Santorini

[jeanrtco]

thinking about doing private tour, want to see sites and also do wine tasting, If we decide to do it on our own I understand there is a bus to Oia, and that there is a winery there, but am concerned that with all the cruise passengers, on a bus to Oia, that the winery would be to crowded any one know about this.

[brian_uk]

We were there last Summer and it was very hot and crowded.

 

For the Bus, you go to the top, walk straight ahead past the main shopping street and about 150 yards later you reach the main traffic route. The Bus Station is about 500 yards to the right and you can get the bus there to Oia. The return is only about 3 euros each.

 

Oia is very pretty with lots of great restaurants looking out to Sea.

 

Brian

[zannie]

Went to Oia a few years ago with a tour. This summer, we plan on going by bus. Is the bus schedule reliable? I'd hate to miss the tender back to the Ship!

[srqgirl64]

We did it on our own and just hired a taxi. It was not that expensive and we were able to avoid the buses and the crowds. We rode the donkeys to the top (I said I would never do this, but it was the highlight of the trip), then took a taxi straight to Oia. There were not many people there first thing in the morning and it was beautiful!!! We enjoyed an early lunch overlooking the water. Then we hired another taxi to take us to one of the wineries. Then back to Fira and we did some shopping and baklava tasting.

 

We did check out the buses but the schedules were somewhat confusing. So we chose a taxi.

 

It was the highlight of our Greek cruise! Enjoy!

[Dan Mac]

How long did the taxi take to get back to Fira? Also, roughly how much is it? We are in port from 4pm-11pm and would like to take a dinner and sunset in Oia then scramble back (about 9.30pm leaving Oia if poss!) to get a tender back to ship from Fira.

 

Am i mad or is this do-able?

 

And one last thing, how are you meant to pronounce Oia?

[Susan-M]

Hi DanMac,

 

The drive takes about 15-20 minutes (we did it with a rental car).

 

I think you might be cutting it close for two reasons ... availability of taxis (whether you have to wait for one or not), and the line up at the cable car. You'll probably need to be at the tender dock no later than 10:30, and planning to leave Oia at 9:30 doesn't allow much lee-way.

 

Oia is pronounced long e short a, or ee-ah.

[Lair Bear]

How long did the taxi take to get back to Fira? Also, roughly how much is it? We are in port from 4pm-11pm and would like to take a dinner and sunset in Oia then scramble back (about 9.30pm leaving Oia if poss!) to get a tender back to ship from Fira.

 

Am i mad or is this do-able?

 

And one last thing, how are you meant to pronounce Oia?

 

We did almost the same thing that sqgirl did, except we took the bus back from OIA and you pronounce that OIA.

The taxi ride for four of us (after thirty seconds of 'negotiations') cost us $15 total one way. The bus was a couple euros. But this was a couple years ago.

We had lunch at Oia, then when we took the bus back around two, more people were still arriving. It helps to beat the crowds.

We had plenty of time in Fira but had a terrible line of shoving people for the condola back (don't take the donkeys down, they can become dangerous).

Your time in port is strange: 4:00pm to 11:00pm. But a taxi to Oia should still be ok. It only took a few minutes. Have dinner there instead of Fira. The setting is much nicer. And with luck you can have a nice sunset.

 

[ROCruiser]

Great website, Lair Bear!

[nonrev1]

We just returned from Santorini and our port time was 4-11:00.

 

We had previously been to Santorini and had a longer port time so we took the gondola up to Fira and then the bus to Oia. We were there in the height of the season and there were quite a few ships in at the same time. Lots of pushing and shoving to get on the buses and we were unable to get on the first bus we tried for. This time, we wanted to go to Oia, but also wanted to see more of Santorini but the schedule was very limiting and if we caught the bus to/from Oia, it would really cut our time. As it was, we were on the 1st tender, but did not arrive in Fira (from the gondola) until 5:00 pm. The last tender to the ship was at 10:30 pm.

We pre-arranged a driver in Santorini and we covered a huge amount of the island in a very short time.....went to a winery, the Beach with the red rocks, several small towns, Oia, the area below Oia(beautiful!) and then took the beach route back into Fira and had a little time there before going down to the ship. Our driver was great and we felt it was money well spent.

[misspupule]

We just returned from Santorini and our port time was 4-11:00.

 

We pre-arranged a driver in Santorini and we covered a huge amount of the island in a very short time.....went to a winery, the Beach with the red rocks, several small towns, Oia, the area below Oia(beautiful!) and then took the beach route back into Fira and had a little time there before going down to the ship. Our driver was great and we felt it was money well spent.

 

Hi nonrev1

We are on the oct 9 cruise. Reading your post i'm curious about who you hired and how much? Did you email them and do you have a website that i can look up. Was there enough time in Fira to have dinner and walk around, do some window shopping and maybe buy some souvenirs?

Thanks for any information.

happy cruising

miss pupule

[Dutra Bend]

Hi nonrev1

We are on the oct 9 cruise. Reading your post i'm curious about who you hired and how much? Did you email them and do you have a website that i can look up. Was there enough time in Fira to have dinner and walk around, do some window shopping and maybe buy some souvenirs?

Thanks for any information.

happy cruising

miss pupule

 

We are on the June 19 cruise and I am curious about the same rental information.

[maggie3]

Susan-M is correct in her pronunciation of Oia, or at least as we understand it. We stayed in an apartment on the caldera for three days and the locals seemed to pronounce the name of the town "ee-yuh", with the accent on the ee.

[nonrev1]

The company was Emver / Santorini Car Hire. The charge was 45 Euros per hour for a van which holds up to 6 people. We had 6 people, so the rate worked out nicely. Yes, we did have time for shopping and snack /drinks in Fira before returning to the ship.

The site is santorinicarhire dot com....then go to: tour guide.

 

They did a great job----we saw what we wanted to see and then some in the limited and odd ours we were in port. Hope this helps.

[realtysandy]

The city bus is fast, convenient and cheap...for 1E40 you go straight to Oia with 1-2 brief pick ups....same on way back. Bus station is within a 5 minute walk and the bus drops you off at the very spot you want to tour Oia at.

[Softball20]

Does anyone know about how long it would/could take to walk from Fira to Oia? It doesn't seem that far. We have been planning on taking a taxi, but it sounds like there might be some things to see along the way. We're definitely taking a taxi on the way back.

[nonrev1]

There is a walking path - but, it will take you a while. It is not as short as it seems. Hopefully someone that did the walk will post how long it takes.

I agree with the response on how easy and cheap the bus is - but - if you are on a ship that arrives at 4:00 pm and the last tender is at 10:30 back to the ship, it does not leave you a lot of time, especially if you want to see other places than Oia. We were on the first tender, but by the time we got to the top of Fira with the line at the cable car, it was already 5:00. Some people that were on the 3rd, 4th and 5th tender did not make it up until after 6:00 - 6:30 pm, so that really cuts down on time in port.

 

We did use the bus our first time in Santorini....we had more time in port, but it was much more crowded with three large ships in at the same time. Getting on the bus to Oia was difficult due to the crowds - it did save money, but we also had more time.

[Softball20]

Did there seem to be a lot of taxis? We are in port from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., but we'll be in no rush to get the first tender :) I thought the walk could be interesting and good exercise, but if it's too long, I don't want to cut into our day, so we'll just take taxis.

[realtysandy]

I think it is much too far to walk...and the roads are winding and along a cliff...a little bit scary to drive on let alone walk on...take a cab or better yet take the bus...the bus leaves each hour...bus terminal is about 5 minutes walk into Fira.

[cruiser620]

I think there is a video on youtube of someone who did the walk. They regretted it. It is far and strenuous and the sun is relentless. We rented a car and were able to visit Oia as well as a few beaches in the south.

[cruisemom42]

The video is posted here on CC if you do a search. It does look long and strenuous!

[BARNOWL ONE]

We were in santorini in april....we took the bus to oia. On the bus, we met folks who had tried the walk...they gave up after 3 or 4 hours. They said it was a very difficult undertaking. The bus back to fira was very crowded....standing room only...it was the last bus back before our scheduled departure time....in any case, check the bus schedule first and catch the first bus to oia. It is beautiful. Plan on lunch there. We had lunch at a small place overlooking the sea. Fira is very "touristy" and i wouldn't spend a lot of time there. Ride the cable car up and walk back down [but, watch where you step....the donkeys leave a lot of calling cards along the way} john hildebrandt palm coast fl

[susietb]

The walk takes 3 hours at a good clip. I would recommend this for really expereienced hikers only. Leave early morning and get there in time for lunch. It's a magnificent hike with incredible views.

 

The bus is a much better option for the faint of heart.

[Softball20]

I believe I've seen that video. Ok, bad idea. We'll be doing the taxis!

[luvs2beachit]

We are also on a ship that is scheduled to be in Santorini from 4pm to 11pm (what were they thinking with this timeframe??) anyway, I have been reading the posts from others who have been there with this same schedule and I have a few questions that I am hoping someone can answer

 

1) We will be there in late October.............what time does it get dark at that time of the

year? If it's 5 or 6pm like it is in the States, I assume that we could rule out

sight seeing? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

2) I am concerned about traveling to Oia if we don't get off the ship until 6-630pm that

we might be cutting the time too short ( not everyone is going to get off on the 1st

tender! ) Would it be worth going there for only about 3 hrs?

 

3) If we decide to go to Oia are there taxi's readily available for the return trip or can

we make arrangements with the driver who takes us there to come back to pick us up?

 

4) If we decide to just stay in Fira will there be anything to do or places to have a drink

or something to eat?

 

Thanks.

[tom_uk]

a) sunset in Athens on 24 October is 6:35 pm.

 

b) If you aren't going to be able to get off the ship until after, or near sunset, I would skip going to Oia. Both Fira town and Oia are structurally similar: they consist of buildings clinging to the very edge of the caldera, thus offering unbelievable views across the caldera. Oia is smaller, less busy and less crowded (usually....) than Fira, but conversely has a smaller number of restaurants, bars, etc. it's popular because it's quieter, and supposedly the view of the sunset from there is superior to that from Fira. Possibly it is, but frankly any sunset view from either place is staggering....

 

c) Availability of taxis at Oia is always an issue. There may no be any; truthfully, I would be surprised if a taxi remained unused at Oia for more than a few minutes! The last time we were at Oia was earlier in the day; we went there first and then got back to Fira early in the afternoon.

 

d) Yes, plenty, more than in Oia, and indeed in late October is questionable how much will still be open in Oia anyway. The restaurant and bars in Fira are more likely to be open, as indeed are the shops.

 

This is part of Oia, taken about midday in summer 2007:

 

This is Fira town from Imerovigli, late afternoon in September 2009:

 

Links to the two Picasa albums are here and here.