Santorini on our own

[CruiserBruce]

I don't mind taking the bus at all my concern is coming back. I keep reading how it can be very crowded and the last thing I want to do is miss the ship.

 

Take a cab. We did. You can take a cab both ways. The fee was 20 euros for 4 people. Easiest way to do it. If you gave a little time and a thought to it, you will be fine. October the cruise season is tapering off, so the crowds probably won't be as big.

[margord]

Take a cab. We did. You can take a cab both ways. The fee was 20 euros for 4 people. Easiest way to do it. If you gave a little time and a thought to it, you will be fine. October the cruise season is tapering off, so the crowds probably won't be as big.

 

 

Hopefully that will work. I don't mind the expense of the cab just wanted to make sure I could get one in time to get back to the ship. Having the cruise season tapering off would be good as not so many crowds. Thanks.

[MrsJLH52]

If you don't want to join a land tour, a good way to experience Santorini would be to walk from Fira -> Firostefani -> Imerovigli (great views of the open sea and the volcano), then take the bus from Imerovigli to Oia, explore Oia and finally take the bus back to Fira. My only concern is how easy it'll be for 10 of you to do buses on a busy July day, in that respect it might be easier to join an organised tour, or perhaps rent two cars and explore at your own pace, perhaps see Fira, travel to Oia, see Oia, then down to the coast (Kamari or Perissa) for a refreshing dip in the sea before returning to Fira to join your cruise ship.

 

Is it easy to find where to get on the bus in Imerovigli? My DH and I plan on hiking the whole way to Oia, we're pretty avid hikers. But, it'd be nice to have an alternative in case we end up wanting a more laid back day. TIA!

[Cotta]

Is it easy to find where to get on the bus in Imerovigli? My DH and I plan on hiking the whole way to Oia, we're pretty avid hikers. But, it'd be nice to have an alternative in case we end up wanting a more laid back day. TIA!

The cliff walk hike is great. You get some views of the water and island that you'll not see anywhere else except along the rim of the caldera. At the time we did the cliff walk from Oia to Fira we were both 58 and only in average physical condition other than the heat, mid to upper 80's all the way, it wasn't a strenuous walk. If you do plan to do the cliff walk I'd suggest you start from Fira as soon as you get off the cable car, so you can avoid the heat of the afternoon. You can then explore Oia and then either bus or taxi back to Fira to explore there. We did not we went to Oia first walked around had lunch and the started the cliff walk along the caldera at about 1:00PM. But getting back to your original question yes it is relatively easy to find the bus stop in Imeroviglia. Go out to the main road and look for the bus stop sign. Its a picture of a bus. There are usually people around and they can point you in the right direction. ;)

[MrsJLH52]

The cliff walk hike is great. You get some views of the water and island that you'll not see anywhere else except along the rim of the caldera. At the time we did the cliff walk from Oia to Fira we were both 58 and only in average physical condition other than the heat, mid to upper 80's all the way, it wasn't a strenuous walk. If you do plan to do the cliff walk I'd suggest you start from Fira as soon as you get off the cable car, so you can avoid the heat of the afternoon. You can then explore Oia and then either bus or taxi back to Fira to explore there. We did not we went to Oia first walked around had lunch and the started the cliff walk along the caldera at about 1:00PM. But getting back to your original question yes it is relatively easy to find the bus stop in Imeroviglia. Go out to the main road and look for the bus stop sign. Its a picture of a bus. There are usually people around and they can point you in the right direction. ;)

 

Thanks Cotta! I'm in my late 20's and DH in his mid 30's so I'm guessing we should be fine with the hike. Do you happen to remember how long it took you? Thanks again :)

[tom_uk]

We walked to Imerovigli in late September/early October 2009, when we were there on Celebrity Solstice. I blogged from that cruise: you can read the post for that day here.

 

Here's a picture I took in Imerovigli that day.

[MrsJLH52]

We walked to Imerovigli in late September/early October 2009, when we were there on Celebrity Solstice. I blogged from that cruise: you can read the post for that day here.

 

Here's a picture I took in Imerovigli that day.

 

Tom - your blog was one of the things that inspired us to do the hike in the first place! :D

[floridafolks]

Thanks Cotta! I'm in my late 20's and DH in his mid 30's so I'm guessing we should be fine with the hike. Do you happen to remember how long it took you? Thanks again :)

 

Cotta-- so funny running into you on this thread!!

 

We were CC friends from Cotta's ship and we walked from Fira to Ia first thing after getting off the cable car. We met Cotta just as we were finishing our walk and he was starting his in reverse.

 

As to the time it takes to walk- that can vary so much. This walk was the top priority for us so we really took our time admiring the beauty and serenity of it all. I must have taken hundreds of pictures that day. With all that we took 4 hours, but the walk itself would be less. One other reason we did the walk first was b/c we did not know how long it would take us and we did not want to be rushed to get back to the ship. We did not want to just walk quickly, but wanted to enjoy looking at the view and taking lots of pix.

 

Please note that the walk from Fira to Imerogovil is really a very easy well trod path and takes about half an hour. The path from Imerogovil to Ia is not as well marked, but we passed enough people on the way to make sure we were on track. Certain churches served as markers. It can get hot so be sure to have plenty of water!

 

The walk is fantastic and we are not avid hikers by any stretch of the imagination. --we even have a couple of years on Cotta. When we got to Ia, there were hoards of people and there is no way to compare that ambiance to the solitude and beauty on the caldera walk.

[MrsJLH52]

Cotta-- so funny running into you on this thread!!

 

We were CC friends from Cotta's ship and we walked from Fira to Ia first thing after getting off the cable car. We met Cotta just as we were finishing our walk and he was starting his in reverse.

 

As to the time it takes to walk- that can vary so much. This walk was the top priority for us so we really took our time admiring the beauty and serenity of it all. I must have taken hundreds of pictures that day. With all that we took 4 hours, but the walk itself would be less. One other reason we did the walk first was b/c we did not know how long it would take us and we did not want to be rushed to get back to the ship. We did not want to just walk quickly, but wanted to enjoy looking at the view and taking lots of pix.

 

Please note that the walk from Fira to Imerogovil is really a very easy well trod path and takes about half an hour. The path from Imerogovil to Ia is not as well marked, but we passed enough people on the way to make sure we were on track. Certain churches served as markers. It can get hot so be sure to have plenty of water!

 

The walk is fantastic and we are not avid hikers by any stretch of the imagination. --we even have a couple of years on Cotta. When we got to Ia, there were hoards of people and there is no way to compare that ambiance to the solitude and beauty on the caldera walk.

 

Fantastic, thank you so much. I plan on taking a ton of pictures as well. My next job would be a professional photographer if I could somehow supplement my current income. :) We plan on doing the hike first as well and got a map of the trail, so I think we'll be good to go!

[Cotta]

Thanks Cotta! I'm in my late 20's and DH in his mid 30's so I'm guessing we should be fine with the hike. Do you happen to remember how long it took you? Thanks again :)

 

 

The complete walk from Oia to Fira with a brief stop for a cold Diet Coke took about 2 hours and 45 minutes.

[illiniwahoo]

Where did you get a map of the hike. I'm very interested in doing it too.

[Cotta]

Cotta-- so funny running into you on this thread!!

 

We were CC friends from Cotta's ship and we walked from Fira to Ia first thing after getting off the cable car. We met Cotta just as we were finishing our walk and he was starting his in reverse.

 

As to the time it takes to walk- that can vary so much. This walk was the top priority for us so we really took our time admiring the beauty and serenity of it all. I must have taken hundreds of pictures that day. With all that we took 4 hours, but the walk itself would be less. One other reason we did the walk first was b/c we did not know how long it would take us and we did not want to be rushed to get back to the ship. We did not want to just walk quickly, but wanted to enjoy looking at the view and taking lots of pix.

 

Please note that the walk from Fira to Imerogovil is really a very easy well trod path and takes about half an hour. The path from Imerogovil to Ia is not as well marked, but we passed enough people on the way to make sure we were on track. Certain churches served as markers. It can get hot so be sure to have plenty of water!

 

The walk is fantastic and we are not avid hikers by any stretch of the imagination. --we even have a couple of years on Cotta. When we got to Ia, there were hoards of people and there is no way to compare that ambiance to the solitude and beauty on the caldera walk.

 

 

Hi Melinda,

 

I guess old habits die hard. Our Baltic thread has been pretty skimpy, so every now and then I look at threads from the Med. Hope you have a great time crossing the Atlantic.

 

Tom :p

[MrsJLH52]

Where did you get a map of the hike. I'm very interested in doing it too.

 

From the suggestion of others on CC, I ordered the "Roads Edition Santorini 108" map. If you do a search for it online there are a couple sites that sell it. The map covers the whole island but it's easy to follow the edge of the Caldera on it and see different types of landmarks and turns along the way.

[trishs]

In 2008 we rented from Tony's and are renting from him again. Good clean cars, and his offices are a short walk from the cable car.

 

Do you have their contact info email, I tried off the web but haven't received a response.

Do they require a credit card up front?

Thanks

[cp556]

Do you have their contact info email, I tried off the web but haven't received a response.

Do they require a credit card up front?

Thanks

 

 

His name is Antonis (Tony) and his email is thiragr@otenet.gr

 

He reserved our car with no deposit ... it's our second time with him. Don't remember if we needed a deposit the first time.

 

Tony takes a couple of days to respond to emails, but the above address is good ... I just heard from him today with a confirmation.

 

He'll send you a map for the walking directions from the top of the cable car. It took us maybe 7 minutes to get there...

[trishs]

His name is Antonis (Tony) and his email is thiragr@otenet.gr

 

He reserved our car with no deposit ... it's our second time with him. Don't remember if we needed a deposit the first time.

 

Tony takes a couple of days to respond to emails, but the above address is good ... I just heard from him today with a confirmation.

 

He'll send you a map for the walking directions from the top of the cable car. It took us maybe 7 minutes to get there...

 

Great! Thank you so much. I'll send him an email.

Do you remember his rate?

Trish

[cp556]

Great! Thank you so much. I'll send him an email.

Do you remember his rate?

Trish

 

 

You're welcome!

 

We currently have a Hyundai Accent, automatic, A/C, for 45 euros/day incl tax and insurance. He also has smaller cars that co$t less ...

 

What I liked about him was (1) no grief when we got there. The car was ready. (2) the car was CLEAN and in good shape, not like some in Cozumel that don't have floorboards...lol.

[trishs]

You're welcome!

 

We currently have a Hyundai Accent, automatic, A/C, for 45 euros/day incl tax and insurance. He also has smaller cars that co$t less ...

 

What I liked about him was (1) no grief when we got there. The car was ready. (2) the car was CLEAN and in good shape, not like some in Cozumel that don't have floorboards...lol.

 

That's great. We are looking for the same car. I got a quote for less from Eruodollar but i wasn't sure on any recommendations except for yours. And all the empty gas tanks made me nervous. (:

We are going to be there April 27th.

[cp556]

That's great. We are looking for the same car. I got a quote for less from Eruodollar but i wasn't sure on any recommendations except for yours. And all the empty gas tanks made me nervous. (:

We are going to be there April 27th.

 

 

We'll be there May 9. Leave the car in good shape for us :)

 

I was just happy with him last time. And I believe in "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" so we're going with him again. Hope you have the same great luck. Tell Tony that Mrs Carol from South Carolina will see him soon ... lol

 

Bon Voyage.

[trishs]

I'll remember that because I was born in South Carolina (:

You have a great trip too.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I would like to make another suggestion. Thira is a an absolutely adorable town and your family will enjoy the shopping there and the food is good. We had mimosas at one little bar overlooking the water and had lunch at Casa Blanca where I had a wonderful Greek salad under a tented restaurant overlooking the sea. Wonderful. People that went to Oia commented that it was much like Thira. So its up to you.

 

Another consideration... my son preferred being on the ship to touring and I was comfortable being so close to the ship and I actually just went back and forth from the ship all day. We were lucky there were no real lines at the cable car. This was in late July of 2007.

 

Then in July of 2008 we were there again and the lines were terrible. It just depends how many ships are in port on that day.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Double post

[Erebus]

I would stick with a rental car, the cab drivers are a bit crazy in Thira. My wife & I took a cab to Oia and going out there the cab driver was driving in my opinion way to fast along cliffs while dodging 4wheelers & mopeds. A rental car will give the ability to spend as much time as you want at Oia. It was by far the best place my wife & visited on entire trip. I would suggest you get your car and head over there as soon as possible so you can beat the crowds. After everyone else has shown up you can go to a nice scenic restaurant and enjoy a good lunch or dinner while the crowds are still out shopping.

[drwini5]

you say it costs a dollar to take the bus to Oia. Is that U.S?

thank you

[CruiserBruce]

you say it costs a dollar to take the bus to Oia. Is that U.S?

thank you

 

IIRC, it is two Euros.