Find it Here: Santorini, Firá, and Oia Q & A

[Billy Butlin]

Starting to look at other options. Does anybody know if the boat option is still available from the old port at Fira around to Oia (Amoudi Bay).

 

If it is then any ideas of price and how easy is it to get up to Oia from Amoudi Bay

 

Thanks again.

[tobyt]

Hello, this was my original plan but based on the port info water taxi tab hoping the link is accurate but just in case….. it seems that due to issues it is no longer an option to take the water taxi 

https://www.santoriniport.com/santorini-water-taxi/

[marazul]

43 minutes ago, tobyt said:

Hello, this was my original plan but based on the port info water taxi tab hoping the link is accurate but just in case….. it seems that due to issues it is no longer an option to take the water taxi 

https://www.santoriniport.com/santorini-water-taxi/

Did you notice that the story you quoted was last updated in 2016? And it was for private water taxis, not for the larger boats that transfer tourists to Ammoudi.

[tobyt]

I did but have found nothing posted in from last season or online reflecting they run. If you find anything I would be very interested.

[jennmaybe]

We’ll be on Enchanted Princess stopping in Santorini.  I am trying to figure out where we will be tendered to if not taking a ship excursion?  Oia or Fira?  Also, do we need a tender ticket or is that for folks who booked a ship excursion?

 

Thanks!

[bonsai3s]

1 hour ago, jennmaybe said:

We’ll be on Enchanted Princess stopping in Santorini.  I am trying to figure out where we will be tendered to if not taking a ship excursion?  Oia or Fira?  Also, do we need a tender ticket or is that for folks who booked a ship excursion?

 

Thanks!

Tender is to the dock below Fira.

You'll have 3 options to get up to Fira: 

1. Walk...about 500 large, winding steps. Watch out for donkey dung.

2. Donkey ride.

3. Cable Car...takes about 8 minutes.

 

* We were lucky to get on the first tender (RCCL, Odyssey), and we were part of the first group using the cable car...no waiting. 

* It's been a while since we sailed Princess...you will need tender tickets. Those who book ship excursions will have tickets showing time and place to meet. Happy sailing!

[jennmaybe]

Perfect!  Thanks so much bonsai!  This is our rebook from Covid and it has been way too long since we have been on the open water! 😄

[Nolefan95]

On 5/8/2023 at 8:40 PM, tobyt said:

I did but have found nothing posted in from last season or online reflecting they run. If you find anything I would be very interested.

Look at post 151

[landlocked12]

Has anyone ridden one of the donkeys up the hill from the tender port recently?

Or seen the line? Is it as bad as for the cable car?

Alas, when I visited in June of 2000 there were no lines to speak of.  Ours was the only cruise ship in port and we only carried about 900 passengers. 

Edited June 29, 2023 by landlocked12

[mapleleaves]

On 6/29/2023 at 10:17 AM, landlocked12 said:

Has anyone ridden one of the donkeys up the hill from the tender port recently?

Or seen the line? Is it as bad as for the cable car?

Alas, when I visited in June of 2000 there were no lines to speak of.  Ours was the only cruise ship in port and we only carried about 900 passengers. 

you need to google Santorini port schedule to find out how many ships are in port with you, plus their arrival/departure times and # of passengers.  That will give you a clue as to how crowded it will be on the way up and on the way down.

 

The only way to avoid the line is to book a ships excursion; just a simple one that provides transportation to Oia for an hr then on to Fira.  Otherwise, you can wait for a boat in the harbor, or you can walk up the donkey path.( I couldn't bear to look at the donkeys; just seems so cruel. )

[majmaj4]

On 4/14/2023 at 7:38 PM, kabookie7 said:

I cannot seem to confirm that there is a boat company at the Old Port to take my daughter and I to Oia. I read conflicting reports. Can anyone confirm there is such a service for June of 2023? Thank you!

Were you able to confirm the service and what months it is running?  

[MLP12]

My husband and I will be in Santorini in August.  We booked a tour through the ship that states you board a ferry and then take a bus to Oia.  The bus then returns you to Fira to look around on your own.  Will we have to use the cable car to get to the ferry boat to board the bus to Oia?  

[Peadar2000]

33 minutes ago, MLP12 said:

My husband and I will be in Santorini in August.  We booked a tour through the ship that states you board a ferry and then take a bus to Oia.  The bus then returns you to Fira to look around on your own.  Will we have to use the cable car to get to the ferry boat to board the bus to Oia?  

As far as I know you are not dropped at the cable car dock below Fira. Your Celebrity tender brings you to a different dock further south where you board your bus for Oia. However on the return leg it sounds like you will indeed be left off at Fira where the cable car (or zig-zag donkey path) is your route back to the ship.

[bonsai3s]

1 hour ago, Peadar2000 said:

As far as I know you are not dropped at the cable car dock below Fira. Your Celebrity tender brings you to a different dock further south where you board your bus for Oia. However on the return leg it sounds like you will indeed be left off at Fira where the cable car (or zig-zag donkey path) is your route back to the ship.

Just a small correction:

After the tender, they will board a ferry. The ferry will drop them off below Oia...then they will take the bus up to Oia...After Oia, they will take the bus back to Fira. Happy sailing!

 

 

[Peadar2000]

8 hours ago, bonsai3s said:

Just a small correction:

After the tender, they will board a ferry. The ferry will drop them off below Oia...then they will take the bus up to Oia...After Oia, they will take the bus back to Fira. Happy sailing!

 

 

My understanding was all Celebrity excursions were tendered to the dock south of Fira where coaches collected them but I stand corrected!

[KKB]

OK...we are there with 3 other ships...potentially 9K passengers total.

Azmara Onward 8-8, Rhapsody of Seas 7-9, NCL Breakaway (us) 1-10 & Celestial Olympia 2-9.

We have booked a ship excursion to ease getting there, but it drops us at Fira at 7PM.

My though is since 2 ships arrive much earlier than us & all 3 leave an hour earlier, simply wait to get the cable car---maybe 8PM or so? 

(my thought is at 7 the other ships passengers will be in line)

I'd love to stay & see a sunset at 8:20, but I fear others on our ship may do the same...

No interest in taking steps at dusk!

Thoughts?

Edited July 9, 2023 by KKB

[aeb9]

On 11/10/2022 at 9:46 AM, emeraldlake said:

Does anyone have any information about Karavas Travel and Santorini's Panoramic Blue Shade Tour.

Good reviews on Tripadvisor but no information on Cruise Critic.

 

Thanks

@emeraldlake did you go on this tour? I'm also looking into it. Thank you!

[emeraldlake]

Yes we did.  They took us all over the island which was very nice.  I contacted them directly by email and they let us book without prepayment.  If i recall there were about 8 in the van but there was plenty of room

[Latimer]

We are in Santorini in October on Celebrity Reflection and the tour we wanted is fully booked so after reading some of these posts think we will get the local bus.

we prefer to do a tour as not confident finding our own way around, but sounds like it’s quite easy.

any additional advice would be appreciated.

[Peadar2000]

2 minutes ago, Latimer said:

We are in Santorini in October on Celebrity Reflection and the tour we wanted is fully booked so after reading some of these posts think we will get the local bus.

we prefer to do a tour as not confident finding our own way around, but sounds like it’s quite easy.

any additional advice would be appreciated.

 

Our cruise begins tomorrow so when we get back in early August I’ll try to remember to give a review of our independent tour of Santorini.

[Latimer]

That would be just great. Thank you.

I’ll look out for it .

[bonsai3s]

On 7/19/2023 at 6:00 PM, Latimer said:

We are in Santorini in October on Celebrity Reflection and the tour we wanted is fully booked so after reading some of these posts think we will get the local bus.

we prefer to do a tour as not confident finding our own way around, but sounds like it’s quite easy.

any additional advice would be appreciated.

Just a few random notes for DIY bus to Oia:

 

* Find out how many ships will be there the same day...our ship arrived first, about 8am, and so no queue for the cable car...took 8 minutes from bottom to top...2 ships arrived later that day.

(www.cruisemapper.com)

 

* Best to be on the first tender off the ship to Fira.

 

* When you get off the cable car on top, up in Fira, the pedestrian only walk paths meander and can get confusing...just politely ask for directions to the bus station. About a 10-minute walk.

 

* The bus station is an open square area where buses arrive and pick up passengers. A bus conductor will announce the bus for Oia (eee-ya)...a queue will start as most passengers (mostly from the ship) will be going to Oia. The bus conductor will take your fare and will appreciate it if you have the exact amount. (Our fare was 1.60€/person each way.)  About 30 minutes from Fira to Oia.

 

Happy sailing and have a memorable time in Santorini.

[Peadar2000]

On 7/19/2023 at 11:00 AM, Latimer said:

We are in Santorini in October on Celebrity Reflection and the tour we wanted is fully booked so after reading some of these posts think we will get the local bus.

we prefer to do a tour as not confident finding our own way around, but sounds like it’s quite easy.

any additional advice would be appreciated.

Hi again. So we ( husband and I) have arrived back from our cruise and here are some thoughts on our Santorini excursion. As I said before, our tour was not through Celebrity, rather through a local group called Santorini Unique Experience Tour. I found it through Viator where it’s listed as ‘5 Hours Santorini Sightseeing Tour’. It cost us €99 (roughly $108) each. It was the most expensive excursion we took (we did three independent ones) and it was pretty good, if not great.

 

The main ordeal is getting up to Fira from the tender port below. Because there were four other cruise ships in port with us we were told the night before that Celebrity Constellation would have a tender window from 8am. To avoid being lost in the crowd we got up early the next morning at 6am to get our tender tickets (we secured number 7). We then hung around until we were called at 8.15. The tender itself was quick and efficient but when we were deposited at the dock below Fira we could already see a crowd building for the cable car. Despite what Celebrity said about us having a window it seemed most of the other ships had the same window! Anyway, my husband and I decided to take to the zig-zag walking path up the side of the cliff. This also doubles as the donkey path. It was steep and tiring but it was in the shade (at least in the morning) and took us 15/20 minutes; we’re relatively young and fit but it was a real climb! Our tour wasn’t meeting until 10am at the cable car entrance so we wandered around Fira for a bit and had a coffee overlooking the caldera and the various cruise ships below. Approaching 10am we made our way to the cable car station and looked out for our guide. It’s a bit chaotic there as you have guides with sheets of paper, people spilling out of the cable car station, people milling around waiting for tours, and Fira not being known for its wide streets. We eventually located our man and then had to wait for the other passengers. Turns out one pair (from Constellation) were stuck waiting for the cable car which meant we didn’t get to start the tour until after 10.30. The late pair told us that they were up at what they thought was an early time of 06.30 to get the tender ticket. And they actually got dropped at the dock in good time. Unfortunately for them the queue for the cable car was bonkers. Different ship passengers were joining what ended up being a 2 hour wait to get up the cable car (one of them had weak knees so there was no way of walking up the path). So, basically, Santorini has the potential to be an uncomfortable and chaotic landing. But if you’re going in October things should be much calmer.

 

On to the tour. There was 5 of us in total. Our driver/guide was friendly. But his accent was very heavy and we all struggled to understand him well. I also think he struggled to understand us too. It just made things a little awkward. He dropped us at Oia and gave us not very much time to walk through. We were to meet him at the bus station (where his air-conditioned Mercedes mini-van would be parked). Oia was of course a crush but it was lovely. I would’ve liked a bit more time to browse around. I did see a Celebrity excursion coach behind us at one point (‘Highlights of Santorini’ or some such title) and our driver told us that coaches are very restricted on what routes/roads they can use on the island because of their size. So getting a small-group tour is definitely the way to go on Santorini as you have much more freedom.

 

After this - it’s still a bit vague as there didn’t seem to be a defined itinerary despite what it stated when I booked - we were driven to different parts of the island. We went to the monastery on the high peak (lovely) and, for some reason, we were brought to the archaeological site at Akrotiri. This was fine but it was an additional €12 which was not advertised. The others were willing to visit and it was interesting. But I could’ve done without it. We then went to a winery where we sampled some lovely local wines and I ended up buying one (paid €50!! The things you do and buy on holiday!) The visit to the black beach was omitted (the driver said it’s not worth it as Santorini is not renowned for its beaches) and the tour ended with us being dropped back to Fira. We said our goodbyes and my husband and I made our way back to the dock. Again we decided to use the donkey path. This time the sun shone directly on us and it was a busier walk (the passing donkeys will sometimes trot right next to you - and once I saw a young man become part of a donkey-wall sandwich) but it’s easier on the legs downhill although it can get slippery on the dry smooth paving. Definitely be mindful of your step (and the poo). At the bottom the Celebrity crew met us with water, iced towels (seriously, the greatest treat of the whole cruise!) and a sheltered covering while we waited for the tender to bring us back to ship.

 

Overall, I am glad I did Santorini. It is undoubtedly gorgeous with some stunning views and locations. The landing, if you are not on a Celebrity excursion, can be stressful and wearying. The crowds in July were pretty overwhelming (especially in Oia) and the traffic on the roads (from all sorts of motorised vehicles) was kind of surprising. It did slow us down. Our trip ended up being around 4.5 hours. It was a nice overview of the island and we liked the people we were with. But it was a little stilted with our guide’s level of English. Compared to what we paid for a wonderful tour of Ephesus (half the price) it seemed a little on the expensive side, particularly given the extra cost at Akrotiri.

 

Anyway, those are my reflections on our day in Santorini. I’m sorry if I rambled on a bit. Santorini is a jewel. I’m not sure I’d rush back on a hot July day again though. But it’s definitely worth a stop. For you in October I’m sure most of the niggles I experienced or saw will be much mitigated by your off-season timing. And presumably there’ll be fewer if any other cruise ships in port that day which will significantly simplify the cable car process. Good luck and enjoy!

[Latimer]

Thank you so much for taking the time to report back on Santorini.

I believe there are 4 ships there on our day but only 2 early in the morning (our ship being one of them, Celebrity Reflection)

we were going to take the bus to Oia but now think we will book a tour through Viator who we have used in many countries and so far have always been very good.

I had heard getting the cable car can be crazy and I don’t fancy the walk up.  Will just hope October isn’t quite so busy.

 

[aeb9]

2 hours ago, Peadar2000 said:

Hi again. So we ( husband and I) have arrived back from our cruise and here are some thoughts on our Santorini excursion. As I said before, our tour was not through Celebrity, rather through a local group called Santorini Unique Experience Tour. I found it through Viator where it’s listed as ‘5 Hours Santorini Sightseeing Tour’. It cost us €99 (roughly $108) each. It was the most expensive excursion we took (we did three independent ones) and it was pretty good, if not great.

 

The main ordeal is getting up to Fira from the tender port below. Because there were four other cruise ships in port with us we were told the night before that Celebrity Constellation would have a tender window from 8am. To avoid being lost in the crowd we got up early the next morning at 6am to get our tender tickets (we secured number 7). We then hung around until we were called at 8.15. The tender itself was quick and efficient but when we were deposited at the dock below Fira we could already see a crowd building for the cable car. Despite what Celebrity said about us having a window it seemed most of the other ships had the same window! Anyway, my husband and I decided to take to the zig-zag walking path up the side of the cliff. This also doubles as the donkey path. It was steep and tiring but it was in the shade (at least in the morning) and took us 15/20 minutes; we’re relatively young and fit but it was a real climb! Our tour wasn’t meeting until 10am at the cable car entrance so we wandered around Fira for a bit and had a coffee overlooking the caldera and the various cruise ships below. Approaching 10am we made our way to the cable car station and looked out for our guide. It’s a bit chaotic there as you have guides with sheets of paper, people spilling out of the cable car station, people milling around waiting for tours, and Fira not being known for its wide streets. We eventually located our man and then had to wait for the other passengers. Turns out one pair (from Constellation) were stuck waiting for the cable car which meant we didn’t get to start the tour until after 10.30. The late pair told us that they were up at what they thought was an early time of 06.30 to get the tender ticket. And they actually got dropped at the dock in good time. Unfortunately for them the queue for the cable car was bonkers. Different ship passengers were joining what ended up being a 2 hour wait to get up the cable car (one of them had weak knees so there was no way of walking up the path). So, basically, Santorini has the potential to be an uncomfortable and chaotic landing. But if you’re going in October things should be much calmer.

 

On to the tour. There was 5 of us in total. Our driver/guide was friendly. But his accent was very heavy and we all struggled to understand him well. I also think he struggled to understand us too. It just made things a little awkward. He dropped us at Oia and gave us not very much time to walk through. We were to meet him at the bus station (where his air-conditioned Mercedes mini-van would be parked). Oia was of course a crush but it was lovely. I would’ve liked a bit more time to browse around. I did see a Celebrity excursion coach behind us at one point (‘Highlights of Santorini’ or some such title) and our driver told us that coaches are very restricted on what routes/roads they can use on the island because of their size. So getting a small-group tour is definitely the way to go on Santorini as you have much more freedom.

 

After this - it’s still a bit vague as there didn’t seem to be a defined itinerary despite what it stated when I booked - we were driven to different parts of the island. We went to the monastery on the high peak (lovely) and, for some reason, we were brought to the archaeological site at Akrotiri. This was fine but it was an additional €12 which was not advertised. The others were willing to visit and it was interesting. But I could’ve done without it. We then went to a winery where we sampled some lovely local wines and I ended up buying one (paid €50!! The things you do and buy on holiday!) The visit to the black beach was omitted (the driver said it’s not worth it as Santorini is not renowned for its beaches) and the tour ended with us being dropped back to Fira. We said our goodbyes and my husband and I made our way back to the dock. Again we decided to use the donkey path. This time the sun shone directly on us and it was a busier walk (the passing donkeys will sometimes trot right next to you - and once I saw a young man become part of a donkey-wall sandwich) but it’s easier on the legs downhill although it can get slippery on the dry smooth paving. Definitely be mindful of your step (and the poo). At the bottom the Celebrity crew met us with water, iced towels (seriously, the greatest treat of the whole cruise!) and a sheltered covering while we waited for the tender to bring us back to ship.

 

Overall, I am glad I did Santorini. It is undoubtedly gorgeous with some stunning views and locations. The landing, if you are not on a Celebrity excursion, can be stressful and wearying. The crowds in July were pretty overwhelming (especially in Oia) and the traffic on the roads (from all sorts of motorised vehicles) was kind of surprising. It did slow us down. Our trip ended up being around 4.5 hours. It was a nice overview of the island and we liked the people we were with. But it was a little stilted with our guide’s level of English. Compared to what we paid for a wonderful tour of Ephesus (half the price) it seemed a little on the expensive side, particularly given the extra cost at Akrotiri.

 

Anyway, those are my reflections on our day in Santorini. I’m sorry if I rambled on a bit. Santorini is a jewel. I’m not sure I’d rush back on a hot July day again though. But it’s definitely worth a stop. For you in October I’m sure most of the niggles I experienced or saw will be much mitigated by your off-season timing. And presumably there’ll be fewer if any other cruise ships in port that day which will significantly simplify the cable car process. Good luck and enjoy!

Thank you for sharing this update! 
 

Did you consider taking the boat from Fira to Oia? Or did you see anyone lining up for this? 
 

I believe it’s 30 euro per person.