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Santorini

Bcshur

By Bcshur,
in Greece Ports

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Bcshur

Bcshur

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Anyone have any ideas of what to do in Santorini? My husband and I will be there in July. We'd like to have a leisurely day by hitting up some wineries, but not sure of the best plan of action to take. Any help would be great!

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SeafordCruiser

SeafordCruiser

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Anyone have any ideas of what to do in Santorini? My husband and I will be there in July. We'd like to have a leisurely day by hitting up some wineries, but not sure of the best plan of action to take. Any help would be great!

I have been looking also ...for weeks. Everything I find does NOT coincidewith our ship, the Constellations , schedule there. I explored 5 different sailing excursions..all no good. Then last night found this great wine tasting and cooking class tour but it starts at 10:30 so if you ar docking early, look into that one.:):)

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Hlitner Excellent Advice! Rare

Hlitner

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What to do in Santorini? For starters, just soak-up the natural beauty of the island which can be breathtaking when the light is right. Certainly walk around Fira and browse some of the shops and try to make the time to go over to Oia to enjoy the views (and some of their shops/cafes. And then there are the ruins at Akritori for those who like ruins. As to wineries, that means moving around the island and you have a few options. There is probably a cruise line excursion that includes some wineries....although we personally avoid cruise line excursion like leprosy. On Santorini we think renting a car is a great way to see the island. There are quite a few rental car companies (several are small local companies) and the price of rental cars is quite cheap....assuming you can drive a manual transmission (automatics always cost more in Europe). The only downside to a rental car is that the driver must truly "taste" wine and not guzzle :).

 

Hank

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paradiselivin1

paradiselivin1

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Thanks for posting. I have been looking at posts for both Mykonos & Santorini to decide which to add on for a few days after our Black Sea cruise. I wanted Santorini but know Mykonos is closer to Athens which is where we will depart but I think this just tipped the scales for Santorini. I hope it is as beautiful as I have read and your pix show!:)

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Bcshur

Bcshur

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I have been looking also ...for weeks. Everything I find does NOT coincidewith our ship, the Constellations , schedule there. I explored 5 different sailing excursions..all no good. Then last night found this great wine tasting and cooking class tour but it starts at 10:30 so if you ar docking early, look into that one.:):)

 

 

Could you tell me where you found that cooking and wine class? Was that through your ship?

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mskaufman Great Review Rare

mskaufman

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Thanks for posting. I have been looking at posts for both Mykonos & Santorini to decide which to add on for a few days after our Black Sea cruise. I wanted Santorini but know Mykonos is closer to Athens which is where we will depart but I think this just tipped the scales for Santorini. I hope it is as beautiful as I have read and your pix show!:)

 

So here are the Mykonos pictures.

 

https://markandkareneurope2013.shutterfly.com/pictures/8

 

Also, search on posts by Virtual Rain. There are excellent photos there and he explains how he DIY'd each port.

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roothy123

roothy123

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Those are some wonderful pictures!

 

For anyone who decides to rent a car in Santorini from Tony's, here's a little more info:

 

On his reservation form, you'll generally want to choose the "in town" location, not "Santorini port" which is not where you'll end up if you take the cable car up the hill to Fira. I've read it's about a 10, possibly 15 minute walk to Tony's, but look carefully on a map, as it is a little confusing to me. Also be aware that some cruise lines don't let people going off on their own get on an early tender to the cable car/donkey/old port location. Generally Santorini tenders are used, and they can go to two different locations, depending upon what your cruise ship has ordered. The people on ship's excursions are almost always tendered to the ferry port, where buses pick them up. You may be able to go there and have Tony's bring the car there (not sure) but if so, then you've got a steep, switchback climb up the cliff to get to a highway, and I don't know where gas stations are around there.

 

When you tell Tony what time you want to pick up the car, keep in mind that it will take a while to tender in (especially if your cruise ship requires you to wait for whatever reason), and then you'll need to walk about 5 minutes to the cable car, hopefully get on quickly, get up top (that's fast!) and then walk to Tony's.

 

To rent a car on Santorini requires an international driver's license; renting an ATV does not. The ATV (four-wheeler) we rented in 2006 (not from Tony's - just a place we found along the main road on Fira) was under-powered and so did not go as fast as a car. It was also pretty uncomfortable for me as the passenger riding in the back. While they look fun, they are not necessarily a great choice. If you rent, I would not go for the cheapest one, as it may be under-powered. One of the plusses, however, is that you can probably park in more places than with a car, since ATVs seemed to be parked everywhere. One thing you won't want is a large car - the roads are just too small for that. Also, you may not need a full tank of gas. It's a relatively small island. To drive up north to Oia is about a half hour; down south to Akrotiri a little more.

 

There is a Hertz on the main road a little closer than Tony's. They seem a bit more expensive, but a little closer and easier to find. There are also public buses to Oia and to Akrotiri. The bus station in Fira is about a 10 minute walk south of where the cable car takes you. There used to be a boat to Oia but it doesn't look like it's running any more.

 

I haven't done it, so I don't know, but it sounds like the visit to the volcano on the island across from Fira is nothing special. However, on Santorini, you have the black and red beaches, a couple wineries, and gorgeous Oia. I wouldn't waste my time on Nea Kameni (spelling?).

 

Oh, and Fira itself isn't a bad place. There are a couple beautiful churches, a folk museum, and of course plenty of shops and restaurants.

 

Yes, Mykonos is nice, but much more limited that Santorini. Good choice to spend as much time there as you can. With some luck you'll get great pictures, too!

 

If you're in Oia for sunset, head to the old fort. tomsportguides.com has a good guide for Santorini which gives directions.

Edited by roothy123
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  • 4 weeks later...
Eppe4

Eppe4

Posted
Posted
Those are some wonderful pictures!

 

For anyone who decides to rent a car in Santorini from Tony's, here's a little more info:

 

On his reservation form, you'll generally want to choose the "in town" location, not "Santorini port" which is not where you'll end up if you take the cable car up the hill to Fira. I've read it's about a 10, possibly 15 minute walk to Tony's, but look carefully on a map, as it is a little confusing to me. Also be aware that some cruise lines don't let people going off on their own get on an early tender to the cable car/donkey/old port location. Generally Santorini tenders are used, and they can go to two different locations, depending upon what your cruise ship has ordered. The people on ship's excursions are almost always tendered to the ferry port, where buses pick them up. You may be able to go there and have Tony's bring the car there (not sure) but if so, then you've got a steep, switchback climb up the cliff to get to a highway, and I don't know where gas stations are around there.

 

When you tell Tony what time you want to pick up the car, keep in mind that it will take a while to tender in (especially if your cruise ship requires you to wait for whatever reason), and then you'll need to walk about 5 minutes to the cable car, hopefully get on quickly, get up top (that's fast!) and then walk to Tony's.

 

To rent a car on Santorini requires an international driver's license; renting an ATV does not. The ATV (four-wheeler) we rented in 2006 (not from Tony's - just a place we found along the main road on Fira) was under-powered and so did not go as fast as a car. It was also pretty uncomfortable for me as the passenger riding in the back. While they look fun, they are not necessarily a great choice. If you rent, I would not go for the cheapest one, as it may be under-powered. One of the plusses, however, is that you can probably park in more places than with a car, since ATVs seemed to be parked everywhere. One thing you won't want is a large car - the roads are just too small for that. Also, you may not need a full tank of gas. It's a relatively small island. To drive up north to Oia is about a half hour; down south to Akrotiri a little more.

 

There is a Hertz on the main road a little closer than Tony's. They seem a bit more expensive, but a little closer and easier to find. There are also public buses to Oia and to Akrotiri. The bus station in Fira is about a 10 minute walk south of where the cable car takes you. There used to be a boat to Oia but it doesn't look like it's running any more.

 

I haven't done it, so I don't know, but it sounds like the visit to the volcano on the island across from Fira is nothing special. However, on Santorini, you have the black and red beaches, a couple wineries, and gorgeous Oia. I wouldn't waste my time on Nea Kameni (spelling?).

 

Oh, and Fira itself isn't a bad place. There are a couple beautiful churches, a folk museum, and of course plenty of shops and restaurants.

 

Yes, Mykonos is nice, but much more limited that Santorini. Good choice to spend as much time there as you can. With some luck you'll get great pictures, too!

 

If you're in Oia for sunset, head to the old fort. tomsportguides.com has a good guide for Santorini which gives directions.

 

International driver's license is easy to get at AAA, think last time my D/H got it, the cost was $35

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fabrome

fabrome

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Posted (edited)
Fabrome, what tour did you book with them and what did they cost?

 

We visited Santo wines winnery ,the monastery in the top of the mountain(very beautiful view),the red and the black beach and Oia villagio and paid 60 euros per hour for a 8 seated minibus with english speaking driver

Edited by fabrome
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bama4cruisin

bama4cruisin

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In previous years there was a boat that you could take from the tender dock to the dock below Oia from where you'd be taken up to Oia by minibus. After visiting Oia, you'd take the public bus ack to Fira.

 

It was very questionable if this was an option any longer. Can anyone confirm if this is an option this year?

 

We will be in Santorini September 15.

 

Thanks for any info!

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roothy123

roothy123

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There is another thread about this, in which someone reported that the boat (or at least a boat) is back. Did you see that post? While it's just one post, it gives me hope that the boat is indeed back. More confirmation would be better, though!

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Miystic

Miystic

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Could any past travellers please tell me if there are taxi drivers or mini buses waiting to offer tours of island when you arrive. Not pre booked. This way you do not have to nominate a time but it is pot luck with the tour. Other option is can you catch a public bus to most places on island

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SeafordCruiser

SeafordCruiser

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We visited Santo wines winnery ,the monastery in the top of the mountain(very beautiful view),the red and the black beach and Oia villagio and paid 60 euros per hour for a 8 seated minibus with english speaking driver

Were you with a group of people who booked this together? It sounds grat but it is not listed as a regular scheduled tour.. What ship were you on? Our ship is there from 12-10pm which leaves me out of most excursions I want to do. THANKS>

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orangearmy

orangearmy

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In previous years there was a boat that you could take from the tender dock to the dock below Oia from where you'd be taken up to Oia by minibus. After visiting Oia, you'd take the public bus ack to Fira.

 

It was very questionable if this was an option any longer. Can anyone confirm if this is an option this year?

 

We will be in Santorini September 15.

 

Thanks for any info!

We took the Speedboat last month when we were in Santorini. 8 Euros for the ride to Oia and then a bus transfer back to Fira.

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