Santorini tours with Santorini Travel

[okiedrifters]

Good morning! 
Has anyone booked a tour with Santorinitravel.com ?   We are looking for a tour for 4 ppl within a reasonable range (500 E or less) for 5-6 hours. This one looks to fit our needs but I am hoping to hear from others that have booked with this company. 

Or, any other suggestions for private tours on Santorini? 
 

Thanks in advance for your help! 

[Hlitner]

Before you make the commitment for a tour you should consider what you want to see and do on the island.  I mention this because Santorini is not necessarily an island where one needs any tour.  Many first time visitors to the island will divide their time between the two major town, Fira and Oia.  If this is the goal then there is little need for a tour.  Where a tour becomes a good option is when you want to expand your visit beyond the two towns.  We think the major attractions outside of the towns are the ruins at Akrotiri, one or more of the wineries, and perhaps a beach (for beach goers).   If you have little or no interest in seeing ruins (which are located in a covered facility) or tasting wine then you might just consider what many consider a basic plan for the two towns.

 

You simply take the ship's tender into the pier that lies below Fira.  Once on the pier you can purchase a boat ride over to a pier below Oia.  The boat tour includes transportation from the Oia pier up to the town (it is a steep uphill climb that most prefer to do in a vehicle).  That same boat tour will also give you a bus ticket for a later transfer from Oia back over to Fira (the largest town on the island).  Exploring both Fira and Oia can only be done on foot and does not really need the services of a guide.  My "fondest" memory of watching a small walking tour in Fira is hearing the guide point at a shop (Fira is lined with hundreds of shops) and saying, "that is a decent jewelry store."   Keep in mind that both Oia and Fira have loads of jewelry stores and I assume what makes one better, in the eyes of a tour guide, is whether that shop gives a kick-back to the tour guide.

 

You also need to consider an important fact about Santorini.  Unless you take a cruise line excursion your only option to get ashore is on a tender to small pier that lies below Fira.  Vehicles have no access to that pier area so the only options are to take the cable car (up to Fira), ride a donkey (up to Fira), or make the long uphill trek (watch out for the donkey poo) up to Fira, or take some kind of boat tour that leaves from that same pier.  If you decide to take a cruise line excursion you are generally going to be tendered into a different place (Athinios) that is not available to independent folks or private tours.  Athinios is actually the ferry pier/port and is accessible to tour buses.  While this does avoid the issue of getting up to Fira, all the cruise line excursions will end at Fira where you will need to make your way down to the tender pier via the cable car or walking (it is very rare to see anyone take a donkey downhill).

 

Hank

[okiedrifters]

18 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Before you make the commitment for a tour you should consider what you want to see and do on the island.  I mention this because Santorini is not necessarily an island where one needs any tour.  Many first time visitors to the island will divide their time between the two major town, Fira and Oia.  If this is the goal then there is little need for a tour.  Where a tour becomes a good option is when you want to expand your visit beyond the two towns.  We think the major attractions outside of the towns are the ruins at Akrotiri, one or more of the wineries, and perhaps a beach (for beach goers).   If you have little or no interest in seeing ruins (which are located in a covered facility) or tasting wine then you might just consider what many consider a basic plan for the two towns.

 

You simply take the ship's tender into the pier that lies below Fira.  Once on the pier you can purchase a boat ride over to a pier below Oia.  The boat tour includes transportation from the Oia pier up to the town (it is a steep uphill climb that most prefer to do in a vehicle).  That same boat tour will also give you a bus ticket for a later transfer from Oia back over to Fira (the largest town on the island).  Exploring both Fira and Oia can only be done on foot and does not really need the services of a guide.  My "fondest" memory of watching a small walking tour in Fira is hearing the guide point at a shop (Fira is lined with hundreds of shops) and saying, "that is a decent jewelry store."   Keep in mind that both Oia and Fira have loads of jewelry stores and I assume what makes one better, in the eyes of a tour guide, is whether that shop gives a kick-back to the tour guide.

 

You also need to consider an important fact about Santorini.  Unless you take a cruise line excursion your only option to get ashore is on a tender to small pier that lies below Fira.  Vehicles have no access to that pier area so the only options are to take the cable car (up to Fira), ride a donkey (up to Fira), or make the long uphill trek (watch out for the donkey poo) up to Fira, or take some kind of boat tour that leaves from that same pier.  If you decide to take a cruise line excursion you are generally going to be tendered into a different place (Athinios) that is not available to independent folks or private tours.  Athinios is actually the ferry pier/port and is accessible to tour buses.  While this does avoid the issue of getting up to Fira, all the cruise line excursions will end at Fira where you will need to make your way down to the tender pier via the cable car or walking (it is very rare to see anyone take a donkey downhill).

 

Hank

Thanks Hank! I have done lots of research for our visit to Santorini and appreciate your insight. We do want to go to the ruins and see as much of the island as we want. Getting up to Fira is a concern. 
 

I try to avoid ships excursions most of the time as I had rather plan what we want to see vs a planned out itinerary in which we have no control. Do you know if the boats are running from the pier below Fira to Oia currently? I haven’t been able to find any up to date info on it. 

[Hlitner]

3 minutes ago, okiedrifters said:

Thanks Hank! I have done lots of research for our visit to Santorini and appreciate your insight. We do want to go to the ruins and see as much of the island as we want. Getting up to Fira is a concern. 
 

I try to avoid ships excursions most of the time as I had rather plan what we want to see vs a planned out itinerary in which we have no control. Do you know if the boats are running from the pier below Fira to Oia currently? I haven’t been able to find any up to date info on it. 

We recently responded to this same question.  The last time we visited Santorini was August 2021 and the boats to Oia were running at that time.  We have always pointed out that those boats are privately operated so one can never be 100% certain that they will be operating.  The boats do not normally run on a real schedule but simply go when the operator thinks they have enough folks.  This means you might wait 5 min or an hour.   If the boats were not operating your "Plan B" would be to simply take the cable car (it is actually a series of cars linked together) up to Fira.  We have been to the island many times and there was only one time when the boats were not operating which was because it was in early March prior to the main tourist season.  From the top cable car station it is possible to walk around Fira or make your way to the bus/taxi area.   

 

The issue some have with the cable car is simply a fear of heights and/or cable cars.  But this is a modern system and the unusual linked car design does seem to give folks a better sense of safety versus the traditional single car systems found elsewhere.

 

I want to stress that visiting Oia and Fira mean a lot of walking.  Moving around these towns with a mobility device (such as wheelchair or scooter) can be very difficult.  The good news is that there are plenty of places where one can sit and rest (not to mention have a glass of wine, beer, coffee, etc).  

Over the years DW and I have altered our own methods of touring the island.  Sometimes we just do a day in Oia and Fira and other times we have rented a car (they must usually be reserved well in advance) so we can have more flexibility to visit the towns, beach, and perhaps a winery.

 

Hank

[daffyraffy]

On 5/26/2022 at 11:20 AM, Hlitner said:

We recently responded to this same question.  The last time we visited Santorini was August 2021 and the boats to Oia were running at that time.  We have always pointed out that those boats are privately operated so one can never be 100% certain that they will be operating.  The boats do not normally run on a real schedule but simply go when the operator thinks they have enough folks.  This means you might wait 5 min or an hour.   If the boats were not operating your "Plan B" would be to simply take the cable car (it is actually a series of cars linked together) up to Fira.  We have been to the island many times and there was only one time when the boats were not operating which was because it was in early March prior to the main tourist season.  From the top cable car station it is possible to walk around Fira or make your way to the bus/taxi area.   

 

The issue some have with the cable car is simply a fear of heights and/or cable cars.  But this is a modern system and the unusual linked car design does seem to give folks a better sense of safety versus the traditional single car systems found elsewhere.

 

I want to stress that visiting Oia and Fira mean a lot of walking.  Moving around these towns with a mobility device (such as wheelchair or scooter) can be very difficult.  The good news is that there are plenty of places where one can sit and rest (not to mention have a glass of wine, beer, coffee, etc).  

Over the years DW and I have altered our own methods of touring the island.  Sometimes we just do a day in Oia and Fira and other times we have rented a car (they must usually be reserved well in advance) so we can have more flexibility to visit the towns, beach, and perhaps a winery.

 

Hank

Thank you Hank for this information.  I am a first time visitor to Greece and have a call at Santorini.  I am on Holland America and traveling solo. After reading your recommendations I plan to book the full tour offered by Holland that begins once we tender to Athinios and then includes visits to 

• Profitis Ilias Mountain, Oia village, Panagia Episkopi Church
• A visit to a local winery
• Traditional Greek fare for lunch in the quaint village of Pyrgos

We then return to Fira where we take cable cars back down to the tender.  I am not a big fan of the cable car, but do not see myself walking down!  If you have any other suggestions or ideas please share.  Also, if you have traveled to other Greek islands, I would love your insight.

 

Bernadette

[Hlitner]

15 minutes ago, daffyraffy said:

Thank you Hank for this information.  I am a first time visitor to Greece and have a call at Santorini.  I am on Holland America and traveling solo. After reading your recommendations I plan to book the full tour offered by Holland that begins once we tender to Athinios and then includes visits to 

• Profitis Ilias Mountain, Oia village, Panagia Episkopi Church
• A visit to a local winery
• Traditional Greek fare for lunch in the quaint village of Pyrgos

We then return to Fira where we take cable cars back down to the tender.  I am not a big fan of the cable car, but do not see myself walking down!  If you have any other suggestions or ideas please share.  Also, if you have traveled to other Greek islands, I would love your insight.

 

Bernadette

Traveling solo has its challenges of which I have little knowledge.  But taking a comprehensive excursion on your first visit makes a lot of sense.  The only way to tender to Athinios and their tour buses is with the HAL excursions and that does avoid the hassles (and fear for some) of the cable cars.    As to other Greek islands, yes, we have been to quite a few including some that are never visited by cruise ships.  Santorini is certainly one of the most spectacular (of all the Greek islands) and we have never gotten tired of visiting.  What is interesting about the Greek Islands is that each island  has its own charm.  For those that want to see and explore more of the islands there are some small boat/ship companies that do offer tours.  Otherwise, island hopping via the various Greek Island ferries (some are as large as cruise ships) is fun but does have its physical challenges because of having to handle your own luggage.

 

As to walking down at the end of your port day, that option is something that will exist right up until you get on the cable cars.  So, if you find the anxiety level too much, start walking and be very careful where you tread (or is it trod)  :).  

 

Hank