Santorini with Kids

[mtcruise10]

Hi there - we will be stopping for 1 day in July at Santorini, with my kids ages 8 and 10. I've read lots of reviews (really...warnings...) about things in Santorini... it's hot., long lines to get up, donkeys, poop etc 🙂 I'm trying to come up with the best realistic plan for my family. We will be there from 1pm-10pm, and likely won't want to stay out late. My initial thought is to book a tour with Caldera Cruises and take a 3 hour trip over to see the volcano and the hot springs. That is the only trip we could find that leaves in the afternoon, and even then, given we have to tender, starts at 2.15 and seems like we may be pushing it. 

 

After that, my thought was hopefully the initial crowds for the cable car will die down and we could go and explore Fira for a bit then head back. I'm not sure if it's worth it to trek down to Oia with kids, even though I know I'd love the views. 

 

Any other ideas on self touring we could do? Or tour companies that are reasonable? Caldera seemed to have good reviews and reasonably priced. (or open to feedback if that's a bad idea also...I haven't booked!)

[jennyumaa]

We are also going with kids. My thought is to go up the cable car and rent a car in Fira. Then we'll drive to Oia and maybe the black beach. Is it realistic? Thoughts?

[mbovinet]

Glad to hear that others are going with kids. We are traveling with another family and will have 4 adults and 5 kids ages 8-12 in our group.  We are in port from 1pm-10pm but we won't be out too late with the kids. There are several other ships in port the same day as us - most get in in the morning so I'm hoping the cable car won't be too bad up to Fira. We are planning to do the hike/walk from Fira to Oia and then catch the bus back before sunset so hopefully it won't be too crowded. I considered doing a caldera tour but didn't have much luck finding anything that worked for our schedule and I thought they were pretty expensive. 

[mtcruise10]

I considered doing that hike as well - I can't decide if it would be too much for kids that age. And/or if it would be too scary for me to have them that close to how high up we are. Still need to watch some videos to see if my fears are real. 

[mbovinet]

Santorini Dave has outlined the hike in a lot of detail - here's a link  I didn't think that it looked bad (mostly downhill Fira > Oia) and there are places to stop for drinks/food. I've read that the first part is the most scenic and a few bus stops from the looks of it in case we need to turn back.  

[mtcruise10]

Cool! Maybe we could do a part of it. I was also thinking about maybe skipping the boat tour, just given it's a tight time frame to make it there (arrive 1pm and have to tender to be ready for 2.15 boat tour). Then maybe we could do a piece of the hike, and then maybe take a bus to Oia and then a bus to a beach? Anyone have any tips about how to do that successfully?