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

[Peadar2000]

14 minutes ago, aeb9 said:

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. 

I didn’t see the specific line for that but there were boats at the dock which I presume were used for this. My guess is this would be much less hassle than a throng for the cable car. The main reason I didn’t consider it was our tour was going from Fira and I really wanted to get a good island-wide tour; most of these seemed to go from Fira. If I’m ever at Santorini again I will definitely look into that boat from Fira to Oia as next time all I’d like to really do on Santorini is spend a bit more time in Oia.

[mapleleaves]

2 hours ago, Latimer said:

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.

 

be mindful of where the Viator tour picks you up, as it may be in Fira

[mapleleaves]

53 minutes ago, aeb9 said:

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. 

 

When I visited at the end of Sept last yr, there was no line for the boat, but it doesn't depart until there are enough pax on board.  It sat at the dock for an hr.  However we stood for 2 hrs waiting for the cable car, so in hindsight the boat would have been a better choice.

[Latimer]

7 minutes ago, mapleleaves said:

be mindful of where the Viator tour picks you up, as it may be in Fira

I think they pick you up at the top of the cable car. I will check. Thanks 

[Latimer]

3 minutes ago, mapleleaves said:

 

When I visited at the end of Sept last yr, there was no line for the boat, but it doesn't depart until there are enough pax on board.  It sat at the dock for an hr.  However we stood for 2 hrs waiting for the cable car, so in hindsight the boat would have been a better choice.

I didn’t know you could get a boat…will bear this in mind. Thamkyou

[Labanos]

Santorini

Alternative route - After the tender from the ship to the Old port of Fira, by a ticket from the ticket shop (Sea traveler) on the quai, for transportation to Oia. This costs 30 euro per person and includes a water taxi to Amoudi Bay, bus transfer to Oia and a bus transfer to Fira. A few remarks:

 

• The trip to Amoudi take about 15 minutes and is a nice sea ride
•  
• You then have to walk up a few 100 meters on a VERY steep hill. 
•  
• In 5-10 minutes a bus takes you to Oia center
•  
• Every hour from 10-16 a bus leaves to Fira. So you can take your time in Oia and leave when ready
•  
• We found this a perfect way to go against the flow of all the people wanting to go to Fira first by cable car
•  
• Even when Enchanted Princess was the only ship in Santorini (lucky us) it was busy everywhere. The lines for the cable car going down were long!
•  
• We took the donkey path down from Fira to the old port. We did this at 14:00 in the full sun. Well what should I say 😅😟. Yes it’s doable for any fit person but it’s not an easy task. The steps are sometimes high, the path uneven and you have to watch for slippery parts and donkey poop. Really watch out! We did it in 30 minutes as untrained persons with how should I say it, not fat but a quite a few ponds to much.

Edited August 13, 2023 by Labanos

[bennybear]

On 7/19/2023 at 4:00 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.

I would add that wandering around Oia can be delightful,  highly recommend you try the walnut cake with mastic ice cream.  The buses from Oia can be crowded but the taxis are reasonable.   We usually take one to the black sand beach of Kamari and have a nice lunch there looking at the water.   And then a bus or taxi back to Fira, less busy this way.

 

[Latimer]

12 hours ago, bennybear said:

I would add that wandering around Oia can be delightful,  highly recommend you try the walnut cake with mastic ice cream.  The buses from Oia can be crowded but the taxis are reasonable.   We usually take one to the black sand beach of Kamari and have a nice lunch there looking at the water.   And then a bus or taxi back to Fira, less busy this way.

 

Thanks for this looks yummy but as I’m coeliac will have to miss out.

I think we are going to book a short tour with Viator  they have always been good in the past.

[PurpleTraveller]

When researching for my Santorini port stop for June 2024 I found this helpful website for the Santorini Old Port with information, photos and prices.

 

https://www.santoriniport.com/

 

I am not sure how often the website is updated for prices but the other information about the facilities would be the same.

 

Edited August 19, 2023 by PurpleTraveller

[Tfred99]

I see many suggestions to avoid the cable car going up in the morning (boat to Oia, then bus), but what about coming back down?? Can you take a bus back to Oia late in the day and then boat back to the old port?? I really don’t want to spend hours in a line for the cable car, up OR down. Just sayin’

[mapleleaves]

2 hours ago, Tfred99 said:

I see many suggestions to avoid the cable car going up in the morning (boat to Oia, then bus), but what about coming back down?? Can you take a bus back to Oia late in the day and then boat back to the old port?? I really don’t want to spend hours in a line for the cable car, up OR down. Just sayin’

the boats don't do a return trip; it's just one-way. .

 

Google Santorini Port to see how many ships will be in port with you, plus their arrival/departure times, and # of pax.  That information will help gauge the situation but it's not a guarantee. 

ie our ship (2800 pax) arrived at 1:30pm and the only other ship (2700) was 7am-4pm.  I assumed the other ship's pax would have gone to Fira hours earlier so there would be no line for us at the cabl car. WRONG!  We stood 2 hrs. The other ship left at 4, so there was NO ONE in line when we returned to the ship around 6:30 or so.  

[herbanrenewal]

Has anyone been to Perivolos Beach, Santorini in November? I booked NCL tour for 5 hours at this beach. The main attraction here seems to be the black sand beach and crystal clear water. Only other comments are restaurants and hotels. I'm not sure what to do in this area in November.

[marazul]

2 hours ago, herbanrenewal said:

Has anyone been to Perivolos Beach, Santorini in November? I booked NCL tour for 5 hours at this beach. The main attraction here seems to be the black sand beach and crystal clear water. Only other comments are restaurants and hotels. I'm not sure what to do in this area in November.

That is a good summer beach day tour. Not so much in November. There is nothing else to do at that beach. The water will be too cold and there is a good chance of strong winds.

Pick something else. Anything else.

[DCGuy64]

We are visiting Santorini on November 6. I booked us a tour that begins at 10:30 am. There are only two other ships in Santorini the same day as us, and one doesn't arrive until 4 pm. We (NCL Breakaway) are scheduled to dock at 7 am. There is an MSC ship docking an hour later, at 8 am. I emailed the tour operator to see if we can be picked up at the Old Port, but I'm not sure they do that. I'd love to be off the ship first to beat the crowds from the MSC ship, but that would mean hanging around for several hours until the tour starts. Any advice? My wife has trouble walking up steps and long distances, so we're probably going to have to do the cable car unless we find something else-donkeys and on foot probably not a good idea. I've read a lot of these posts but can't find something addressing our needs. TIA.

[Peadar2000]

My advice is get off before 8 and try to be among the first of the crowds at the cable car. If the donkeys and walking are out then the cable car is your only real option. Getting caught up in the crush with MSC passengers will mean standing around in a queue for 1 to 2 hours. Once you get up to Fira town you can wander around for a bit, have a coffee overlooking the caldera, basically kill time. That beats being stuck in an endless line below.

 

There are I believe boats that can take you from the old port to Oia but they may be seasonal and if your tour is going from Fira then it’s pointless.

[bonsai3s]

Great advice from Peadar2000.

 

* DCguy54, just be aware that once you get up to Fira...it is hilly and there are steps to navigate...just go slow. 

[mapleleaves]

Agree with Peadar.  And I would also caution there are about 20 steps to the cable car at both ends.  This would be another reason to get in line as early as possible. It is easy to lose your balance in the crowds esp if you get in the midst of a few pushy people while you're trying to take  your time.

[USCAdventurer]

my ship does not stop at santorinij but i would like to see it while i'm in athens.  is it possible to take an all day tour to santorini?  thanks in advance for your answers.

[marazul]

7 minutes ago, USC Adventurer said:

my ship does not stop at santorinij but i would like to see it while i'm in athens.  is it possible to take an all day tour to santorini?  thanks in advance for your answers.

In theory, yes. The flights are 30 minutes each way. There are several flights each day on Aegean Air.  You can fly there and back in one day. Rent a car at the airport or arrange a tour with a local company.

The ferries take several hours to get there so they would not work for a day trip.

aegeanair.com

[Jb1976jb]

New member here...thanks for any help!

 

We are stopping at Santorini Nov 4 on Enchanted Princess. We are seniors with some mobility issues. We have booked a 3 hour tour (sounds ominous!) through Viator to meet "at the top of the Cable Car" at 9:00 AM. Princess says we will be there at 7AM, and we are Elite so I hope we can/will be on an early tender. We are early risers.

 

My 1st question. I have read both answers: will we be able to purchase Cable car tickets with a credit card?  YES or NO?

 

2nd question. I am certainly hoping we can meet the tour at 9AM...BUT I AM able to change our tour to depart at 11AM, but then we will possibly get involved with a long cable car line to descend....ship sails at 6 PM. I would rather do our tour, have some time to walk around on our own, then return to the shop. without standing for more than an hour, as I am really not able to stand that long. Should I change to the 11AM tour?

 

Thanks for any help!

[Peadar2000]

12 hours ago, Jb1976jb said:

New member here...thanks for any help!

 

We are stopping at Santorini Nov 4 on Enchanted Princess. We are seniors with some mobility issues. We have booked a 3 hour tour (sounds ominous!) through Viator to meet "at the top of the Cable Car" at 9:00 AM. Princess says we will be there at 7AM, and we are Elite so I hope we can/will be on an early tender. We are early risers.

 

My 1st question. I have read both answers: will we be able to purchase Cable car tickets with a credit card?  YES or NO?

 

2nd question. I am certainly hoping we can meet the tour at 9AM...BUT I AM able to change our tour to depart at 11AM, but then we will possibly get involved with a long cable car line to descend....ship sails at 6 PM. I would rather do our tour, have some time to walk around on our own, then return to the shop. without standing for more than an hour, as I am really not able to stand that long. Should I change to the 11AM tour?

 

Thanks for any help!

Hiya. I looked at the schedule and there is another large ship arriving at the same time as you. This obviously may have an effect on the queue for the cable car. However, if you are confident you can be among the first to disembark your ship then I believe you should be ok at the cable car. Any wait shouldn’t be excessive. But do make sure you’re off the ship quick smart!
 

As for the paying for the cable car, I don’t know for sure but I would assume that cards would be accepted.

[Jb1976jb]

13 minutes ago, Peadar2000 said:

Hiya. I looked at the schedule and there is another large ship arriving at the same time as you. This obviously may have an effect on the queue for the cable car. However, if you are confident you can be among the first to disembark your ship then I believe you should be ok at the cable car. Any wait shouldn’t be excessive. But do make sure you’re off the ship quick smart!
 

As for the paying for the cable car, I don’t know for sure but I would assume that cards would be accepted.

Thank you. I also saw that the Rhapsody of the Seas (1,996 max passengers) and the Viking Neptune (930 max passengers) will there as well.

 

I am confident that we can be on an early tender leaving our ship. My research also shows that passengers on any ship organized excursions will tender to a different port at Santorini, allowing the rest of us to go to the "Old Port". This SHOULD help, if correct....as many people buy the ships excursions. (they were all sold out for Santorini when we booked the cruise....we generally shop around as well)

 

However, these ship purchased excursions may leave passengers at the top after the excursion, requiring them to use the cable cars to return to the tenders at the Old Port. 

 

Regarding paying for the cable cars with a credit card, I have seen both yes and no, so I am hoping for a recent experience to confirm. (Perhaps this ability has changed?) I plan to buy Euros at a bank ATM in Fira, and will then have Euros for the return cable car tickets.

 

Thank you again for all answers!

[mapleleaves]

1 hour ago, Jb1976jb said:

T 

 

Regarding paying for the cable cars with a credit card, I have seen both yes and no, so I am hoping for a recent experience to confirm. (Perhaps this ability has changed?) I plan to buy Euros at a bank ATM in Fira, and will then have Euros for the return cable car tickets.

 

Thank you again for all answers!

Not recent but last October, credit cards were accepted for the cable car. 

 

And yes, people on a cruiseline excursion avoid the cable car going up to Thira but for the trip down they must stand in the queue like everyone else, even if they were provided with a ticket or voucher for the cable car.  

 

[StCroixCruiser]

To get all the details on the public bus routes on Santorini, here's the best resource I've found, including maps, photos, videos, and narrative:

 

Santorini Public Bus - Routes, Schedules, Tickets, Map (santorinidave.com)

 

And other Santorini info you might find of interest:

 

Santorini Greece - The 2024 Travel Guide (santorinidave.com)

 

Santorini, Rhodes and Mykonos are some of the easiest cruise ports to do it yourself and have an amazing day quite inexpensively, although it helps if you don't mind walking alleys and cobblestones since they are all built that way.  They are three of my favorite ports ever, though.  And I've been a lot of places.

[Tranquility Base]

Santorini.

 

Would anyone know if the ferry from the Old Port to Oia is still operating ?

If it is, would it be operating during the first week of December ?

How might I find out ?

 

Thanks.