Santorini

[welshgirl58]

Anyone done Santorini on their own? We are there in September. :)

[easyboy]

You can check out Toms Port Guides for the DIY reference on Santorini. Suggest you download the pdf file so you can browse offline when in Santorini.

 

http://www.tomsportguides.com/port-guides.html#santorini

[Yesflygirl]

First priority: Oia; second priority: Santos wines, even if you don't drink.

 

 

 

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[kikki21]

Yes there is the option of getting a boat to Oia & spending a few hours there before doing Santos winery as above for the fantastic views before going to Fira & then riding down the cable car [emoji4]

 

 

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[GOLDENBONNY]

Anyone done Santorini on their own? We are there in September. :)

 

I don't see a reason to do so. It a tender so you will have to wait till all excursions are out then you have to pay for to go up.then taxi to go places , then pay to go down . We had beautiful excursion from MSC Winery with wine testing -Oia-Fira-plenty of time to walk around after .

[Joken35]

We did it on our own.It was pretty easy and if you do your homework ahead of time you should not have a problem. MAke sure you get a seat in a restaurant by the sea for the most breathtaking sunset !

[stoneman56]

It's a nightmare. We've been twice. 1 hour wait to get the cable car up to Fira and the line to get back down would have been estimate 2 hours plus. We walked down the donkey track both times which in itself takes 40 minutes and is death defying.

We got the local bus to the resort of Kamari which was lovely

[Merly]

Yes, you can do it yourself, it is easy and much cheaper than a ship tour. Get the earliest tender you can. When you are at the landing station there will be boats which will take you around to Oia, ( which is where all the blue domed buildings are). When you get off the boat there will be a bus which will take you up the hill to the town. They will tell you what times the bus then leaves for Fira ( hourly if I remember). Have a couple of hours looking around Oia ( there is a sign telling which way to go when you get off the bus, Turn right at the top first as the streets are narrow and when it gets busy is a bit of a pain). Then get the bus to Fira, have a look there and then get the cable car down to the tender. The boat and bus are one very reasonable price and then you pay a few euros for the cable car.

A lovely day out but gets busy later in the day.

[welshgirl58]

Thank you all for the info. Very helpful. x

[CruiseIreland]

Hi Welshgirl. From our perspective, a ship tour might be worth considering. We did so last September, for 2 reasons. MSC provides a relatively short time in port and we did not want to have to queue early for the cable car back down, nor did we want to walk down the path. So, for about €60, we were escorted off early to the tender, tendered to a different pier, Athinios, than non excursions, and bused by air conditioned coach with guide to Oia, Akrotiri ruins and Santos winery for the most amazing views. Then we were returned to the separate pier for tender back to ship. The excursion was worth it for the convenience and guarantee timely return to ship, 4.5 hrs total. I have only used a ship tour on 2 occasions, that and Palma, Mallorca, last month. Ken

[capitalbarry]

Was there in June, this year. Take cable car up the mountain, then get on the local bus (about 2 euros) to Oia, What a drive, and the bus leave every 15 minutes from Oia, back to town, Enjoy your stay it will take your BREATH away....

[JimmyTheSaint]

It is a stunning place. We were there last September and did the boat trip to Oia and bus back to Fira. It's very good value for money and gives plenty of time in both places. We walked down to the port from Fira on the same path the donkeys use. It took about 20 minutes, we didn't want to wait for an hour for the cable car.

You can certainly do Santorini on your own.

[ellie1145]

We have visited Santorini twice and hired a car each time. We got off the ship as early as possible and there were no queue us for the cable car. Had an amazing drive to Oia and were there before the crowds. Sat in a restaurant and had a drink and a pastry over looking the stunning caldera. It's a magical place and hiring a car was easy.

 

The downside is the long wait to get back down the cliff. At least an hour or more in the blistering heat but it's SOO worth it.

 

The stunning scenery, little churches with sapphire blue domes, white houses clinging onto the cliff, quaint hotels snaking down towards the pristine sea, each set against a blue sea and sky has to be seen to be believed.

 

Hope you have a wonderful time!

[sg1812]

Anyone done Santorini on their own? We are there in September. :)

 

Yes. Pretty easy to do, depending on how much you want to do. Island is breathtaking! On our last trip with a cruise, we just "winged it". You just need to be flexible with how you get up the cliff to town! Two of us walked up the steps, two rode a Donkey as the line for the cable car was very long. I believe there is a boat that will take you to the harbor direct to Oia too. Oia is well worth a trip, and can be reached a number of ways, including public bus from the main town area of Thira. Not sure if Akrotiri is on the bus route, but I am sure one of the port forums will be able to help you. Have a wonderful trip.

[Skier52]

Anyone done Santorini on their own? We are there in September. :)

Here is a link to an excellent port review by a very experienced cruiser

 

 

https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2017/07/14/one-way-to-do-santorini/

 

Pete

[nicstress]

We did. Took the donkeys up the hill and asked how to catch the bus to Oia. Spent the day there and watched the sunset. It was amazing! Very easy to do.

 

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