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Lisbon or Santorini?

Lisbon and Santorini side by side: recommended length, best time, daily budget, highlights and which one suits whom.

A yellow tram in Lisbon

Portugal

Lisbon

Generous, if you do not underestimate the hills.

Country
Portugal
Recommended length
3–4 days
Best time
May and September
Daily budget
80–150 €
Language
Portuguese
Currency
Euro

Highlights

  • The first tram of the morning
  • A miradouro, early
  • Belém as its own half day

Neighbourhoods

  • Alfama — Climb up, see the view early, and accept getting lost on the way down.
  • Príncipe Real — Dinner, and fewer postcards. You are at the top of the hill here.
  • Belém — Think of it apart from the center. Go before noon and linger in the pastry shop.

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Blue domes facing the sea in Santorini

Greece

Santorini

Sunset is one plan, not the whole island.

Country
Greece
Recommended length
2–3 days
Best time
Early June and September
Daily budget
70–120 €
Language
Greek
Currency
Euro

Highlights

  • Oia early, or the Fira ridge
  • A single cove
  • A sunset you have already booked

Neighbourhoods

  • Fira — Practical for the bus and the way back. The cliff edge packs tight in the evening.
  • Oia — The postcard is here. It is a fine place to stay. Getting back after dinner can be hard.
  • Imerovigli — Between the two. You can walk to Fira, and it is quieter.

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Which one for whom?

Why Lisbon?

The yellow tram is a morning errand. Lisbon begins when you linger on a hill and get lost on the way down.

You can plan Lisbon as a flat city. You will live it as a hilly one. A ten-minute walk is sometimes a climb. Count the pause as part of the route.

Why Santorini?

Stay two nights. Give one to walking, one to the sea, and the hours between them to a single terrace.

The Santorini postcard is taken in Oia, and it ends there if you give that terrace the whole day. The island is wider: a cove, a walk, and a lunch that is not selling you a view.

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Another comparison

Lisbon or Porto? Athens or Santorini? Rome or Lisbon? Rome or Santorini? Florence or Lisbon? Florence or Santorini? Venice or Lisbon? Venice or Santorini?

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