The Castle of St Nicholas
The Castle of St Nicholas
4.3
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Top ways to experience The Castle of St Nicholas
Are you currently on your trip?
Help us find experiences available for you.
The area
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
141 within 5 kms
Attractions
154 within 10 kms
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.3
634 reviews
Excellent
305
Very good
229
Average
84
Poor
12
Terrible
4
These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
This service may contain translations provided by Google. Google disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to translations, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and freedom from forgery.
Régis1972
Lancy, Switzerland20,138 contributions
Aug 2024 • Family
Saint Nicholas Castle dates from the 15th century and was one of the most important settlements in Santorini. Only a fraction of the fortifications survive today, most of them destroyed by the great earthquake of 1956. it offers views of its Santorini and the surrounding area and is worth the trip. At the end of the day a priori very busy for sunset but we went in the morning and it was very quiet even in August... around 10 o’clock.
Automatically translated
Written 11 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
laczkozsu
Debrecen, Hungary2,536 contributions
Jul 2024 • Couples
Oia is considered the most romantic town on the island. The ruins of the 15th century Byzantine castle at the top of the hill play a big part in this. When we visited it, there were many tourists, but you could take photos of the magnificent views. It was very atmospheric, with a musician playing well-known Greek music on buzuki. A must-see site.
Written 3 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Fngrsxd
160 contributions
Aug 2024 • Family
Just some ruins, but gets very crowded as it gets closer to sunset. Most people walking towards this place by sunset time will lead you to it. Pick a west facing spot, have snacks & drinks with you, as once you perch there it’s best not to leave as it gets VERY crowded. Brilliant views of the windmills and pretty buildings framing the sea and IMO the best view of the sunset.
Written 8 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Antonio G
1 contribution
Jun 2024 • Family
Saint Nicholas Castle in Santorini is undoubtedly a fascinating place, with breathtaking sunset views and an atmosphere rich in history. However, my visit was partly ruined by the excessive crowds. It was so crowded that it was difficult to move around and find a quiet place to enjoy the view. This took away some of the charm and serenity that one would expect from such an evocative place. I would recommend visiting it at less busy times to be able to fully appreciate the beauty of the place without being disturbed by the mass of tourists.
Written 16 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
M&K
Montpellier, France2,014 contributions
Sept 2024 • Couples
The place is nice but difficult to enjoy because you feel drowned in a crowd of tourists. Too many people in the same place at the same time. You even have to wait in line to get fotoes. It's probably because of the vague instagram... too bad because the place is losing its charm.
Automatically translated
Written 9 November 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Eva S
3 contributions
Aug 2024 • Friends
Walking around, you can imagine what it was like in the past. It’s a quiet and relaxing spot. The Castle of St. Nicholas is a beautiful and peaceful place to visit. Its location by the ocean gives amazing views, and the castle itself is full of history. It was great to visit here.
Written 5 December 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stanisław Ł
Bestwina9,490 contributions
Sept 2023 • Couples
St. Castle Nicholas in Oia in Santorini is nothing more than the ruins of a former Venetian fort located high on the top of a promontory overlooking the Bay of Ammoudi. Dating back to the late 15th century, the fort was built by the Venetians, like four others on the island, to protect the island from pirates. It was a difficult object to conquer, but it was conquered by Turkish invaders in 1557, and the Dargent family, descendants of the Byzantine emperor Argyros, who lived there, were deported to today's Syria. The building suffered serious damage during the earthquake in 1956, when most of the castle collapsed into the sea. From the castle there is a beautiful view of the entire Santorini caldera and the archipelago of islands lying on it. Looking south we will see the volcanic islets of Nea Kameni and Palea Kameni, as well as the southern tip of the island of Thira (Santorini). In turn, in the southwest we will see Thira's younger sister - Thirassia. The ruins of the fort in Oia are considered the best place to watch the sunset on the island of Santorini.
Written 1 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
HiromiSY
Chuo, Japan1,116 contributions
May 2023 • Couples
I went several times during the day, avoiding the evening when hordes of people flock to watch the sunset.
The night view of Oia from here after the sun has set is also beautiful, so I recommend going at that time as well.
There is a chapel at the back of the fortress, which you can freely visit during the day.
The night view of Oia from here after the sun has set is also beautiful, so I recommend going at that time as well.
There is a chapel at the back of the fortress, which you can freely visit during the day.
Written 6 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Maria Solange O
Farroupilha, RS31,463 contributions
Sept 2023 • Couples
The ruins of Saint Nikolaus Castle, located in the captivating village of Oia, is the most popular place to watch the sunset in Santorini. There's a crowd, including me, gathering to take a photo of the spectacle of nature. There is no accessibility, so it is very difficult for people with reduced mobility to be there.
Written 18 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AlfieMoomin
United Kingdom1,534 contributions
Jun 2022
Easy to get to from Oia's main street. Very little left of the castle itself but great spot for views of the Caldera and the village of Oia. We visited very early in the morning to enjoy uninterrupted views and be able to wander the village and left before 9.30am when the coaches & crowds started arrived.
Written 26 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
how far from perissa is it? are there toilets anywhere like public toilets?
Written 15 May 2016
The ruins are in Oia, which is a bit away, but you can easily use the bus system to get to it if you don't have a car. If you do the buses, you need to go to Fira then change to go to Oia, but each bus is only about 20 min, at a guess. Santorini was pretty small so it was super easy to get around!
Written 16 May 2016
Can you drive to the Byzantine ruins? If there is a hike, how long and what is it like?
Written 24 April 2015
Forgot to mention - the parking is close to the Panagia Church, that's worthwhile in itself. From the church square you enter the old town and proceed about straight to the ruin.
Written 25 April 2015
Showing results 1-2 of 2
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing