How To Book The Perfect Santorini Boat Tour
Caldera villages from the sea
Each season there is some change, if only to prices.
Options keep expanding as Santorini hosts more visitors each year, wanting to visit the beautiful beaches in Greece and as the winter and shoulder season periods become busier. Its important to note that many tour companies close in December and January and sometimes a month or two on either side.
The ever-expanding options include private, semi-private, luxury catamaran cruises, individual cruises as well as on-land excursions. Most of the tours include return mini-van pick-up from your accommodation and if not this is usually available as a per person extra charge.
I love that they allow for cancellation up to 24 hours before the tour and that they have immediate electronic tickets to download to your smartphone. The link to their Santorini activities page is here.
And now for the big question: Day Cruise or Sunset Cruise?
From The Acropolis To The Aegean
Greece is remarkable, from the ancient Acropolis of Athens to the blue-roofed houses of Santorini. Whether you trek through the limestone hills in the north or swim through the cobalt waters around the Cyclades, it’s easy to see why this is one of the best places to visit in Europe.
How Long Do The Cruises Take
Most cruises take 5 hours and begin picking up guests from their accommodation an hour before the cruise. Some cruises take 4 or 6 hours and a few take 10 hours.
In terms of timing, depending upon where you are on the island, and the port that the boat leaves from in relation to your accommodation, you may be first or last to be picked up which means it could be 90 minutes or 20 minutes before the cruise or tour begins.
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Eternal Landscapes On The Emerald Isle
Life is but a dream in Ireland, whether you down a pint of Guinness and trace tales told by James Joyce in Dublin, or careen along the Cliffs of Moher along the west coast. Many cruises to Europe also stop in Northern Ireland’s Belfast, a city that’s a testament to rebirth and reconciliation.
Luxurious Catamaran Cruise With Meal
A mini bus will take you from your hotel to Ammoudi port, where you will board one of the newest vessels of the fleet. Sail to Santorinis famous hot springs and swim for half an hour. Continue beyond Aspronisi Island, Akrotiri, the Indian rock and the Ancient lighthouse to reach the next stop at the Red Beach, where you can swim and snorkel for another half an hour. Sail to the White Beach area in a 1.5 hour cruise and enjoy a barbecue feast before another round of swimming, snorkeling or relaxing on board the catamaran. Return to Ammoudi and, if enjoying the sunset tour, experience the sunset from the sea.
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Can I Be Picked Up Or Dropped Off From The Airport
Some companies will drop you off at the airport if you dont have luggage. Pick-up from the airport is trickier because there is no guarantee of the time a flight will arrive.
Passengers arriving in Santorini must get on buses to go the extremely short distance from the plane to the airport and this takes a little time. Private cruises are more likely to allow this option and again, think about emailing the cruise company in advance if you need to arrive at and from the airport.
An easier alternative if you are coming from the airport is to arrive at the port yourself. Book a cruise that leaves from Vlychada Port in the south of the island and it is a very short taxi ride to the port.
Yacht Rental Company In Oia Santorini
Sunset Oia Yacht Rental Company in Oia Santorini offers the ultimate sailing experience in a wide variety of boats and sea vessels for a mesmerizing sailing vacation in the enchanting island of Santorini in Greece. This full service touring and sailing Yacht Rental Company in the Cyclades islands, Greece with a fascinating selection of sea vessels ensures to organize unique luxurious excursions as well as well as the most glamorous yacht charter vacations, with skipper.
- Ammoudi, Caldera, Hot Springs area, Indian Rock, Lighthouse, Mesa Pigadia, Red Beach area, White Beach area… 20
- Ammoudi, Black Mountain, Caldera, Hot Springs area, Indian Rock, Lighthouse, Mesa Pigadia, Red Beach area, Vlychada, White Beach area… 14
- Ammoudi, Black Mountain, Caldera, Hot Springs area, Indian Rock, Lighthouse, Mesa Pigadia, Red Beach area, Vlychada, White Beach area… 20
- Ammoudi, Black Mountain, Hot Springs area, Indian Rock, Mesa Pigadia, Red Beach area, White Beach area… 55
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Should I Book A Santorini Sailing Cruise In Advance
Most definitely! Cruises book out quickly and most people only spend a few days on Santorini and so have limited choices. This is especially true for June September.
It doesnt matter if you havent yet booked accommodation , you can update your booking with those details at any time.
And once youve booked a cruise, you can plan all the other great things to do on Santorini around it!
What Is The Difference Between Small Large Semi
Not all the following options are available on the cheapest cruises. Below are the very best Santorini sailing cruises and each of their inclusions. Most cruises include:
- Private cruises are simply you and however many people you wish to travel with. You choose and you pay accordingly. If you are traveling as a large group, you can have your own private boat! A private catamaran cruise is a perfect honeymoon activity!
- Semi-private is a term used interchangeably with small. It is not a private cruise, but it does not have 100 people either.
- Small cruises tend to be a certain size boat that can only accommodate about 20 people. You will see small group cruises as having a maximum of 12, 15, 18, or 25 passengers.
- Large cruises are anything larger than about 25 passengers and are often around 50.Transfers to and From Your Accommodation
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The Santorini Catamaran Red Cruise With Meal & Drinks
Climb aboard the 74-foot Ocean Voyager or the 80-foot Tahiti catamaran for a 5-hour sunset cruise around Santorini in the Aegean Sea. Set off on a journey of discovery that will first take you to the hot springs, then the Red Beach and finally the White Beach. You will start at the Ammoudi Port of Oia , from where youll set sail for beautiful Red Beach to swim and snorkel for 30 minutes. Continue to a secluded White Beach, only accessible from the sea, for more swimming and snorkeling in the shadow of the towering white cliffs. Free snorkeling equipment is available on board the catamaran where youll also be served a barbecue supper of salads and grilled pork. Continue sailing inside the crescent-shaped Caldera, close to the volcano, and enjoy a final dip in the Hot Springs, before sailing back to Oia as the day ends its spectacular transformation to night.
What Is The Difference Between The Standard Premium And Luxury Cruises
The difference here is in the additional items. Standard cruises may not have towels, for example.
The main difference however is in the amount of food and the type of drinks you are given. Some standard cruises provide a snack and drinks, often no alcohol.
Premium cruises generally have a Greek BBQ meal cooked freshly on board and unlimited alcohol and other beverages.
Luxury cruises often advertise cocktails as an additional feature, and the number of meat, fish and side dishes may be larger than on premium cruises. In general, a premium cruise represents the best value for money.
See below for the best Santorini sailing cruises what is included and what you need to need to bring along:
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Best Sunset Cruises In Santorini
Hopping on a sunset cruise in Santorini is one of the best things you can do on the island. There are lots of options depending on the price you are willing to pay but the only thing for sure, is that you will be stunned by the incredible Santorini sunsets.
These sunset cruises are also often referred to as Santorini boat tours or Santorini volcano tours but they are essentially the same thing: a small boat or catamaran that will take you to the volcano island of Santorini, the hot springs, the small island of Thirassia and of course will stop underneath Oia during the sunset time to watch the famous sunset on the boat.
BEST SANTORINI SUNSET CRUISE :Luxurious Small Group Catamaran Cruise
I have handpicked some of the best sunset cruises in Santorini, as this is one of the questions I get asked most often. The best website to book your sunset cruise in Santorini is: GetYourGuide.com
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Getting on a sunset cruise or a volcano cruise in Santorini is one of the best things you can also do with your family and kids while in Santorini but its definitely one of the best things to do in Santorini for couples.
The typical route that most of the sunset cruises do is the following:
Sailing Around Santorini: The Best Santorini Boat Tours
Swim off the boat, float in the hot springs of the Santorini volcano, watch the cliffs and caves of the coastline over wine and an excellent meal. Wonder at the clifftop villages from out on the water and far below! But there are over 200 sailing tours you can choose to spend some time seeing Santorinis sights from the water.
But which is the best Santorini boat tour for you? The perfect one for you fits into your schedule, allows you to do all the things you want to do on a cruise, and is high quality, helpful, and the best value for money! Read on and all your questions about sailing around Santorini are answered and the best Santorini boat tours are covered with links to pricing and availability.
This article may contain compensated links. Please read the disclaimer for more info
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Why Go Sailing Around Santorini
White cliffs from the sea
Adventurers and traders have been sailing around Santorini for thousands of years. Every single one of these people, until Santorini airport opened in 1972, came by sea.
Like all the great cities of the Mediterranean, Santorini is built from the sea up. On Santorini boat trips you see the churches watching over the once-mighty Santorini maritime fleet. You see the flooded caldera of the volcano and its ring of copper as the last of the heat of the Great Theran Eruption of 3,500 years ago slowly cools down.
You see the two-story homes of the wealthy ship captains built at the very top of Oia and the humble fishing ports along the water far below.
Of course, this is Santorini, and it is probably summer when you are here and so you also see a flotilla of catamarans and cruise ships. But who cares? Youre in one of the most beautiful places on the earth about to sail upon the sapphire blue Aegean! This is the kind of experience that makes lasting memories.
Just be sure to choose the sailing cruise that includes most of the things that you would like to do on your day on the water.
View of the volcano at sunset from hotel terrace at Fira
When Is It Too Cold To Swim
The sailing ship below Santorini
There are people who go nude bathing at the winter solstice in Northern Europe so clearly, for some people, its never too cold! I have a great post about the weather, sea temperatures, and the best times to go to Santorini that you can read here.
For me, it is too cold to swim outside of the summer months. But then, Im Australian, and I dont like the cold. I am happy to swim in the hot springs of the volcano at any time of year, but be warned: you have to swim through the frigid water to get there!
A note on the hot springs. Theyre not hot. Theyre warmish in summer and slightly less than cold in the off-season.
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Public Transit To Sunset Oia Sailing Cruises Santorini In
Wondering how to get to Sunset Oia, Sailing Cruises, Santorini in , Greece? Moovit helps you find the best way to get to Sunset Oia, Sailing Cruises, Santorini with step-by-step directions from the nearest public transit station.
Moovit provides free maps and live directions to help you navigate through your city. View schedules, routes, timetables, and find out how long does it take to get to Sunset Oia, Sailing Cruises, Santorini in real time.
Looking for the nearest stop or station to Sunset Oia, Sailing Cruises, Santorini? Check out this list of stops closest to your destination: Vazeos.
You can get to Sunset Oia, Sailing Cruises, Santorini by Bus. These are the lines and routes that have stops nearby – Bus: – –
Want to see if theres another route that gets you there at an earlier time? Moovit helps you find alternative routes or times. Get directions from and directions to Sunset Oia, Sailing Cruises, Santorini easily from the Moovit App or Website.
We make riding to Sunset Oia, Sailing Cruises, Santorini easy, which is why over 1.5 million users, including users in , trust Moovit as the best app for public transit. You dont need to download an individual bus app or train app, Moovit is your all-in-one transit app that helps you find the best bus time or train time available.
For information on prices of Bus, costs and ride fares to Sunset Oia, Sailing Cruises, Santorini, please check the Moovit app.
Winter Aurora Summer Sun
Scandinavia is dark for much of the year, but light is what defines its polar nations, from the Midnight Sun that rises high above Demark in mid-summer, to the aurora that dances above Norway and Iceland amid winter’s deepest freeze. Find endless possibilities and the best European cruises along the Baltic, from the savory seafood eateries of Oslo, to the cold cityscape of Reykjavik.
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Transfers To And From The Cruise Or Tour
You need to be a bit chilled about the transfer process.
Traffic on a small island in peak season with everyone headed to the same places can be chaotic as is the process of getting hundreds of groups of people onto boats or off boats and into minivans.
It all works out and you get there within the allotted time and you have a fantastic time. But dont expect military-like precision this is a Greek island!
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What better way to experience the majestic beauty of Santorini than by cruising around at sunset in a boat? Theres nothing quite like seeing Santorini as you enter the Caldera and gasp in awe at how beautiful the landscape is. A sunset cruise in Santorini is the perfect way to experience Greeces remarkable and most famous sunset.
There are plenty of options for a sunset cruise in Santorini, with many providing drinks, snacks, or dinner as you take in the sunset. The most popular options are watching the sunset on a catamaran and taking in some great stops along the way. Stops depend from tour to tour but usually include an opportunity to swim in the volcanic springs of Santorinis former volcano.
Prices for a Santorini sunset cruise can start from as little as 26/$26 to 1600/$1600* for a private catamaran or motor yacht.
*Euro & USD as of October 2022 were pretty much on par with one another.
Santorini Sunset Cruises are available from late-March through to the end of October.
Take a break from enjoying the fabulous Santorini beach clubs and wineries and spend the afternoon at sea, soaking up the incredible scenery.
Some of these may be affiliate links, which means when you buy something I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, and it really helps to support me so thank you!
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Santorini Private Riva Yacht Cruise With Meal & Open Bar
Enjoy a private sunset cruise on a motor yacht where you will be treated like royalty. The beauty of your own private cruise is that you can enjoy the incredible Santorini sunset with just your nearest and dearest.
As part of your private Santorini sunset cruise, youll get to enjoy a leisurely lunch at a local Greek taverna on the island of Thirassia. With opportunities to swim at Red Beach, you can spend the afternoon relaxing and drying off on the bow of the magnificent Riva.
Enjoy the sunset with a complimentary bottle of Prosecco before heading back to shore.
Include in the private cruise:
- Hotel pick up and drop off.
- Bottle of Prosecco.
Santorini Volcanic Islands Cruise With Hot Springs Visit
The Santorini Volcanic Islands Cruise with Hot Springs Visit is the best budget option for visitors who want to experience cruising in the caldera, visiting the hot springs and the island of Thirassia. You can extend the tour by opting to watch the sunset from the village of Oia.
This is the perfect Santorini boat cruise for visitors short on time and want to experience a sailing excursion for a fantastic price. Visit the active volcano of Nea Kameni which is a popular tourist activity that involves exploring the island on foot.
With live commentary and information about the island of Santorini, the Santorini cruise continues to Thirassia where you can explore the quaint village before extending your tour by departing the boat and visiting Oia for sunset.
Included in the tour:
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