Arriving to Santorini on a Cruise ship
When you arrive to Santorini on a cruise ship there are two possible places for you to get ashore. Because the island doesn’t have a large cruise terminal, passengers are brought ashore via small boats.
- Santorini’s cruise port also called the port of Skala, or the old port that is located at the base of the Caldera Cliffs in Fira, the capital of Santorini.
- Santorini’s ferry port also called the port of Athinios, or the new port that is located at the base of the Caldera Cliffs in closer to Megalochori, the center of the island.
Disembarking at the new port
Athinios port is located at the Southwest part of the island below the village of Megalochori and is serves all passengers and commercial ships that come to the island.
Athinios port is a small port and can get quite crowded during the summer season. The advantage of disembarking to this board is that it allows direct access to the road network of the island. Having said that the visitors disembarking there have the options of :
- Taking the local bus to go around Santorini.
- Getting on one of the guided tours that go around the island on a bus
- Hiring a car with a driver to drive them around Santorini in a custom tour.
- Hiring a car, a motorcycle or an ATV to go explore the islands by themselves.
Disembarking at the old port
Disembarking at the port of Fira doesn’t tell the true story. Although you are actually in Fira (below the town) to get to the actual town can be quite a daunting task. There is no road that connects the Old Port to the town of Fira so you still have to make your own way up there. There are three possible ways to do that.
- There is a stairway that connects the Old Port to the town and you can walk up but they reminded that it’s about 250 m or 700 ft of climb and how about 700 steps that are not easy to work on especially on a hot summer day. In the case that you decide to do that its a good idea to be wearing light clothing,a hat and lots of sunscreen as it can take about 30 minutes to make it all the way there. Also don’t forget to buy some water to have with you as there is no place to drink on the way.
- Alternatively you can take a donkey ride to make your way up or down. Riding on a donkey can be somewhat of a scary experience as these animals stay close to the side of the stairway and the cliffs and it can be beautiful but scary looking down especially if you are not used to the whole riding experience. You will find the donkey owners stationed at the old port of fira as well as in fira town just as you reach the stairway.
- The cable car is a great way to avoid the crowded stairway from the old port to fira. It’s also a great way to see the beautiful scenery on Santorini. The views from the cable car are incredible, and it’s definitely worth taking a ride!
The cable car runs from early morning until later in the evening and is the easiest and fastest way to go up or down in less than 2 minutes.