Santorini - A review of cable car vs. path walk vs donkey

[heath56]

I was in Santorini yesterday and walked down just after sunset - around 6:45/7pm. No issue walking down at all, some donkey muck to step around but was at the bottom in 15/20 mins max. Not sure if the time of the year makes a difference but I really can’t understand some of the reactions to this path unless you have mobility issues. 

[Over from NZ]

3 hours ago, heath56 said:

I was in Santorini yesterday and walked down just after sunset - around 6:45/7pm. No issue walking down at all, some donkey muck to step around but was at the bottom in 15/20 mins max. Not sure if the time of the year makes a difference but I really can’t understand some of the reactions to this path unless you have mobility issues. 

Excellent to hear! Last time we were there, we caught the cable-car down.. but looking at the walk down.. it didn't look that bad like some are suggesting. 

[ninjacat123]

9 hours ago, heath56 said:

I was in Santorini yesterday and walked down just after sunset - around 6:45/7pm. No issue walking down at all, some donkey muck to step around but was at the bottom in 15/20 mins max. Not sure if the time of the year makes a difference but I really can’t understand some of the reactions to this path unless you have mobility issues. 

How was the light seeing the steps going down?  Did you use your cell phone flashlight?  TIA!

[kimlovesfl]

On 8/7/2022 at 3:50 PM, Hlitner said:

Been there several dozen times and have never seen any cruise ship tender folks back to their ship from Athinios.  They always end the excursions at Fira from where folks only have the options of walking down that sometimes slippery path or taking the cable car.  Rarely have we seen anyone riding a donkey down hill although I guess there are some brave souls.  You will often see the donkey handlers taking more than a dozen empty animals downhill.

 

I have long wondered why some of the excursions do not return to Athinios so that folks can be tendered back to the ships from that small ferry port.  It would certainly help deal with the capacity/crowding problem that often happens at the top cable car station.

 

Hank

Our tour took us right down to the tender area, where we began our tour. 

[Analog187]

So what I take from all of this that the walk down is either 20 minutes or 3 hours.  Got it.  lol

[janetmojo]

5 hours ago, Analog187 said:

So what I take from all of this that the walk down is either 20 minutes or 3 hours.  Got it.  lol

I know right?  I am more confused now than when I started reading this thread ha ha!

[pdmlynek]

On 10/13/2022 at 9:30 AM, ninjacat123 said:

How was the light seeing the steps going down?  Did you use your cell phone flashlight?  TIA!

I think that if you are going to be on an island after sunset, you should carry a headlamp. 

 

As a matter of fact, we alway have a headlamp on us when we get off the ship: there are some caves to explore, dark corners of a building to walk through, etc.  At 80 g, it is easy to always have it with you.

[John Bull]

22 hours ago, Analog187 said:

So what I take from all of this that the walk down is either 20 minutes or 3 hours.  Got it.  lol

 

The walk down is 25 minutes.🙂

Or 10 seconds 🙃🤕

 

The cablecar down is 2 minutes. 🙂

Or 3 hours and 2 minutes.😟

Or somewhere in-between 😐

 

JB

[Markanddonna]

Check to see how many other ships are in port which are your competition. We were there in early November 2022 and the cable car line was negligible. We were the only ship and just half full.

[newtocruiseinblue]

Are there two paths to walk down? Could that be were the time difference that people are experiencing? 

[marazul]

3 hours ago, newtocruiseinblue said:

Are there two paths to walk down? Could that be were the time difference that people are experiencing? 

One path. 

[bseidman88]

On 12/1/2022 at 8:24 AM, Markanddonna said:

Check to see how many other ships are in port which are your competition. We were there in early November 2022 and the cable car line was negligible. We were the only ship and just half full.

We are in Santorini Oct 28th 2023 as one of our cruise stops from Celebrity. Did you do one of their tours? If yes, which one and was it worthwhile? 

[bseidman88]

On 10/13/2022 at 12:22 AM, heath56 said:

I was in Santorini yesterday and walked down just after sunset - around 6:45/7pm. No issue walking down at all, some donkey muck to step around but was at the bottom in 15/20 mins max. Not sure if the time of the year makes a difference but I really can’t understand some of the reactions to this path unless you have mobility issues. 

Did you do one of the ship tours and if yes which one?  (any good?) or Did you just walk around Fira most of the day and then return to ship? We are there end of Oct 2023 as part of our cruise stop. 

 

[John Bull]

8 hours ago, newtocruiseinblue said:

Are there two paths to walk down? Could that be were the time difference that people are experiencing? 

 

One path.

25 minutes is comfortable for most folk.

But, of course, not for everyone

 

 

JB 🙂

[Markanddonna]

12 hours ago, bseidman88 said:

Did you do one of the ship tours and if yes which one?  (any good?) or Did you just walk around Fira most of the day and then return to ship? We are there end of Oct 2023 as part of our cruise stop. 

 

We took a tour with Marinakis Tours in Santorini. We had a group of about 15. We tendered off the ship together, walked to the cable car, and then met the guide at a hotel near the top. There, we got in a van and were taken to various locations around the island. Most wanted to see the sunset, which was about 5:00 PM in early November. The lines for the cable car were negligible in both directions.  I don't know of anyone personally who took the donkey path, but understand it is pretty treacherous in the dark. The reports are that the steps slant down and any "moisture" causes the steps to be tricky. I've read reports that the trip down can take far longer if those conditions are present.  

[Hlitner]

We are talking about cruisers, most of whom will not even walk down one deck!  There are 582 steps on that path down to the tender pier!  That is 3 or 4 times the number of steps from the highest deck to the lowest deck on most ships and we sure don't see many folks using the ship steps.  We have not had an issue with slippery steps, but part of that walk (up or down) is you must cross the many swtichbacks of the donkey path/road.  On a busy day, that pathway can have a lot of donkey poop and one must be very careful since that stuff not only sticks, but it becomes a very slippery muck.  But for the healthy, it is a reasonable alternative to waiting an hour (or more) when the cable car queue (at the top) is too darn long.

 

Hank

[ChicagoCubsFan]

22 minutes ago, ChicagoCubsFan said:

Just off Celebrity Solstice - time to start planning our next adventure.  256 days to go!

[Over from NZ]

So in summary; the walk down isn't that bad. Unless you're one of the senior or over-weight cruise passengers. 🙂 

[Storm730]

On 8/4/2022 at 7:32 AM, mtempelaar said:

I figured I would post my own experiences on Santorini and how you get down to the ship from Fira.  

 

I've been to Santorini a few times at this point, and will be going back there in 2023.  I told my husband I'm not sure we will even get off the boat this time due to the debacle of coming down from our last trip, but we are going in November when there will be a lot less people.

 

There are essentially 3 options to come down from Fira to the tenders:  cable car, walk the path, ride the donkey.

 

1) Cable car.  If you went on a shore excursion, you were probably provided a voucher.  If you go on your own, you will likely need to pay.    The cable car is easy and relatively fast once you get on it, but getting on it is the real challenge.  In peak season you can literally wait hours for your turn.  When I was there pre-pandemic, it was peak season.  The line was 3-4 hours long.   I've been there non-peak when it was 15 minutes.   If you intend to take the cable car, you absolutely must take crowds into consider, watch the line towards the end of the day and don't wait too long.  It's safe and easy but it's also really easy to miss your ship.

 

2) Walk the path.   This is a very long path, strewn with donkey droppings.  💩  It's slippery, and if you are going down at night you cannot really see much.  There are basically no useful lights.   You will be walking down next to the donkeys.    You absolutely have to wear the right footwear here, regardless of time of day.  No sandals, only sneakers.  People slip and injure themselves all the time so you need to step cautiously and take your time (go slow!!), and it's a very long walk so leave enough time.  It's doable, but aim to go down in daylight so you can see where you are going and where you are stepping.  

 

3) Ride the donkey.  The donkey ride has cruelty aspect that you should keep in mind, but you may be in a position that you have been left with little choice, as I was last time.  In Spring 2019 the cable car line was 4 hours, I tried to walk and I kept slipping, it was night and I knew I wouldn't make it down so I took donkey for what I *thought* was the rest of the path.  It wasn't.   Keep in mind the donkeys are operating on the same conditions as you - slippery path strewn with 💩 that they are also slipping on, in the dark possibly depending on when you are going down.   The donkey operators don't care if you are comfortable or need to stop for a minute to adjust your seating.  If you are off balance, you will remain off balance for the remainder of the trip.  They are just going to keep going, but they are going to have you get off before you actually reach the bottom. So you still have a bit of a walk.  Close the end, but not truly the end.  This was a horrible experience on the way down, the donkey was slipping the entire time, the donkey owners kept hitting the donkey, I spent the entire trip down waiting to fall and have a nasty head injury.  I was sore afterwards.  Only do if no other viable option.

 

Basically - there's no great and reliable way down that is predictable.  I highly recommend the cable car as long as you leave enough time for a line.  Plan to go back to the ship way before the ship leaves.  Fira can easily a lot longer to get back to the ship compared to any other port.  

 

 

So if we have an excursion with a company that’s not through Celebrity is there a way to purchase a cable car pass so we can get down in time for our excursion?  We are cruising in June.

[John Bull]

5 hours ago, Over from NZ said:

So in summary; the walk down isn't that bad. Unless you're one of the senior or over-weight cruise passengers. 🙂 

 

No problem even for most in their sixties or seventies, or for the moderately overweight,.

Especially if you hold the wall - or follow someone who's soft to land on 😏

 

JB 🙂

[John Bull]

4 hours ago, Storm730 said:

So if we have an excursion with a company that’s not through Celebrity is there a way to purchase a cable car pass so we can get down in time for our excursion?  We are cruising in June.

 

????? Down in time for your excursion ??? 🤔

But as far as I know there are no beat-the-line opportunities

 

JB 🙂

[marazul]

20 hours ago, Storm730 said:

So if we have an excursion with a company that’s not through Celebrity is there a way to purchase a cable car pass so we can get down in time for our excursion?  We are cruising in June.

No such thing as a pass. You stand in line with everyone else. 

You get there at sea level. The only way to meet your guide is up.

Edited January 8, 2023 by marazul

[John Bull]

9 hours ago, marazul said:

 

You get there at sea level. The only way to meet your guide is up.

 

Scuba-diving excursion? 😏

 

JB 🙂