Anyone go to Santorini on their own after a cruise?

We're considering a cruise for next year from Rome to Athens. While there are some ports on other Greek islands, the cruise does not stop at Santorini. Everyone that I talk to says that you have to go to Santorini.

We were planning on staying in Athens after the cruise. So has anyone else done this, disembarked in Athens and spent time in Athens and Santorini? I'd love to know the logistics of this. Do you need to take flights? I think I may have read somewhere that you could take a boat directly from the port in Athens to Santorini?

I know that this is still a year away, but we need to plan how much time we will need off from work as well as booking flights. Thanks for any insight.

Yes, I have flown to the islands before and after cruises. I have also just gone to Greece and visited the islands with no cruise.

The best way is to fly from Athens. Aegean Air flies to the islands and it is easy and convenient. The flight to Santorini is only 45 minutes long.

https://en.aegeanair.com/

The alternative is to spend several hours (7 to 12 depending on the line) in a ferry to get there. The only advantage of the ferry is that you are at the port when you disembark. But, be careful, many of the ferries leave very early in the morning, maybe even before your cruise disembarks. Or much later in the afternoon when it would have been better for you to take a taxi to the airport and fly out to the island. You could be at the island before the afternoon ferry takes off from Athens, or before the morning ferry gets there. Check all the schedules before you decide. For example, ferries to Santorini leave at 7:25 am or 5:30 pm.

http://www.greekferries.gr/

Most flights are to and from Athens. Very few between the islands. If you wanted to spend a few days in Santorini and a few in another nearby island, say Naxos or Mykonos, you are better off taking the ferry or hydrofoil between the islands and fly back to Athens from the second island.

There is only one caveat: BOOK EARLY! Those flights get full fast for the season. One advantage is that all inter Greece flights are "flex" tickets, which means you can re-book them without charge (different day, different island, different time, etc.). Aegean Air also offers very low cost insurance (about 10 euros) if you need to cancel.

And, yes, staying in Santorini is the best way to see and enjoy the island. Cruise stops can be miserable when several thousand people arrive at the same time. Plan to stay at least three nights to give you a minimum of two full days there. Rent a car.

Yes, I have flown to the islands before and after cruises. I have also just gone to Greece and visited the islands with no cruise.

 

The best way is to fly from Athens. Aegean Air flies to the islands and it is easy and convenient. The flight to Santorini is only 45 minutes long.

https://en.aegeanair.com/

 

The alternative is to spend several hours (7 to 12 depending on the line) in a ferry to get there. The only advantage of the ferry is that you are at the port when you disembark. But, be careful, many of the ferries leave very early in the morning, maybe even before your cruise disembarks. Or much later in the afternoon when it would have been better for you to take a taxi to the airport and fly out to the island. You could be at the island before the afternoon ferry takes off from Athens, or before the morning ferry gets there. Check all the schedules before you decide. For example, ferries to Santorini leave at 7:25 am or 5:30 pm.

 

http://www.greekferries.gr/

 

Most flights are to and from Athens. Very few between the islands. If you wanted to spend a few days in Santorini and a few in another nearby island, say Naxos or Mykonos, you are better off taking the ferry or hydrofoil between the islands and fly back to Athens from the second island.

 

There is only one caveat: BOOK EARLY! Those flights get full fast for the season. One advantage is that all inter Greece flights are "flex" tickets, which means you can re-book them without charge (different day, different island, different time, etc.). Aegean Air also offers very low cost insurance (about 10 euros) if you need to cancel.

 

And, yes, staying in Santorini is the best way to see and enjoy the island. Cruise stops can be miserable when several thousand people arrive at the same time. Plan to stay at least three nights to give you a minimum of two full days there. Rent a car.

Thank you!!! That is great information.

Let the research begin...

Ryanair also fly from Athens to Santorini and Athens to Mykonos.

https://www.ryanair.com/ie/en/

For a flight as short as this they are fine, just be aware of baggage rules.

Ryanair also fly from Athens to Santorini and Athens to Mykonos.

https://www.ryanair.com/ie/en/

 

For a flight as short as this they are fine, just be aware of baggage rules.

Compare baggage rules and fees between Aegean and Ryanair. Also, Aegean has flex tickets only for domestic travel that may come in handy if you need to take a later flight or make any other changes. But yes, Ryanair can be tolerable for a 45 minute flight.

Has anyone done Santorini as a day-trip from Athens? We are wondering about booking a flight early morning, returning late evening.

Wonder if Ryanair is still considering charging for using their rest rooms.  Yes, they actually did publicly talk about doing just that (I think it was back in 2010) but public pressure "encouraged" then to abandon that idea (for now).  Just saying.

On the other hand, the flight from Athens to Santorini is so short most would have no need to use the "facilities."

Hank

1 hour ago, RangerMom said:

Has anyone done Santorini as a day-trip from Athens? We are wondering about booking a flight early morning, returning late evening.

Probably someone has done it.  It is certainly done by locals - business people, etc.  

It is fine if you have enough days after in Athens.  Flights do get canceled if there are very high winds. (It happened to us, but we were there for several days and just stayed an extra day in the island.)  That would require you to take a ferry back or wait till the next day for another flight.  If you do it, do not book the last flight back to ATH and make sure you get a "Flex" ticket and buy the cheap cancellation insurance.  I would recommend renting a car so you can visit all the island.  There is a lot more to enjoy than just Fira and Oia.

We have visited the islands, including Santoini, by plane, by ferry, and by cruise ship'

The absolute worst were cruise ship stops.  Too crowded.  Too little port time. no evenings in town. 

Our favourite way has been to pack carry on only, and island hop with Crete as our last stop.  If we were looking at a Santorini trip we would be temped to go in the spring, just after Greek Easter, or the fall.  We would also check and try to time it so we would avoid those days when there are several cruise ships in port.  The island takes on a very different vibe one the cruisers have left.  Especially at night.   You can easily spend four days on the island.   One benefit of travelling by local ferry is that you become very flexible in terms of how long you spend on each island.  

We have flown with Aegean AIr and Olympic.  Aegean has some good fares but you will need to shop.   The last time we went to Greece we started in Athens.  Rented a car and traveled through the Peloponnese for ten days.  Then went to Piraeus and island hopped down to Crete.  Then Aegean air to Paris.  We had open jaw tickets to Rome and then return from Paris.

Depending where you are flying from and through, there are London Santorini flights.   There may also be some via Rome.  There are nonstop flights to Crete from Rome which is well worth spending time on.  Depending how long you have.  

On 8/1/2018 at 9:17 PM, jajsmom said:

We're considering a cruise for next year from Rome to Athens. While there are some ports on other Greek islands, the cruise does not stop at Santorini. Everyone that I talk to says that you have to go to Santorini.

 

We were planning on staying in Athens after the cruise. So has anyone else done this, disembarked in Athens and spent time in Athens and Santorini? I'd love to know the logistics of this. Do you need to take flights? I think I may have read somewhere that you could take a boat directly from the port in Athens to Santorini?

 

I know that this is still a year away, but we need to plan how much time we will need off from work as well as booking flights. Thanks for any insight.

Reviving this old thread, as we are hoping to do exactly this. Any more feedback? @jajsmom did you end up doing this?

Hi Neighbor!

We did not go to Santorini after our cruise, but instead spent a few days in Athens.  And our particular cruise missed Mykonos due to high winds, so I figured we'll have to go back some day to visit both.

Our flight home was cancelled, so we wound up spending 24+ hours with the people on our plane.  Everyone discussed what Greek islands they visited, and the general opinion was that both Santorini und Mykonos were overly touristed, and people preferred the smaller, less popular islands.  Hope this helps.

We have spent several days on Santorini as well as visiting by cruise.  It is spectacular to see but other islands are more real with better beaches.  

We have spent many months exploring Greece and the islands.   I would suggest you fly to Crete and spend a couple of weeks.   If you only have a week, perhaps Paros.  

3 hours ago, jajsmom said:

Hi Neighbor!

We did not go to Santorini after our cruise, but instead spent a few days in Athens.  And our particular cruise missed Mykonos due to high winds, so I figured we'll have to go back some day to visit both.

Our flight home was cancelled, so we wound up spending 24+ hours with the people on our plane.  Everyone discussed what Greek islands they visited, and the general opinion was that both Santorini und Mykonos were overly touristed, and people preferred the smaller, less popular islands.  Hope this helps.

I wish I did the homework before booking the cruise. Santorini is one of the most important reasons why I booked that particular itinerary, and then I found all the horror stories people share on this board. There will be 3 big shops docking there on the day. I cannot even imagine how 8K people can squeeze onto that island!

On 11/13/2019 at 11:56 AM, jajsmom said:

Hi Neighbor!

We did not go to Santorini after our cruise, but instead spent a few days in Athens.  And our particular cruise missed Mykonos due to high winds, so I figured we'll have to go back some day to visit both.

Our flight home was cancelled, so we wound up spending 24+ hours with the people on our plane.  Everyone discussed what Greek islands they visited, and the general opinion was that both Santorini und Mykonos were overly touristed, and people preferred the smaller, less popular islands.  Hope this helps.

Thank you! What time of year was your cruise? We are planning on October, so hopefully everything will be a bit less crowded and touristy. It also probably will be warm and sunny but not necessarily beach weather. Our cruise ends on a Tuesday so we will stay the rest of the week, and we will do Athens and something else, we can figure out what later. I just was thinking of Santorini because all my friends had said not to miss it and it's not on our itinerary.

Where in Bucks County do you live?

56 minutes ago, lisa6191 said:

 

Thank you! What time of year was your cruise? We are planning on October, so hopefully everything will be a bit less crowded and touristy. It also probably will be warm and sunny but not necessarily beach weather. Our cruise ends on a Tuesday so we will stay the rest of the week, and we will do Athens and something else, we can figure out what later. I just was thinking of Santorini because all my friends had said not to miss it and it's not on our itinerary.

 

Where in Bucks County do you live?

We just sailed this past September.  The crowds weren't as bad as the summer, and we had amazing weather most of the first week, until we had gale force winds for several days.  Athens was worth about a day and a half--I couldn't see spending much more time just there, and we got to see everything we wanted.

We're currently in Newtown, but spent many years in Montgomeryville, so I know Dresher well.

On 11/13/2019 at 8:54 PM, bennybear said:

We have spent several days on Santorini as well as visiting by cruise.  It is spectacular to see but other islands are more real with better beaches.  

 

I think Santorini is so famous that it’s already a “must see” place. I plan to fly there after the cruise. How many days shall we plan for Santorini? Where will it  be better to stop? Could you suggest any particular hotels? Something not too expensive and fancy…. We plan to rent a car.

Thank you all! Jess

6 hours ago, CrazyJess said:

I think Santorini is so famous that it’s already a “must see” place. I plan to fly there after the cruise. How many days shall we plan for Santorini? Where will it  be better to stop? Could you suggest any particular hotels? Something not too expensive and fancy…. We plan to rent a car.

 

Thank you all! Jess

 

I can recommend the Loucas Hotel in Fira.  It is built on several terraces on the slope of the caldera.  It has absolutely perfect views of the sunset from your own room terrace.  It is moderately priced. We stayed there for a few days 4 years ago.  We have also stayed on some fancier places, but value for money, the Loucas was very good.  I just saw in their website that it has been modernized and that the pool looks really nice.

https://www.loucasonthecliff.com/en/

Great! Thank you! Looks great! Taking in consideration that I plan my trip for the next October it won’t  be too expensive. It’s much more pricy in summer…

Thanks! Jess

On 11/20/2019 at 6:07 AM, CrazyJess said:

Great! Thank you! Looks great! Taking in consideration that I plan my trip for the next October it won’t  be too expensive. It’s much more pricy in summer…

Thanks! Jess

Enjoy!

Off topic but I need some advice...getting off a Regents ship on a Sunday in October in Athens. (7am arrival)

What would be the earliest flight one could make back to US.  Is noon doable?  Thank you!

48 minutes ago, benzygirl said:

Off topic but I need some advice...getting off a Regents ship on a Sunday in October in Athens. (7am arrival)

What would be the earliest flight one could make back to US.  Is noon doable?  Thank you!

Yes.  Noon is fine.  I wouldn't do it any earlier.  

We convinced DD to go to Santorini for a few days and they loved staying on the island.  You can get there by air from Ath or there are also some ferries (like cruise ships) that can get you to Santorini as well as other islands.  Our DD took a ferry from Corfu.  As to where to stay, it is all about your budget.  My preference would be to look for a decent hotel in Oia even if it means stretching your budget.  There are places you can park on the edge of town.  Some of the higher end places have fantastic views and even infinity pools.  Island hopping (via ferries) is an interesting way to see a few islands.  Personally, we prefer the much quieter Ionian Islands (that is where Onassis and Jackie Kennedy lived) where there are no cruise ships (except in Corfu).  

Yes, Santorini is beautiful and also too darn popular.  The good news is that most of the cruise ships leave by early evening and then the island is much less crowded.  Also consider that a majority of cruisers spend all their time in Fira and Oia and there is a lot of island outside of those two cities.  Just going to Red Beach can be an easy way to escape the cruise ship passengers.  That being said, we also enjoy going to Santorini on cruises although it is a different kind of experience then staying on the island.

Hank

We have spent many enjoyable trips island hopping down to Crete.  This past fall we did a week in northern Greece and three weeks in the Ionian Islands.  We enjoyed it so much more than our one day cruise stop in Corfu several years ago.  It is very different when you rent a car, tour, and stay at some smaller local places. 

On 12/26/2019 at 1:27 PM, iancal said:

We have spent many enjoyable trips island hopping down to Crete.  This past fall we did a week in northern Greece and three weeks in the Ionian Islands.  We enjoyed it so much more than our one day cruise stop in Corfu several years ago.  It is very different when you rent a car, tour, and stay at some smaller local places. 

I have posted, a few times, about how much we enjoyed the Ionian Islands.  Perhaps the best part is that, with the exception of Crete, you do not see cruise ships in the Ionian.  These are the islands for yachts, small boats, and the super rich (Onassis owned one of the islands).   Some of these islands have only a few hundred residents and they are delightful places.

Hank