How long does it take to get from Oia back to Fira?

[megaj5]

Hi all,

 

We thought that we would have enough time to visit Oia from Fira, have dinner in Oia and watch the sunset , then return to Fira to board our ship.

We will visiting Santorini from 14:00 - 22:00 on August 15, 2018.

There will be 3 other cruise ships on the same day in this port.

 

Do we have enough time to have dinner in Oia? or should we return and have dinner in Fira?

We are concerned regarding the long lines to take the cable car back in Fira.

 

Thank you all for your help.

[Houstonguy62]

We visited Santorini on the Norwegian Star and there were 5 cruise ships in port. We also were in port from 2pm to 10pm. It took us about 1 hour before we got on a tender to take us to the port. There was a long line for the cable car. We took the "fast boat" to Oia rather than wait for the cable car. We got on a boat very quickly. The boat ride took at least 20 minutes and then we waited offshore at Oia for our turn to dock which took 20-30 minutes. By the time we got into Oia it was at least 4:30pm. Oia was packed with people.

As part of this trip, there was a bus to take us back to Fira. We got on the 6pm bus and it took about 30 minutes to get back to Fira. The line to take the cable car back down was very long so we decided to walk down.

While walking down, we ended up stopping at the Fanari Restaurant. We ate dinner there and watched the sunset. We had a great view and I can't see where the view in Oia would have been any better. We then walked down and made it down to the bottom before it was completely dark.

Bottom line, I think the better idea is to eat dinner in Fira. This way, if you find it's getting late you can cut your dinner short and hurry down. The walk down took less than 30 minutes. You need some light so you can avoid the donkey patties.

[edinburgher]

The authorities are now trying to stagger the arrival and departure times of ship calls to help with the lines for the cable car.

 

 

It isn't so much the number of ships in that day which might affect your return to the ship, it is the departure times. You need to check the timings for the other ships in that day and with a 10pm departure you may be the last to leave which would mean much shorter lines, although your own ship is a big one so there could still be fairly long lines.

 

 

I would plan on eating in Fira so you can keep an eye on the situation and be flexible if you need to.

 

 

We had a late sailing last time we visited and all other ships had already left. We had a great view of the sunset from the decks and even had a deck party and a local folk group visit, so if you see your ship is anchored in a good location you might want to consider dining onboard. If it is any help, standing at the top of the cable car and looking down, our ship was anchored quite far to the right side. (ie towards the direction of Oia) Further to the left side I do not know what sunset view you might have.

[megaj5]

Thank you for your reply. Great suggestion to get back to Fira. We will also consider going back to the cruise ship if they have a deck party and see the sunset!

[hal2008]

Second suggestion to be safe and return to Fira early

Bus operation from Oia to Fira is bit chaotic.

Taxis are hit or miss based on reports on this board.

Dont know how much of a difference would be in sunset view from Oia vs Fira.

We walked down but strongly caution against it (especially in dark)

It is not the donkeys or donkey poop but occassional slippery stone that poses the risk.

 

Dont recall seeing any post on this board about anyone missing their boat because of long lines at the cable car. Just apply common sense and arrive at decent time. On the other habd there have been posts about sprained ankles and broken bones from the falls while walking down.