Question about Santorini transportation

[mocrimlaw]

I would like to take the cruise excursion to the winery and then Oia in order to get off the ship quickly, but I want to stay longer in Oia than the excursion allows. Can you get a taxi from Oia easily or must you set it up in Fira by taking a taxi from there first? I know there are buses but have heard they can get very crowded. We get some free shore excursions so I thought that might be a good use of one. Thanks!

[Hlitner]

I guess the operative word is easy! The main taxi parking area is located near the bus station in Fira. We have seldom seen taxis just sitting around Oia waiting for a fare. Usually what happens is a taxi will bring folks out to Oia and if you happen to be waiting they will take you as their next fare. Personally we would have no problem jumping off in Oia as long as you have a few hours to get back to Fira. This is because you could always take the bus (if not full) if there were no taxis available.

 

Hank

[catalinarocks]

I found that the easiest way to get around Santorini was to rent a moped but if you are doing an excursion then the buses should be pretty easy to navigate, however, they are on island time and often arrive much later than the time posted. There are taxis going back and forth but are much more expensive and there's not really any way to reserve them, it is definitely worth it to spend more time in Oia though, the most beautiful place I've seen!

 

Have a great time :)

[Baybear]

We will be in Santorini on October 3rd off the Oceania Riviera and there will be 8250 people TOTAL in port that day when you add up all the ships passengers!

 

Does anyone know what the best way to get to Oia would be after getting off the ship, considering the huge number of cruisers in port that day?

 

I hear there can be long lines for various modes of transportation on Santorini, so I'm wondering what the "best" mode is. We are not taking any ship tours, or island tours... just "DIY"-ing it.

 

We're (4 of us) all 70 years old, so moped-ing it may not be the most prudent way to go.

Edited July 17, 2015 by Baybear

[MeHeartCruising]

I would like to take the cruise excursion to the winery and then Oia in order to get off the ship quickly, but I want to stay longer in Oia than the excursion allows. Can you get a taxi from Oia easily or must you set it up in Fira by taking a taxi from there first? I know there are buses but have heard they can get very crowded. We get some free shore excursions so I thought that might be a good use of one. Thanks!

 

Be aware that cruise excursions frequently change the order in which they visit sites compared to the published description of the excursion. They do this to spread out the crowds. So 2 people purchasing the same excursion from the same cruise line on the same cruise may find that 1 goes to the winery first and the other goes to Oia first (assuming there is more than one bus full of people). Therefore, you really won't know for certain when you will be in Oia until you get on your bus that morning. I was in Santorini years ago, but our excursion went to Oia first (beautiful first thing in the morning) and then the winery.

Edited July 17, 2015 by MeHeartCruising

[roothy123]

We will be in Santorini on October 3rd off the Oceania Riviera and there will be 8250 people TOTAL in port that day when you add up all the ships passengers!

 

Does anyone know what the best way to get to Oia would be after getting off the ship, considering the huge number of cruisers in port that day?

 

I hear there can be long lines for various modes of transportation on Santorini, so I'm wondering what the "best" mode is. We are not taking any ship tours, or island tours... just "DIY"-ing it.

 

We're (4 of us) all 70 years old, so moped-ing it may not be the most prudent way to go.

 

Wow! What a difference a day makes, assuming you're talking this year. We're there Oct. 2 and (supposedly anyway) the only ship there. We rented a 4 wheeler/ATV/quad bike when we were there in 2006 (on Oceania, by the way - love it!), although we had planned to rent a car. Based on our ATV experience, I can tell you that renting a car is not hard, expensive (though you do need to get an int'l driver's license), scary, or difficult (navigation wise) if all you want to do is go to Oia and back. However, there are also some pretty places not far from Fira that my interest you. We're planning to go to Pyrgos, for example, as it looks almost as beautiful as Oia, just a little less "prettified."

 

I suppose with that many people on the island that day, however, I'd probably just bite the bullet and 1) try to get on one of the boats that go to Oia or 2) take a taxi there, although that would require taking the cable car up, walking to the main street (25 Martiou) and waiting in line.

 

When late September rolls around, I would check to see when each ship is due in and then try to figure out when it would be best to go to Oia. I would think that even if the ships are due in at, say, 7, they will not get anyone to the island before 8, as the port arrival time on port websites is often different from the itinerary time, which I believe is what is posted on cruisett and other sites like that. Normally, the best time to go to Oia would be first thing in the morning, or late in the afternoon, but some of the ships may not be there all day, so knowing schedules could help in your planning. Here's site:

http://www.santorini-boatmenunion.com/images/cruiseship.pdf

 

Ferry arrivals probably won't impact cruisers much, as they arrive at a different port, but since I have the info, I'll share: On Oct. 2 (not sure about 3rd) ferries arrive at the port of Athinios at 11:40, 12:35 and 3:10. Most of these folks are there for longer than a day, so hopefully most won't be going to Oia, except for those staying in Oia hotels. Nevertheless, it could add to the crowded feel of Oia in the afternoon.

 

For anyone renting a car/ATV on the island and wanting to go places other than Oia, the best web site to look at is santorini.gr as it has routes, town descriptions and photos.

[mocrimlaw]

Thanks to everyone for the helpful information. I heard from Tom at Tom's Port Cruises that taxis do not go to Oia and wait for people to hire them - you have to arrange for them ahead of time. So a bus - with potentially long lines - is the only option to get back to Fira if you leave the shore excursion at Oia. SO my new plan is to take the shore excursion - since it's free with our Oceania cruise - and go to the winery and Oia, and then go back with the group and hire a taxi to go back and also pick us up if we need more time in Oia.

[roothy123]

Well, if you decide not to go back to Oiaand you like photography, there are a few scenic places right there in Fira as well as Firostefani, which is just an extension north of Fira above the cable car. Maybe only 5 to 10 minutes north (walking) of the cable car station is where many pictures of a beautiful blue-domed church and belltower are taken, with the water in the background. The GPS coordinates are 36 25” 23.59” N, 25 25’ 43.16” E. Around there is a parking lot and you may have to peer over the wall to see the church, as it's a little below. However, it's a great shots, from what I've heard and seen. I'll attach a picture taken by a wonderful photographer.

 

Also near the cable car station in Fira is beautiful St. John's Catholic Church and monastery - pale yellow tones with gray-blue trim. You can at least see where it is by going to the Santorini guide of Tomsportguides. You can also walk south in Fira and there are a couple good vantage points from which you can photograph the houses/stores clinging to the cliffs from the street that runs closest to the water. While Fira isn't as "pretty" as Oia (less maintained, and more commercial), there are some great places to take pictures.

[mocrimlaw]

Thanks Roothy! That's very helpful as photography is my passion. I didn't see your attached picture though?

[roothy123]

Oops...got distracted and forgot about the picture. I WAS trying to find the site I found by Chris McCormack or something like that, as his pictures of Santorini are amazing. If I find that site or remember his name, I'll post again. In the mean time, here's another great site I found which shows the church you would be looking down on in Fira/Firostefani from the parking lot. I think he mentions you can reach it from Mama Thira's, but I'm just planning to get myself to the parking lot and see what's what.

 

http://theplanetd.com/photography-guide-santorini

 

(Sometimes Cruise Critic makes mincemeat out of URLs. If that's the case, just post again and I'll spell it out for you.)

 

Of course, my pictures won't look like the ones on that photographer's site, but at least he finally solved the mystery of where that particular church is. Being near the cable car is a plus, as I, like everyone else, will be in that neck of the woods.

[mocrimlaw]

Wow - fabulous pictures on that site aren't there - (the URL worked fine) - thank you! That church is gorgeous.

[roothy123]

Here are some other pictures that will make you drool, with some info on Oia and Firostefani's church that I found helpful:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1728335