There are about thirty licensed taxis on the whole island, and that one number explains everything else. A santorini taxi is not something you hail, it is something you arrange, and in August thirty cars serve up to eighteen thousand daily arrivals. We run the private transfers that exist because of exactly that gap at Santorini tours, so these are the real fares, waits and workarounds.
One of the most popular tourist destinations in Greece and around the world, Santorini, offers ideal options to enjoy every moment of your vacation, including Santorini Tours. Thira (official name of the island), commonly known as Santorini, is located in western Greece, in the Aegean Sea and belongs to the group of islands, called Cyclades.
Thira consists of Santorini, Thirasia and the uninhabited islands, Old and New Kameni, Aspronisi and Christiana. The capital of the island is the beautiful Fira.
Name of the island
From ancient times until today, it has received 5 names (Thira, Santorini, Kallisti or Kallisto and Strongyli).
The current official name of the island comes from the Spartan commander Thira, who according to Herodotus, led the Spartan settlers to the island with the name Kallisti, which means the most beautiful (name of the island in ancient times).
In 1204, with the arrival of the Franks, the island will be named Santorini, in honor of a church of Agia Irini.
For many years the theory prevailed that the name Santorini came from the monastery of Agia Irini built by the Crusaders in Thirasia.
Today there are several indications that the name came from the early Christian church of Agia Irini, which was discovered by an excavation in 1992, in Mesa Vouno.
How Santorini was created
Thousands of years ago, Santorini was a volcanic cone called Strongyli, due to its circular shape. After the eruption of the volcano Riva, a large part of the island sinks, creating a caldera. During the Bronze Age, 1,600 BC would be one of the largest eruptions mankind has ever experienced. The so-called Minoan eruption sank the central part of the island, dividing it into three parts (Santorini, Thirasia, Aspronisi).
The explosion was so powerful that it destroyed the prehistoric civilization that inhabited the island. In 46 BC, magma emerges from the bowels of the earth, creating the foundations of today’s Palea Kameni. In 1570 the foundations of Nea Kameni will be created, which will triple in the last 150 years, taking its current form. Nea Kameni is a volcanic island in the center of the Caldera and is the most recently created section of land in the Mediterranean Sea.
Was Santorini in the past the lost Atlantis?
Excavations at Akrotiri have brought to light one of the most important prehistoric civilizations in the Aegean. Researchers believe that this ancient civilization could have been the lost Atlantis, as Plato’s descriptions speak of a circular island (Santorini before the eruption), which due to earthquakes and explosions, sank in the Sea and destroyed the Atlanteans. one day.
In Santorini you will find the museum lost Atlantis experience, the first museum of lost Atlantis in the world. It is located in Megalochori and is open from 9 in the morning until 9 in the evening. A unique experience that will convince you that Santorini was in fact the Lost Atlantis.
How to get to the volcano of Santorini?
Taking the cable car from Fira or going down the stairs to the old port. Then, with Santorini Tours you can take a trip to the volcano. Just the thought of being on an active volcano, raises the adrenaline to the heights.
Santorini belongs to the active volcanic arc of the Aegean together with Methana (Peloponnese), Sousaki (Peloponnese), Milos (Cyclades), Nisyros and Kos.
The volcanic complex of Santorini includes Nea Kameni, Palea Kameni, Columbus and the Christian islands. The complex has two active volcanic pores.
The one is located on the land of the island of Nea Kameni (last eruption in 1950) and the other, the underwater active volcanic resource Columbus (last eruption in 1650 AD) is located northeast of the homonymous cape.
Beaches of Santorini
Although Santorini is not famous for its turquoise beaches, it has some of the rarest volcanic beaches in the world. After the Minoan eruption, a layer of ash covered the east coast of Santorini. The coasts were extended by 2 km, resulting in a huge beach with black sand. This beach is divided into three smaller ones, Perissa, Kamari and Perivolos.
If you are looking for secluded beaches with impressive landscapes or family beaches with various sports activities, Santorini has the whole package. The island is famous for its romance but that does not mean that it does not have beaches with beach bars for frantic parties. The most famous beaches of Santorini are the red beach, the white beach, the monolith and Vlychada. You can take a tour of Santorini!
Varieties of Santorini wines
Santorini has one of the oldest vineyards in the world, which due to its unique, dry climate and the special composition of the soil, produces one of the most special and famous varieties of the Mediterranean, Assyrtiko. Santorini wines are characterized by strong aromas and intense flavors.
If you are a fan of sweet wine, we highly recommend Vinsanto. It is a sweet wine that is served as a liqueur and has stolen the impressions worldwide. Its vinification is made from sun-dried grapes.
Nychteri is a white dry wine whose fermentation process took place at night, which is why it got the appropriate name. If you are looking for a wine rich in alcohol, brusco seems to be the ideal one for you. Brusco is red wine produced from white and red grapes. The winery in Santorini has developed into one of the leading economic sectors of the island and Greece.
Read more about Santorini Tours:
- Santorini Sightseeing Private Tour
- Exclusive Shore Santorini Private Tour
- Impressive Caldera Santorini Private Tour
- South Part Santorini Private Tour
- North Part Santorini Private Tour
- Santorini Historical Private Tour
- Santorini Sunset Private Tour
Santorini Taxi: The Short Answer
There are about thirty licensed taxis on the whole island, and that single number explains everything else about getting around. In August, eighteen thousand people arrive some days and thirty cars serve them. A santorini taxi is not something you hail; it is something you arrange.
How many santorini taxi cars there are. Around 30 licensed vehicles for an island that takes over two million visitors a year.
Can you hail one. Rarely. There is a rank in Fira’s main square and one at the airport, and outside those you call or you wait.
Is there Uber. Not as you know it. Uber operates in Greece only as a booking layer for licensed taxis and drivers, so it is the same thirty cars at the same regulated fares.
Typical santorini taxi fare, airport to Fira. 20 to 30 euros for a fifteen-minute ride.
Typical fare, airport to Oia. 35 to 50 euros.
Typical fare, Athinios port to Fira. 25 to 35 euros.
Typical fare, Athinios port to Oia. 45 to 60 euros.
Fira to Oia. 25 to 35 euros.
Fira to Kamari or Perissa. 18 to 30 euros.
Santorini taxi waiting time in August. Twenty minutes to an hour and a half, and sometimes no car at all when three ferries land together.
Santorini taxi capacity. Four passengers and their luggage. Anything larger needs a minibus.
Santorini taxi payment. Cash is safest. Many drivers take cards and some do not.
The honest advice. Do not build a holiday around the santorini taxi fleet. Pre-book transfers for arrival and departure, use the buses in the middle, and hire a car for two or three days.
How the Taxi System Actually Works
The licence cap. Taxi licences on the island are limited by the local authority and have been for decades. The number has barely moved while visitor numbers have multiplied, which is the root of every complaint about the service.
Where the santorini taxi rank is. The main taxi rank is on the square in Fira, beside the bus station. There is a second at the airport and an informal one at Athinios when ferries are due.
The central number. The island runs a taxi call centre. In high season it is engaged, and when it answers the wait quoted is often optimistic.
The santorini taxi apps. Uber and the Greek taxi apps connect you to the same licensed drivers rather than adding cars. They help with the booking and do nothing about supply.
Santorini taxi fares. Regulated by zone and meter, with legitimate surcharges for luggage, for night hours and from the airport and port.
Why drivers quote a flat price. On the common routes most drivers name a fixed figure rather than run the meter. It is usually close to the metered fare and you should agree it before getting in.
Santorini taxi night rates. A higher tariff applies from midnight to five in the morning, which is legitimate and adds roughly forty per cent.
Luggage surcharge. A small per-bag charge is lawful and appears on the meter.
Cash or card. Card terminals are common now and not universal. Carry enough cash to cover the fare.
Receipts. Ask, and you will get one.
Tipping a santorini taxi driver. Round up to the nearest euro or two. Nothing more is expected.
The thing to understand. A santorini taxi is a regulated, scarce public service on an island with one of the highest visitor-to-vehicle ratios in Europe, and it behaves accordingly.
Fares Route by Route
These are the ranges people actually pay in season. Shoulder-month fares sit at the lower end and the night tariff adds roughly forty per cent to any of them.
Airport to Fira. 20 to 30 euros, fifteen minutes.
Airport to Firostefani. 22 to 32 euros.
Airport to Imerovigli. 28 to 40 euros.
Santorini taxi, airport to Oia. 35 to 50 euros, thirty minutes.
Airport to Kamari. 12 to 20 euros, and the shortest ride on the island.
Airport to Perissa or Perivolos. 25 to 35 euros.
Airport to Akrotiri. 35 to 48 euros.
Athinios port to Fira. 25 to 35 euros.
Santorini taxi, Athinios port to Oia. 45 to 60 euros.
Athinios port to Kamari or Perissa. 30 to 42 euros.
Santorini taxi, Fira to Oia. 25 to 35 euros.
Fira to Imerovigli. 10 to 16 euros.
Fira to Kamari. 18 to 26 euros.
Fira to Perissa. 22 to 32 euros.
Fira to Akrotiri. 28 to 38 euros.
Oia to Ammoudi. 8 to 14 euros, and the alternative is three hundred steps.
Oia to Kamari. 35 to 48 euros.
A short village hop. 10 to 18 euros as a minimum fare, whatever the distance.
Santorini taxi hourly hire. Some drivers will quote 50 to 80 euros an hour for waiting and touring, which is worse value than a private tour.
What moves these numbers. Night hours, luggage, August scarcity and whether you agreed a price before getting in. A santorini taxi fare is negotiable in practice even though it is regulated in principle.
Booking, Apps and the Central Number
Book a santorini taxi ahead for arrivals. For an airport or port pick-up, arrange a car before you fly. Landing and joining a rank queue in August is the worst version of this.
Book a santorini taxi ahead for departures. Ask your hotel the night before, and confirm on the morning. A missed flight over a missing cab happens every summer.
Uber. Works on the island as a licensed-taxi booking layer rather than a private-hire network. Same cars, same regulated fares, a card payment and a tracked pick-up.
The Greek taxi apps. Operate on the same basis and are worth having installed as a second option.
The island call centre. A single number dispatches the fleet. Outside peak weeks it works well. In August it is a lottery.
Hotel reception. The most reliable route, because receptions have direct numbers for drivers they use every week.
How far in advance to book a santorini taxi. The night before for a morning airport run, and two to three hours for anything else in season.
What they will ask. Your village, the landmark you are standing at, the number of passengers and bags, and a phone number.
The landmark problem. Caldera hotels have no road access, so you agree a meeting point on the lane above. Know the name of it.
Santorini taxi no-shows. They happen in August when a driver takes a better fare. Have a second number ready.
The alternative that removes all of this. A pre-booked private transfer, where a named driver at a fixed price waits for you rather than the other way round. It costs slightly more than a santorini taxi and it turns up.
What a Ride Is Actually Like
Distances on Santorini are short. The island is eighteen kilometres end to end and nothing is more than twenty-five minutes from anything else, so a santorini taxi ride is a brief transaction rather than a journey. The cars are ordinary saloons and people carriers, clean, air-conditioned and usually recent. Drivers are professional, most speak good English, and several have been doing the airport run for twenty years.
What surprises visitors is the road behaviour rather than the driver. The two main roads carry everything in summer, the lanes into the villages are single-track with passing places, and the switchback down to Athinios is genuinely steep with hairpins and coaches coming the other way. None of this is dangerous with a local at the wheel and all of it is alarming the first time.
The other surprise is the drop-off. Caldera hotels have no vehicle access, so the ride ends on a pedestrian lane and the last part is on foot down steps. Drivers know this and will tell you where to get out; what they cannot do is take the bags down for you.
Etiquette and Small Practicalities
Agree the fare first. On the standard routes most drivers quote a flat figure. Say yes or ask for the meter before the doors close, not afterwards.
Sit in the front if you are alone. Normal in Greece and not obligatory.
Shared rides. On the airport and port runs a driver may ask whether you mind sharing with someone going the same way, and the fare is split. Perfectly normal and worth agreeing to.
Have the address written down. Hotel names repeat across villages. The village plus the hotel name avoids ten minutes of confusion.
Have a phone number. Drivers call when they arrive, because they usually cannot see your door.
Keep small notes. Change for a fifty at seven in the morning is not guaranteed.
Child seats. Not carried. Greek law is relaxed about this in taxis and most drivers have nothing to offer.
Animals. Small pets in a carrier are usually fine if you say so when booking.
Surfboards, bikes and oversize items. No. Book a van.
Complaints. The licence number is displayed inside. A receipt plus that number is what any complaint needs.
The most useful habit. Ask the driver for a card. A santorini taxi driver you have already used is far easier to reach than the central number.
Taxis Against the Alternatives
The public bus against a santorini taxi. 1.80 to 2.50 euros a journey, every route radiating from the Fira station, frequent to Oia, Kamari, Perissa, Akrotiri, the airport and the port. Far better than its reputation and the single biggest saving on the island.
Where the bus beats a santorini taxi. Fira to Oia, Fira to any beach, the airport run and the port run, all of which are direct and frequent.
Where the bus fails. Village to village without passing through Fira, anything after about ten in the evening, and arriving with four suitcases.
Private transfer. 35 to 75 euros for up to four depending on the route, pre-booked, fixed price, named driver, and it waits for a delayed flight or ferry. On the airport and port runs this is barely more than a santorini taxi and considerably more reliable.
Shared shuttle. 10 to 18 euros a head from the airport or port to the main villages, and you wait for the vehicle to fill.
A hire car against a santorini taxi. 45 to 90 euros a day in August and 25 to 45 in the shoulder months. Cheaper than three taxi rides and the only way to reach the south and the inland villages freely.
ATV or scooter. 20 to 55 euros a day, popular, and the accident rate on the island’s lanes is high enough that several hotels will not recommend them.
Walking. The rim from Fira to Oia is ten kilometres and better than any vehicle on the island.
Hotel shuttles. Several larger hotels in Kamari and Perissa run their own to Fira. Ask before paying for a cab.
The arithmetic. Two people doing six taxi journeys in a week spend 130 to 200 euros. The same week with a bus pass mentality and two days of car hire costs about 130 and reaches four times as much of the island.
Our recommendation. Pre-booked transfers at each end, buses in the middle, a car for two or three days, and a santorini taxi only for the late dinner you did not plan.
The Problems, Honestly Described
Santorini taxi scarcity in August. Thirty cars against eighteen thousand daily arrivals. There is no version of that which works, and the wait can be ninety minutes.
The Athinios scrum. When three ferries berth within an hour, several hundred people come off a quay with no shade and compete for whatever is waiting. Pre-booking is not optional here.
Santorini taxi supply on cruise days. Up to five ships and twelve thousand passengers ashore between ten and five, which empties the fleet into Fira and Oia.
No-shows and reassignments. A booked car that takes a better fare is the most common complaint about the santorini taxi service in high season.
Flat quotes above the meter. Some drivers quote high on the tourist routes. Agree the figure before you get in and ask for the meter if it seems wrong.
Card machines that are broken. Sometimes genuinely, sometimes not. Carry cash.
Language. Rarely an issue. Most drivers speak good English.
Luggage in a santorini taxi. Four passengers plus four large cases does not fit a saloon car. Say how many bags when you book or you will be sending one taxi away.
Caldera access. No vehicle reaches most rim hotels. You will be dropped on the lane above and walk down the steps with your bags.
Finding a santorini taxi late at night. After about one in the morning the supply thins to almost nothing and the night tariff applies. Arrange the ride home before you go out.
What is not a problem. Safety, meters that run fast, or long routes. The drivers here are professional and the roads are short.
Getting Around From Each Village
Fira. The hub. The bus station and the taxi rank are both on the square, every route starts here, and you need a car or a cab least of anywhere.
Firostefani. Ten minutes’ walk from Fira along the rim. Walk it rather than pay a minimum fare.
Imerovigli. Twenty-five minutes’ walk to Fira, a bus every half hour in season, and 10 to 16 euros by car.
Oia. A frequent bus to Fira, the last one earlier than you expect, and 25 to 35 euros by santorini taxi if you miss it. Oia is where people most often get stranded after dinner.
Ammoudi. Three hundred steps below Oia, or 8 to 14 euros by road. Walk down and ride up.
Kamari. A good bus service to Fira until late evening, flat ground, and hotel shuttles at several properties.
Perissa and Perivolos. Regular buses to Fira, and the fare by car is 22 to 32 euros.
Akrotiri. A thinner bus service and a car is the sensible answer.
Pyrgos, Megalochori and Emporio. Buses run and not frequently. Hire a car for the days you want the inland villages.
Vlychada. Almost no public transport. Car or cab only.
The pattern. Everything radiates from Fira. Village to village without passing through the capital is where the bus network stops working and where a santorini taxi becomes necessary.
Accessibility, Groups and Late Nights
Wheelchair access. There are no adapted taxis on the island. A folding chair fits in a boot, and the caldera villages themselves are the real obstacle rather than the vehicle.
Limited mobility. Ask for a saloon rather than a high people carrier, and choose accommodation with road access. No santorini taxi can solve a hotel that is ninety steps below the lane.
Groups of five or six. Two cars, or one pre-booked minibus. A single taxi carries four.
Groups of eight or more. Minibus only, and it needs booking in advance.
Weddings and events. Pre-booked vehicles in convoy. The fleet cannot absorb thirty guests leaving a venue at once.
Late nights in Fira. The bars run to four or five and the cars thin out after one. Arrange the ride home before you go out, or plan to walk.
Late nights in Oia. Worse, because there are fewer cars up there and the last bus is early.
Early flights. The first departures leave before six. Book the night before and confirm; do not rely on finding something at half past four.
Solo travellers at night. The island is very safe and the practical issue is availability rather than security.
The summary. Anything with a fixed time, a large group or a mobility requirement should be pre-booked rather than left to a santorini taxi found on the night.
Arriving: Airport and Port
The airport santorini taxi rank. Directly outside arrivals, and it empties within minutes of a flight landing. If two aircraft arrive together the queue outlasts the cars.
The airport bus. Runs to Fira for about 2 euros, timed loosely to the flights, and stops around eleven at night.
Athinios port. A quay at the bottom of a switchback road, with no organised rank and a crowd of hotel drivers, coach operators and car hire representatives holding signs.
How the port works. Coaches and pre-booked cars are parked along the quay. Unbooked arrivals compete for whatever taxis have driven down speculatively.
The port bus. Meets the main sailings and runs to Fira for about 2.50 euros, and it fills fast.
Why arrival is the moment to pre-book. You have luggage, you are tired, the road up takes twenty-five minutes, and a santorini taxi may simply not be there.
Delayed flights and ferries. A pre-booked transfer tracks the arrival and waits. A taxi booked for a time does not.
Cruise passengers. You land at the old port below Fira and go up by cable car or on foot. Taxis do not come down there.
Booking a santorini taxi for a flight. Allow ninety minutes from any village, book the car the night before, and confirm in the morning.
Leaving for a ferry. Allow an hour from the rim, more on a day with several sailings.
The one rule. Book both ends before you arrive. Everything else on the island can be improvised and these two cannot.
Santorini Taxi: Questions People Ask
How many taxis are there in Santorini? Around thirty licensed vehicles for the whole island, which is why they are hard to find in August.
Is there Uber in Santorini? Uber operates as a booking layer for licensed taxis and drivers rather than a private-hire network, so it is the same cars at the same regulated fares.
How much is a taxi from Santorini airport to Fira? 20 to 30 euros for about fifteen minutes.
How much is a taxi from the airport to Oia? 35 to 50 euros for about thirty minutes.
How much from Athinios port to Oia? 45 to 60 euros, and this is the ride most worth pre-booking.
Can I hail a santorini taxi on the street? Rarely. Use the rank in Fira, the airport rank, an app or a phone call.
Does a santorini taxi take cards? Many do and not all. Carry enough cash for the fare.
Should I tip? Round up to the nearest euro or two. Nothing more is expected.
Is there a santorini taxi night tariff? Yes, from midnight to five in the morning, adding roughly forty per cent.
How many people fit in a santorini taxi? Four passengers and their luggage. Larger groups need a minibus.
How long will I wait in August? Twenty minutes to ninety, and sometimes no car arrives at all when several ferries land together.
Is a transfer better than a santorini taxi? For arrivals, departures and any fixed time, yes. A named driver at a fixed price who waits for a delayed flight is worth the few extra euros.
Transfers We Run Instead
We run private transfers across the island because the taxi fleet cannot cover the arrival and departure moments reliably, and those are the two moments that matter most.
Airport transfers instead of a santorini taxi. Fixed price agreed before you travel, a named driver in arrivals with your name, and no queue.
Athinios port transfers. The same, which on a three-ferry afternoon is the difference between twenty minutes and two hours.
Flight and ferry tracking. We watch the arrival and adjust. A delay costs you nothing.
Larger groups. Minibuses for six, eight, sixteen and up, which no santorini taxi can offer.
Caldera hotels. We know which lane each property sits on and where a vehicle can actually stop, and we tell you the step count before you arrive.
Ask us directly. Send your flight or ferry details and the hotel name and we will quote the transfer both ways, so the first and last hour of your trip are already arranged.
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
