Santorini without cable cars or donkey path?

[GeezerCouple]

Is it possible to get to the higher town areas on Santorini - and back - by hired private car (or bus)

instead of taking either the cable car OR the donkey path (riding or walking).

 

Many thanks.

 

GeezerCouple

[CintiPam]

Many have arranged for a boat from the tender area directly to Oia and then a bus back to Fira (for the cable car), but there certainly are no buses or cars available at that tender dock.

 

My cruise line only allows for its shore excursions to get off at the tender area where its excursion buses wait. I tried once to arrange for a rental car there but my cruise line confirmed that it would not let me off there to pick it up!

 

You could check cruisett to find out how many ships are in port and then closer to the time, check with the Santorini port website to find out when they are in port; they truly try to stagger them. We had absolutely no wait for the cable car when we stopped there in late May on our cruise. One ship arrived a couple of hours earlier and one arrived several hours later.

 

Hope this helps!

[John Bull]

Pam's experience isn't unique, I think all cruise lines have the same arrangements.

 

Independents are tendered to the jetty below Fira. There's no road. So it's cablecar or donkey (mule, if you want to be politically-correct ;)) or privately-operated boat to Oia (north of Fira) where there's a road down to the jetty - a bus from jetty up to Oia is included. But there's no boat back from Oia, those folk have to go down the cliff at Fira. If there's a long line for the cable car back, the zig-zag path isn't strenuous going down, takes about 25 mins.

So give yourselves at least that much time in hand.

 

Ship's excursionists are tendered south to the ferry harbour, where they transfer to buses. Presumably same way back.

 

In our case (Princess), local boats were used to tender ship's excursions & ship's boats to tender the rest of us - very smooth, very quick.

 

JB :)

[kuldalai]

To avoid the cable car, donkeys or walking up 330 steps from the quayside to Fira, simply take one of your ships shore excursions. The tenders for ships shore excursions go to another point where buses have access to the quayside.

[blubelle57]

To avoid the cable car, donkeys or walking up 330 steps from the quayside to Fira, simply take one of your ships shore excursions. The tenders for ships shore excursions go to another point where buses have access to the quayside.

The ships excursions that I've looked at seem to drop off in Fira and you still have to make your way down by either cable car or donkey trail. I don't want to do the cable car so think I'm going to have to navigate the steps down :eek:

[MeHeartCruising]

The ships excursions that I've looked at seem to drop off in Fira and you still have to make your way down by either cable car or donkey trail. I don't want to do the cable car so think I'm going to have to navigate the steps down :eek:

 

Yes, the ship excursions drop you in Fira because that way they don't need to move the ship back to original starting point of the excursion to pick people up. So, yes, you're options are to cable car or donkey trail back down. I chose donkey trail and had no problems with it. It was quite nice to leisurely walk down as long as you're comfortable being near donkeys and the occasional donkey residue on the trail (which I had no problem avoiding). It is a stone/pavement type trail with very widely spaced steps. It is not dirt/gravel.

 

Here is a link to my Santorini pictures. If you look at the last 8 pictures or so, you can get an idea of what you face by taking the donkey trail.

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/rickchapman/sets/72157631722811018/

Edited July 17, 2014 by MeHeartCruising

[GeezerCouple]

Is there *any* way to get to the tender area at the base of the cable car by vehicle, such as a private guide (not a rental - someone who can then drive the car away, etc.)?

 

Or what about a small boat over to the dock near the road up to Oia - on both arrival and departure at the tender dock?

 

Thanks.

 

GeezerCouple

[travelpeon]

You can also charter a boat both ways. They can pick you up from Fira port and take you to Ammoudi, the port below Oia. From there you can take a shuttle bus, taxi, or walk up. Return is similar. We've booked an upcoming transfer and return 2 hour trip with Captain Stathis of the Anemos and other CC's have done similar itineraries with him.

 

Perhaps you can visit the volcano via boat on a cruise excursion without having to go to the cable car, as the volcano is a small island?

[Fblack]

There are two tender drop-off points for passengers in Santorini. The first where tours get a bus right down at the water. Ferry's stop there too. Then there is the tender pier at the bottom near the steps and cable car. On our first trip to Santorini we took a ships tour. It included Fira, Oia, a winery stop and some viewpoints. At the end, we had an option to get off up top and take a cable car back or stay on the bus for the ride back down to the ferry dock. So double check the tours. Maybe one will return you to the ferry stop also.

[GeezerCouple]

You can also charter a boat both ways. They can pick you up from Fira port and take you to Ammoudi, the port below Oia. From there you can take a shuttle bus, taxi, or walk up. Return is similar. We've booked an upcoming transfer and return 2 hour trip with Captain Stathis of the Anemos and other CC's have done similar itineraries with him.

 

Perhaps you can visit the volcano via boat on a cruise excursion without having to go to the cable car, as the volcano is a small island?

 

Perfect!

Thanks so much.

 

This is what we were looking for, I think.

Can something like this be combined with a tour of Oia, Fira, and other areas of the island?

 

All we had read thus far indicated the little boat could only be taken on arrival to Santorini/Oia, but that one would still need to take the cable car or donkey/path *back*.

 

Thanks again!

 

GeezerCouple

[travelpeon]

There are two types of "little boats" you might be thinking of.

 

1. Transfer to Oia via larger passenger speedboat - Purchase ticket via NST at the dock or online, formerly Santorini Planet/Aegean Traveller and now who knows what. The price is usually ~ 25 EUR per ticket, anyone can purchase like a bus ticket, and includes a bus ride back from Oia to Fira. This is not what you want as it involves the donkeys/steps/cable-car and is usually the more frequently mentioned option on this board.

 

2. Transfer to Oia via charter boat - Charter boats are boat companies which you hire, usually for the whole boat. When you send an inquiry, you describe what you are looking for and approximately time frame including date. They will then tell you if they can accommodate your request and give you a price quote. From there, you can reply with a "yes, please" or "no, thank you for your time" and possibly a deposit for "yes, please". This option, as you're chartering a boat, is usually more expensive than option #1.

 

We are going with option #2 and requested an early morning transfer over to Ammoudi (below Oia), visit independently for approximately 3 hours, and return on a 2 hour motorized sightseeing sail with the opportunity to stop for a swim. I'd asked on my roll call if people were interested in sharing the excursion and arranged sign-ups there. Other people might be interested in a similar itinerary but prefer a private trip. Final payment is usually due on the day of the charter in cash. In case you're wondering, our shared chartered trip is more expensive per person than option #1 and less expensive than taking the ship's tour with guide and ship representative to Oia and Winery including return with cable car ticket.

 

I have read reviews where people chose to combine a private excursion with a tour company on land and return via charter boat. The lovely thing about private excursions and charters are that you get to do what is important to you during the time you have available. Just be prepared that it can cost more than pre-arranged big group excursions, like a charter plane or taxi is more expensive than a regular economy plane ticket or public bus.

Edited July 18, 2014 by travelpeon

[GeezerCouple]

There are two types of "little boats" you might be thinking of.

 

1. Transfer to Oia via larger passenger speedboat - Purchase ticket via NST at the dock or online, formerly Santorini Planet/Aegean Traveller and now who knows what. The price is usually ~ 25 EUR per ticket, anyone can purchase like a bus ticket, and includes a bus ride back from Oia to Fira. This is not what you want as it involves the donkeys/steps/cable-car and is usually the more frequently mentioned option on this board.

 

2. Transfer to Oia via charter boat - Charter boats are boat companies which you hire, usually for the whole boat. When you send an inquiry, you describe what you are looking for and approximately time frame including date. They will then tell you if they can accommodate your request and give you a price quote. From there, you can reply with a "yes, please" or "no, thank you for your time" and possibly a deposit for "yes, please". This option, as you're chartering a boat, is usually more expensive than option #1.

 

We are going with option #2 and requested an early morning transfer over to Ammoudi (below Oia), visit independently for approximately 3 hours, and return on a 2 hour motorized sightseeing sail with the opportunity to stop for a swim. I'd asked on my roll call if people were interested in sharing the excursion and arranged sign-ups there. Other people might be interested in a similar itinerary but prefer a private trip. Final payment is usually due on the day of the charter in cash. In case you're wondering, our shared chartered trip is more expensive per person than option #1 and less expensive than taking the ship's tour with guide and ship representative to Oia and Winery including return with cable car ticket.

 

I have read reviews where people chose to combine a private excursion with a tour company on land and return via charter boat. The lovely thing about private excursions and charters are that you get to do what is important to you during the time you have available. Just be prepared that it can cost more than pre-arranged big group excursions, like a charter plane or taxi is more expensive than a regular economy plane ticket or public bus.

 

travelpeon, great information, and you've got it exactly right about what we are looking for - thanks.

 

We've already heard back from Captain Stathis (very quick!), and he can arrange a boat and land-based day trip.

It sounds just like what you are describing in Option 2.

 

And because there will be 4 of us, the shared cost won't be bad for the full day combo.

 

When are you going?

 

Thank again *very* much. It was getting worrisome that everyone kept indicating (here and elsewhere) that the only way to return was via cable car or donkey/path.

 

This sounds like a lot of fun.

And it all looks so beautiful.

 

Enjoy your trip!

(CruiseCritic and other Forums are just amazing. DH couldn't believe we'd already heard back from Captain Stathis by the time we woke up this morning.)

 

GeezerCouple

[dolfans0704]

We used Santorini Private Tours. We were a group of 24 and Private Santorini Tours did an excellent job in ensuring a fabulous day for our port stop. They set up a water taxi to get us to/from the tender port so not to waste any of our precious time waiting in lines for the cable car. We visited Santos Winery, Anna's Roadside Stand, the famous Blue-Domed church and plenty of free time for lunch and walking around Oia. Best port stop of our cruise! A special thank you to John and Nick for making our visit a memorable one!

 

http://www.privatesantorinitours.com

 

 

Dolfans from Miami

Edited July 18, 2014 by dolfans0704
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[blubelle57]

Yes, the ship excursions drop you in Fira because that way they don't need to move the ship back to original starting point of the excursion to pick people up. So, yes, you're options are to cable car or donkey trail back down. I chose donkey trail and had no problems with it. It was quite nice to leisurely walk down as long as you're comfortable being near donkeys and the occasional donkey residue on the trail (which I had no problem avoiding). It is a stone/pavement type trail with very widely spaced steps. It is not dirt/gravel.

 

Here is a link to my Santorini pictures. If you look at the last 8 pictures or so, you can get an idea of what you face by taking the donkey trail.

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/rickchapman/sets/72157631722811018/

Thanks your photos are great can't wait to take some of our own! Yes the donkey trail doesn't look too bad - think we'll go with that option.