Santorini - How to Get There

There are boat services to Santorini from Piraeus' Port near Athens, provided by small ferries and large passenger boats. The trip by ferry is 9 to 10 hours and by high-speed ferry is 4 to 5 hours.

During the period April through October, it is possible to reach Paros, Naxos, Ios, Santorini, and Crete (Iraklio) by boat from Santorini. Information may be obtained from the Santorini Port Authority or any travel agent.

If you are considering traveling deck class, keep in mind that it is possible for the winds to be chilly even in July and August.

Olympic Airways and Aegean Cronus Airlines operate daily flights to Santorini from Athens International Airport at Spata. The flight is approximately 45 minutes long and the cost is around €100, one way. During the summer, flights to Santorini are available from Thessaloniki. The flight is approximately 1 to 1 1/2 hours long depending on the type of aircraft. There are also direct flights to Mykonos. There is a bus service that connects the town of Fira to the Santorini airport at Monolithos.

The island of Santorini is served by a network of buses. The routes as well as the timings change according to the season, but there is always a schedule posted at the main bus terminal in Fira. In the high season buses are more frequent and will take you to all of the island's major sites.

Taxis are available throughout the island. They wait at Santorini's port of Athinios after each ferry's arrival, at Fira's main square, and they tend to wait at Ia in the evenings after the sunset to carry tourists back to their hotels. When your ferry arrives in Athinios you can either take a taxi to the top of the caldera, to your hotel, or you can try to make arrangements with your hotel to have someone pick you up.