Santorini Cruise Holidays
The island of Santorini, also known as Thira, is one of the most iconic Greek islands that is famed for its whitewashed building and blue roofs that sit at the top of the steep cliffs overlooking the Aegean Sea.
The historic island has a long history, including one of the largest Volcanic eruptions in history but in modern times, the picture perfect setting and views make for the perfect holiday snaps and offer the chance to take a selfie to make your friends and family jealous on Instagram.
Tourism to the island started with wealthy visitors exploring the Aegean Sea on yacht cruises but now the town of Thira is open to all on a wide range of cruise ships from the majority of the world’s biggest cruise lines.
The island of Santorini is a bucket list destination that may seem out of reach for many people due to the remote nature of the island but that just makes it the perfect place to visit on board a cruise ship.
Cruises To Santorini
Santorini Cruise Guide
This guide is for those who have already booked a cruise to the island and are looking to make the most of their time on shore or for those who are still in the research stage and are trying to decide whether a cruise to Santorini/Thira is right for them or not.
Type of Cruises Available
The majority of those heading to island will need to fly to a eastern Mediterranean port city to start there holiday but the good news is that there are a range of easy to reach options including the likes of Piraeus (Athens), Civitavecchia (Rome), Raveena and Corfu Town.
For those wanting to take a longer cruise, you can also sail from places such as Barcelona, Istanbul, Valetta and Trieste and many of both the western and eastern Med departure ports offer a chance to enjoy a great destination before or after your cruise by adding on a short hotel stay.
There is also the opportunity to visit Santorini on a No Fly cruise directly from the UK but for those wanting to take that option, you will need to be able to cruise for around 3 weeks or more and with only a handful of options each year, you will also need to be incredibly flexible.
Santorini Cruise Port Location
Ships cannot dock in Santorini due a lack of infrastructure and the small size of the land available on the island.
That means ships drop anchor close to the main town of Thira in the Caldera, where you will be dropped off at the foot of the cliffs in Skala, from where most visitors will head up to cliff top Thira.
Santorini Attractions
Santorini is one of those destination where most visitors will simply head to the old town to walk around, explore and enjoy its stunning beauty and incredible views.
In other words, the place itself is the attraction of the port of call but there are some added extras to make your day on shore even more exciting and memorable.
One popular option is to take the Fira-Oia hiking trail that links the two main towns on the island and allows you to enjoy those stunning views but away from the crowds.
The Santo winery also allows you to take in the views but without all of the effort of hiking as you sit on the cliff side terrace to try some locally made wine.
Santorini Shorex
If all the walking, cliff climbing and exploring just sounds like too much effort for you, there are a number of options to visit nearby beaches for a day of sunbathing and swimming in the clear blue waters of the Aegean Sea.
No visit to Greece wouldn’t be complete without seeing some of its ancient history and is an option for those visiting Thira as there are several sights of interest where ancient building can be explored including the Akrotiri Archaeological site.
Best Time To Visit Santorini
The Greek Islands cruising season runs from late March to October although there are opportunities to visit throughout the year.
As the summer gets incredibly hot in the area and the small island gets crowded during the school summer holidays, we would recommend visiting in June or early July to get those picture perfect blue sky photos but without avoiding the huge crowds.
Transport
The island does have an international airport and 2 ferry ports, the majority of those visiting the island onboard a cruise ship will take advantage of 3 types of transportation.
To get from the tender drop off in Skala, it is around 580 steps to the town of Thira and although the walk down can make for an interesting experience as you take in the views and stop off at the numerous street vendors, the hike up is less enjoyable for most.
Thankfully, there is the option to take a cable car up the hill, although this can have a long wait if you are on a huge ship or if there are numerous cruise ships in port that day.
There are regular bus services from Thira (also known as Fira) to most other parts of the island and to many of the other tourist hot spots and attractions.
The Old port of Skala is also home to many tour boats heading to places such as Nea Kameni, Santorini s great beaches and simple boat rides for those who want something different from a trip up the cliff.
Santorini Cruises From UK
It is possible to visit Santorini directly from the UK onboard a cruise ship but there are only a handful of itineraries offered each year and if you would like to make the trip, it will take around 3 weeks to complete the round trip.
Santorini Cruises From Southampton
If you are looking for No Fly itineraries, the most options are offered out of the UK’s leading cruise port in Southampton.
