Recommendations for Santorini

[katiebeth]

We will be sailing on the Millennium in June from Barcelona to Venice. Thanks to these boards and all the wonderful posters, I have almost everything planned in terms of what to do in each port. The only port that is still "up in the air" is Santorini. We are leaning toward touring on our own ..exploring Thera and then taking a taxi to Oia.

 

Celebrity offers a few shore excursions and Village of Oia, Santorini Island and Wine Tasting looks interesting. However, a previous poster mentioned that the bus ride from the port to Oia is rather "hair-raising. (narrow roads and steep drop-offs) I have "been there, done that" in other ports in Europe and am not really interested in a repeat experience. I don't do well heights and curves. Anyway, I am not totally ruling it out as I understand Oia is a "must see". I am just wondering if a cab ride from Thera to Oia is more "managable". How long does it take to travel from Thera to Oia?

 

I also I would appreciate any recommendations for great spots for lunch and any other "must sees".

 

Thanks,

 

Nancy

[Joanne G.]

You've heard right - Oia is a must-see. Take a ship's excursion, grab a taxi, rent a motor scooter, take the public bus, but GO TO OIA! It is unforgettable.

 

We did Celebrity's Oia and wine tasting tour while on the Galaxy last summer. We enjoyed it thoroughly. The wine tasting samples were generous, and the view from the terrace of the winery was spectacular. We had about an hour or so on our own in Oia. I would have liked more time, but the excursion was short enough that we had plenty of time to explore Thera on our own after the excursion. It's a fun place to shop, have lunch, sip wine, and people watch.

 

Yes, the bus ride was, at times, on a winding road along the side of the cliff. There are a lot of roads like that in a Med ports! Since the island is so small, it's possible that the taxis use the same road, though it might be less stressful in a small vehicle as opposed to a big bus.

 

Sorry, I can't recommend any particular places to eat. There are many, many restaurants, many with great views of your ship anchored far below. Have a wonderful cruise.

[01suzy]

we did the Millie 12 day last summer. We had lunch at Arhipelagos in Fira Santorini. It was wonderful - the food, the view the staff. Here is the website http://www.arhipelagos-santorini.com/place.htm

[Sandy R]

Last June, we opted to see Santorini on our own. We took a taxi to Oia. The driver waited for us, then drove us back... all together 1 1/2 to 2 hours. When we returned to Fira, we ate at a wonderful restaurant... I can't tell you the name but I can tell you where it is. When you get off the tram that takes you up to Santorini, you will walk around toward to town. The very first restaurant you pass on your left side, is where we ate. It's a terraced restaurant and their Greek food is wonderful. And, the views from the restaurant are fantastic! After lunch, we explored the winding street of Fira and some of the interesting jewlery and clothing shops. It's an easy island to do on your own.

[mountainhouse]

We took a taxi to Oia. The driver waited for us, then drove us back... all together 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

 

Do you remember about how much it cost?

[katiebeth]

Thanks Sandy R. I do have a couple further question. When you say it took 1 1/2 to 2 hours does that include the time you spent exploring Oia? I am curious as to what it costs also? Is it easy to find a cab in Thera?

 

Also, I assume you had the driver wait as you were concerned about finding another cab back from Oia to Thera.

 

Again, thanks for taking the time to reply.

[GACRUISER456]

Has anyone been to the ancient ruins of Akrotiri? It sounds great, but I never hear of anyone going there. I'd love to find out if it is easily accessible by the bus system and even if it is worth the time and effort getting there or would we be better to stay in the main towns. Thanks!

[4 cruisers]

Akrotiri is apparently closed for repairs when we are due to be there in June. We have arranged a small bus and driver for our group of 13 and he is the one who informed us of the closure. He did say that if it does open, we will of course include it in our day tour. We have been to the site before and thought it was really worthwhile. We are sorry for the rest of our group who have never seen it. Just one more reason to return to lovely Santorini one day!

[virgenia]

We went to Akrotiri on our tour of Santorini that we took last year. It is at the far end of the island and am not sure if it is accessible by bus. It was very interesting--was actually the first of the ruins of a civilization that we saw on this cruise. It is all under cover and they are still excavating. As I remember it, there is not a lot of information as you walk through and it is quite dark. Walkways are wooden and uneven if that is a concern. We spent about an hour there. If you have only the day there and have to do it by bus, I would consider other options. If you have a driver as we did, then it is worth the time.

[little britain]

Last June, we opted to see Santorini on our own. We took a taxi to Oia. The driver waited for us, then drove us back... all together 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Asking again - does anyone know how much this costs - we are only in Santorini from 7:30 till 1:30 and don't want to miss the boat!! Thanks

[Sandy R]

My DH says is was more like 2 hours total, including transportation... a lovely drive with beautiful views. The cost to rent a taxi to Oia... most wanted $35 an hour. We talked to about 3 taxi drivers and got one to take us for $25 an hour for the 2 of us. Didn't have a problem getting a taxi but you have to walk through the town (a few blocks) down to the main street... they actually stop and ask if you want a tour. We were taken to the bluffs of Oia first and then down to an area along the beaches. We had the driver wait because we never like going somewhere without knowing how we're going to get back... just a little insurance. Sorry, because we had transportation beck, I didn't notice if there were taxis available. But, there were lots of people who cam in taxis. In fact, our driver was talking to a group of drivers when we were ready to leave the bluff area.

 

There were several tours bus off 2 or 3 different cruise ships in that day. When we arrived in Oia, there were tour buses arriving, too. You know the routine... pile off the bus, wait until everyone is off, listen for 15 minutes to the guide talk about everything you're going to see... and then have 15 minutes to explore!

 

We were so happy to be own our own. We walked passed the tours, explored all the nooks and crannies and inside churches, stopped to take photos, ingered at the amazing views. Oia is less commercialized than Fira but still definitely caters to tourists. I must tell you eating our delicious Greek lunch in Fira, entertained by the funny waiter & looking out at the views, was icing on the cake.

 

Sandy

[joyofcruising]

Oia is a very picturesque area where we and many other tourists watched sunset. We sat in one of the many oceanfront casual restaurant. This place (Oia) also had many interesting tourist/artisan shops.

 

We had a private driver-guide who took us to many places on the island: Akrotiri, Pyrgo, Black Beach, Volcano View Villas, Wineries, Oia, Thira, etc...With each of the ship tour, we would have only been able to go to a few of these places. Our guide (Nikos) happens to also be a professional photographer and took many nice photos for us using both our cameras and his professional cameras. All the photos were given to us at the end of the day as a momento of our visit.

 

We highly recommend visiting all above places, especially Oia.

[itsanita]

I am looking into the "sailing trip" in Santorini ..the Bella Aurora & Thalassa. They offer afternoon cruises on replicas of a schooner or brigantine...sailing boats used during the 18th century. You sail around the Caldera area, go to the Nea Kameni Volcano and then walk up to the crater's rim. Then you sail to the "hot springs" where you can go swimming. The next area is Oia, just sailing past it and then on back to Fira....while the sun sets.

 

Has anyone heard of this, or better yet taken this trip?

[joyofcruising]

Oia is a very picturesque area where we and many other tourists watched sunset. We sat in one of the many oceanfront casual restaurant. This place (Oia) also had many interesting tourist/artisan shops.

 

We had a private driver-guide who took us to many places on the island: Akrotiri, Pyrgo, Black Beach, Volcano View Villas, Wineries, Oia, Thira, etc...With each of the ship tour, we would have only been able to go to a few of these places. Our guide (Nikos) happens to also be a professional photographer and took many nice photos for us using both our cameras and his professional cameras. All the photos were given to us at the end of the day as a momento of our visit.

 

We highly recommend visiting all above places, especially Oia.

 

Itsanita: Perhaps you could contact the above company to see whether they also offer sailing boat tours. They provide all kinds of services/tours including weddings, photography, music, etc...The name of the company we used was: www.santoriniprivatetours.com

[Maryandi]

Sandy or anyone who can answer this. The taxi fare of $25 per hour was that US dollars or Euros ? Did any shop, taxi, etc take US dollars or was only Euros taken ? Thanks for your help, MaryAnn

[katiebeth]

Sounds like a private tour of the island may be something we should consider. Does anyone know how to find out if the company is licensed (and reputable).

 

I will definitely look at http://www.santoriniprivatetours.com.

 

Thanks everyone!

 

Nancy

[Sandy R]

Wowzo... it had to be Euro, since from the time we landed in Europe, until we flew home, we used Euro... except for some of our private guides, who told us in advance they'd take US$$. I do know we paid for lunch and anything we bought in shops, with a credit card. That goes for all our other stops, too. We seemed to be visiting an ATM in every other stop. DH didn't want to return home with a lot of extra Euro.

[KT32]

Nikos taverna in Fira is a good spot for food.

 

At the tip of Oia is an area called Ammoudi which has several restaurants right on the water which are good and a lovely setting. I've even seen some folks swimming during the day. Definitely try the local house wine - its inexpensive and goes well with Greek food. Its too bad you won't be around at sunset as this is a spectacular place to watch the sunset.

 

Akrotiri is also interesting but last fall when I was in Greece we heard that part of the roof collapsed killing one person. I'm not sure if its open again.

 

Wineries are also a good tour option. They grow varieties of grapes not seen in other parts of Europe and have a unique basket shaped way of growing the vines.

[Tisha]

We were in Santorini last Oct and rented a car. Can't think of a better way to see the island! We saw the entire island at our own pace and loved every minute. Keep in mind that you tender at Santorini & can't get off the ship straight away. It also takes some time to catch the cable car, depending on the nr of ships in port. Although we achored around 7am we were not able to get to the car until 10.30! It took us around 3 hrs to see the island at a leasurely pace, but we did not stop for lunch.

[GACRUISER456]

Do you know who you rented the car from and the approx cost (plus insurance I assume)? Also, do I just need to go get an international drivers license from AAA? I have never rented abroad before but I have heard several comments about driving yourself around this island especially. Is driving pretty easy around Santorini?

[calexand]

We have just booked a rental car for Santorini - small standard for 33 Eur. includes insurance. Oct. 2006. My husband spent 10 cdn to get a International licence. Looking forward to getting out on our own for the day. Lots of information on the web for Santorini.

[Tisha]

Rented from a gentleman by the name "George". We was great! He gave us his mobile nr and we called when we arrived in Fira. He fetched us in one of the main streets near the cable car, took us to the depot do complete paper work and sent us on our merry way. Dropped us by the cable car again when we returned the car. We paid 34Euros all incl. and fill the tank for around 10Euros. We also got the international drivers license, but he only wanted to see our local drivers license - said there's no need for int.

[CarNut]

We have just booked a rental car for Santorini - small standard for 33 Eur. includes insurance. Oct. 2006. My husband spent 10 cdn to get a International licence. Looking forward to getting out on our own for the day. Lots of information on the web for Santorini.

 

Which car rental company did you book this through?

 

Thanks!

[calexand]

I used the United-hellas.com website to find Vazeos Car Rental for Santorini - Dimitrios Vazeos owner. We had contacted a number of other car rental firms Dimitrios was the only one that acknowledged our request for pick up at the cable car. They all by the way had quoted the same basic price.

[janohara]

The company we are renting a car from said that Akitori will be closed all this year.