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Santorini or Tokyo?

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

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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A crowded street of neon in Tokyo

Japan

Tokyo

One district, one day. Only then does the city shrink.

Country
Japan
Recommended length
4–5 days
Best time
Late March and November
Daily budget
120–190 €
Language
Japanese
Currency
Japanese yen (¥)

Highlights

  • A whole day in one district
  • Lunch from a market
  • An evening that ends early

Neighbourhoods

  • Yanaka — Low houses, temple gardens, a slower Tokyo than Shibuya.
  • Shimokitazawa — Records, small bars, secondhand shops. It begins in the afternoon and keeps you through the evening.
  • Asakusa — Beautiful if you go early. By afternoon it turns into souvenirs.

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Which one for whom?

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.

Why Tokyo?

Cross the famous intersection once. The Tokyo you want starts one street in, and early the next morning.

Fill every day with another famous district and you will remember none of them. Give one day to the east, one day to a single neighborhood, and one day to no plan at all.

Related guides

Another comparison

Tokyo or Kyoto? Athens or Santorini? Rome or Tokyo? Rome or Santorini? Florence or Tokyo? Florence or Santorini? Venice or Tokyo? Venice or Santorini?

More tools

01Do I need a visa?Where Turkish passport holders go visa-free, with a visa on arrival, or with an e-visa.Open →02Budget calculatorPick days, people and pace; see the group total and the per-person figure.Open →03When to goA month-by-month calendar. Which month for which country, which country for which month.Open →05Trip routesRoutes the editors built day by day, with length, pace and an estimated budget.Open →