Santorini transportation

[cruisingrus]

We will be in Santorini (Louis Cruises) on 6/3/2010 from 4:30 pm - 9:00 pm. Several questions:

1) We want to take a donkey up to Fira and

cable down, Will it be very crowded then?

 

2) Where can we get a bus from Fira to Oia

or is it better to take a taxi?

 

3) How far is Oia from Fira?

[Maddog2009]

I can't speak to the crowd situation because it is dependant on how many people are on your ship and other ships that day. The trip to Oia is about 20 minutes. Based upon the time you have, I recommend taking a taxi. The bus station (a parking lot) is confusing because there is no perceived order. You buy the ticket and wait with a bunch of people in the parking lot. Suddenly, the bus will post Oia destination in the window and there is a mad dash to both the front and back doors of the bus. You get to repeat this process on the way back to Fira.

 

We did this last summer but had about 6 hours. We took the bus over but opted for a taxi back after seeing the line. We were lucky to get a taxi because most of them out in Oia are radiod out and not just waiting for people.

 

Bottom line is if you stress a lot, take the taxi. If you like adventure and don't worry, take the challenge of the bus.

[Hlitner]

Doing the Donkey and back down on the cable car (you need to allow extra time for the queues) will not be a problem. Trying to go round trip to Oia will be an issue since the buses do not run very often (oft times only about once per hour) and the bus might be very full on your return. If you have your heart set on going to Oia than you might want to consider a taxi and also make sure you arrange with the taxi for a pick-up time to get you back to Fira. It is not always easy to find transportation from Oia back to Fira so you want to avoid any stress with this issue.

 

Hank

[ashelsi]

Doing the Donkey and back down on the cable car (you need to allow extra time for the queues) will not be a problem. Trying to go round trip to Oia will be an issue since the buses do not run very often (oft times only about once per hour) and the bus might be very full on your return. If you have your heart set on going to Oia than you might want to consider a taxi and also make sure you arrange with the taxi for a pick-up time to get you back to Fira. It is not always easy to find transportation from Oia back to Fira so you want to avoid any stress with this issue.

 

Hank

How do you arrange a pick up time for a taxi. Is there a taxi stand in Oia that you can make the arrangements with? Thanks!

[Poconolady]

How do you arrange a pick up time for a taxi. Is there a taxi stand in Oia that you can make the arrangements with? Thanks!

The best bet is to arrange with the taxi driver who is dropping you off in Oia to bring you back. You can agree upon a time and pick up location at that time.

[ashelsi]

The best bet is to arrange with the taxi driver who is dropping you off in Oia to bring you back. You can agree upon a time and pick up location at that time.

 

Thank you!

[Hlitner]

If you are going to use a taxi to Oia, you definitely should arrange to have the same driver come for you at an arranged time. When there are ships in Santorini, and lots of folks are trying to get back to Fira around the same time, it can be difficult to find an empty taxi at Oia. We have always used the bus when we go to Oia (or a rental car if we have a car that day) and simply plan our timing to coincide with the bus schedule. If there are a lot of cruise passengers in port, than even the bus can get full so it's wise to be at the bus stop at least 10 min early.

 

Hank

[ashelsi]

If you are going to use a taxi to Oia, you definitely should arrange to have the same driver come for you at an arranged time. When there are ships in Santorini, and lots of folks are trying to get back to Fira around the same time, it can be difficult to find an empty taxi at Oia. We have always used the bus when we go to Oia (or a rental car if we have a car that day) and simply plan our timing to coincide with the bus schedule. If there are a lot of cruise passengers in port, than even the bus can get full so it's wise to be at the bus stop at least 10 min early.

 

Hank

 

Hank Thanks for the great advice. Currently I have a shore excursion scheduled with the cruise line because I was nervous about getting to and from Oia on our own but it sounds like it is a fairly simple thing to do so I will probably cancel and save some money. Thanks again!