How to get to Santorini: fly, if you can. Direct from most of Europe between April and October, or via Athens all year with a fifty-minute hop. The ferry from Piraeus takes five to eight hours, costs less, and is cancelled by wind.
Honeymoon at Santorini
If you are a couple who seeks romantic moments for your Santorini Tours, if you want to experience the most precious time of your life away from the noisy mob of tourists, at a warm atmosphere of a calm and picturesque island, then Santorini is one of the best choices for your honeymoon.
In Santorini you can view amazing sceneries with small villages and tens of churches with light blue domes, as well as you can enjoy the fresh air and the magic beaches with dark rounded stones and white or red sand, you can even try the marvelous local cuisine along with high quality services. There are many who claim that the sunset view is the best thing to see in the island and many couples from around the world visit Santorini for that reason.
Things to do during your honeymoon at Santorini
There are a lot of things to see and thing to do in Santorini island that is will be difficult to decide what your activities will be. In order to help you to organize the perfect honeymoon vacations we made a list with proposals:
Following the above guided tours you are going to have the most romantic experience in your lifetime and an unforgettable honeymoon!
Accommodation
You can find high quality hotels at Santorini, rooms to rent and luxurious wedding suites for very low prices. For an unforgettable honeymoon in Santorini, you can choose throughout a wide variety of hotels with romantic atmosphere and view to the volcano.
How to reach Santorini
The fastest way to reach the island of Santorini is by plane. Another way to visit the island is of course by ship. Santorini can be reached by ships from the ports of Peirea and Rafina, as well as from the neighbouring islands of Kuklades, such as, Ios, Mukonos, Amorgos, Paros, Naxos and others. Santorini is a destination for ships from Crete and Rodos island and basically from all the islands of Dodekanisa complex and the islands of eastern Aigean with in between stops.
The trip can be done with the standard ferry-boat, with high-speed ferries or with flying dolphin, depending on the day and the company that you choose. If you choose a simple ferry-boat it takes approximately 5 – 7.30 hours whereas if you choose high-speed ferries then duration is 3.40 – 5.30 hours. That sure depends on how many islands will the ship aproach to stop. The ship routes Peireas – Santorini are daily through the year and during summer they are doubled or more due to increased tourist activity.
See more about Santorini island:
- Santorini, the island of thousand emotions
- 5 Reasons travelers love Santorini island
- One day trip on Santorini island
- Live a romantic weekend in Santorini
How to Get to Santorini: The Short Answer
Fly, if you can. Direct from most of Europe between April and October, or via Athens all year with a fifty-minute hop. The ferry from Piraeus takes five to eight hours and is cheaper, slower and cancelled by wind.
That is how to get to santorini in one paragraph. The island has an airport at Monolithos, a ferry port at Athinios, and a cruise anchorage in the caldera, and which of the three you use decides how to get to santorini and the first four hours of your holiday more than anything else you book.
The rest of this page is the detail: routes, times, prices, what happens when the meltemi blows, and how to get from whichever door you arrive through to the hotel.
By Air: Direct Flights
Santorini National Airport, code JTR, sits beside Monolithos on the east coast, six kilometres from Fira and about twenty minutes from most of the island.
Between roughly April and October it takes direct services from across Europe: the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, the Nordic countries, Poland, and seasonal charters from further afield. Carriers include the legacy airlines, the low-cost group and a large charter operation, and capacity peaks in July and August, when how to get to santorini is at its easiest.
Typical flight times: three and a half to four hours from London, two and a half to three from central Europe, two from Rome, one hour from Athens.
The catch. Direct services stop for the winter, almost entirely, from around the end of October to the end of March. In those months how to get to santorini has exactly one air answer, and it goes through Athens.
Booking. Direct seats in August are the most expensive of the year and the first to sell. Shoulder-season fares can be a third of the peak, which changes how to get to santorini cheaply.
By Air Via Athens
The year-round answer to how to get to santorini, and the one most long-haul travellers use.
Athens International Airport, code ATH, has flights to Santorini all year with Aegean, Olympic, Sky Express and Volotea, several times a day even in January, and the hop takes about fifty minutes. Fares are frequently under 60 euros return in the off season and considerably more in August.
Connection times. Leave a proper gap. If you are booking the two legs separately, and most people do, a delay on the first is entirely your problem. Three hours is comfortable when working out how to get to santorini in one day, two is tight, and anything under ninety minutes with checked luggage is optimistic.
Same-day or overnight? If your long-haul lands in the afternoon or evening, stay a night in Athens. The Acropolis Museum, the Agora and a dinner in Plaka are a good use of the time and you start rested rather than frayed.
Terminals. Athens has one terminal and domestic departures are a short walk from international arrivals, which makes the transfer simple.
For anyone travelling from outside Europe, this is how to get to santorini almost every time, and the only decision is whether to break the journey.
Santorini Airport: What to Expect
It is small, and in August the airport is the tightest link in how to get to santorini.
One runway, one terminal, and in peak season a stream of aircraft that the building was not designed for. Arrivals can be a scrum, baggage takes a while, and the taxi rank has around thirty vehicles serving the whole island. Departures in the middle of an August afternoon are worse: gate areas fill, and queues run back through security.
What to do about it. Book a transfer in advance so somebody is waiting with your name on a board and the flight tracked. It removes the single worst half hour of how to get to santorini. See private transfers.
Buses. A public service runs between the airport and Fira, cheap, roughly every hour or two, and not designed for luggage.
Car hire. Desks are at the terminal, and in season you should reserve in advance. Add a child seat in writing if you need one.
Departures. Allow two hours in season, and more on a Saturday.
Distances. Kamari ten minutes, Fira twenty, Perissa twenty, Megalochori twenty, Oia forty.
By Ferry From Piraeus
The other answer to how to get to santorini, and the one that fits an island-hopping trip.
Piraeus is the port of Athens, an hour from the airport by metro or taxi, and the crossing to Santorini takes five to eight hours depending on the vessel and the number of stops. Ferries run year round, several a day in summer and daily to several times a week in winter.
Conventional ferries. Blue Star and similar operators run large, stable, comfortable ships with seats, cabins, decks and restaurants, taking seven to eight hours with stops at Paros, Naxos and Ios. They sail in weather that stops the fast boats and they run all year.
High-speed catamarans. Seajets, Golden Star and others do the run in four and a half to five and a half hours, with airline-style seating, no outside deck access and a much rougher ride in a swell. Seasonal only.
Where they arrive. Athinios port, on the west coast under the cliff, ten kilometres and about twenty-five minutes from Fira.
Cost. Roughly 40 to 65 euros for a conventional ferry seat and 65 to 100 for the fast boat, with vehicles extra.
Booking. Essential in July and August, sensible in June and September, and unnecessary in winter.
Anyone weighing how to get to santorini on price alone should note that a cheap Athens flight often costs less than the fast ferry and takes a sixth of the time.
Fast Catamaran or Conventional Ferry?
Take the conventional ferry if you get seasick, you have a lot of luggage, you want fresh air and a deck, you are travelling with children who need to move about, or the forecast is windy. It is cheaper, steadier and far more pleasant, and it runs when the catamarans do not, which matters when how to get to santorini depends on the wind.
Take the catamaran if the day matters more than the comfort. Two to three hours saved on the Piraeus leg of how to get to santorini, and considerably more between the islands.
The seasickness point is not marginal. The Aegean in a meltemi is genuinely rough, the high-speed craft slam rather than roll, and the cabins have no outside access. A great many people who take one in August do not take a second.
Cancellations. Fast boats are pulled first when the wind gets up. Conventional ferries keep going in conditions that ground them.
For most visitors deciding how to get to santorini by sea, the Blue Star overnight or daytime service is the better answer despite the extra hours.
How to Get to Santorini From Athens
Two options for how to get to santorini, and the choice is really about time against money and mood.
By air. Fifty minutes, several flights a day all year, and often the cheaper option in the off season. Add an hour to reach Athens airport from the city centre by metro.
By ferry. Five to eight hours from Piraeus, reachable in about forty minutes on the metro from Monastiraki or Syntagma. Cheaper in high season, and a proper part of the journey rather than a gap in it.
The overnight option. Some conventional sailings run overnight with cabins, which saves a hotel night and lands you at Athinios in the early morning, which is the cheapest way of how to get to santorini overnight.
Which we recommend. Fly, unless the ferry is part of a longer island trip or you actively want the crossing. The Aegean from the deck of a Blue Star at sunset is genuinely lovely and it is still seven hours.
For a short trip, how to get to santorini from Athens has one sensible answer and it takes fifty minutes.
How to Get to Santorini From Mykonos, Naxos and Paros
All three are straightforward in season and awkward in winter, so check how to get to santorini on your actual dates.
Mykonos. Two to three hours by high-speed ferry, several sailings a day from May to September, and roughly 60 to 90 euros. This is the classic two-island trip and the boats are busy, so book ahead in August.
Naxos. Two to three hours on a conventional ferry or ninety minutes on a fast one, year round on the Blue Star route with reduced winter frequency.
Paros. Similar, two to three hours, and Paros is the best-connected hub in the Cyclades if you are chaining several islands.
Ios. Forty minutes to an hour, the shortest hop of the lot, and the quickest how to get to santorini crossing there is.
Folegandros, Sikinos, Milos, Amorgos. All connected, with fewer sailings and more seasonality. Check schedules a week ahead rather than assuming how to get to santorini will look the same as last month.
Flying between islands. There are almost no inter-island flights in the Cyclades. Working out how to get to santorini from another island means a ferry, or a flight back through Athens, which is rarely worth it.
Winter. Frequencies drop hard and some routes stop entirely. The Blue Star Piraeus line is the reliable spine of how to get to santorini all year.
From Crete and Further Afield
Crete. Heraklion to Santorini takes about two hours on a high-speed ferry, running from spring to autumn with one or two sailings a day at peak. It is a popular combination, though how to get to santorini from Crete does not work reliably in winter, when the alternative is a flight via Athens.
Rhodes and the Dodecanese. Possible by ferry but slow and infrequent, so how to get to santorini from there means flying. Flying via Athens is usually faster.
Turkey. There is no direct link. The usual route is a short ferry from Bodrum or Kusadasi to Kos or Samos, then a long onward journey, or a flight via Athens or Istanbul.
Thessaloniki. Direct flights in season and via Athens in winter.
Cyprus and the Middle East. Via Athens.
North America, Asia and Australia. Long-haul to Athens, then the hop. Allow a night in Athens on the way in if the timings are tight.
The pattern is consistent: beyond the Cyclades and Crete, the answer to how to get to santorini is always Athens, and the only real question is whether you sleep there.
How to Get to Santorini by Cruise Ship
Around 800 cruise calls a year come into the caldera, and how to get to santorini by ship is the most dramatic and most awkward arrival in the Mediterranean.
There is no berth. The water inside the caldera is 300 to 400 metres deep, so ships anchor and tender passengers into the old port below Fira. From there the only ways up the cliff are the cable car, 588 steps, or a donkey.
The cable car. Six people a cabin, running continuously, and in the middle of the day the queue in each direction can pass an hour. Coming back down at four in the afternoon with three ships recalling is the pinch point of the entire day.
The steps. 588 of them, shared with the donkeys, in full sun, and unpleasant in either direction.
The donkeys. Skip them, on welfare grounds.
The alternative. Some excursions collect passengers at Athinios instead, which is a road port with buses and cars and no queue at all. If your operator offers it, take it, because it removes the hardest part of how to get to santorini from a tender.
What fits in a call. Akrotiri, one winery, one inland village, and Fira or Oia last. Not the volcano climb, which the tender and the queue will not accommodate. See the shore excursion.
Anyone arriving this way is not really answering how to get to santorini so much as how to get up the cliff, and the honest answer is to plan the day backwards from the all-aboard time.
Athinios: The Ferry Port
Athinios is a concrete apron at the foot of the cliff on the west coast, with a single hairpin road climbing away from it. There is a ticket office, a couple of cafés and nothing else, which surprises people planning how to get to santorini by sea.
Arriving. Ferries disgorge foot passengers, cars, lorries and coaches into a small space at once, with the next sailing loading simultaneously. It is chaotic for fifteen minutes and then it empties.
Onward transport. Buses meet the main arrivals and run to Fira, from where you change for everywhere else. Taxis are scarce. Hotel and hire-car representatives hold up signs.
What we recommend. A pre-booked transfer. Arriving at Athinios at eleven at night off a delayed ferry, in the dark, with luggage and no plan, is the worst version of how to get to santorini there is. See transfers.
Departing. Be there forty-five minutes early in season. The road down is single-file in places and the traffic before a big sailing is slow.
Distances. Fira twenty-five minutes, Kamari twenty-five, Oia forty, Perissa twenty-five.
The Old Port and the Cable Car
The old port at Fira serves tenders and small excursion boats only. It has no road access whatsoever: everything and everybody moves up and down the cliff by cable car, on foot or by donkey.
The cable car. Built in 1979 and funded by a shipowner, it climbs 220 metres in about three minutes. It runs most of the year with reduced winter hours and closes in high winds, which complicates how to get to santorini from a cruise tender.
Capacity. Six people a cabin, several cabins, and thousands of cruise passengers wanting to use it at the same two moments each day.
Timing. Early morning and after six in the evening are quiet. Eleven to four is not.
The walk. 588 zig-zag steps, uneven, shared with animals, and hot. Down is manageable in the cool of the morning; up is a serious effort.
Boats from the old port. Volcano trips, hot springs and Thirasia excursions leave from here in season, and this is where anyone asking how to get to santorini’s volcano actually starts.
How to Get to Santorini on a Budget
Travel outside July and August. The single biggest saving on how to get to santorini, on flights, ferries and everything else. May, June, September and October are half the price and a better trip.
Fly to Athens, then take the domestic hop. Frequently the cheapest how to get to santorini combination, particularly if you book the long leg early and the hop later.
Consider the conventional ferry. Around 40 to 65 euros against 65 to 100 for the catamaran, and a nicer journey, so the slow answer to how to get to santorini is also the cheap one.
Take the overnight sailing. A cabin on a night crossing saves a hotel night.
Book flights early and ferries late. Air fares climb steadily; ferry fares do not move much, though sailings sell out in August.
Use the airport bus. Cheap, if you are travelling light and staying in Fira.
Split the transfer. A private vehicle is priced per car, so four people share one fare.
Avoid the fifteenth of August. The busiest and dearest days of the Greek year for how to get to santorini.
Done properly, how to get to santorini cheaply comes down to two decisions: the month, and whether you route through Athens.
How Long It Takes: A Comparison
London direct. Three and a half to four hours, seasonal.
London via Athens. Three and a half hours, plus a connection, plus fifty minutes. Allow eight to ten door to door.
Central Europe direct. Two and a half to three hours, seasonal.
Athens by air. Fifty minutes.
Athens by fast ferry. Four and a half to five and a half hours, plus an hour to Piraeus.
Athens by conventional ferry. Seven to eight hours, plus an hour to Piraeus.
Mykonos. Two to three hours by sea.
Naxos. Ninety minutes to three hours.
Paros. Two to three hours.
Ios. Forty minutes to an hour.
Crete, Heraklion. About two hours, seasonal.
Airport to Fira. Twenty minutes. Athinios to Fira. Twenty-five.
When the Wind Cancels Everything
The meltemi is the one variable nobody controls, and it belongs in any honest account of the journey.
It blows from the north through July and August, sometimes for three or four days together, and it is strong enough to stop sailings. High-speed catamarans are pulled first, conventional ferries second, and flights are affected far less often though crosswinds do occasionally divert them.
The practical rules. Never book a ferry for the same day as an international flight. Leave a buffer night in Athens on the way home if you are travelling by sea. Check the forecast the evening before rather than the week before, because it changes. If a fast boat is cancelled, ask about the conventional ferry, which frequently still sails and rescues how to get to santorini that day.
Insurance. A cancelled sailing that makes you miss a flight is usually your problem, not the operator’s. Read the policy.
Winter. Gales cancel sailings for two or three days at a time, so anyone working out how to get to santorini between November and March should fly.
From the Airport or Port to Your Hotel
Pre-booked transfer. The last leg of how to get to santorini, met by name with the flight or ferry tracked, driven to the door or as close as the lane allows, and priced per vehicle. The obvious choice with luggage, children or a late arrival. See transfers, and the dedicated services for Oia and Finikia or the other villages.
Taxi. Around thirty on the island. There will be a queue, and at Athinios there may be none at all.
Bus. Cheap, meets the main arrivals, routes through Fira, and not built for suitcases.
Hire car. Sensible if you are staying somewhere flat and want the car anyway. Less sensible if your hotel is on the caldera, where you will spend the week looking for a space. See car hire.
The Oia problem. There is no vehicle access into the village. A transfer takes you to the nearest point and the last stretch is on foot, down steps, with the bags. Ask your hotel in advance how far that is, because it is the last and hardest part of how to get to santorini.
From the United Kingdom and Ireland
Direct seasonal flights run from London Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh and occasionally elsewhere between roughly late April and October, taking three and a half to four hours. Carriers vary year to year and the schedules thin quickly at either end of the season, which changes how to get to santorini in April and October.
Out of season, or if the direct fare is silly, fly to Athens and take the fifty-minute hop. Athens is served all year from most large British airports, and the combination is often cheaper in June than a single direct ticket.
Practical note. British and Irish passport holders need no visa for short stays, and the passport must be valid for the standard period after the date of departure. Check the current rules before booking how to get to santorini rather than relying on what was true last year.
For most British visitors working out how to get to santorini, the answer is a direct flight in July and an Athens connection in April.
From Germany, France, Italy and the Rest of Europe
Germany. The best-served market after the UK, with seasonal direct services from Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Stuttgart and Cologne, and a large charter operation.
France. Paris direct in season, and connections through Athens the rest of the year.
Italy. Rome, Milan, Naples and Venice in season, and the shortest version of how to get to santorini at about two hours.
Switzerland and Austria. Zurich, Geneva and Vienna, all seasonal.
The Netherlands and Belgium. Amsterdam and Brussels in season.
The Nordics and Poland. Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo, Helsinki and Warsaw, mostly on charter or low-cost schedules in July and August only.
Everywhere else. Athens, and the hop.
The pattern across Europe is the same: a busy direct season from May to September, then nothing. Anyone planning how to get to santorini in the shoulder months should check whether their direct route is actually running on their dates, because a great many stop in the first week of October.
From the United States and Canada
There are no direct flights, and how to get to santorini from North America has always meant a connection.
The route is a transatlantic leg to Athens, then a domestic hop. Athens takes direct services from New York, Newark, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, Chicago, Atlanta and Toronto in season, and fewer in winter. Alternatively, connect through a European hub: London, Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, Munich or Istanbul.
Timing. Most transatlantic flights land in Athens in the morning or early afternoon, which makes a same-day connection realistic. If yours arrives in the evening, take the hotel night.
Jet lag. Two nights in Athens on the way in is a good idea rather than an indulgence. The Acropolis Museum on the first morning is a better use of a jet-lagged day than a ferry.
Separate tickets. Booking the transatlantic and the domestic legs separately is usually cheaper and entirely at your own risk. Leave four hours, not ninety minutes, when self-connecting how to get to santorini.
For North American travellers, how to get to santorini is a two-leg journey with a decision in the middle, and the people who enjoy the arrival most are the ones who slept in Athens.
From Australia, Asia and the Middle East
Australia and New Zealand. Two stops, usually through a Gulf hub or Singapore to Athens, then the hop. Total journey time is 24 to 30 hours, so a night in Athens is close to essential in how to get to santorini from that far away.
The Gulf. Emirates, Qatar and Etihad all serve Athens, frequently with good connections.
Israel. Tel Aviv has seasonal direct flights to Santorini in some years and reliable services to Athens all year.
Turkey. Istanbul to Athens is a short hop with excellent frequency, and it is the usual route despite the geographical absurdity of flying north-west to reach an island a few hours from the Turkish coast.
India, China and southeast Asia. Via a European or Gulf hub to Athens.
The rule holds everywhere outside Europe: how to get to santorini means getting to Athens first, and the only real variable is which hub you use to do it.
What the Journey Actually Feels Like
Descriptions of routes leave out the part people remember, which is worth stating.
Arriving by air. The approach comes in over the sea from the east, and if you sit on the left you get the whole island in profile: the black cliff, the white villages along the top of it, and the flooded crater beyond. It is thirty seconds and the best part of how to get to santorini by air.
Arriving by ferry. The ship comes into the caldera through the gap between Santorini and Thirasia, and the cliff rises 300 metres on either side with villages balanced along the rim. Stand on deck for the last twenty minutes. On a conventional ferry at sunset it is the single most spectacular way of how to get to santorini.
Arriving by cruise tender. The same view from water level, with the cliff directly above you and the cable car crawling up it.
The anticlimax. All three are followed by a car park, a queue or a scrum. Book the transfer and the last stage of how to get to santorini stops being an anticlimax.
Nobody plans how to get to santorini around the view from the vehicle, and everybody remembers it.
Luggage, and Why It Matters More Here
This island punishes heavy bags, and luggage is the part of how to get to santorini nobody plans for.
On the caldera. A great many hotels sit fifty to eighty steps below the nearest road, and in Oia there is no vehicle access into the village at all. Somebody carries the case down, and unless the hotel has staff for it, that somebody is you.
On ferries. You handle your own luggage on and off, across a vehicle deck, in a crowd, often at speed.
At the airport. The baggage hall is small and slow in season.
What to do. Travel lighter than you think, use wheels that cope with cobbles, and ask the hotel in writing whether they will carry the bags and how far. Most will if asked.
Left luggage. Available in Fira and at some hotels, useful on a late-departure day.
Travelling With a Baby, a Wheelchair or a Bicycle
With a baby. Flying is far easier than the ferry, and it is how to get to santorini with an infant. Book a transfer with a child seat fitted rather than gambling on a taxi, and stay somewhere flat. See transfers.
With reduced mobility. The airport is single-level and manageable. Athinios is not: there is a slope, a crowd and no lift. Conventional ferries have lifts and accessible cabins; high-speed craft largely do not. On the island itself, the south around Kamari, Perissa, Monolithos and Vlychada is flat, and the caldera villages are not. Akrotiri is one of the more accessible archaeological sites in Greece, with roofed boardwalks.
With a bicycle. Ferries take bikes cheaply; airlines charge. The island is small, steep and has narrow roads with no shoulder, and in summer the traffic makes it unpleasant. Spring and autumn are better.
With a car. You can bring one on the ferry, and there is very little reason to. Hire on the island instead.
With a dog. Ferries are the easier option, with rules by operator, and Greek hotels vary widely on pets. Check both before booking.
Island-Hopping Routes That Work
Seven nights, two islands. Four here and three on Mykonos or Naxos, with one ferry in the middle. Never three and three; you lose two days to travel and how to get to santorini eats the holiday.
Ten nights, three islands. Athens, Naxos or Paros, then here. Ending on Santorini means flying home from the island rather than backtracking.
Two weeks, four islands. Add Milos or Folegandros, both a short hop and both quieter.
With Crete. Heraklion to Santorini is about two hours in season, and the two make a natural pair: the largest island and the strangest one.
The direction rule. Work outwards from Athens and finish somewhere with an airport, so the last day is a flight rather than an eight-hour crossing.
The buffer rule. Leave a night between the last ferry and the flight home.
Plan the chain that way and how to get to santorini becomes one leg of a route rather than a problem to solve on its own.
Three Journeys Written Out End to End
Abstract advice is less useful than a timetable, so here are three real shapes.
London to a hotel in Firostefani, June
Direct from Gatwick at half past seven in the morning, landing at about half past one local time. Bags by two, met in the arrivals hall, at the hotel by half past two. Unpack, swim, and be on the rim path with a drink by six. One flight, one transfer, and the afternoon intact. This is how to get to santorini at its simplest and it is worth paying for.
New York to a hotel in Kamari, September
Overnight to Athens, landing mid-morning, and a night in the city. Acropolis Museum in the afternoon, dinner in Plaka, and a nine o clock flight the next morning that puts you in Kamari before eleven with a whole day in hand. Two legs, one hotel night, and no jet-lagged scramble for a connection.
Athens to Mykonos to Santorini, July
Metro to Piraeus, high-speed ferry to Mykonos in the morning, three nights there, then the two-and-a-half-hour crossing down. Arrive at Athinios in the afternoon, transfer to the hotel, and fly home from the island at the end of the week. Never the reverse order, because finishing near Athens is easier and the last thing anybody wants is an eight-hour crossing on the day of a long-haul flight.
Whichever shape yours takes, the rules are the same: build in a buffer, book the last leg to the door, and never let a ferry sit on the same day as a flight. Get that right and how to get to santorini takes care of itself.
A Note on Arrival Day
Whatever route you take, do not book anything for the day you land. Flights into this island run late in season, the baggage hall is slow, the transfer takes twenty to forty minutes depending on the village, and a caldera hotel may add a flight of steps and a wait while somebody carries the cases down. By the time you have unpacked it is late afternoon.
What arrival day is actually good for: a swim, a slow walk to the nearest viewpoint, an early dinner and a full night. What it is not good for: a guided tour, a boat, a sunset booking at the far end of the island, or a hire car collected at the airport and driven straight into Fira at six in the evening.
The same applies in reverse. Leave the last morning free. The airport in season is small and slow, the road from Oia takes forty minutes, and a two-hour buffer is not excessive in the second week of August. People who plan how to get to santorini carefully and then leave twenty minutes for the departure end up remembering the queue rather than the caldera.
How to Get to Santorini in Winter
Between roughly November and March how to get to santorini simplifies to one route and one caveat.
Flights. Domestic only, from Athens and Thessaloniki, several times a day and often very cheap. Direct international services stop almost entirely.
Ferries. Blue Star continues from Piraeus year round, taking around eight hours. The fast catamarans stop for the season.
Cancellations. Gales are frequent and sailings are cancelled for two or three days at a time. This is the caveat, and it is why how to get to santorini in winter means flying.
Connections. Leave a generous gap in Athens. Winter weather delays the island hop far more often than it delays the long-haul leg.
The airport in winter. Calm, quick and pleasant, which it is not in August.
So how to get to santorini in January is: fly to Athens, fly on, and keep the ferry as a curiosity rather than a plan.
Booking: What and When
Long-haul and direct seasonal flights. As early as you reasonably can for July and August. Prices climb steadily and do not come back down, so book how to get to santorini before the hotel.
The Athens hop. Flexible and frequent, so it can wait, except around the fifteenth of August, Easter and the Christmas fortnight.
Ferries. Book July and August sailings a few weeks ahead, particularly the Mykonos and Crete routes. Off season, buy on the day.
Transfers. A few days ahead is plenty, more in August.
Hotels. The good caldera rooms for early August are gone by February.
Car hire. A fortnight ahead in season, and specify a child seat in writing if you need one.
What not to book. A ferry on the day of an international flight, at any time of year, is the worst mistake in how to get to santorini.
Mistakes People Make
A ninety-minute connection in Athens. With checked bags and separate tickets, that is a gamble.
Booking a ferry on a flight day. Wind cancels sailings and the airline will not care.
Taking the fast boat in a meltemi. A rough five hours in an enclosed cabin, and the least pleasant way of how to get to santorini.
Assuming there is a taxi rank. There are around thirty taxis for the whole island.
Not asking about the last stretch to the hotel. In Oia and on the caldera it can be eighty steps with the bags.
Arriving at Athinios with no plan after dark. The worst arrival on the island.
Booking a hire car and staying in Oia. There is nowhere to put it.
Planning a tour for arrival day. Flights land late and the day is gone anyway.
Expecting inter-island flights. There are effectively none in the Cyclades, so how to get to santorini from another island means a boat.
Avoid those nine and how to get to santorini stops being the difficult part of the holiday.
How to Get to Santorini: Frequently Asked Questions
What is the easiest way to get to Santorini? Fly. Direct from most of Europe between April and October, or via Athens all year with a fifty-minute connecting flight.
Does Santorini have an airport? Yes, at Monolithos on the east coast, six kilometres from Fira, with direct European services in season and domestic flights year round.
How long is the ferry from Athens? Five to eight hours from Piraeus, depending on the vessel and the number of stops.
Is the ferry or the plane better? The plane for speed and reliability, the ferry for cost and for island-hopping. In winter, fly.
How much does the ferry cost? Roughly 40 to 65 euros on a conventional ferry and 65 to 100 on a high-speed catamaran.
Which ferry port do you arrive at? Athinios, on the west coast under the cliff, about twenty-five minutes from Fira.
How do you get from Mykonos? Two to three hours by high-speed ferry, several sailings a day in season.
How do you get from Crete? About two hours by high-speed ferry from Heraklion, seasonal.
Are there flights between the islands? Effectively none in the Cyclades. Island to island means a ferry.
How do you get up from the cruise port? Cable car, 588 steps or a donkey. The cable car queue can pass an hour at peak.
How do you get from the airport to the hotel? A pre-booked transfer, a taxi if you find one, the public bus to Fira, or a hire car.
Can you get there in winter? Yes, by domestic flight from Athens or the Blue Star ferry. No direct international flights.
How far in advance should you book? Flights early for July and August, ferries a few weeks ahead in season, transfers a few days.
What if the wind cancels the boat? Ask about the conventional ferry, which often still sails, and never book a crossing on a flight day.
We Will Be Waiting When You Land
We are a local operator running private tours and transfers in our own vehicles. Airport and port pickups are met by name with the flight or sailing tracked, and we take you to the door or as close as the lane allows.
Prices are per vehicle rather than per person, hotel pickup anywhere on the island is included, we guide in twelve languages, and an 80 EUR deposit confirms a date.
See transfers, the personalised tour, or contact us.
Every Village and Site on the Island
Any of these can be built into a private day. Each has its own page with what to see and how long to allow.
Caldera villages: Fira · Firostefani · Imerovigli · Oia · Finikia · Baxedes
Inland villages: Pyrgos · Megalochori · Emporio · Mesaria · Karterados · Vothonas · Vourvoulos · Exo Gonia · Mesa Gonia · Pigadia
Beaches: Perissa · Perivolos · Kamari · Vlychada · Monolithos · Red Beach · White Beach · Agios Georgios · Agia Paraskevi
Sites and landmarks: Akrotiri · Ancient Thira · Akrotiri Lighthouse · Nea Kameni · Palia Kameni · Thirasia · Athinios Port
All our tours: All Santorini tours · Full day tour · Sightseeing tour · Personalised tour · North part tour · Horse riding · South part tour · Sunset tour · Shore excursion · Caldera tour · Food experience · Wine tour · Historical tour · Small group tour
Planning and services: Famous sights tour · Private transfers · Transfers to Oia and Finikia · Transfers to other villages · Villages of Santorini · History of Santorini · Tours near you · Languages we guide in · Food and fun tours · Gay friendly tours · Our tour buses · Daily tours · Day tours · FAQ · Gallery · Tour photo gallery · About us · Contact · Blog
