Megalochori is one of those places I discovered “by accident”. I found this cute little town while looking for the three bells monument in Santorini, that I pinned in my favorite maps app. I completely lost sense of direction (which doesn’t happen to me a lot), so I decided to ask for instructions at the local Family Bakery & Pastry Shop. They didn’t really know about bells near the caldera edge, but they knew of some bells and churches in the town center. So I decided to just follow their advice and headed to Megalochori’s center. Once I walked through the narrow white streets, I knew I wouldn’t regret it, because it was totally different from the other towns in Santorini and so stunning!

Megalochori, the hidden gem of Santorini

The first thing I encountered was indeed a monument with bells, even though I’m still not sure if that was the actual monument I was looking for. It was so beautiful! The bell monument is built over the narrow street, leading to the main square, so you can walk through its gate. It has some pretty blue details being two doves and something that looks like a royal symbol with two dragons. Nearby I found quite some churches in Megalochori with beautiful bell towers.

You can also visit a traditional cave house for free (you just need to find the sign). I found Megalochori’s main square very charming too. It’s small with just a few restaurants and another church with a magnificent clock tower. I just walked through the town until I reached Santorini’s main road again. I crossed it and a little further to the right there is another small church near the caldera edge. There I encountered a fantastic view on Santorini’s caldera.

Megalochori is truly a hidden gem of Santorini. I only stumbled upon a handful of tourists while wandering its streets. Here are some photos to give you an impression of what this dreamy town looks like.

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