Santorini-Private tour or on own

[jmlh]

We are visiting Santorini on the Millennium this summer and are wanting some advice on how to see the island. Would a private tour be a good investment (if so, which companies would you recommend?) or is it possible to do the island on ones own by bus? We have wanted to see this island for a long time and are really looking forward to it. Thanks for any help! :)

[happycruizer]

It seems that almost everyone agrees that Santorini is very easily done on your own. You can do a search on the island and come up with some great ideas.

[marko711]

However when I contacted 5 different travel agencies that were advertising on the internet only 1 got back to me and they wanted a copy of my passport to book the tour. So we are doing it on our own.

[Live the good life]

Our family of 3 usually use a private tour guide or a ship tour when visiting a foreign destination for the first time. During subsequent visits, we would not mind using taxis, hop on hop off buses or metros...For Santorini, we used Santoriniday tours (same as Markos Private tour) at http://www.santorinidaytours.com. We selected this company over the others for a number of reasons.

 

Mrs. Anna (the manager) was always very prompt in replying to our e-mails and accommodating to our many requests (to visit specific hotels in Santorini based on our research on the sites/attractions of the Island; to have lunch at the beach; to watch Sunset at a specific cafe in Oia, to visit many different sites including Akrotiri, Pergo, Thira, Black Sand Beach, winery, Oia, etc....).

 

We were also able to request a specific tour guide (Mr. Nikos-a Greek native and owner of this tour guide company, since he happens to also be a professional photographer). Because of the efficiency of a private tour, we were able to visit all the sites listed on the 4 different tours offered by our ship, yet still had a pleasant and worry-free day. (We would have been able to visit only some of the sites even if we had taken a combination of 2 tours offered by our ship).

 

Mr. Nikos took us to the most picturesque sights and was happy to narrate on the history and culture of the island. His English was fluent as he had lived and done studies in the U.S. for over 20 years. Some of these places (next to the Boutonier winery) were places he usually takes photographs of weddings and anniversaries. One of these places included a hotel with the most breathtaking views of the volcano and of our ship...The gift we valued the most was the complementary CD of photos that we received at the end of the day (a total of over 200 digital photos of our family taken with many different sites of Santorini on the background). BTW, the cost for the full day tour (400 euros) was less than what we had usually paid for a private tour in Italy and France. It was therefore definitely worth it... We were able to cover all the breathtaking/historic sites of the island without having to spend the time figuring out the logistics/directions of where to go next...For us, time during vacation is extremely valuable time to relax and enjoy...You'll have a very memorable time in Santorini even if you only choose to visit a few sites...

 

Kim

[jmlh]

Kim, thanks so much for your extensive review of your day in Santorini. It sounds like you had a marvelous time. I have contacted Santorini day tours to see what is available for our date. Can hardly wait to see Santorini!!