The best time to visit Santorini is during shoulder seasons of Spring which is April to June and Fall which is September to October.
During the shoulder seasons in Santorini you can enjoy warm weather and less crowds and also lower prices.
The peak season in Santorini is from July to August that has hot, sunny weather and larger crowds.
The low season in Santorini is from November to March, which is quieter but also cooler with some businesses closed and high chances of rain.
Athens is not close to Santorini as Athens and Santorini are separated by between 145 miles to 200 miles of the Aegean Sea.
Although the Journey between Athens and Santorini is a common and accessible route by a short flight which is around 45 minutes.
Or you can travel between Athens and Santorini by a multi hour ferry ride which takes around 4.5 hours to 8 hours or more.
The fastest way of traveling between Athens and Santorini is to fly from Athens International Airport to Santorini Airport.
The flights between Athens and Santorini and vice versa often lasts around 45 minutes.
For traveling between Athens and Santorini you can take a ferry from the Port of Piraeus.
The travel times by ferry can vary significantly depending on the type of ferry.
High speed ferries like the catamarans provide a quicker journey from Athens to Santorini but can result in more seasickness in some people and travel times from Athens to Santorini often take 4.5 to 8 hours.
Slow ferries from Athens to Santorini take around 5 hours to 9 hours.