Island Explorer – Top Tips On Getting Around In Santorini

 

 

 

Can you get around Santorini without a car? The answer is yes! There several ways of getting around Santorini without a car. There are buses, ATV, Taxi, scooters and also car rentals if you so choose as these are also reasonably priced. You can also charter a yacht or boat if you have the budget or if travelling in a large group where you can split the costs. By far one of the best ways to get around Santorini is on foot and by bus.

 

In previous posts, I have discussed how to get to Santorini from Mykonos, and how to get from Athens to Santorini. Below I will take you through some of the transport options in Santorini so you can explore the many beautiful beaches in Santorini as well as how to get to and from best places to stay in Santorini. I will also cover how we chose to get around the island.

 

 

Must Visit Villages In Santorini

You cannot visit Santorini without checking out the many cute villages in Santorini. Some of these might be within walking distance and some of these might require you to take the bus, taxi, scooter or car. Below are some of the must see village before we discuss how to travel around in Santorini.

 

Oia – The popular town where tourists flock to for that popular Oia sunset. Oia is located about 10km from Fira, another popular village on the island, although build much lower than Fira. Oia consists of 6 settlements; Oia village, Perivolas village, Finikia, Tholos, as well as Armeni and Ammoudi both of which popular spots with Santorini restaurants that you need to check out when visiting the Greek island.

Akrotiri – This is the town where you will also find the archeological site with the same name as the town. One of my favourite towns as you have amazing views of the Caldera with none of the fuss of Oia or Fira. If you are looking for cheap hotels in Santorini this is another place to also consider but to better get around you will need to use a car, ATVs or scooters.

 

 

Firostefani – This is a small town that stretches along the Caldera and offers amazing views of the volcano and sea. There are plenty of amazing hotels and restaurants in Firostefani. What I loved about it is that its a little quieter than Fira or Oia but also comes with cool views. There is also a walking trail from Firostefani to Oia.

 

Fira – Much like Oia this is a crowd pleaser and one that many flock to see in Santorini. Centrally located in Santorini and built right on the cliff edges of Santorini and overlooking the Caldera. Buildings are of the typical unique Santorini architecture of while houses with stunning views of the volcano and Aegean Sea. You can get to Fira by car directly from the port of the airport.

 

Imerovigli – Another quaint village with cobblestones streets agains a backdrop of whitewashed aesthetics of Santorini houses overlooking the Caldera. Positioned at the central and highest point of the Caldera with a name steeped in history with pirates. 

 

Pyrgos – This is a mountainous village and features a fortified medieval castle on the highest point on the island. There are plenty of beautiful blue domed churches here too with some dating back to the 11th century. Near Pyrgos and close to the summit of Mount ProfitisIlias, there is also a monstery bearing the name Prophet Elias Monastery with massic structures resembling that of a bastion with gun-slots instead of windows.

 

 

Perissa – The village with one of the most popular beaches in Santorini. The village of Perissa is where you will find the iconic black volcanic sand beach that stretches for several kilometers. Here you will also find plenty of cafes, restaurants, clubs and water sports shops.

 

Kamari – The town of Kamari is also popular with tourists and also comes with a lovely black sand beach. Nearby there are great hotels, beach clubs and bars as well as a cinema and theatre. Kamari is popular with younger crowds due to access with entertainment venues easily accessible.

 

 

How To Get Around In Santorini

 

Above are some of the cool towns to visit in Santorini among the many beaches to explore while crossing off places from your Santorini itinerary below I will cover mode of transportation and how to get around in Santorini as well as travel from Santorini Airport to towns. Santorini Airport is located 5.5km from Fira and is easily reachable by car or taxis. The journey from the Airport to Fira is about 15 minutes.

 

Note: By far the best way to get around Santorini is on foot or by bus!

 

 

Getting Around Santorini By Bus

 

Buses are readily available from the left-hand side when you come out of  the arrivals area at Santorini Airport. You can buy tickets to towns directly from the bus collector. Most of the buses go to Fira bus station and from there, you will find buses going from Fira to Oia, Fira to Perissa, Fira to Kamari or Fira to Port Athinios. Tickets are between €0.90 to €1.80. You can find prices and bus routes on Ktel Santorini and their bus timetables for Santorini too.

 

Getting Around Santorini By Taxi

While you may be able to walk between some of the towns in Santorini, you may need to get a taxi from the airport to your hotel when you arrive. There are taxis 24/7 at the airport, taxis offer metered services right outside the airport terminal building. The trip from Santorini to say Fira is about 15-20 minutes and costs will range between €20-30. Prepare to pay a little bit more if you are carrying a lot of luggage. If you need a taxi majority of the hotels can call you one that will arrive to pick you up as most taxis can be hard to come by depending on where you are staying. Nothing like London where you can just walk out the door and hail a taxi outside.

 

Getting Around Santorini By Boat

One of the best ways to explore the beaches in Santorini is by boat. You can either charter a boat of varying size whether you want a private ride or a group boat charter. The boat then takes you out exploring the Aegean Sea as well as drop off at each of the beaches for a little swim. We chose to do a sunset boat tour around Santorini which makes stops at a couple of the beaches and includes a bbq too on the boat. These come in various sizes, I would highly recommend one of the catamaran cruise tours with which limits size to about 8 or 10 people many of which are adult only. I shared my Santorini sunset tour on the blog.

 

 

Getting Around Santorini By Scooter/ATV/Quad

First things, first, for scooter rental in Santorini, you will need a valid driving license to rent a moped, scooter, ATV or motorcycle. You are also legally obligated to wear a helmet. ATVs, scooter and motorcycles, quad bikes all from around €15-25 a day. Be sure to make sure you are properly insured when using them as well as being safe on the roads. We saw way too many reckless drives on these things. Just don’t be that one douche bag that endangers other people on the road. Below are a couple of rental places for these where you can compare prices. Note that I have not used any of these so cannot vouch for them but you can also rent these when you arrive on the island. That way you ask as many questions. There were a couple of pickup points around the island, from the Airport, Fira and Perissa from what I saw.

 

• Santorini-Rent Me
• Santorini Rental Motos
• In-Santorini

 

Getting Around Santorini By Car Rental

 

We stayed in Akrotiri and chose to rent a car to make it easier to explore the towns as much as we could with access to our own transportation. There is a car rental office at the Airport where we picked up our car. You can find Sixt, Budget, Avis, Hertz, Suntime and Avance. I cannot remember which one we used but we booked our car in advance on EasyCar and collected it after arriving from Athens. I would advise you to book in advance especially during busy periods like May to August. The earlier you book the more choice you have in terms of cars and price options. We book our car for about 5 days and I don’t think we paid more than £20 a day.

 

Also See

• Best Bars To Experience In Santorini
• A Santorini Travel Guide
• How To Get From Athens To Mykonos
• The Best Areas To Stay In Mykonos
• Cheap Hotels In Oia
• Cute Cafes In Santorini You Need To Visit

 

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