Santorini Shore Excursions

What can catch you out in Santorini

Relayed from official sources — not our verdict. We pass on what the authorities say, word for word, and leave the judgement to you.

• Quad bikes & mopeds

  Quad biking carries a real risk of serious injury or death. You must wear a helmet on quad bikes and mopeds, or you may invalidate your insurance, and to ride a moped you need a valid licence with at least category A1.

  as reported by UK FCDO — travel advice for Greece · 18 Jul 2026

• Pickpockets in the crowds

  Thefts of wallets, handbags and passports are common in crowded tourist places. Carry your valuables in different bags and pockets.

  as reported by UK FCDO — travel advice for Greece · 18 Jul 2026

• Excessive drinking

  Greek police will arrest you for behaviour they consider rowdy or indecent, especially where excessive drinking is involved — and your travel insurance may not cover you if an alcohol-related arrest makes you miss your flight.

  as reported by UK FCDO — travel advice for Greece · 18 Jul 2026

• Water sports

  Book water sports through a licensed centre and ask for a safety demonstration. Obey the warning flags and signs on beaches.

  as reported by UK FCDO — travel advice for Greece · 18 Jul 2026

On a cruise? Your ship’s port talk is the authority on the day — check that too.

Across Greece — laws & safety

National rules and risks that apply anywhere in Greece — relayed from official sources, not our verdict. We pass on what the authority says and leave the judgement to you.

Laws that catch visitors out

• Police will arrest you for behaviour they consider rowdy or indecent, especially where excessive drinking is involved.
• Always carry your passport to show police on request — a copy may not be accepted.
• Illegal drugs, including cannabis, carry severe penalties.
• Restaurants must by law issue an itemised bill — make sure you get a receipt.
• Some fancy-dress costumes may be regarded as offensive and against decency laws.

Dress code

Some fancy-dress costumes may be regarded as offensive and against decency laws.

Photography

It is illegal to approach or take photos or videos of military installations, vehicles or buildings; border areas are also restricted.

Drones

Drone flying in Greece follows the common EU rules (EASA — Regulation (EU) 2019/947, Open category). You must register as a drone operator before flying any drone that has a camera and is not a toy; a single registration is recognised across the EU/EEA. Label the drone with your operator ID, keep within the Open-category limits (subcategories A1/A2/A3), and check the national “geographical zones” that restrict or ban flying near airports, over crowds and at sensitive sites. Register and check the zone map through Greece’s civil aviation authority (HCAA) before you travel.

via EASA — EU civil-drone rules (Regulation (EU) 2019/947), Open category · 24 Jun 2026

Scams to watch

Thefts of passports, wallets and handbags are common on the metro and in crowded tourist places, particularly central Athens.

Relayed from UK FCDO travel advice — Greece · checked 18 Jul 2026

Traffic drives on the right. Look left first when you cross the road.

Docking & terminals in Santorini

Santorini is a tender port; cruise ships anchor in the caldera bay and passengers are ferried ashore by small tender boats in approximately 10 minutes.

• Old Port (Skala) — At the base of the cliffs directly below Fira (Cable car (approximately 3-minute ride, queues can exceed 45 minutes), approximately 580 steps on foot (30–40 minutes uphill), or by donkey)
• Athinios Port — Approximately 10 km south of Fira (Coach (used by some organised ship excursions))

Mobility & step-free access

Getting around between the pier and town:

• Cable car — Links the Old Port tender landing to Fira at the cliff top; approximately 3-minute ride.
• Walk — Around 580 zig-zag steps connect the Old Port to Fira; also used by donkeys.
• Bus — Fira's central bus station serves Oia, Kamari, Perissa, Akrotiri and other island villages.
• Taxi — Limited in number; pre-booking recommended on busy ship days.

Step-free options vary by pier and by the day — confirm the specifics with your operator and the ship’s guest-services desk before booking.

Heading back at the end of the day: The two tender landing points are approximately 10 km apart; passengers should confirm before going ashore whether their ship is using the Old Port or Athinios, and return to the correct landing point.

Cruise lines don’t always tell you which pier you’re on, and it’s easy to forget once you’re ashore. As you leave the ship, note or photograph your pier’s name — then give your taxi that exact pier (or your ship’s name) for the trip back.

Your exact pier is assigned per sailing — confirm it on the ship’s daily programme or gangway signage before heading ashore.

Getting around & must-sees in Santorini

Getting around

Cruise ships tender to the Old Port below Fira; visitors reach the cliff-top town by cable car or on foot via steep steps, then use local buses or taxis to reach other villages.

• Cable car — Links the Old Port tender landing to Fira at the cliff top; approximately 3-minute ride.
• Walk — Around 580 zig-zag steps connect the Old Port to Fira; also used by donkeys.
• Bus — Fira's central bus station serves Oia, Kamari, Perissa, Akrotiri and other island villages.
• Taxi — Limited in number; pre-booking recommended on busy ship days.

More on getting around ↗

Must-see sights

• Oia — Cliff-top village known for white houses, blue domes, and sunset views.
• Fira — Caldera-edge island capital with viewpoints, shops, and museums.
• Akrotiri — Excavated Minoan Bronze Age town preserved under volcanic ash.
• Ancient Thera — Hilltop classical ruins above the villages of Kamari and Perissa.
• Santorini wineries — Wineries producing the island's volcanic Assyrtiko wines.

More sights & details ↗

Taxis & ride-hailing — Official sources name no ride-hailing apps; taxis are limited in number with potentially long wait times, especially in peak season.

Getting back to the pier

Cruise ships tender to the Old Port (Gialos) below Fira; the cable car connects Fira down to the Old Port for the return to the tender.

• Cable Car — Runs between cliff-top Fira and the Old Port (Gialos); primary way back down to the tender.
• Taxi — Limited in number; long waits possible in peak season.
• Bus — KTEL network connects main towns (Fira, Oia, Kamari, Perissa); serves Fira but not the Old Port directly.

Key facts only — confirm times, fares and seasonal openings locally.

Operator policies we’ve checked in Santorini

Before a tour earns its trust pills, we read the operator’s own site — their terms, cancellation and accessibility pages — and relay what they state. These are the operators’ own terms, not our verdicts; confirm when booking.

• KAMARI TOURS SANTORINI

  • Free cancellation — verified on the operator’s own site
  • Accessibility — Operator's own words: "Not wheelchair accessible"

• Santorini Getaways Travel & Tourism

  • Free cancellation — verified on the operator’s own site

• SantoriniYachtingClub

  • Free cancellation — verified with conditions: Private cruises: no fee cancelling up to 3 days before the confirmed date; 100% fee from 3 days to 1 day prior (their terms).
  • Group size — Max 12 people (operator private-catamaran cruise pages).

• Sunset Oia

  • Group size — Maximum 22 passengers on board (operator tour page).

• Top Santorini Tours E.E

  • Cancellation policy — Their tour page shows a 'cancellation up to 24 hours' line without refund terms; their full T&C page was unreachable when checked.
  • Group size — Operator's own words: "This wine tasting tour will have a maximum of 12 travelers."

• Trekking Hellas Santorini

  • Cancellation policy — Daily activities: full refund only cancelling more than 16 days prior (their booking terms).
  • Accessibility — Operator's own framing: moderate fitness level needed; ages 12+; 11 km / 6.8 mi, difficulty level 3, 75% sun exposure; no previous experience needed.
  • Group size — Minimum 2 participants; no maximum stated.

How we check, and what “not stated” means

Eating & shopping in Santorini

Restaurants and cafés concentrate along the caldera edge in Fira and along the main street in Oia; ships tender to the Old Port at Gialos, from which Fira is reached by cable car.

Where to eat

• Fira (caldera edge) — Restaurants and cafés line the caldera-facing side of the capital.
• Oia — Shops, cafés and restaurants line the village.
• Old Port (Gialos) — Tender landing point; Fira is accessed from here via cable car.

Local specialities

• Santorini fava — PDO yellow split peas served with onion, oregano, capers and olive oil.
• Tomatokeftedes / domatokeftedes — Cherry-tomato fritters made with feta and herbs.
• Santorini cherry tomatoes — PDO-designated local variety.
• Local volcanic-soil wine — Wine produced from grapes grown in Santorini's volcanic soil.

More on eating here ↗

Areas and specialities as described by the source — not our recommendations; confirm openings and prices locally.

Local know-hows in Santorini

Money

Currency

Euro

Cards

Using a debit card at ATMs is recommended for obtaining local currency; ATMs are widely available throughout Greece.

ATMs

ATMs are located throughout Greece.

Tipping

Tipping is discretionary in Greece. Visit Greece notes that tipping your guides is recommended; in tavernas and cafes it is common to round up or leave a little extra for good service, though there is no fixed percentage stated by the tourism board.

More on money here ↗

Practicalities

Language

Greek; English is widely spoken, particularly in the tourist industry and among younger Greeks.

Tap water

Don't rely on the tap water for drinking. Santorini has no natural fresh water, so the mains supply is desalinated seawater or brackish borehole water; it is heavily treated and tastes salty/flat, the supply can be unreliable, and locals and hotels universally use bottled water. Use bottled water for drinking and brushing teeth, and ask your accommodation if unsure.

Plugs

Type F, 230V / 50Hz

More practical info ↗

Key facts to know before you step off — confirm anything time-sensitive locally.

Port busyness in Santorini

Often very busy

A small island caldera port, tender-only, with a narrow cable-car bottleneck, a single famous sunset village, and a government-imposed daily passenger cap introduced due to documented overtourism.

Peak pattern: Busiest mid-morning through afternoon when multiple ships' tour groups are ashore together; a second severe pinch point late in the day at the cable car and tender return.

Quieter: Early morning before tour waves go ashore; single-ship days; shoulder months of April and late October tend to be noticeably calmer.

• Tender-only — adds queuing delays at Old Port
• Cable car bottleneck (~1,200 people/hour capacity)
• Oia sunset and Fira caldera paths funnel crowds
• Government daily cap imposed due to overtourism

This shows a typical day for the time of year — actual crowds vary on your date, and it isn’t a guarantee.

What we’ve checked in Santorini — and when

We last checked the facts on this page between 10 Jun 2026 and 18 Jul 2026. Live travel advisories refresh automatically from the official sources.

Docking & getting ashore

Verified by The Excursion Edit against official sources · 23 Jun 2026

Getting around

Verified by The Excursion Edit against official sources · 10 Jun 2026

How busy it gets

Verified by The Excursion Edit against official sources · 23 Jun 2026

What can catch you out

Verified by The Excursion Edit against official sources · 18 Jul 2026

Operator policies

From each operator’s own site and terms

Travel advisories

FCDO (GOV.UK) & US State Department · refreshed automatically

How we check, and what “not stated” means