordinary. The site does not open that early, so this is a view from the road and the path rather than from inside. Our Ancient Thira guide explains the access.

Profitis Ilias. The highest point on the island, reachable by road, with the whole eastern half laid out below. Nobody is ever there at six in the morning.

Pyrgos. The castle terraces see the sun come up over the eastern plain and then turn round to watch it hit the caldera. Our Pyrgos guide covers the village.

What the Light Actually Does

First, the caldera goes pink. A Santorini sunrise begins before the sun does. Twenty minutes before the sun clears the horizon, the cliff opposite and the volcanic islands take on colour while everything else is still grey.

Then the villages light up. On the rim the sun arrives from behind you and hits the whitewash directly. Oia and Imerovigli glow warm against a caldera still in shadow, and this is the effect the Santorini sunrise is worth getting up for.

The sea takes longer. The caldera water stays dark for another half hour because the cliff shades it.

On the east coast it is the opposite. The sun comes at you off the water, the black sand stays dark, and the whole thing is about the sky rather than the buildings.

Blue hour first. The forty minutes before sunrise, with the village lights still on and the sky going from navy to violet, is arguably better than the moment itself.

The wind is usually asleep. The meltemi builds through the day, so dawn is the calmest hour and the sea is at its flattest. Our weather guide explains the pattern.

Haze. In high summer the eastern horizon can be milky, which softens the disc and is not a fault.

In winter the light is harder and cleaner and the colours are stronger. Our winter guide covers what else is open then.

Sunrise Times Through the Year

Greece runs on Eastern European Time, two hours ahead of UTC, and moves to summer time from late March to late October. These are approximate local times for a Santorini sunrise and sunset; check the exact minute for your date rather than planning to the second on these.

Be in position twenty minutes early for the Santorini sunrise. The colour before the disc appears is the better half, and arriving as the sun clears the horizon means missing it.

The summer Santorini sunrise is genuinely early. Six in the morning in June means leaving a hotel bed at half past five, which is why so few visitors ever see it.

The winter one is civilised. Half past seven in December is an ordinary hour to be awake, and the light is at its best.

September is the compromise. Around seven o’clock, warm enough to sit out, and the sea still swimmable afterwards.

Photographing It

Shoot the village, not the sun. On the caldera rim the Santorini sunrise is a light source behind you, and the subject is the whitewash it is hitting.

Blue hour first, then golden. Arrive forty minutes before, when the village lights are still on and the sky is deep blue. That frame is the one nobody else has.

A tripod is worth carrying for the pre-dawn exposures, and unnecessary once the sun is up.

Oia’s domes face west, so at dawn they are front-lit and clean, with no crowd in the frame. At sunset the same domes are a silhouette behind two thousand people.

Imerovigli and Skaros give you the rock in the foreground with the sun coming over the plain behind it.

On the east coast, use the black sand and the water as a dark base and expose for the sky.

Vlychada at first light is the most unusual Santorini sunrise photograph available here, because the carved cliffs pick up colour that no whitewash can.

Bring a cloth. Salt and dust on a lens at dawn on a cliff edge is normal.

Batteries. Cold plus long exposures drains them faster than you expect.

Where else to shoot is in our photogenic spots guide, and our photography tour piece covers going with someone who knows the angles.

Getting There at That Hour

This is the practical obstacle and it is the reason most people never see a Santorini sunrise despite intending to.

No buses. The network starts hours later. Our bus guide explains the timetable.

No taxis. There are around forty on the island and none of them are cruising at half past five. Our taxi guide covers the fleet.

A hire car is the self-sufficient answer, and the roads are completely empty at that hour, which makes the drive the easiest of the whole trip. See our car hire guide.

Or walk. If you are staying on the rim or on the east coast, the best spot is usually within ten minutes on foot. This is the strongest argument for choosing your hotel with the Santorini sunrise in mind.

Or book it the night before. We collect at whatever time the light requires, which for June means about a quarter past five.

Take a torch. The stepped paths between the rim villages are unlit in places and the beach roads have no pavements.

Take a layer. Pre-dawn on a cliff in a light wind is cold in August, never mind in April.

Nothing is open. A couple of bakeries in Fira start early and everything else is shut. Bring a flask and something to eat.

Tell the hotel. If you are in a cave hotel behind a locked gate, find out how you get out and back in before you go to bed.

Then go back to sleep. The best plan for the Santorini sunrise is to see it, have breakfast, and return to bed by nine while the island fills up.

Sunrise Against Sunset

The crowd. Oia at sunset is the busiest hour anywhere in Greece; the Santorini sunrise is the emptiest. Oia at sunrise is you and a cat. That is the entire comparison in one line.

The direction. Sunset happens over the caldera and the volcano, silhouetting the villages. The Santorini sunrise happens over the open sea and lights the villages from the front.

The colour. Sunset gives you oranges and reds through dust and haze. Dawn gives you pinks and violets through clean air.

The cost. A caldera-view table at sunset requires a booking and a minimum spend. Dawn requires an alarm.

The effort. Sunset means arriving two hours early to hold a spot. Sunrise means being awake, which is harder and cheaper.

The temperature. In July and August dawn is the only comfortable hour of the day.

Which is more beautiful. The sunset, on most evenings, and we are not going to pretend otherwise. Our sunset spots guide and private sunset tours cover it properly.

Which is the better experience. The Santorini sunrise, for anybody who has already done the sunset once and found it crowded.

Do both. They are twelve hours and one island apart, and a single day can contain them both with a long afternoon nap in between.

What to Do With the Hours After

The real prize is not the Santorini sunrise itself. It is the two hours afterwards, when you are awake and the island is not.

Oia before the crowds. Between six and eight in the morning the main street is empty and the light is perfect. By eleven it is unrecognisable.

Ancient Thira at opening. Be at the gate when it opens and you may have a classical city on a ridge entirely to yourself. Our Ancient Thira guide has the hours and the road.

The Fira to Oia rim path. Three hours of exposed walking that is a pleasure at seven and punishing at eleven. See our hiking guide.

Skaros Rock. Twenty minutes down from Imerovigli, best before the sun gets onto the west face.

A swim. The sea is flattest at dawn and Kamari or Perissa at seven in the morning is empty water. Our beaches guide ranks them.

Amoudi Bay. The three hundred steps down are bearable in the cool and brutal in the afternoon. See our Amoudi Bay guide.

The inland villages. Pyrgos, Megalochori and Emporio wake slowly and the lanes are yours. Our Megalochori guide covers them.

Breakfast anywhere, without a wait, at eight.

Then rest. A Santorini sunrise followed by a full day in August is a mistake; followed by a nap it is the best structure a day here can have.

Choosing a Room You Can See It From

East-facing beats caldera-facing for this, and almost nobody books it that way.

On the rim, ask for a room or terrace with an eastern aspect, or check that the hotel has a roof terrace you can use at that hour.

Inland rooms in the rim villages often face east by default, cost a fraction of the caldera ones, and give you the Santorini sunrise from bed. Our cave hotels guide explains the price gap.

On the east coast, any front-facing room at Kamari, Perissa or Perivolos looks straight at it. Our Kamari guide and Perissa guide cover both.

Ask whether the terrace is accessible before dawn, because some hotels lock the pool and roof areas overnight.

Ask what is in front of you. A building two metres east of your terrace removes the whole thing.

Villas on the eastern slopes are the most reliable option of all; see our villas guide.

Our full comparison of every village and coast is in the where to stay guide.

Santorini Sunrise: Common Questions

Where is the best place to watch the Santorini sunrise?

On the rim, the eastern edge of Oia or Imerovigli, where the sun lights the villages from the front. On the coast, Kamari, Perissa or Monolithos, where it comes straight out of the sea.

Can you see the Santorini sunrise from Oia?

Yes, from the northern and eastern edges of the village looking over Baxedes and the open sea. The blue domes are front-lit at that hour and there is nobody there.

What time is the Santorini sunrise?

Around 06:05 in mid June and around 07:40 in late December, with everything in between. Check the exact time for your date.

Is the Santorini sunrise better than the sunset?

The sunset is more spectacular. The sunrise is emptier, cooler, free and lights the villages rather than silhouetting them.

Which direction is the Santorini sunrise?

East, over the open Aegean. The caldera and the famous sunset face west, which is why the two happen in completely different places.

Is the Santorini sunrise crowded?

No. You will often be alone, which is the main reason to go.

How do you reach a Santorini sunrise spot that early?

Drive, walk from a well-chosen hotel, or book a transfer the night before. There are no buses and no taxis at that hour.

What should you take to a Santorini sunrise?

A warm layer, a torch, water and something to eat, because almost nothing is open before seven.

Is anything open for coffee?

A couple of bakeries in Fira start early. Everywhere else is shut.

Can you see the Santorini sunrise from a cave hotel?

Only if it faces east, and most caldera cave hotels face west. Inland rooms in the same villages often do face east and cost far less.

Which month is best for the Santorini sunrise?

September, for a civilised hour, warm air and a sea you can swim in afterwards. December has the best light and the coldest mornings.

Can you photograph it without a tripod?

Once the sun is up, easily. For the blue hour before it, a tripod makes a real difference.

Is Ancient Thira open for sunrise?

No, the site opens later. The view from the road and the path below it is still worth the drive.

What should you do after the Santorini sunrise?

Oia before the crowds, a swim, the rim path or Ancient Thira at opening. The two hours after dawn are the most productive of the day here.

Is it worth setting an alarm for?

Once, yes. The Santorini sunrise is the only famous thing on this island that costs nothing and has no queue.

Practical Tips

Check the exact time for your date rather than trusting a monthly average.

Be in place twenty minutes early. The colour before the disc is the better part.

Choose an east-facing room and the whole thing becomes effortless.

Arrange the car or the driver the night before, because nothing runs at that hour.

Take a torch for unlit steps and beach roads.

Take a layer even in August.

Bring your own coffee. Nothing is open.

Do Oia straight afterwards while it is still empty.

Then sleep. A Santorini sunrise plus a full day is how people ruin the rest of the holiday.

Where on the Horizon It Comes Up

The sun does not rise in the same place every morning, and on an island this small the difference is large enough to change which viewpoint works.

Midsummer. Around the June solstice the sun clears the horizon well to the north east, out beyond Anafi and the open sea north of it. From Imerovigli and northern Oia it comes up over water rather than over land.

Midwinter. In December it rises far to the south east, behind the bulk of Mesa Vouno if you are standing at Kamari, which is why the Santorini sunrise there feels late in winter even when the clock says otherwise.

The equinoxes. Late March and late September put the sun due east, straight out of the sea from every east-facing beach on the island. These are the two cleanest mornings of the year.

What it means for Kamari and Perissa. Both sit under a mountain that blocks the south east. In midsummer the sun rises clear of it; in midwinter you wait for it to climb over the ridge.

What it means for the rim. Imerovigli, Firostefani and Fira look east across the flat plain with nothing in the way, so they work in every month.

What it means for Vlychada. The south coast catches the winter Santorini sunrise best of all, because that is the direction it faces.

The practical version. In summer, go anywhere east-facing. In winter, choose the rim or the south coast rather than the beaches under Mesa Vouno.

From the Water

Almost nobody does this, because every caldera cruise on the island is sold as a sunset trip.

What it looks like. The cliff a kilometre away catching the first light while you sit on flat water in the dark, with the villages coming on one by one along the top of it.

Why the sea is right at that hour. The meltemi builds during the day and drops overnight, so dawn is reliably the calmest water of the twenty four hours.

How to arrange it. Private charter rather than a scheduled trip. No operator runs a standard dawn departure, so it is a matter of asking and paying for the hour.

From Ammoudi or Athinios, depending on who you charter from. Our Amoudi Bay guide covers the northern option.

Combine it with the hot springs and you will have Palea Kameni entirely to yourself, which never happens after nine in the morning. See our hot springs guide and volcano tour.

Is it worth it. For a special occasion, yes, and it is expensive. For most people the Santorini sunrise from a cliff edge with a flask of coffee is ninety per cent of it for nothing.

Myths About the Santorini Sunrise

“You can’t see it from the caldera.” You can see what it does, which is better. The disc comes up behind the rim villages, so a Santorini sunrise from Oia or Imerovigli lights the whitewash while the crater is still dark.

“It’s the same as the sunset, just earlier.” Different direction, different colours, different places, different weather. The two events share nothing except the island.

“There’s no point without the caldera in the shot.” The east coast version, with the sun coming out of open water over black sand, is a completely different photograph and an easier one to be at.

“You need to be somewhere special.” You need to be somewhere east-facing. That is often your own balcony, and the best Santorini sunrise many guests see is from a chair with a coffee.

“Everything opens early in Greece.” Not at half past five. Bakeries in Fira are the exception; assume nothing else.

“Taxis run all night.” They do not. This is the most common reason a planned Santorini sunrise does not happen.

“Summer is the best time for it.” Summer is the earliest and haziest. September and the winter months give cleaner air and a more civilised alarm.

“It’s only for photographers.” It is the coolest, quietest and cheapest hour on an island that is none of those things by eleven in the morning.

Planning the Morning

The night before. Check the exact time, pick the spot, set out the layer and the torch, and confirm the car or the driver.

Minus forty minutes. Leave. The roads are empty and the drive takes half what it does at noon.

Minus twenty. Be in position. Blue hour is starting and this is the part most people miss by arriving on time.

Sunrise. Ten minutes of the actual event, and the caldera behind you doing something quite separate.

Plus thirty. The villages are fully lit and still empty. Walk.

Plus ninety. Breakfast somewhere that has just opened, with no queue.

Plus three hours. Back to bed, or to a beach before the boats arrive. A Santorini sunrise works best when the rest of the day is built around having had one.

Do it once, not every morning. The point of the Santorini sunrise is that it is a deliberate exception, and a week of five o’clock alarms is a different kind of holiday altogether.

Our Verdict

Every guide to this island tells you where to stand for the sunset, and roughly four thousand people follow that advice in Oia every evening of the summer. The Santorini sunrise is the same island with the light coming from the other side, and it has no queue, no reservation, no minimum spend and no one else in the photograph.

It is not the better spectacle. On a clear evening the sun going down behind Thirassia is the more dramatic event and we would not tell you otherwise. What the morning has instead is the thing this island has almost entirely lost: the experience of being somewhere beautiful and having it to yourself.

Set one alarm. Pick an east-facing spot, be in place twenty minutes early, watch the caldera turn pink before the sun has cleared the horizon, then walk into an empty Oia and have breakfast at eight. Do that once and it will be the morning you describe when you get home.

Santorini Sunrise: Key Points

• The sun rises in the east over the open Aegean, not over the caldera.
• On the rim the Santorini sunrise lights the white villages from the front while the crater stays in shadow.
• On the east coast at Kamari, Perissa, Monolithos and Vlychada it comes straight out of the sea.
• Roughly 06:05 in mid June and 07:40 in late December.
• The forty minutes of blue hour before the disc appears are the better half.
• The Santorini sunrise has no crowd, no booking and no cost.
• No buses or taxis run at that hour, so drive, walk or arrange a transfer the night before.
• Almost nothing is open for coffee before seven.
• Take a warm layer and a torch, even in August.
• East-facing and inland rooms see it; most caldera cave hotels face the wrong way.
• September gives the best combination of hour, temperature and sea.
• The two hours after dawn are the emptiest and most useful of the whole day.

Booking With Us

We collect at whatever time the light requires, which in June means about a quarter past five. That is the part of a Santorini sunrise nobody else will solve for you: there are no buses, no taxis and no cafes at that hour, and a hire car left overnight in Fira is not always where you need it to be.

The morning we run most often is a dawn viewpoint, then Oia while it is still empty, then breakfast, back at your hotel by nine. Prices are per vehicle rather than per person, there is no deposit and cancellation is free.

Tours

• full day tour
• half day tour
• north part and Oia tour
• south part and Akrotiri tour
• sightseeing tour
• historical tour
• wine tour
• food experience
• sunset tour
• shore excursion
• small group tour
• black sand beach tour
• horse riding tour
• custom tour
• coach tours

Transfers

• island transfers
• VIP chauffeur service
• transfer to Oia and Finikia
• transfer to Fira and the villages
• choosing a private transfer

Book directly

• Full Day Tour
• Half Day Tour
• North Part and Oia Tour
• South Part and Akrotiri Tour
• Sightseeing Tour
• Small Group Tour
• Wine Tour
• Food Experience
• Historical Tour
• Sunset Tour
• Shore Excursion
• Black Sand Beach Tour
• Horse Riding Tour
• Personalised Tour

Further reading

• Santorini with a baby
• Santorini packing list
• Santorini cave hotels
• The Akrotiri lighthouse
• Imerovigli Santorini
• Fira Santorini
• Pyrgos Santorini
• The cliffside villages
• Red Beach
• Akrotiri
• Santorini museums
• The volcano tour
• The hot springs
• Thirassia
• Santorini diving
• Things to do in Santorini
• A three day itinerary
• How many days do you need?
• Santorini on a budget
• The best time to visit
• Santorini airport
• The cable car explained
• The cruise port
• Ferry tickets and the ports
• ATV and quad hire
• Day trips from Santorini
• Santorini to Milos
• Santorini to Folegandros
• Santorini to Ios
• Santorini to Naxos
• Santorini to Paros
• Santorini to Mykonos
• Santorini or Rhodes?
• Santorini or Mykonos?
• Crete to Santorini
• Athens to Santorini
• Santorini nightlife
• Shopping on the island
• Travelling solo
• Santorini for seniors
• Santorini for large families
• Family tours
• Travelling with a dog
• Wheelchair accessible Santorini
• Cultural experiences
• Greek food on the island
• The full travel guide
• Our ten best tours
• How to choose a tour
• For honeymooners
• Weddings on Santorini
• Over-tourism on the island
• The donkey weight limit
• Choosing a private transfer

More from this site

• All tours and prices
• About Santorini Impressive Tours
• Photo gallery
• Pictures from our private tours
• Useful links for travellers
• Full site map
• All our Santorini articles
• Terms of use
• Privacy policy

Tell us the morning and we will be outside before it is light.

If You Do It Once

Pick September or early October. The Santorini sunrise lands around seven, the air is warm enough to sit out in and the sea is still swimmable afterwards.

Stand on the eastern edge of Imerovigli. No mountain in the way, no crowd, and the caldera behind you turning colour while the sun comes up over the plain.

Be there at twenty past six with a layer and a flask.

Walk into Oia at half past seven while it is still empty, and have breakfast at eight.

That is the whole plan. One alarm, one morning, and the version of this island that the four thousand people at the evening viewpoint never see. A Santorini sunrise costs nothing and it is the only thing here that still does.