how to tour Santorini ourselves during port

[kltyen522]

we will be arriving Santorini on 4-27-2016 via MSC Orchestra. Most of the tours I found were "private", the prices are either almost the same or more than the ship charges. Like to know if anyone can show me how to tour Santorini by ourselves, thank you. We would love to go to Fira and Oia.

[Langley Cruisers]

Hi there and welcome. Santorini is phenomenal; you will love it.

 

We have a dedicated Greece forum here; I will give you the link and you can continue your research there as it is more specific and many people have done Santorini, either DIY or private or ship tours. You can use the "Search this forum" function on the right hand side of the page when you get there, type in Santorini and pull up 16 pages of threads to read and make notes. This will take some research so don't be afraid to dive right in. :)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=594 <---click here, Greece forum

 

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[paul929207]

We like to take the cable car up and then walk to the bus terminal. The bus was about 1.60 Euros a couple of years ago for the 30 minute or so ride to Oia. We have lunch there and take the bus back. Scenery is spectacular

[pseudoware]

Useful info on the Greece forum, but in a nutshell: after getting off the tender, take a boat to Oia, hang out, then catch the bus to Fira (included). Then catch the cable car down. Or ride an a$$. Enjoy! Santorini is beautiful.

 

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Edited January 16, 2016 by pseudoware

[MicCanberra]

Cheers for the tips and information.:D

[Hlitner]

You need to decide what you want to see on Santorini. Simply spending the day in Fira (Thira) is easy to do on your own and just involves being tendered in to the pier and taking the cable car up to town. Many also want to visit the town of Oia, which can be done (on your own) via the island bus or taxi. If you want to further explore the island, on your own, a rental car is the best option.

 

Hank

[TalaTraveller]

we will be arriving Santorini on 4-27-2016 via MSC Orchestra. Most of the tours I found were "private", the prices are either almost the same or more than the ship charges. Like to know if anyone can show me how to tour Santorini by ourselves, thank you. We would love to go to Fira and Oia.

 

We have been to Santorini 3 times, the problem when you have a large cruise ship in the port is that you will be tendered in to the harbour, this results in long lines to get to Fira.

 

There are 2 ways up to the rim of Fira, the Cable Car or the Donkey Derby. The latter is an adventure!

 

There tend to be long lines to get to the Cable car but an alternative is to get a boat trip from the dock area to Oia, you will be met at the dock by small bus and taken to the bus stop there.

 

It is very easy to wander around Oia then you can get the bus to Fira, have some lunch there and then walk down or take the cable car to dock to get the tender back to the ship. Check but the bus to Fira might be included in the ferry price

 

Santorini is an amazing place to visit. Enjoy!

 

G

[John Bull]

You'll be tendered to a jetty below Fira, ship's excursionists will be tendered to a harbour a mile or two down the coast.

 

From the jetty you have choices:

- Up the cliff to Fira via cable-car, about 4 euros, very easy unless there's a line

- Up the cliff to Fira by donkey (they're actually mules), also about 4 euros on the zig-zag path. Again there might be a line.

- Up the cliff by walking up that zig-zag path. Only for the very fit or the very stupid ;).

Top of the path & top cable-car station are very close to each-other, and right by the village centre.

- By boat from the tender jetty to the jetty below Oia, a couple of miles up the coast where the road comes down to the sea, and an included bus up to the village. About 20 - 25 euros?. Used to include a bus back to Fira, I don't think that applies now.

 

Fira itself is easy to wander.

From Fira there are buses or taxis to Oia

Or you can take a van tour/transfer to Oia with a return an hour or two later - you'll see boards in the village offering the service. More expensive but with the guarantee of the transport back - regular buses & taxis can be over-subscribed.

Or rent a car, or an ATV, or a scooter. Remember to take your driving licence. You don't need me to tell you that ATVs & especially scooters can be dangerous because the rules of the road tend to go by the board, but each to their own. It's not worth renting a car if you just want to go to Oia but it gives you plenty of other options.

 

Getting back to the tender jetty is likely to be much more problematic.

To the best of my knowledge there's no boat service from Oia (I have no idea why, are they missing a trick????), so you need to go down from Fira.

Few donkeys take folk back down.

Which leaves you with the cable-car or walking the zig-zag path.

Lines for the cable-car can be horrendous. Perhaps as long as 90 minutes. If you're not prepared to walk down the path, give yourself plenty of time to stand in line.

If you give yourselves a minimum of about 45 minutes, then if the cable-car line is too long you can walk down - it takes about 25 minutes. It's a wide paved path, with solid waist/chest high walls, wide steps and not steep. Going down of course isn't strenuous. Some stones are slippery, but in dry weather it's easy to spot them cos they're shiny. There will be piles of dried donkey doo-doos, easy to avoid but if it's windy there's the occasional cloud of dried poo - not pleasant but no big deal for most folk. We've never walked it in the wet, but I imagine that's no fun.

 

Other ships - will affect the lines for the cable-car. But don't be guided by cruisett & other websites, they're none-too-accurate and more importantly whether they'll affect you depends on timing. Some ships are only there half-a-day, some are there til late evening. So even four other ships on the same day might not impact your lines. It's useful to ask folk from other ships what time their last tender is, this'll give you an idea of what line to expect.

 

So for Fira & Oia no need for an organised tour.

If you want to visit other places then although we tend to shun ship's tours, on Santorini a ship's tour is probably better than a private tour because you'll be tendered right to & from your tour bus - no lines, no worries.

 

JB :)

 

edit: Sorry Hank, can't believe I've just recommended taking a ship's tour. :D

another edit. Hank - you made a similar mistake to me. You think Fira is Thira. And I thought Thira was the name of the harbour where ships' excursion tenders & ferries port. But Fira is Fira. And the ferry port is Athinios. Thira is actually both an alternative name for the island of Santorini and the political name of the sub-group of islands.

Edited January 16, 2016 by John Bull

[zqvol]

we will be arriving Santorini on 4-27-2016 via MSC Orchestra. Most of the tours I found were "private", the prices are either almost the same or more than the ship charges. Like to know if anyone can show me how to tour Santorini by ourselves, thank you. We would love to go to Fira and Oia.

 

 

You take the cable car to Thira upon arrival. To go to Oia, either take a bus or a cab. Ride is about 10 minutes each way, whether by bus or cab. Both are really easy to do. Both villages are very small, and easy to walk so you can explore to your heart's content.

 

There is no need for a tour if that is all you want to see.

Edited January 16, 2016 by zqvol

[Hlitner]

LOL JB, glad you are keeping me honest :). But still cannot believe you are recommending a ship's tour. While you are right about tendering directly to a waiting bus, the cable cars are worth the wait for the experience. And some would argue that everyone should ride the donkeys once in their life (once is enough for most).

 

We would also reiterate that this is actually a pretty good island to simply rent a car. There are a number of local rental car agencies located at Fira (a few blocks to 1/2 mile from the cable car station) and rental car prices are relatively inexpensive. It makes it easy to go over to Oia and also allows time to visit vineyards, Akritori or perhaps a beach (we really like Red Beach). Many of have been to the island multiple times never seem to get beyond Fira and Oia....but there is a lot more to this island then those cities.

 

Hank

Edited January 16, 2016 by Hlitner

[John Bull]

LOL JB, glad you are keeping me honest :). But still cannot believe you are recommending a ship's tour. While you are right about tendering directly to a waiting bus, the cable cars are worth the wait for the experience. And some would argue that everyone should ride the donkeys once in their life (once is enough for most).

 

Hank

 

We rode the donkeys up, Hank. :)

 

On the way up, a donkey in close proximity to Julie's decided to make a deposit at a rather inconvenient angle.

Everyone (almost everyone ;)) had a good laugh about that :D

 

So she's had her once in a lifetime experience, but she's unlikely to make it twice :D

 

JB :)

Edited January 16, 2016 by John Bull

[navybankerteacher]

John Bull and Hlitner have pretty well covered approaches. I would only add one crucial caveat: if you want the donkey ride, take it going up and cable car down. I made the mistake off doing it in the wrong order and almost shared the experience of three people in front of me on the way down. It is a steep path, covered with donkey droppings; the donkeys lower their heads, their little hooves occasionally slipping on the slime: passengers unable to clasp their legs tightly enough find themselves sliding forward - down the donkeys downward sloping neck, and winding up sitting on the path in front of their donkeys: not good.

[Hlitner]

We rode the donkeys up, Hank. :)

 

On the way up, a donkey in close proximity to Julie's decided to make a deposit at a rather inconvenient angle.

Everyone (almost everyone ;)) had a good laugh about that :D

 

So she's had her once in a lifetime experience, but she's unlikely to make it twice :D

 

JB :)

 

And tell Julie we send her our love. But glad we were not close to her that day on the Donkey :).

 

Hank

[kittyluvrnurse]

How complicated is it to involve a winery if you're diy? No rental car.

 

 

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[Hlitner]

How complicated is it to involve a winery if you're diy? No rental car.

 

 

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Without a rental car you still have some options. There are public buses that run several different routes on the island and you can inquire as to which routes will get you within walking distance of specific wineries. And there are always taxis (which can be a little expensive on the island) that will be happy to take you to any winery or even give you an island tour. The reason we prefer a rental car for this type of activity is the convenience and cost. Taxis fees can quickly add-up and the island buses do involve a lot of waiting (for the next bus). On the other hand, if one wants to "taste" a lot of wine...driving is not wise.

 

Hank

[kittyluvrnurse]

Another point to consider... Four cruise ships in port

 

 

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[searoses]

I just checked tours for jewel of the seas in Oct for santorini....they all ended up in fira with the donkeys and cable car.....guess it's back to the private list...

[John Bull]

I just checked tours for jewel of the seas in Oct for santorini....they all ended up in fira with the donkeys and cable car.....guess it's back to the private list...

 

If the tours you mention are ship's tours, that makes Royal Caribbean a bunch of cheapskates. :(

 

JB :)

[searoses]

Six tours were listed and they all ended in fira....I already rode a donkey into the grand Canyon and don't have the stamina to stand in the heat for 90 min to use the cable car...was going to settle for a ship's tour....will have to see as it gets closer what to choose...

[Hlitner]

JB is making me laugh. So lets talk about the logistics of Santorini. Many cruise ships make an early morning pre-stop so that they can tender some of their tours into a pier where they have waiting buses. Once this is done the ship moves a few more miles to the anchorage (where they cannot often drop an anchor) just off of Fira where the remainder of the passengers can be tendered ashore. Although some ship tours do offer buses from that first stop, the ship does not return to that area to later take those folks aboard. Hence, even the bus tours will end at Fira where passengers on the bus tours must use either the cable car, donkeys, or hike down to the tenders. There is no way to avoid the cable car or donkeys (other then to hike) for those tours.

 

Hank

[SPacificbound]

We were in Santorini in October, tendered in and then picked up, boat pickup and return to tender dock. We did not do donkey or cable car. I do not remember the name of the tour operator, but going by boat was well worth whatever it was.

 

Here is a guide you might find useful:

http://www.tomsportguides.com/uploads/5/8/5/4/58547429/santorini-07-22-2013.pdf