A santorini boat tour is the one thing on this island that changes what you understand about it, because the caldera is a drowned volcanic crater eleven kilometres across and up to four hundred metres deep and you cannot read its scale from the cliff. The standard route covers Nea Kameni, the hot springs at Palia Kameni and Thirasia in four to six hours; a semi-private catamaran runs five to seven with food and swimming stops. Boats run April to October, and you should book yours early in the trip rather than on the last day.
Sea excursions in Santorini
Santorini is one of the most beautiful islands in Greece and it is worth visiting at least once in your life! It is an island which can offer you amazing experiences and views that you will never forget in your life. If you are lucky enough to see the island you should also go on a sea excursion with Santorini Tours !
By sea excursions you get to see the island from a distance and admire the amazing scenery and volcanic remains! There are plenty of tours to choose from as we are offering a variety of sea excursions in Santorini! In this article, we are going to talk about the most important private tours that we believe everyone should take on!
Santorini Full day private tour
In this package, you will have the chance to roam around the island for approximately 8 hours and visit the most famous sights of Santorini! It is a great choice for people who are visiting the island for a couple of days and still want to experience the Greek island vibes. In half a day, you will be able to explore the whole island and you will have the next days to go for a swim and taste the local cuisine!
The full day private tour includes the following stops: Firostefani, Imerovigli, Oia, Profitis Ilias, Megalochori, Emporio, Akrotiri Archaeological Site, Black Beach, Red Beach, Venetsanos Winery
Santorini Volcano, Hot Waters & Thirasia
A wonderful route for the visitor to discover Nea Kameni (Volcano), the Hot Waters as well as the picturesque island of Thirassia. There should be time because the trip lasts about 5-6 hours. The start is from the ports of Ammoudi in Oia, Athinios, Gialos or Fira.
Hotels usually undertake to transport guests to the ports or this can be done by renting a car or even with the help of buses that exist on the island. The traditional boats are specially designed for all these excursions with bars, toilets and shading.
History of Nea Kameni
Nea Kameni is the most interesting geological point of the island. It is a small island in the center of the caldera which was created by the volcano. The inhabitants of Santorini refer to it as a “volcano” since the older ones remember the eruption around 1950 and tell various stories about how this small island prevailed which came out of the sea through the fire and the continuous trembling of the earth.
It is also called Nea Kaimeni and is the largest of the two volcanic islands of Santorini (the other is Palea Kameni), with an area of about 340 hectares and a highest point of 127 meters above sea level.
The island is visitable and one can walk on its surface and reach the crater from where vapors come out until today. Nea Kameni and Palea are areas included in the community network NATURA 2000.
The boat is directed to the island of Nea Kameni (Volcano) where there will be a stop on a small wooden pier where guests can be guided by the tour guide or walk alone with the help of a guide book. They will head to the dome of Georgios and near the fumes where high temperatures usually develop and there is difficulty due to the uphill.
You can take a tour of Santorini!
Santorini Exclusive shore private tour
A Santorini tour designed to give you an assortment of the most amazing features of the island. Within five hours, the excursion captures the essence of what the island is all about: soak up the romantic atmosphere of traditional villages such as Oia, visit marvellous locations and view glorious sunsets, admire the Cycladic architecture of Greek islands, swim in the crystal clear water and experience local wine tastings and other products.
This tour includes the following stops Mount Profitis Ilias, Pyrgos, Oia, Firostefani, Imerovigli, Megalochori, Black Beach, Venetsanos Winery.
Santorini Private personalized tour
In our constant effort to ameliorate our services and therefore maximize the customer experience and enjoyment, we are also able to offer specially designed customized tours, allowing Santorini visitors to design themselves the itinerary that best suits their character and needs: picturesque villages, breathtaking views ,culture and civilization, architecture, history, cuisine -wherever your interests may lie, there is a perfect itinerary awaiting you.
You can choose between the many different locations of the island as the tour can last up to 6 hours. The destinations and stops from which you can choose, can be found here: Oia, Firostefani, Imerovigli, Profitis Ilias , Pyrgos, Megalochori, Black Beach , Red Beach, Acrotiri Archaeological Site, Archaeological Museum of Fira, Prehistoric Museum of Fira, Ancient Fira, Venetsanos Winery, Estate Argyros Winery, Koutsogiannopoulos Wine Museum.
General safety rules and tips for sea excursions in Santorini
Walking or being on a boat requires that you stay protected. Therefore, “protection measures” are required, which concern both the use of sunscreen, hat, sneakers and comfortable clothes, as well as the supply of water for those who want to add to their experiences a walk in one of the most important volcanoes on the planet.
It is good to choose the cruise that suits you according to your tastes and financial status either in a group or privately with simple traditional style boats or with luxury boats. Excursions can be made in the morning to enjoy the wonderful waters and visit the volcano but also in the afternoon where you will admire the magnificent sunset.
Notes for sea excursions in Santorini
- The specific route of the excursion concerns those who feel nauseous because it generally takes a little time.
- It will be good for the guests to have with them glasses, hat, comfortable sports shoes.
- At the volcano there is an entrance fee which is not included in the price of the cruise ticket.
- Do not forget to wear comfortable clothes, wear a hat, pack your swimsuit and wear sneakers or sport shoes.
- Sunscreen and sunglasses are a must in our excursions!
- Bring your water bottle and light snacks!
Santorini is a wonderful island full of unique experiences such as clear blue waters, unique sunset, delicious traditional flavors, delicious Santorini wine. You can have a wonderful time with your family and friends and this holiday in Santorini will be unique. Trust Santorinitours.org for your excursions!
See 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 Boat Tour: The Short Answer
A santorini boat tour is the one thing on this island that changes what you understand about it. The caldera is a drowned volcanic crater eleven kilometres across and up to four hundred metres deep, and you cannot read its scale from the top of the cliff. From the water the villages become a thin white line along a black wall fifteen hundred feet high, and the whole geology makes sense in about ten seconds.
Seven decisions cover almost every santorini boat tour on offer.
The standard trip. Nea Kameni’s crater, the hot springs at Palia Kameni, Thirasia for lunch, and a return along the caldera wall. Four to six hours.
The sunset santorini boat tour. The same route with a late departure and the sun going down beside the rim rather than behind it. Five to seven hours.
The south-coast version. Red Beach, White Beach and the Akrotiri lighthouse, swimming at beaches only reachable by sea. Three to five hours.
Santorini boat tour types. Large wooden caique for 40 to 80 euros a head, semi-private catamaran for 100 to 200, private charter from around 800 for the vessel.
When santorini boat tours run. April to October. Weather-dependent at both ends and through the July and August meltemi.
Where santorini boat tours start. The Old Port below Fira for the volcano trips, Vlychada and Ammoudi for the catamarans.
Book your santorini boat tour early in the stay. So a cancellation has somewhere to move to.
The Types of Boat, Compared
The single most useful thing to understand before booking a santorini boat tour is that “boat trip” covers four completely different products at four completely different prices, and most disappointment comes from booking the wrong one.
The large caique. The cheapest santorini boat tour. A traditional wooden vessel carrying sixty to a hundred and fifty people, running the volcano and hot springs route from the Old Port. Cheapest by a distance at 40 to 60 euros. Efficient, crowded, and on a schedule. This is the option if you want to walk the crater and swim in the springs and do not care about anything else.
The semi-private catamaran. The santorini boat tour most people should book. Eight to twenty people, five to six hours, with food cooked on board, drinks included, and two or three swimming stops. 100 to 200 euros a head. The best value on the island for what you get, and the version most people should book.
The private catamaran or yacht. The santorini boat tour where the route is genuinely yours. The same vessel, chartered for your group alone, typically from around 800 to 2,500 euros depending on the boat and the season. Sensible from about six people, and the only version where the route is genuinely yours.
The sailing boat. The slowest santorini boat tour. Smaller, quieter and actually under sail when the wind allows. Slower, which is the point.
The speedboat and RIB. Fast, small, and the option that covers the most coastline in the least time. Not comfortable in a swell.
The water taxi. Not a santorini boat tour at all. A twenty-minute crossing from Ammoudi to Armeni or from Perissa to Red Beach, at ten to twenty euros.
The submarine. Genuinely exists, from the Old Port, and takes you down to about thirty metres in the caldera. Forty-five minutes and a curiosity rather than a highlight.
Nea Kameni: Walking the Volcano
The black islet in the middle of the caldera is the first stop on almost every santorini boat tour, and it is not what most people expect.
Nea Kameni is new land. It has been building up out of the crater floor since the second century BC, in a sequence of eruptions of which the most recent was in 1950, and it is still an active volcanic system under continuous monitoring. There is no vegetation to speak of, no soil, and no shade — just black and rust-red lava, loose underfoot, with steam venting from fissures near the top.
Seven things to know before the volcano landing.
The walk. Twenty to thirty minutes up a graded path from the landing to the crater rim at about 130 metres, then a loop around the rim and back down. Total time ashore is usually an hour to an hour and a half.
The surface. Loose volcanic scree and rock. Trainers or walking shoes, not sandals, and certainly not flip-flops.
The heat. There is no shade anywhere on the islet and the black rock radiates. In July and August this walk at midday is genuinely hard work. Hat, water, sunscreen.
The entrance fee, not included in the santorini boat tour price. Nea Kameni is a protected geological park and there is a small fee, usually not included in the ticket price. Carry a few euros in cash.
What you see. The reason the santorini boat tour stops here: the crater itself, steam vents, sulphur staining on the rock, and — the actual reason to go up — a 360-degree view of the whole caldera from its centre, with Thira on one side, Thirasia on the other and the cliff wall rising all around you.
Who should skip it. Anybody with mobility difficulties, and anybody travelling with a toddler. Most operators are relaxed about people staying on board.
Palia Kameni and the Hot Springs
The second stop on the classic route, and the one people either love or find comical.
Palia Kameni is the older of the two central islets, and in a small bay on its side warm sulphurous water seeps up from below and stains the sea a rusty orange. Boats anchor in the bay outside the shallow water and you swim in — usually thirty to eighty metres, depending on where the skipper can safely stop.
Six things to know about the hot springs stop on a santorini boat tour.
The temperature. Warmer than the sea, not hot. Expect the low to mid twenties in the warmest pockets, and a distinct cold layer on the swim out. In April or October this is the warmest water you will find on any santorini boat tour.
The colour. Iron oxide, and it does stain. Wear an old swimsuit, and rinse it that evening rather than the next day.
The smell. Sulphur, faintly, which is the point.
The swim. The one demanding moment of the santorini boat tour: open water from the boat, without a ladder at the far end. Confident swimmers only, or stay aboard.
How long. Twenty to thirty minutes in the water on most itineraries.
Whether it is worth it. As a spa treatment, no. As the experience of swimming inside an active volcanic crater in orange water, yes.
Thirasia, the Island Across the Water
Thirasia is the western fragment of the original volcano, separated when the centre collapsed, and it is the closest thing to Santorini fifty years ago that exists.
About three hundred people live there. There is one main village, Manolas, on the rim two hundred metres above the water, and a small port at Korfos beneath it. There are no coaches, no jewellery shops, no cliff hotels and no crowds, and the ordinary Santorini experience of being one of several thousand people simply does not happen.
Getting up. Around two hundred and fifty steps from Korfos to Manolas, or a road, or a donkey. The steps take twenty minutes at a steady pace.
What is up there. A handful of tavernas with a view straight back across the caldera to Oia, a couple of churches, and a village that is genuinely lived in.
What is down at Korfos. Three or four fish tavernas on the water, which is where most santorini boat tour groups eat.
How long. Ninety minutes to two hours on most santorini boat tour itineraries, which is enough for the climb and lunch and not much else.
The alternative to a santorini boat tour. A public ferry runs from Athinios, and there is a small-boat service from Ammoudi. Going independently gives you a full day there, and it is one of the best days available on this island.
Why it matters. Standing in Manolas and looking back at Oia is the clearest possible demonstration of what the eruption did, and of what the island looked like before tourism.
The South Coast Route
The second major itinerary, and the one most people do not know exists. It runs along the southern coast rather than into the caldera, and it reaches beaches that have no road to them at all.
Eight stops on the south-coast santorini boat tour, none of them reachable by road.
Red Beach. Below the village of Akrotiri, under a cliff of oxidised red volcanic rock. The land approach has been closed repeatedly for rockfall, which makes arriving by sea both safer and considerably more impressive.
White Beach. Immediately west of it, under pale pumice cliffs, and reachable only by boat. Small, pebbled, and empty except for whoever else has sailed in.
Black Beach and the caves. The stretch between them, with sea caves cut into the soft volcanic rock and swim-throughs at the right sea state.
Indian Rock. A formation off the south coast that looks like a profile, and the standard photograph of this route.
The Akrotiri lighthouse from below. The southern tip, where the caldera meets open sea, and one of the few places on a santorini boat tour where you feel the swell change.
Mesa Pigadia. A small bay with a taverna, reachable by a rough track and mostly visited from the water.
Who this santorini boat tour suits. Swimmers and snorkellers. There is far more time in the water on this route than on the volcano one, and no walking at all.
Departure points. Vlychada marina and Akrotiri, both on the south coast, rather than the Old Port.
The Sunset Cruise
The most-booked santorini boat tour of all, and the one where the difference between operators matters most.
The premise is simple and genuinely good: the caldera faces west, so from the water you watch the sun go down beside the rim with the villages lit along the top of the cliff, rather than standing in a crowd on the cliff looking into the sun. It inverts the whole geometry of the island’s most famous view, and there is nobody else in the frame.
Seven things that separate a good sunset santorini boat tour from a cheap one.
The standard shape. Departure around three or four in the afternoon depending on the season, two or three swimming stops, dinner cooked on board, and the sunset from the water between Oia and Thirasia. Back in port ninety minutes after dark.
Semi-private. The santorini boat tour to book. Eight to twenty people, 130 to 200 euros a head with food and drink. The version to book.
Large boats. Sixty to a hundred passengers, cheaper, and the deck space per person is what you would expect.
Private charter. From around 1,000 to 2,500 for the vessel, which for eight people is comparable per head to a good semi-private and considerably better.
The food. Usually grilled on board — chicken, pork or fish, Greek salad, fava, tzatziki — with local wine and beer included. Quality varies enormously between operators and it is worth reading recent reviews rather than the brochure.
The timing problem. Sunset moves from half past eight in June to half past six in October. A cruise that leaves at three in October is back before nine; the same departure in June has you at sea until eleven.
What can go wrong. Wind. This is the trip most often cancelled, and operators generally rebook rather than refund on the day.
When Santorini Boat Tours Run, and When They Cancel
Every santorini boat tour is weather-dependent, and the pattern is predictable enough to plan around.
The santorini boat tour season. Roughly April to October. A few operators start in late March and a few run into early November, both weather permitting.
The meltemi. A strong dry northerly that blows across the Aegean from June to September, hardest in July and August, for two to four days at a stretch. It is the single largest cause of cancellations, it closes the exposed north and west coasts, and it makes the caldera choppy even though the rim shelters it.
Autumn and spring fronts. October to April, arriving with rain and southerlies. Less frequent than the meltemi and more disruptive when they come.
Which santorini boat tour actually gets cancelled. Small boats and catamarans first, large caiques second, and the fast ferries alongside them. A large wooden boat will sail in conditions that ground a twelve-metre catamaran.
How you find out. Usually the evening before or the morning of. Operators almost always offer a move to another day rather than a refund.
The planning rule. Book the santorini boat tour for the second or third day of your trip, never the last. That way a cancellation has somewhere to go.
Checking yourself. Any marine forecast for the central Aegean. Above about five on the Beaufort scale, expect small boats to stay in.
The caldera advantage. The crater is sheltered by its own rim, so volcano trips run in conditions that stop the south-coast and open-water routes.
The Caldera, and Why It Looks Like That
Every santorini boat tour is a tour of one thing: a hole in the sea where a mountain used to be. Knowing what happened to it turns four hours on a boat from a pleasant afternoon into the most interesting day of the trip.
Around 1600 BC, the volcano that occupied this position erupted with a force estimated at several times Krakatoa. It ejected tens of cubic kilometres of magma, and when the chamber beneath it emptied, the centre of the island collapsed into the void. What survived is the rim: the crescent of Thira that you are staying on, Thirasia opposite, and the small uninhabited islet of Aspronisi to the south-west. The gaps between them are where the wall failed and the sea poured in.
The water in the middle reaches four hundred metres in places, which is why cruise ships anchor rather than dock and why the caldera has no beaches on its inner side. The cliff you look up at from the deck is a vertical cross-section of the volcano’s whole history — bands of red and black lava from successive eruptions, layers of grey ash between them, and a thick white cap of pumice laid down by the final event. The white band at the top is thicker at the north end, which is why the cliff at Oia looks paler than the cliff at Akrotiri.
Nea Kameni and Palia Kameni in the centre are the volcano rebuilding itself. Palia Kameni first appeared above the water in AD 46 and Nea Kameni in 1707, and both have grown through repeated eruptions since, the last in 1950. On a santorini boat tour you land on rock that is younger than the United States.
The eruption also explains the archaeology on land. Akrotiri, on the southern part of the island, was a substantial Bronze Age town with two and three-storey houses, drainage, paved streets and painted walls. It was buried under metres of ash and preserved almost perfectly. There are no bodies and very little jewellery in the excavation, which suggests the population was warned by earthquakes and left before the eruption itself — and which has fed a hundred and fifty years of speculation connecting the site to Plato’s Atlantis.
What all of this means from the water is that the caldera is not scenery. It is the inside of a volcano, and the boat is sailing across the crater floor with the walls of it several hundred metres above the mast. That perspective is available nowhere else in Europe, and it is why a santorini boat tour is the one thing on this island we tell people not to skip.
A Day on a Semi-Private Catamaran, Hour by Hour
The semi-private catamaran is the version of a santorini boat tour that most people should book, and knowing the shape of the day in advance makes it considerably easier to plan around.
Pickup, around 14:30 for a sunset santorini boat tour. Most operators collect from your hotel by minibus. Confirm this at booking, because the ones that do not leave you finding your own way to Vlychada.
15:00, boarding at Vlychada marina. Shoes off, bags stowed, a safety briefing, and a drink in your hand within about ten minutes. Boats carry eight to twenty passengers plus two or three crew.
15:30, the south coast. Out past the wind-carved white cliffs at Vlychada, along the black volcanic coast, and around towards Akrotiri. The lighthouse from below is the first photograph of the day.
16:00, Red Beach and White Beach. The first swimming stop, usually anchored off White Beach where there is no land access at all. Thirty to forty minutes in the water, with snorkels and paddleboards on the better boats.
17:00, Indian Rock and the caves. A slow run along the southern cliffs, with a second swimming stop if the sea state allows.
18:00, dinner service. Grilled on board while under way — chicken or pork, sometimes fish, with Greek salad, fava, tzatziki, bread and local wine. On a good boat this is genuinely good food; on a cheap one it is a barbecue.
19:30, into the caldera. Around the southern tip and north along the inside of the crater wall, past Akrotiri, Athinios and the cliff below Fira, with the villages appearing along the top.
20:30, the sunset. The reason this santorini boat tour exists. Held between Oia and Thirasia, engines off, with the sun going down beside the rim rather than behind it. This is the reason the trip exists.
21:30, back in port. Salted, sunburnt and generally quiet, with the minibus waiting.
The seasonal shift. These times are June. In October everything moves two hours earlier, because sunset does.
Private Charter: What You Actually Get
A private santorini boat tour costs three to five times a semi-private seat and is not three to five times better. It is better in four specific ways, and whether those matter depends entirely on the group.
The first is the route. On a shared catamaran the itinerary is fixed, because eighteen people have to be back for a minibus. On a charter you can stay an hour longer at White Beach, skip the volcano because you did it yesterday, run north to Ammoudi instead of south, or anchor somewhere quiet and simply not move. Skippers here know the coast intimately and will build a day around whatever you actually want, which is the single largest difference.
The second is timing. Chartered boats can leave at seven in the morning, which no shared boat does, and the caldera at that hour is empty, glassy and entirely different. A dawn charter is the least-known good idea on this island.
The third is space. Eighteen people on a twelve-metre catamaran is comfortable; six people on the same boat is a different vessel. The trampolines at the bow, which everybody wants, stop being contested.
The fourth is privacy, which matters for proposals, anniversaries, families with small children and anybody who would rather not spend five hours making conversation with strangers.
The arithmetic. A semi-private sunset cruise at 160 euros a head costs 960 for six people. A private charter of the same class of boat runs 1,200 to 1,800 for the vessel. For six the gap is small; for two it is enormous; for ten the charter is cheaper.
What is included. Skipper and crew, fuel, food and drink on most charters, snorkelling gear, and usually paddleboards. Confirm the food, because some charters price it separately.
What to ask before booking a private santorini boat tour. Boat length and passenger capacity, whether the price includes food and drink, whether transfers are included, what happens in a cancellation, and whether the skipper speaks your language.
When to book a private santorini boat tour. Months ahead for July and August; a week or two in the shoulder season.
Santorini Boat Tours by Season
The same santorini boat tour is four different experiences across the season, and the differences are larger than the brochures suggest.
April. Santorini boat tours restart, and the sea is 17 to 18 degrees. Swimming stops are brief and bracing, and the hot springs are the one genuinely comfortable swim of the day. Very few passengers, the island still green above the cliff, and cancellations from spring fronts. The cheapest month on the water.
May. The best value month for a santorini boat tour. The sea reaches 19 to 21 by the end of the month, the weather stabilises, and the boats are running full schedules with half-full decks. Sunset at eight, then half past. Arguably the best value month for a boat day.
June. Sea at 22 to 24 and santorini boat tour departures at their latest, the longest days of the year, and the meltemi beginning. Departures at their latest, and the caldera at its clearest before the summer haze.
July and August. Sea at 24 to 26, and everything booked. Decks are full, the popular boats sell out a fortnight ahead, and the meltemi cancels small vessels for two to four days at a stretch. Book early in your stay, and expect the volcano walk to be genuinely hot.
September. The warmest sea of the year at 25 to 26, the crowd thinning from the second week, and the wind easing. The strongest month overall for a santorini boat tour.
October. The last full month of santorini boat tour schedules. Sea still at 23 to 24, golden light, small groups, and sunset at half past six so the whole day shifts earlier. Operators start winding down from the third week.
November to March. Almost nothing runs. A handful of operators take private charters on calm days, and the public ferry to Thirasia continues.
Snorkelling and What Is Under the Water
The swimming stops are half of any santorini boat tour, and the underwater landscape here is unlike anywhere else in Greece because it is the same volcanic rock you can see above the waterline.
Expect black lava boulders, vertical rock walls dropping into deep blue, sea caves and swim-throughs on the south coast, and visibility that regularly reaches twenty to thirty metres because there is no river silt anywhere in the Cyclades. What you will not find is coral or the density of fish life of a tropical reef — this is a temperate sea, and the interest is geological rather than biological.
What you will see. Bream, sea bass, damselfish, wrasse, the occasional grouper in deeper water, sea urchins in quantity on the rocks, and octopus if you know what to look for in the crevices.
Where it is best. White Beach and the caves on the south coast, the rocks off Mesa Pigadia, and the northern bays near Ammoudi and Armeni.
The hot springs are not snorkelling. Visibility drops to nothing in the discoloured water, and there is little to see.
Sea urchins. The one genuine hazard. They are on every rock and the spines break off in the skin. Never put a foot down blind on a rocky entry.
Water shoes. Worth having for the rocky stops, and unnecessary if you are only getting in off the boat.
Gear. Masks and snorkels come with most catamarans. Bring your own if you are particular about fit.
Diving instead of a santorini boat tour. Several operators run dives at the same sites, including a wreck at Adiavatos and the caldera walls, which drop far deeper than any recreational limit.
Where the Boats Leave From
Departure point matters more than most people realise, because getting to it can add an hour to the day.
Seven departure points, and getting to the wrong one costs an hour.
The Old Port of Fira. At the bottom of the caldera cliff below Fira, reached by cable car, by 588 steps or by donkey. Almost all volcano and hot springs trips leave from here. The cable car takes three minutes and holds a queue of up to an hour at peak; allow far more time than you think.
Ammoudi Bay. Below Oia, three hundred steps down or a short drive. Small boats, water taxis to Thirasia and Armeni, and some sunset departures.
Vlychada marina. The easiest santorini boat tour departure on the island. On the south coast, twenty minutes from Fira by road, with parking. Most catamarans leave from here, and it is the easiest departure point on the island.
Akrotiri and Caldera Beach. South-coast departures for the Red Beach and White Beach route.
Athinios. The commercial port. Ferries rather than tours, plus the public boat to Thirasia.
Perissa and Perivolos. Small boats and water taxis along the south-east coast.
The santorini boat tour transfer question. Most semi-private catamarans include hotel pickup, and the large caiques generally do not. Check before booking, because a taxi to Vlychada at seven in the evening is not something to improvise.
What a Santorini Boat Tour Costs
Eleven prices, in euros, for every class of santorini boat tour.
Large caique, volcano and hot springs, 4 hours. 40 to 60 euros a head, food not included.
Large caique, volcano, springs and Thirasia, 6 to 7 hours. 55 to 90 euros, lunch usually extra.
Semi-private catamaran, day cruise, 5 to 6 hours. 100 to 180 euros with food and drink.
Semi-private catamaran, sunset cruise. 130 to 200 euros with food and drink.
Private catamaran charter, half day. From around 800 to 1,400 for the vessel.
Private catamaran charter, full day or sunset. 1,200 to 2,500 for the vessel.
Sailing yacht, private. Similar to a catamaran, and slower.
Speedboat, private. 500 to 1,200 for a half day, seating six to eight.
Water taxi. 10 to 25 euros a person, one way.
Nea Kameni entrance. A few euros in cash, usually not included.
The santorini boat tour arithmetic. Two people are better off on a semi-private catamaran. Six or more are usually better off chartering the same vessel privately, and the per-head figure comes out close.
What to Bring
Eleven things to put in the bag for a santorini boat tour.
Shoes with grip. Nea Kameni is loose volcanic rock and the deck is wet. Trainers for the walk, and bare feet or deck shoes on board.
An old swimsuit. The hot springs stain, permanently.
A towel. Provided on most catamarans and rarely on the large caiques.
Sunscreen, high factor. Reflected light off the water on a santorini boat tour burns people who never burn on land.
A hat that will not blow off. Or a cord.
A light windproof layer. It is ten degrees cooler on the water at sunset than it was on the cliff at six.
Water. Included on catamarans; bring your own on the caiques.
Cash. For the Nea Kameni fee and for anything bought on board.
Seasickness tablets. Taken an hour before, not when you start to feel it. The caldera is usually calm and the south coast is not.
A dry bag or case for the phone. Swimming stops mean getting in and out of a moving boat.
What to leave behind on a santorini boat tour. Wheeled luggage, heels, anything white, and any expectation of shade.
Sailing, Fishing and the Other Ways Onto the Water
Not everything on the water is a santorini boat tour in the standard sense, and several of the alternatives are better for particular people.
Eight alternatives, several of them better than a standard santorini boat tour for particular people.
Sailing proper. A monohull or catamaran actually under sail, with the engines off, is a slower and quieter day than the standard cruise. It depends entirely on wind: too little and you motor, too much and you do not go. Ask the operator directly whether they sail or motor, because most “sailing tours” are motoring tours with a mast.
Fishing trips instead of a santorini boat tour. Small local boats run half-day trips from Vlychada, Perissa and Ammoudi, usually with a fisherman rather than a tour company. Hand lines and rods, whatever is running that week, and the catch cooked for you afterwards on the better ones. Four to six people maximum, and a completely different day from a catamaran.
Water taxis. Not a santorini boat tour. The Ammoudi to Armeni crossing, the Perissa to Red Beach run, and the small boat to Thirasia. Ten to twenty-five euros, twenty minutes, and the cheapest way to get on the water at all.
The public ferry to Thirasia. From Athinios, several times a week, at a fraction of any tour price. It gives you a full day on the quiet side of the caldera rather than ninety minutes.
The submarine. From the Old Port, forty-five minutes, down to around thirty metres inside the caldera. A curiosity, good for children, and not a substitute for a santorini boat tour.
Sea kayaking instead of a santorini boat tour. Guided half days along the south coast, into caves and small bays that no larger vessel reaches. Physically demanding and the closest you get to the rock.
Speedboat charter. Six to eight people, half a day, and the most coastline covered per hour. Uncomfortable in any swell.
Jet skis and towed toys. Available at Perissa, Perivolos and Kamari, and unrelated to the caldera.
Safety, Rules and the Practical Side
Almost every santorini boat tour runs without incident, and the handful of things that go wrong are the same handful every season.
The port authority decides. Sailings are cancelled by the Hellenic Coast Guard, not by the operator, when wind exceeds the threshold for that class of vessel. There is no appeal and no operator is being difficult with you.
Licensing. Greek passenger boats carry a passenger certificate specifying capacity and area of operation. Reputable operators display it. If a boat looks overloaded, it probably is.
Life jackets. Carried for every passenger by law, and not usually worn. Ask for one if you are a weak swimmer, particularly for the hot springs swim.
The hot springs swim is open water. Thirty to eighty metres from a moving boat, with no ladder at the far end and a current in some conditions. Anybody who is not a confident swimmer should stay aboard, and nobody will mind.
Nea Kameni is a geological park. There is a small entrance fee, usually in cash, and marked paths that exist because the ground either side of them is unstable.
Alcohol. Included on most santorini boat tour catamarans and drunk in quantity on some. A swimming stop after four drinks is where the actual danger on these trips lies.
Sun. Reflected off the water, with no shade on a foredeck, for five hours. This is the most common thing to ruin the following day.
Children. Fine on catamarans and shared caiques. Check the minimum age with the operator for RIBs and speedboats.
Insurance. Operators carry passenger liability. Your own travel policy should cover water activities, which some do not by default.
Seasickness. The caldera is sheltered and usually flat. The south coast and the open water beyond the rim are not. Take tablets an hour before boarding.
Where the Boat Day Belongs in the Trip
Where the boat day sits in the trip matters as much as which boat you take, and the same santorini boat tour works very differently depending on the day you put it on.
Never book a santorini boat tour for the last day. The rule that matters more than any other. Wind cancels boats with a few hours’ notice, and on the last day there is nowhere to move it to.
Never on the arrival day. Flights are delayed, ferries are late, and the boat leaves on time.
Day two or three of a five-day trip. The right slot for a santorini boat tour. The right answer. Early enough to have a fallback, late enough that you have seen the caldera from above first — which makes seeing it from below far more striking.
After the caldera rim, before the archaeology. Walk the rim on day one, take the boat on day two, and do Akrotiri afterwards. The eruption story then runs in the right order: you see the crater, then the town it buried.
On a two-day trip. Choose. Either the boat or Akrotiri and the wineries, not both.
A santorini boat tour on a three-day trip. The boat on day three, with days one and two on land, is the standard shape and it works.
With children. Put it in the middle of the trip, after they have adjusted to the heat and before they are tired of sightseeing.
The morning after. Schedule nothing demanding. Five hours of sun, salt and swimming takes more out of people than they expect.
How to Book, and What to Check First
Booking a santorini boat tour is the one part of a trip here where the difference between two listings that look identical is enormous, and there are eight things worth establishing before paying.
Passenger numbers, not boat size. “Semi-private” is a marketing term with no fixed meaning. It can be eight people or twenty-four, on the same twelve-metre hull. Ask for the maximum passenger count and the boat length, and work out the square metres per person yourself.
Whether food and drink are included, and what they are. On a good catamaran the crew grill on board and it is a proper meal. On a cheap one it is a cold plate handed round. Recent photographs in reviews tell you more than any description.
Whether hotel transfers are included. Vlychada is twenty minutes from Fira and forty from Oia, and finding a taxi at ten at night on this island is not a plan. Most catamarans include a minibus; most large caiques do not.
The exact departure point. Old Port, Vlychada, Ammoudi, Akrotiri and Perissa are all used, and the difference between them is up to an hour of your day.
The cancellation policy. Wind cancels boats. Establish before booking whether you get a refund, a credit or a move to another day, and whether that decision is made the evening before or the morning of.
Whether the volcano entrance fee is included. Usually it is not. It is small and it is cash.
The actual route. Some volcano trips include Thirasia and some do not. Some sunset cruises go into the caldera and some stay on the south coast. The words “sunset cruise” cover both.
How far ahead to book. July and August: two to three weeks for a semi-private, longer for a charter. May, June, September and October: two or three days. April: on the day.
Booking direct with the operator is generally cheaper than through a platform, and platforms are generally easier to cancel. If it is your only boat day and the forecast is uncertain, the flexible option is worth the margin.
The View From the Water, Village by Village
Half of a santorini boat tour is spent looking up at the island, and knowing what you are looking at makes the transit between stops the best part of the day rather than the gap between the swims.
Vlychada. The starting point for most santorini boat tour catamarans, with a small marina under cliffs of pale pumice carved by wind into shapes that look deliberately sculpted. Nothing else on the island looks like it.
Akrotiri and the lighthouse. The southern tip, where the caldera rim ends and the open Aegean begins. You feel the swell change here on almost every crossing.
Red Beach. A cliff of oxidised iron-rich lava, deep rust against black sand and blue water. From the sea it is far more impressive than from the viewpoint above it.
White Beach. Pale pumice cliffs immediately west, with no land access at all, which is the reason to arrive by boat.
Athinios. The commercial port, cut into the cliff, with a switchback road climbing away from it. The clearest illustration of how vertical this island is.
The cliff below Fira. Fifteen hundred feet of stratified rock with the cable car running down it and the town balanced on top. The single most photographed stretch of the caldera from the water.
The Old Port. A cluster of buildings at the base of the cliff, reached by 588 steps and a mule track, and looking from the sea like something that should not be there.
Skaros Rock. The headland below Imerovigli, which carried the island’s medieval capital until earthquakes destroyed it. From the water you can still make out the terracing.
Oia and Ammoudi. The northern tip, with red cliffs dropping into a small harbour and the village stacked above. The classic sunset foreground on a santorini boat tour.
Thirasia. The far wall, with Manolas along the top of it and Korfos at the water. The clearest demonstration of what the collapse actually did.
Is a Santorini Boat Tour Worth It?
Every activity on this island has a case against it, and the honest version for a santorini boat tour is worth stating.
The case against: it costs more than anything else you will do here, it takes most of a day, the hot springs are lukewarm and orange rather than the spa people imagine, the volcano walk is an hour of loose black rock in full sun, the large boats are crowded, and if the wind gets up it will not run at all.
All of that is true. And the case for it is simply that the caldera is the reason the island exists, it is four hundred metres deep, and there is no other way to be inside it. The villages that look like the whole of Santorini from above become a thin white line along the top of a wall you have to lean back to see. Nea Kameni is rock that did not exist when the Parthenon was built. Thirasia is what this island was before 1970. And the sunset from the water, with the engines off between Oia and the far rim, is better than the same sunset from a terrace with three thousand people on it.
People who come back from a boat day disappointed almost always booked the wrong version of it: the cheapest sunset cruise on the largest boat, or a volcano trip in August at midday with sandals on. People who book a semi-private catamaran in June or September, on the second day of their trip, with a hat and an old swimsuit, come back saying it was the best day of the holiday. That is a solvable problem, and everything above is how to solve it.
Santorini Boat Tours Against the Alternatives
A boat day costs more than anything else on the island and takes most of a day, so it is worth setting a santorini boat tour against the other ways of spending the same money and the same hours.
Against a private land tour. A full day with a driver covers Akrotiri, the lighthouse, a winery, an inland village and a beach, at a comparable price for a group of four. The land day covers more of the island; the santorini boat tour covers the thing the island is made of. On a trip of three days or more, do both. On a two-day trip, the land day is the better first choice for a first visit.
A santorini boat tour against a wine tour. A winery afternoon costs a fraction of a boat day and takes four hours. It is the better value and the smaller experience. They also combine well: a boat on one day and a tasting on the next is the standard shape of a good three-day itinerary here.
Against a helicopter or a small plane. Fifteen to twenty minutes over the caldera at several hundred euros a head. Spectacular, brief, and it gives the aerial view that a santorini boat tour cannot. Almost nobody does both.
A santorini boat tour against a beach day. Free, or the price of two sunbeds. If what you want is to be in the sea, Perissa and Vlychada deliver it at a twentieth of the cost. What they do not deliver is the volcano, the springs and Thirasia.
Against a day on another island. A ferry to Ios or Naxos costs a similar amount and a longer day, and gives you a different island rather than a different view of this one. On a trip of five nights or fewer, the boat wins comfortably.
Against doing nothing. Underrated, and genuinely the right answer for one day of any trip longer than four nights. Just not the day the sea is flat and the boats are running.
The honest ranking. If you can do only one paid activity on this island, take a santorini boat tour into the caldera. If you can do two, add Akrotiri with a driver. If you can do three, add a winery in the late afternoon. Everything after that is preference.
Twelve Things Nobody Tells You About a Santorini Boat Tour
The cable car queue is the real schedule risk. Not the boat. Allow an hour for it at peak if you are leaving from the Old Port.
The large caiques are not slow. They are heavy, which means they are stable, which is why they sail when the catamarans do not.
The volcano fee is cash and it is at the landing. Nobody takes a card on Nea Kameni.
The hot springs swim is longer than it looks. The bay is shallow and the boat cannot come close, so the swim is thirty to eighty metres each way.
Thirasia lunch is better than it needs to be. The tavernas at Korfos cook for locals as much as for the boats.
The best photograph of the day is not the sunset. It is the caldera wall from below, in the hour before it, with the villages catching the light along the top.
Deck space is what you are paying for. On a sunset santorini boat tour, the price difference between operators is almost entirely square metres per passenger.
Motion sickness starts below deck. Stay outside, look at the horizon, and do not go and lie down in the cabin.
The wind drops in the evening. A choppy afternoon is often a glassy sunset, and skippers know this even when the forecast does not show it.
You will be colder than you expect on the way back. Wet, moving, after dark, with a breeze. One layer solves it.
Alcohol is included and unlimited on some boats. That is a feature for some groups and a warning for others, particularly if there are swimming stops after the drinks start.
The crew do the work of the day. Two or three people cooking, anchoring, briefing and driving for six hours. Tipping is not obligatory and it is noticed.
Which Santorini Boat Tour to Choose
Nine travellers, and the santorini boat tour each of them should book.
First visit, three days or fewer. The volcano, hot springs and Thirasia route on a large caique. Cheap, efficient, and it covers the three things you came to see.
First visit, four days or more. A semi-private catamaran day cruise. More time in the water, better food, and a fraction of the people.
Couples and honeymoons. A semi-private sunset catamaran, or a private charter if the budget allows.
Families with children. A semi-private day catamaran with swimming stops. The hot springs are the highlight; the volcano walk is manageable from about seven years old.
Swimmers and snorkellers. The south-coast route to Red Beach, White Beach and the caves, which is almost entirely about the water.
Groups of six or more. A private charter. The per-head cost is comparable to a good semi-private and the day is yours.
Cruise passengers. A short volcano santorini boat tour from the Old Port, which is where you are tendered anyway.
Photographers. A sunset charter, because the villages lit along the top of the caldera wall from the water is the shot nobody else has.
Anybody prone to seasickness. A large caique inside the caldera, on a calm forecast, and nothing on the south coast.
Common Mistakes
Nine ways to get a santorini boat tour wrong.
Booking for the last day. The single most common and most expensive mistake. Wind cancels boats and you need somewhere to move to.
Wearing sandals for Nea Kameni. Loose volcanic scree on a graded path. People turn ankles on this every day of the season.
A new swimsuit in the hot springs. The iron oxide does not come out.
Underestimating the cable car queue. Up to an hour at the Old Port at peak. If your santorini boat tour leaves at ten, be at the cable car at nine.
Assuming lunch is included. On the large caiques it usually is not.
Booking the cheapest sunset cruise. Deck space per person is the whole product on a sunset trip, and it is what the price difference buys.
Skipping the volcano because of the walk. Nobody minds if you stay on the boat, and the view from the crater rim is the reason people go.
Not checking the departure point. Vlychada is twenty minutes from Fira by road; the Old Port is a cable car ride and a queue.
Expecting sailing. Most “sailing” catamarans motor most of the way, because the schedule requires it.
Santorini Boat Tour: Frequently Asked Questions
Is a santorini boat tour worth it? It is the single best thing to do on this island. The caldera cannot be understood from the rim, and the volcano, the hot springs and Thirasia are only reachable by sea.
Which santorini boat tour is best? A semi-private catamaran for most people, and the large caique to the volcano and hot springs if the budget or the schedule is tight.
How long does a santorini boat tour take? Four to six hours for the standard volcano route, five to seven for a catamaran day or sunset cruise.
What does a santorini boat tour cost? 40 to 60 euros a head on a large caique, 100 to 200 on a semi-private catamaran, and from around 800 for a private charter.
Where do santorini boat tours leave from? The Old Port below Fira for the volcano trips, Vlychada marina for most catamarans, and Ammoudi for small boats and water taxis.
Can you swim in the hot springs? Yes, by swimming from the boat into the bay at Palia Kameni. Warm rather than hot, and the water stains swimwear orange.
Is the volcano walk on a santorini boat tour hard? Twenty to thirty minutes up loose volcanic rock with no shade. Manageable for most people in proper shoes, and hard work at midday in August.
When do santorini boat tours run? Roughly April to October, weather permitting at both ends and through the summer meltemi.
What happens if it is cancelled? Operators almost always offer another day rather than a refund, which is why you should never book a santorini boat tour for the last day of your trip.
Do I need to book a santorini boat tour ahead? In July and August, yes, particularly for semi-private catamarans. In the shoulder months a day or two is enough.
Is there a private santorini boat tour option? Yes, and from about six people the per-head cost is comparable to a good semi-private.
Can you get to Thirasia without a tour? Yes, on the public ferry from Athinios or a small boat from Ammoudi, and a full independent day there is one of the best on the island.
Get on the Water Properly
We are a local operator running private tours and transfers in our own vehicles, and the part of a santorini boat tour we handle is the part that usually goes wrong: getting you to Vlychada, Ammoudi or the cable car at the right hour, and collecting you afterwards when you are salted, sunburnt and disinclined to walk.
Tell us your dates and we will build the land days around the boat day, and handle the transfers at both ends.
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 the personalised tour, the private transfers, 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
