Santorini - Fira to Oia Drive?

Hello All,

After 3 med cruises, we have finally got one which includes Santorini and Mykonos. We're planning to do Santorini on our own, which includes getting off the ship (tendered), taking the cable car up to Fira, spending some time at Fira (I hear there is a nice street with shops) and then renting a car and driving to Oia.

Does anyone have any tips for me? Is the drive easy/ difficult (we'll probably rent a smart car). What's the best place to park in Oia to see the amazing blue and white buildings?

I'd really appreciate any tips from you seasoned cruisers.

Thanks in advance!

Nick

Hello All,

 

After 3 med cruises, we have finally got one which includes Santorini and Mykonos. We're planning to do Santorini on our own, which includes getting off the ship (tendered), taking the cable car up to Fira, spending some time at Fira (I hear there is a nice street with shops) and then renting a car and driving to Oia.

 

Does anyone have any tips for me? Is the drive easy/ difficult (we'll probably rent a smart car). What's the best place to park in Oia to see the amazing blue and white buildings?

 

I'd really appreciate any tips from you seasoned cruisers.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Nick

Good question and looking for great advice for our trip there!

We're also going to Santorini this season, we'll be on Reflection the end of May. There is lots of info over on the Greece port of call message boards, here's the link:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=594

Also, you'll find some great info on Santorini and how to find the best views on Oia on a website called tomsportguides.com

Behind all the shopping in Santorini is where you can find the local Bus Station and for about 3 Euros each you can get there, If you want to explore further then you may need a car.

Ouia is where all the postcards depict with the blue roofs.

Brian

We hired a car in Santorini in August and had a great time. The only downside was that we had a very short time in Santorini and it was all a bit rushed.

We got off the ship as early as we could and went straight to the cable car. We didn't wait and it was a fantastic view. If you are not early, don't forget to factor in the time you have to wait for the cable car. It gets very crowded.

We walked up the Main Street and turned left and our car hire place was about a 10 minute walk, we had pre-booked and it was very easy.

We had a small 4 door car, NOT automatic, and my daughter drove. The road was fine, a bit twisty along the coast, but great views. Just before the town we saw a sign for parking and drove down a lane between buildings and found a large empty car park. We could not find anyone to pay so left it, and paid on our return.

We were lucky enough to arrive before all the crowds, and had a very pleasant time in Oia, its stunning! We then drove back through the town of Fira which was packed and it took a while to get past the traffic jams. We drove to the nearest beach on the other side of the island but time was running out and we were concerned about the queues at the too of the cliff so by 2.00 we had returned the car. Thank goodness we did as the queue took us a hour and a half in boiling temperatures with no shade.

The car was a bit tricky as the clutch was awful - my daughter literally had her foot on the floor and each time she changed gear we wondered if it would work.

However I can thoroughly recommend getting a car, we are used to a stick change car so that was not a big problem for us, but if you are used to a automatic it could be.

We are thinking of taking the cable car up to Fira and looking around a bit, then taking the bus to Oia for the afternoon. Can we go directly from Oia back to the ship without having to go through Fira and wait for the cable car down again?

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I would suggest that instead of taking the cable up to Fira, you catch a water taxi at the dock, which will take you directly to Oia. The fare includes the bus from where the water taxi docks up to Oia as well as private bus service from Oia back to Fira (you have a couple of hours to enjoy Oia before catching the bus). Then when you are ready to depart Fira you simply go to Cable car station.

You can make reservations in advance but don't have to. Check to see how many ships are at Santorini and plan accordingly.

The advantage of this plan is that by reversing travel flow, you minimize the crowds in Oia as well as the line for the ascent in the cable car.

For info just google Santorini water taxi. I think the combined fare (water taxi, 2 buses was 20€ pp), but you can get discounts if you have more people.

Behind all the shopping in Santorini is where you can find the local Bus Station and for about 3 Euros each you can get there, If you want to explore further then you may need a car.

 

Ouia is where all the postcards depict with the blue roofs.

 

Brian

We also took the bus and then explored after we returned. Unless you want to explore some other area I am not sure that renting a car is any better.

My personal opinion is colored by our extended family's experience.

DW and I took an excursion in Santorini that included a winery at the southern part of the island. The tour was excellent and we were able to see almost all of the island.

The rest of our group DTYed Santorini and never made it to Oia, staying in Fira. Our ship the NCL Gem did not arrive until 4PM. Several other ships were in the port and the DTY group (some did the donkeys, others the cable) took a long time to get up to the top of the hill. No taxis were available, buses going to Oia were full with very long queues waiting to get on the bus.

I realize that some that DTY Santorini don't have these problems, but the problem is that you can have them. Renting a car might work. What is the cost of renting a car vs. going on a tour where you get to leave the ship first, don't have to wait in line and have a guide.

Santorini is special. Make the most of your time.

I would suggest that instead of taking the cable up to Fira, you catch a water taxi at the dock, which will take you directly to Oia. The fare includes the bus from where the water taxi docks up to Oia as well as private bus service from Oia back to Fira (you have a couple of hours to enjoy Oia before catching the bus). Then when you are ready to depart Fira you simply go to Cable car station.

You can make reservations in advance but don't have to. Check to see how many ships are at Santorini and plan accordingly.

The advantage of this plan is that by reversing travel flow, you minimize the crowds in Oia as well as the line for the ascent in the cable car.

For info just google Santorini water taxi. I think the combined fare (water taxi, 2 buses was 20€ pp), but you can get discounts if you have more people.

We have been in Santorini 3 times, and were not aware of this travel method to Oia. Having been there, this tip makes absolute sense and we will do that next time!

Many thanks for posting.

OK, if we do it this way and decide to walk down the steps rather than wait for the cable car, what time would we need to start making our descent if our ship leaves at 6 pm?

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My personal opinion is colored by our extended family's experience.

DW and I took an excursion in Santorini that included a winery at the southern part of the island. The tour was excellent and we were able to see almost all of the island.

 

The rest of our group DTYed Santorini and never made it to Oia, staying in Fira. Our ship the NCL Gem did not arrive until 4PM. Several other ships were in the port and the DTY group (some did the donkeys, others the cable) took a long time to get up to the top of the hill. No taxis were available, buses going to Oia were full with very long queues waiting to get on the bus.

 

I realize that some that DTY Santorini don't have these problems, but the problem is that you can have them. Renting a car might work. What is the cost of renting a car vs. going on a tour where you get to leave the ship first, don't have to wait in line and have a guide.

 

Santorini is special. Make the most of your time.

I agree with you. Reflection arrives in Santorini at 2:00 PM and is a tender port. My guess is that ship tours will have priority for tendering and this is one of the reasons we are booking a tour through the ship. We have done private and ship tours in Santorini on previous visits and enjoyed both. :)

OK, if we do it this way and decide to walk down the steps rather than wait for the cable car, what time would we need to start making our descent if our ship leaves at 6 pm?

 

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The answer depends on whether or not you slip on the donkey poo, which is unavoidable and all over the pathway! At the latest, 30 minutes prior to final tender.....not recommended as a route IMHO!

Well to me, walking down seems preferable to standing in the blazing sun for an hour and a half waiting for a cable car. It can't take that long to walk it down can it?

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We took this cruise last June - you will have a fantastic trip! I booked all of our tours with private vendors, however in retrospect, would recommend you consider the ship's excursion for this port. The people on the ship excursions were indeed given priority - in fact, they tendered off at a completely different place before the ship went on to tender us off to the cable car base. I believe those on the ship excursion were bussed to Oia first and then came back over to Fira. The tender experience was quite crowded (complicated by other ships) and there is a line to then get on the cable car. The donkey path did not look like a good time - it is quite a trek and the donkeys do own the path and mark their territory! Whatever way you decide to go, you can look forward to one of the most beautiful stops on your trip....

 

Does anyone have any tips for me? Is the drive easy/ difficult (we'll probably rent a smart car). What's the best place to park in Oia to see the amazing blue and white buildings?

 

I'd really appreciate any tips from you seasoned cruisers.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Nick

Nick, my only comment is if you're really afraid of heights you probably shouldn't do that drive yourself lol. It is, shall we say, incredibly scenic :D. My eyes were nearly popping out of my head on the tour bus looking straight down and realizing how high up we were! :eek:

Beautiful, beautiful island though. Have a great time!

We did it the easy way.,..took ship's excursion... we were tendered to a spot where we boarded our bus...this was before the ship let other pax off at base of Santorini

our bus was first to arrive at Oia where we had clear views, great photo ops and no crowds in shops....

had a nice winery stop and were back in Santorini with plenty of time to shop and explore....

being ahead if the pack let us take the cable down with no wait for shuttle boat back to the ship.....we never felt rushed or deprived of the chance to explore

next time hope we can visit Akotiri.....

I agree with the other posters that you will be pressed for time if you don't plan really well for this beautiful but very busy port. The path up to Fira from the tendering area is shared with donkeys, and there are no stairs, just a dirt path. The beautiful blue and white buildings are at Fira as well as Oia. I hope you're on the right side of the ship to experience your ship pulling close to this picture postcard beautiful port. It was worth getting up at sunrise to see. We took the cruise line excursion which got us priority off the ship and on the tender boats, then a bus to Oia and a visit to a winery (free samples!)which had some of the best views on our Med cruise. Back at Fira, there was time to explore the shops along the narrow cobblestone streets, then take the cable car back down to the tendering area. This is definitely a place that we will visit again. There are usually a lot of ships in the port, so crowds on the cable cars and the path will be a reality.

Definitely want to do it on our own. Do not want to be on someone else's schedule and itinerary. Want to be able to have a drink and a dip at Lioyerma.

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Well to me, walking down seems preferable to standing in the blazing sun for an hour and a half waiting for a cable car. It can't take that long to walk it down can it?

 

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We walked down and avoided any trouble spots. Not a bad walk, almost all the donkeys were up toward the top by then. Beat our friends down who took the cable car!

I would suggest that instead of taking the cable up to Fira, you catch a water taxi at the dock, which will take you directly to Oia. The fare includes the bus from where the water taxi docks up to Oia as well as private bus service from Oia back to Fira (you have a couple of hours to enjoy Oia before catching the bus). Then when you are ready to depart Fira you simply go to Cable car station.

You can make reservations in advance but don't have to. Check to see how many ships are at Santorini and plan accordingly.

The advantage of this plan is that by reversing travel flow, you minimize the crowds in Oia as well as the line for the ascent in the cable car.

For info just google Santorini water taxi. I think the combined fare (water taxi, 2 buses was 20€ pp), but you can get discounts if you have more people.

Thanks for your post Cindy and Joe. We'll be in Santorini this coming July. You mentioned you can make reservations in advance for the water taxi to Oia. Do you recall the site where those advance reservations might be available? Thanks again!

We rode the donkeys to the top in Fira then rented an ATV and drove to Oia. It was a nice easy drive on an ATV. A car would be the same and it's a simple drive. With the ATV you could kind of park it anywhere. Not so sure about the cars but I think it's the same or they have parking lots in a few spots in Oia. We then drove around other parts of the island and saw windmills and a black beach when the sand was black and glittery. Then took some time in Fira before going back to the ship. In my opinion doing Santorini on your own is the way to go. It's an easy place to do that. Enjoy!