Santorini - Can I do it all in only one day?

[shaynamaidel09]

I am really excited about visiting Santorini (on Wed, June 8 from 2 – 10 PM). But, I want to do it all and I am just not sure how to do it. So, I compiled my thoughts after reading through pages and pages of posts. If you could give me your opinions/corrections/additions to anything I have listed, I would love to hear it. I have checked all the major cruise lines and it does not APPEAR (though I could be wrong) that any other ships will be in port with us (but, really, I can’t count on that because I have never, ever been the only ship in port anywhere).

 

What I would really like to do is go to the Palaia Kameni hot springs and sea Oia at sunset (which is b/w 8:30 PM and 8:45 PM). In between, just shopping, eating, people watching and swimming sounds great to me. If we saw the winery – great – but I don’t want to make plans around that.

I understand that we will be tendering in to Skala Fira (though everyone says to get in line for the tender early as it can take 1 – 2 hours to get off the ship). From there, my options go wild:

 

Once we arrive at the port, we can take the furnicular (cable car) for 4 euros to the town of Fira. (I saw the donkeys in Rhodes and they had split hooves and looked exhausted and not well treated, so that isn’t even an option to consider for me.) I have some concerns about the long lines at the cable car, as well. From where the cable car lets us off, we can find a boat to take us to the volcanic hot springs, find a taxi to take us to Oia (about 15 minutes), take the bus to Oia (about 20 minutes) or rent a car and do the island ourselves. Here are a lot of questions:

 

a. TAXI: Can you get a taxi from the Skala Fira port or do you have to go to Fira? How much is it each way to Oia (does 10 euros each way sound right)? Can you get a taxi to take you each way (or will they only rent/day)? I have heard there are few taxis, so do I really need to reserve it for the day? Will I have a problem getting back around sunset (9 PM) to the ship on time? Would I be able to take a bus one way and find a taxi around 9 to take us back? Are the taxis flexible enough to take you where you want to go? I have found in some ports they only want to go on their “set” routes rather than letting you specify where you want to go.

 

b. CAR RENTAL: We heard to use Tony’s, which is 500 feet from where the cable car drops us off. It is supposedly 40 – 45 euros/day/car and, if you need an automatic, book it early. How hard is it to drive around the island? Are all the signs in Greek? Did you have a problem putting in gas or finding a gas station? Is it hard to find your way back at 9-ish when it is getting dark? Do you really get to see more of the island? Is parking a problem? Do you have to have a special license to be able to drive (I have an American driver's license)? Do they drive on the right (like in America) or left (like in England)? (Stupid question probably, but I can't help but ask) I've never rented a car in a foreign country and it makes me nervous just thinking about it.

 

c. BUS: It’s cheap (1E 40), which is great and it’s quick (20 minutes). But, I am worried about being able to stay in Oia until 9 and then still make it back to the port by 9:30 since the ship leaves at 10. Is that doable? Is it overcrowded? Does it go often enough to make this possible?

 

d. ORGANIZED TOURS: Santorini Car Hire is recommended (45 euros/hour for a van for 6 people). However, I want to spend most of the day out and about and that price is pretty steep. Any ideas on who/how to hire a car for a flat daily rate or something along those lines? Do you get to specify where you want to go?

 

e. HOT SPRINGS: How do you find a boat to take you to the hot springs? How much is it? How long does it take to get there? How long should you plan to spend there? Is it worth going to? I heard to take a swimsuit you don’t care about because it will get stained. Is it even possible to spend part of your day here and then still have time for Oia? Are the hot springs just water or are they mud? (Will I have to go back to the ship and clean up before going to Oia?)

 

f. WINERY: Is it worth going to? Given the hot springs and Oia at sunset, it isn’t my priority. But it is something to do if you can make the time? Or just stick with what we’ve got?

 

g. BEACHES: What beaches do you recommend going to around Oia? Baxedes and Kolumbos look kind of close on the map, but how far is it really? Could we walk to it? Is it worth going to? Would you choose a normal beach over the hot springs?

 

a. OIA: Other than watching sunset, are there any restaurants that are recommend? Which direction should be head? Anything that we don’t want to miss as we wander? Any great people watching spots or ice cream places?

 

I want to know all of my options so that we can come up with a gameplan. I am normally a DIY traveler. I like to know everything so that if, when we get there, we decide to just wing it, I at least know where we should go and what not to miss. Thanks so much for reading through this and responding!:D

[KirkNC]

Here is the bad news, with a 2 -10 timeframe you can figure on around something like 5 hours (6 tops) to do what you would like on the island. First the ship will drop off the excurson takers at one end of the island (via tenders), than it will have to reposition off Fira and the tenders will have to unload the remaining passengers. For us last year, it took two hours from the time we arrived (pre-off loading the excursion folks) to the time we got off the cable car in Fira. If you are aggressive in signing up for the tenders you might be able to shave some time off but I don't see how you can get to Fira in less than 1-1.5 hours which means it is now 3:30. On the return you need to be in line for the cable car no later than 9:00 maybe a little earlier. It took us maybe 30 minutes to get to the bottom.

 

I would suggest picking a couple of activities and enjoying them instead of trying to do too much. Certainly a trip to Oia (via bus, taxi or rental car) would be at the top of my list. You could than enjoy dinner (there are several good restaurants) and the sunset. After that return to Fira, shop a little and than head back to the cable car. Don't try and kill yourself seeing the whole island, you just can't do it in 5-5 1/2 hours.

 

Kirk

[zqvol]

Notes and comments below:

 

I am really excited about visiting Santorini (on Wed, June 8 from 2 – 10 PM). But, I want to do it all and I am just not sure how to do it. So, I compiled my thoughts after reading through pages and pages of posts. If you could give me your opinions/corrections/additions to anything I have listed, I would love to hear it. I have checked all the major cruise lines and it does not APPEAR (though I could be wrong) that any other ships will be in port with us (but, really, I can’t count on that because I have never, ever been the only ship in port anywhere).

 

What I would really like to do is go to the Palaia Kameni hot springs and sea Oia at sunset (which is b/w 8:30 PM and 8:45 PM). In between, just shopping, eating, people watching and swimming sounds great to me. If we saw the winery – great – but I don’t want to make plans around that.

I understand that we will be tendering in to Skala Fira (though everyone says to get in line for the tender early as it can take 1 – 2 hours to get off the ship). From there, my options go wild:

 

Once we arrive at the port, we can take the furnicular (cable car) for 4 euros to the town of Fira. (I saw the donkeys in Rhodes and they had split hooves and looked exhausted and not well treated, so that isn’t even an option to consider for me.) I have some concerns about the long lines at the cable car, as well. From where the cable car lets us off, we can find a boat to take us to the volcanic hot springs, find a taxi to take us to Oia (about 15 minutes), take the bus to Oia (about 20 minutes) or rent a car and do the island ourselves. Here are a lot of questions:

 

First when you tender in there are no roads, you are at the bottom of the cliff, so thus, no cabs. You either take the cable car or donkeys. I am not going to get into whether you should take the donkeys or not, The cab to Oia is anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour depending on how long you have to wait. Fare is 20 Euro each way. Renting a car is probably not an option due to when it has to be returned.

 

a. TAXI: Can you get a taxi from the Skala Fira port or do you have to go to Fira? How much is it each way to Oia (does 10 euros each way sound right)? Can you get a taxi to take you each way (or will they only rent/day)? I have heard there are few taxis, so do I really need to reserve it for the day? Will I have a problem getting back around sunset (9 PM) to the ship on time? Would I be able to take a bus one way and find a taxi around 9 to take us back? Are the taxis flexible enough to take you where you want to go? I have found in some ports they only want to go on their “set” routes rather than letting you specify where you want to go.

 

If you are in Oia at sunset you are not going to be back by the last tender, which will run at 9:30, if not earlier.

 

b. CAR RENTAL: We heard to use Tony’s, which is 500 feet from where the cable car drops us off. It is supposedly 40 – 45 euros/day/car and, if you need an automatic, book it early. How hard is it to drive around the island? Are all the signs in Greek? Did you have a problem putting in gas or finding a gas station? Is it hard to find your way back at 9-ish when it is getting dark? Do you really get to see more of the island? Is parking a problem? Do you have to have a special license to be able to drive (I have an American driver's license)? Do they drive on the right (like in America) or left (like in England)? (Stupid question probably, but I can't help but ask) I've never rented a car in a foreign country and it makes me nervous just thinking about it.

 

With your limited time don't do it.

 

c. BUS: It’s cheap (1E 40), which is great and it’s quick (20 minutes). But, I am worried about being able to stay in Oia until 9 and then still make it back to the port by 9:30 since the ship leaves at 10. Is that doable? Is it overcrowded? Does it go often enough to make this possible?

 

Don't do it. There are buses that run on a regular schedule, once an hour between Oia and Thira

 

d. ORGANIZED TOURS: Santorini Car Hire is recommended (45 euros/hour for a van for 6 people). However, I want to spend most of the day out and about and that price is pretty steep. Any ideas on who/how to hire a car for a flat daily rate or something along those lines? Do you get to specify where you want to go?

 

e. HOT SPRINGS: How do you find a boat to take you to the hot springs? How much is it? How long does it take to get there? How long should you plan to spend there? Is it worth going to? I heard to take a swimsuit you don’t care about because it will get stained. Is it even possible to spend part of your day here and then still have time for Oia? Are the hot springs just water or are they mud? (Will I have to go back to the ship and clean up before going to Oia?)

You are not going to have time to do this and Oia too, in fact if you do this you may not even have very long in Thira

 

f. WINERY: Is it worth going to? Given the hot springs and Oia at sunset, it isn’t my priority. But it is something to do if you can make the time? Or just stick with what we’ve got?

 

Can't comment we didn't go there.

 

g. BEACHES: What beaches do you recommend going to around Oia? Baxedes and Kolumbos look kind of close on the map, but how far is it really? Could we walk to it? Is it worth going to? Would you choose a normal beach over the hot springs?

 

Best is probably Kamares, (the Black Sand Beach) at the opposite end of the island from Oia, the ones near Oia are at the bottom of the cliff, you get to walk down and back up.

 

a. OIA: Other than watching sunset, are there any restaurants that are recommend? Which direction should be head? Anything that we don’t want to miss as we wander? Any great people watching spots or ice cream places?

 

Oia is a single street running along the cliff. It has shops boutiques and restaurants.

 

BTW sunset is pretty much the same from Oia and Thira, it is just easier to get to the cliff edge in Oia.

 

 

I want to know all of my options so that we can come up with a gameplan. I am normally a DIY traveler. I like to know everything so that if, when we get there, we decide to just wing it, I at least know where we should go and what not to miss. Thanks so much for reading through this and responding!:D

 

 

You are planning way too much for a short day. You need to cut at least half of it out. While the distances are not far you are not in the US and going a distance of 5km that takes 3 or 4 minutes at home can take an eternity on the islands.

 

It will take an hour to explore Oia, and an hour or two to explore Thira so keep that in mind.

 

Here is a link to my blog if you want to look at the Santorini pages:

 

http://dreamingonthesea.blogspot.com/2010/06/grecian-holiday-part-iii-santorini-may.html

 

http://dreamingonthesea.blogspot.com/2010/06/grecian-holiday-part-xiii-santorini.html

[dileep]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=12458204&postcount=2

[shaynamaidel09]

zqvol - Thanks so much for all of the information! If you had to choose, are the hot springs more exciting or Oia? Can we eat dinner and see sunset at someone nice in Thira?

[zqvol]

zqvol - Thanks so much for all of the information! If you had to choose, are the hot springs more exciting or Oia? Can we eat dinner and see sunset at someone nice in Thira?

 

I can't say because as you can see from my blog we did not go to the hot springs. I would think that a trip to Oia in the day time and then dinner at one of the dozens of cafes over looking the caldera in Thira is the way to go. BUT I just don't know about the springs.

 

This site is pretty good for info:

 

http://www.greektravel.com/greekislands/santorini/index.html

 

The author lives in North Carolina, and I believe that he is in Greece right now. I emailed him and he sent me some good suggestions.

[Hlitner]

Ahhh, another classic case of "If its Tuesday it must be Belgium" syndrome (look it up if you are not familiar with the movie. The problem with trying to do too much is that in the end you really miss more then you see. In the case of Santorini its a charming relaxed island (the slow pace of the donkeys should set the pace) which can be ruined by trying to do it all. The saying "slow down and smell the roses" does apply. Certainly consider taking the bus to Oia, but do not stay until sunset unless you have a secret wish of missing your ship. Even if you hired a taxi to standby in Oia to bring you back to Fira (unlikely you could get a taxi to do this without a large bribe) you would still run the risk of a long queue to get the cable car back down to the marina where the last tender would probably be about 9:30. As to beaches, we think the best beach is Red Beach, but this is all the way on the other side of the island and not practical with your 2pm arrival. Remember, you still need to tender into the island (this can take more then an hour), get on the cable car (another line) before you even get up to Fira where you can first access transportation to other places on the island. If you really want to go to Oia, then do this right away....get yourself back to Fira early, enjoy Fira and then back to the ship. It took us 5 visits to the island before we finally got to explore most of what lies outside the major towns (Fira and Oia).

 

Hank

[maureenk]

Our ship is in port from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the end of August. I'm so looking forward to Santorini! We are planning on renting a car. I'm thinking of getting off the ship as early as possible, getting the car in Fira, driving to Oia and parking, walking around there a couple of hours or so. Then, thought of eating lunch on Amoudi bay and swimming there. I thought then we could explore the island some...see Ancient Thira, Red Beach, and the black beaches. Then, we could return to Fira, return the car, perhaps have a drink and a snack, explore Fira's shops, and then return to ship for a late dinner. Does this seem feasible? Is it too much? Would love input! Thanks in advance.

[dileep]

Not sure how much parking there is in Oia. We had a great time just wandering around Oia and Fira. We took the bus to Oia.

[dileep]

zqvol - Thanks so much for all of the information! If you had to choose, are the hot springs more exciting or Oia? Can we eat dinner and see sunset at someone nice in Thira?

 

Oia is great. You may have a better sunset view from the ship!

[Cornishpastyman1]

The volcano and hot springs are shown in the second half of this

 

The water at the 'hottest' point is pleasantly warm and looks muddy but you will not collect any on you body (unless you grab a handful and rub it in !) But you will be perfectly clean by the time you return to the transport boat as it's a 30m swim there in 'normal' Agean Sea. FWIW I really enjoyed this trip, which took 3 hours.

[abc2media]

Our ship is in port from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the end of August. I'm so looking forward to Santorini! We are planning on renting a car. I'm thinking of getting off the ship as early as possible, getting the car in Fira, driving to Oia and parking, walking around there a couple of hours or so. Then, thought of eating lunch on Amoudi bay and swimming there. I thought then we could explore the island some...see Ancient Thira, Red Beach, and the black beaches. Then, we could return to Fira, return the car, perhaps have a drink and a snack, explore Fira's shops, and then return to ship for a late dinner. Does this seem feasible? Is it too much? Would love input! Thanks in advance.

 

We did this itinerary in June but went the opposite way - beaches then Ammoudi and Oia. I think your plan will work out better b/c we didn't really have enough time in Oia which is the most beautiful spot on the island. It was also very hot at the end of the day. We were too early for sunset so that was not a consideration.

 

Couple of things though. I don't recall a swimming beach at Ammoudi. If there is one it is small. We had some grilled octopus at Katina's which is highly recommended on lots of blogs and loved it. If we were there for lunch we would have had some grilled fish which you can see them cooking right out front. You can drive your car down the road to Ammoudi when you are done in Oia. Its right near where you will park. Ancient Thira (Akrotiri) site is closed due to lack of funds so you don't have to allocate any time for that. If you are in Athens long enough there is a good collection of artifacts from Akrotiri at the National Archaelogy Museum. Because it was buried in volcanic ash there is a high degree of preservation of some of the wall paintings and other artifacts on display there.

 

We drove to Red Beach and walked to the overlook to the beach but didn't really want to clamber down the hillside to get to the beach area. It was worth the stop as a photo op tho. Then we went to the black sand beach at Perivolos which was about a 10 minute drive. The beach is a long strip with the road running between the beach and the beach clubs all the way up to Perissa. Find a place that looks good, park in the street or behind one of the clubs, and grab a lounge chair under an umbrella for a couple euros. The staff will come out to collect the fee and see if you want drinks or food. We were at the Pleasure Bar (its actually a family place despite the name) and it was very nice. Not so crowded in June but probably will be in August. The black sand was very hot. Make sure you have sandals to walk to the waters edge.

 

Driving around the island was easy. We reserved an automatic from Tony's and were very happy. Its about a 5 minute walk from the top of the cable car and there are signs. We did get a little twisted around on the way back from Tony's to the cable car so leave extra time.

 

We also stopped at the Santo winery at the top of the hill on the way from Fira to the beaches. It is a cooperative and the location is a commercial tour center and wine tasting place. lots of buses go there. But the view is fantastic and they have a great gift shop of local items. We bought some pistachios there we ate the rest of the cruise.

 

One other tip. If you go straight to Oia you should take a quick look around Fira shops on the way out. Then you can come back at the end of the day and pick up any items you saw that interested you. Seemed like a bit different selecton than the shops in Oia.

 

Hope you have a great time.

[maureenk]

Thank you so much abcmedia! I keep going back and forth as to whether the car is worth it or not. Some people just take the bus to and from Oia since it's only one day. I feel like the car will give us more flexibility, especially since we are fortunate to have a long day in port. I will keep my plan to get the car. I've printed out your post to take along with me!

[maureenk]

I did a little looking around since my previous post. A couple of notes.....Ancient Thera is different from Akrotiri and is open, though it closes daily at 2:30 p.m. and is closed all day on Mondays. Also, Amoudi does have one of the best swimming areas on Santorini. It is off a rock ledge (no sand beach).

[abc2media]

Thank you so much abcmedia! I keep going back and forth as to whether the car is worth it or not. Some people just take the bus to and from Oia since it's only one day. I feel like the car will give us more flexibility, especially since we are fortunate to have a long day in port. I will keep my plan to get the car. I've printed out your post to take along with me!

 

If you get an early start the car will definitely be worth it. Santorini was our favorite island on our cruise and I think partly because we were able to explore the whole island. We were there from about 10:30 to 8PM (from bottom of cable car to bottom of cable car). could have used an extra day there but the 50 euros car rental was definitely well spent.

 

Let us know how it turns out.

[abc2media]

I did a little looking around since my previous post. A couple of notes.....Ancient Thera is different from Akrotiri and is open, though it closes daily at 2:30 p.m. and is closed all day on Mondays. Also, Amoudi does have one of the best swimming areas on Santorini. It is off a rock ledge (no sand beach).

 

Just saw this post after I sent my last one. We certainly missed out on Ancient Thera but sounds interesting. The water at Ammoudi was beautiful. Crystal clear and sparkling. While we were eating at Kaina we saw a diver collecting octopus from the water there! So that would be nice if you don't need a beach. Still an interesting experience at the black and red sand beaches tho.

[reunion cruiser]

Zqval

 

Can you tell me what the rode is like from Fira to the Black Beach? I love Oia but did not like the drive on the cliffy rode and am choosing to do something different this time. Any feedback will be helpful....thanks

[ShortieJ]

Hello,

 

I am going to be in Santorini in late October. I want to see Oia and the volcano. I am considering booking a tour on a boat that would bring me to the volcano and guide us up to the crater. Then It would bring us to the hot springs for a dip and back to meet our ship at 5:00. (the ship leaves at 6)

 

I get to Santorini at 7:00 am. I am hoping to take either a bus or rent a moped to get to Oai and if we have time after seeing the sites there poke around Fira for a bit.

 

The excursion would leave old port in Fira at 2:00 pm.

 

Does this sound reasonable or am I out of my mind? Is it possible to climb the crater on our own or do we need a guide?

 

thanks for any help you can provide!

[kiwixmas]

are mopeds safe on roads and what condition are the roads in

what do they cost

 

thanks in advance

[J&Jtravelcouple]

Hello,

 

I am going to be in Santorini in late October. I want to see Oia and the volcano. I am considering booking a tour on a boat that would bring me to the volcano and guide us up to the crater. Then It would bring us to the hot springs for a dip and back to meet our ship at 5:00. (the ship leaves at 6)

 

I get to Santorini at 7:00 am. I am hoping to take either a bus or rent a moped to get to Oai and if we have time after seeing the sites there poke around Fira for a bit.

 

The excursion would leave old port in Fira at 2:00 pm.

 

Does this sound reasonable or am I out of my mind? Is it possible to climb the crater on our own or do we need a guide?

 

thanks for any help you can provide!

 

You won't get into Firs itself until maybe 8:30 even with a very early start, due to having to tender to shore and take either tram or donkeys to the top. That said, once there you can certainly grab a moped and get over to Oia, spend plenty of time looking around, and get back to Fira by 2:00. Neither town is very large, and it's about 20 mins each way to Oia. I can't comment on the crater. There are magnificent views from both Fira and Oia, but Oia is more scenic and if you go to the "end" where the old fort remnants are the views are outstanding.

[freddie eddy]

Hello,

 

I am going to be in Santorini in late October. I want to see Oia and the volcano. I am considering booking a tour on a boat that would bring me to the volcano and guide us up to the crater. Then It would bring us to the hot springs for a dip and back to meet our ship at 5:00. (the ship leaves at 6)

 

I get to Santorini at 7:00 am. I am hoping to take either a bus or rent a moped to get to Oai and if we have time after seeing the sites there poke around Fira for a bit.

 

The excursion would leave old port in Fira at 2:00 pm.

 

Does this sound reasonable or am I out of my mind? Is it possible to climb the crater on our own or do we need a guide?

 

thanks for any help you can provide!

 

My friends did the volcano trip right off the ship. I remember them saying it was a short hike, they did the hot springs but it was a long way to swim. Can't remember if they said it was cold? But one party pooper wouldn't do it b/c it was muddy. It didn't seem to take them all day. I can ask them more specifically if you want. We did the ship's tour of the area & rode those buses up the hill I was sure would be to our death! Lol! Don't miss Oia. Our bus dropped us off there for an hour or so. Beautiful architectural doors & stairways to photograph. My friends seemed to have a difficult time in getting a taxi over to there. We had a great dinner in Thera overlooking the crater & our ship. We DID NOT ride the donkeys! They were not treated well & I couldn't stand watching those cruel men. The cable car was great!

[Podie]

I was in Santorini off Equinox a couple of weeks ago. From ship to tender to top of cable car in Fira was only 30 minutes. Only other ship in port was a small Windstar. Got my cardio exercise walking to Tony's Car Rental up a hill in Fira, where four of us had reserved a small four door car for 60 euros.

 

The town was jammed with tourists and it seemed like most of them had rented motorbikes, motorscooters, or ATVs, and they were all trying to race each other on the roads. Luckily I could pass all of them and eventually there were no more.

 

We drove to Perissa Beach (20 min) where the water was lovely but the black sand was HOT. So on to Oia, which was also hot and jammed with tourists. Found plenty of free parking so we walked around and took pictures but that all got old pretty fast.

 

We happened upon a very good restaurant with a terrace on the cliff, called La Scala. Good food and prices. Many other places looked like bad food and high prices.

 

Afterward we drove around a little more and then brought the car back after about five hours. The line for the cable car was long but moving, then a guy shouted to another guy, "Hey, it takes an hour and a half to get from here to the cable car!"

 

My first instinct was "it's the donkey guys trying to scare up customers," and sure enough, a whole bunch of people left the line and the two donkey guys swooped on them to sell them rides down.

 

But then we decided to walk down for the heck of it. It wasn't as bad as I've read - or expected - but it was slippery in spots so I don't think I'd do it again. But it was fun for a one time deal!

[screwcork]

We were on Santorini a few weeks ago (4th time). If this is a once in a lifetime trip I would concentrate on Fira and Oia.

Since this was our 4th trip we decided to rent a car. We therefore walked to the Hertz office in Fira, after having taken the donkeys up, but had to wait for an hour, even for a pre-booked car! We drove to Kamari (30 min.) and walked around for a while. From there we went to Oia (30 min.) for sight-seeing and lunch. We went back to Fira (15 min.) and delivered the car, went to an internet cafe and did some more sight-seeing and shopping (wife!). We walked down to the tenders (10 min.). Back on ship at 5 pm.

 

Screwcork