Canonical page: /p/greece/santorini/ Collected: 2026-10-18 JSON: /p/greece/santorini/index.json [Ports](/ports/) Greece # Santorini Island [About the port](/p/greece/santorini/)[Timetable](/p/greece/santorini/timetable/2026-10/) Getting ashore Tender Into Fira Cable car Best starting point Fira Currency [Euro - EUR](https://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/?Amount=1&From=EUR) ![White buildings along Fira's cliffs above the blue water of Santorini's caldera.](/port-photos/santorini-360.jpg?v=3640928360d0) ## Getting ashore Ships anchor in the caldera. You come ashore by tender. Independent visitors usually land at [Skala, the old harbour below Fira](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Skala+Old+Port+Fira+Santorini+Greece) . Ship excursions often use [Athinios](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Athinios+ferry+port+Santorini+Greece) , the ferry port, and leave by coach from there. Skala is a small dock under a high cliff. A few stalls and lots of mules are there. The town is not at the water. Fira, the capital, is up on the rim, and the climb starts as soon as you step off the tender. ## Watch-outs This is a tender port. The last boat back is the time that matters. The cable-car ride is only a few minutes. Queues at both ends are what make people late, and they grow when several ships are anchored. If your ship is one of the last in, a ship's excursion can be the practical way into Fira. The afternoon is hot, and shade on the open cliff is scarce. Allow longer for the queue and the tender than for the ride. Come back to the landing named on your ship's note. ## Getting up to Fira The cable car links the old harbour with [Fira](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Fira+Santorini+Greece) . The ride takes about three minutes. The operator's price list has quoted a regular fare of about €10 each way, about €20 both ways. Treat that figure as an estimate and recheck it. The upper station sits further from the centre than the top of the steps. The donkey path is the other route: a steep, uneven flight of about 600 steps. You can walk, or ride a mule for about €7. The stones are slippery, so sturdy shoes help. Walkers and mules share the path. Do not rely on the steps being open. ## Taxis & ride apps [Santorini Taxi](https://www.santorinitaxi.com/) takes pre-booked transfers. [Uber Taxi](https://www.uber.com/gr/en/r/cities/taxi/thiras-notiou-aigaiou-gr/) also lists the island. If you land at Skala, book the car for Fira, after you are up in the town. The old harbour is the wrong place for that pick-up. Use Athinios only when your ship is landing there. The road up from the ferry port is a steep string of bends. It is a hard ride if heights bother you. A taxi from Fira to Oia, about 11 km north, is about €15. Agree the pick-up point and the fare before you get in. ## What to do nearby For a short call, stay in Fira. You are already on the cliff, so there is no second transfer. The caldera side is a walk of viewpoints, shops and cafés in narrow lanes. The ground is uneven, and the lanes are often crowded. Following the rim from one end to the other is a long stroll. The bus station is near the cathedral, at the far end of the pedestrian way from the cliff lift. That station is the bus for Oia and for the beaches. Seats along the rim are scarce. Pause when you need a rest. ## Visiting Oia [Oia](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Oia+Santorini+Greece) (ee-aa) is about 11 km north of Fira, on its own cliff. The bus takes about 30 minutes and about €1.80 one way. Buy the ticket on the bus. The last stop is a short walk from the centre. Boats from the old harbour reach Ammoudi, below the village, in about 20 minutes. About €30 includes the boat and the bus up. The bus on to Fira takes about half an hour. Or about €25 a person, with the village bus, about 90 minutes ashore, and the bus back to Fira. Fix the tender ride before you leave. The lanes are steep, and sunset draws a crowd. ## Other outings [Akrotiri](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Akrotiri+archaeological+site+Santorini+Greece) is a town the volcano buried about 3,500 years ago. You walk the old streets under a roof. It is a bus or taxi ride from Fira, not a stop by the tender. [Kamari](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Kamari+beach+Santorini+Greece) and [Perissa](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Perissa+beach+Santorini+Greece) are the busy black-sand beaches, and they are a journey too. The shore is stony. The water deepens quickly, and currents and waves can be strong. For calmer water, try Monolithos, Vlichada or Agios Georgios. Snorkelling is from Amoudi, the little port under Oia. Each of these is its own outing, with a long ride at both ends. ## Food & shopping Fira is the place to eat and to shop. Ypapantis Street, nicknamed Gold Street, is a long row of jewellers. Cafés and restaurants fill the lanes beside it. Local plates include tomato fritters, fava made from yellow split peas, white aubergine and a salad of capers and tomato. A table looking over the caldera costs more than a café in a side lane. Read the prices before you sit. The duty-free shop on the tender dock is the simpler buy for water and snacks. Pay in euros. Dollars are sometimes accepted, and the rate is often poor. Keep coins for the bus. ## Opening times & connectivity Look up the cable car's hours for your date before you go ashore. Seasonal times change, and a holiday can shut a museum or a church you hoped to see. Shops on the island often stay open late. Their hours do not tell you when the cable car runs. Greek is the local language. English is widely spoken in Fira and around the harbour. Free Wi-Fi is available at the tender dock. In town, many cafés will share theirs if you buy a drink. Save your route back, and any ticket, on your phone before you leave the ship. In an emergency, call 112. ## Accessibility & mobility The tender is the first barrier. Ask your ship about wheelchairs and about help boarding a small boat. Fira and Oia stand on cliffs. Both have slopes, steps and rough paths, and level ground is rare. The cable car is the route from Skala that avoids the donkey path. Ask the operator if a wheelchair or scooter can board, and what the floor is like at each station. The path itself is about 600 steep, uneven steps, shared with mules. It is not a fallback for a wheelchair. A booked car meets you in Fira after the climb, unless your ship is using Athinios. Plan your call ## Who's in port? 125 calls in the collected schedule. [View timetable](/p/greece/santorini/timetable/2026-10/) ## Maps & transport - [Cruise port on Google MapsSkala / Fira tender landing ↗](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Skala+Old+Port+Fira+Santorini+Greece) - [Cable car information and ticketsOfficial operator ↗](https://santorinicablecar.gr/) - [Santorini island guide and mapVisit Greece ↗](https://www.visitgreece.gr/en/islands/santorini) ## Useful links - [Convert euros to your currencyDaily reference rates ↗](https://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/?Amount=1&From=EUR) - [Check cable-car faresPublished fares and ticket conditions ↗](https://santorinicablecar.gr/price-list/) - [Check landing arrangementsOld harbour and excursion landings ↗](https://www.santoriniports.gov.gr/en/cruise)