While the caldera fills with cameras, Santorini locals are somewhere else entirely. In October, as tourist numbers thin,...

While the caldera fills with cameras, Santorini locals are somewhere else entirely. In October, as tourist numbers thin, five sides of Santorini's southern half quietly come back to life on their own terms. On the Episkopi Gonias plateau, locals spend Saturday and Sunday afternoons at estate tastings once the harvest rush has settled, walking between vineyard plots and drinking Assyrtiko without a queue in sight. Down at Vlychada, weekend mornings belong to the fishing boats, the crews unloading the catch, and the regulars who come to buy direct or simply sit on the jetty. At the quieter southern end of Perivolos, once the beach clubs begin closing in mid-October, the black volcanic sand goes back to local families, a warm sea, and whichever neighbourhood café is still pouring. The connector is geography: these three spots sit close enough in Santorini's south to make a natural day of it, harbour in the morning, plateau estates after lunch, Perivolos to close the afternoon. October is the one month all three are in local mode at once. Save this for your next Santorini visit and follow us for the side of the island most guides skip.