I will be arriving in Santorini by cruise ship so I only have the one day there, from 8am to 6pm. I keep reading that Oia is really the place to be, rather than Fira, which is where the cruise ship lands. However, my parents went to Santorini a few years ago by cruise and had done no reading ahead of time. In their ignorance they just stayed in Fira and loved it! They had no idea that something that was supposed to be better was being missed. So, thoughts on Fira vs Oia? If we just stayed in Fira for the day, would we be happy? Should we really consider one of the many excursions, like a boat trip to the hot springs/volcano? Or we could rent a car and drive around to Imerovili, Firostefani and/or Megalochori. I am overwhelmed and confused and would love some input from those that have already gone there! Thank you!
Posted by
Nanaimo, BC, Canada
1441 posts
We have been to Santorini twice on cruise ships. The first time we just stayed in Fira and wandered around. While its not as lovely as Oia there was lots to see in the city and the views of the Caldera are magnificent. I don't think you will be disappointed if you just stay in Fira.
On the second trip we went to the bus station in Fira and took the local KTEL bus to the village of Pyrgos. It used to be the capital and has great views across the island. The top of the village was a walled city and it is fun to wander inside the walls. Pyrgos took us a couple of hours. We returned to the bus stop and had a Nescafe Frappe. It was a delightful day and we got back to Fira well before the crush of returning day trippers at the cable car station.
Either option will give you a lovely day.
Of course Oia is a great option as well. There is a boat that takes you from the tender dock all the way to Ammudi bay and then transport up to Oia. That excursion includes transportation back to Fira but then you still will want to be at the cable cars well before the crowds return.
This is our experience in Santorini
Santorini http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157632154800782/
Posted by
11569 posts
We saw very long lines of cruise ship passengers waiting to take the gondola back down to area with the tenders so be aware of time needed to return to ship.
Oia is much more scenic than Fira.
The Archeological site of Akrotiri is open again and is well worth your time. Oia looks like what visitors think is what Greece looks like, the travel posters. Except it is filled with tourist focused shops. Lots of them. We stayed in Oia and couldn’t wait to leave.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, US
1005 posts
I was there last year and my preference would be to head straight for Oia. It's crowded and overpriced, but it really is a beautiful as everyone says it is. We took the KTEL bus from the bus "station" (really a parking lot) and it was very cheap and convenient. Be sure to have cash for the conductor.
Posted by
Alpharetta, Ga, USA
277 posts
We stayed in Firostefani (with a great view BTW) last year in late April - think we saw one cruise ship each day. The short walk to Fira was very pleasant.
Early morning we drove to Oia and were surprised by the relatively small numbers of tourists in town. Took almost 2 hours of walking about and taking photographs before we realized the electricity to all of Oia was turned off for some construction until noon! turned out to be an excellent method of reducing the tourist crush. As we left at noon the hoards of tourists descended pretty quickly.
Oia is certainly more scenic in some ways, a bit inconvenient to cruise ship passengers, and can certainly be very crowded.. Always consider you don't actually have from 8 to 6, it takes a while to get off and get back to the ship. IMO one of the huge disadvantages of a cruise ship is that you miss the best part of the day (mornings and evening/sunset) as you return to the ship for the late dinner seating, but I expect you already know this.
Posted by
WA State
3961 posts
Some wonderful options on this thread. We stayed in Firostefani 4 nights and walked to Fira a few times. We took the bus in the am to Oia and spent a few hours before the cruise ship passengers arrived. If you choose to visit lovely Fira at lunchtime we highly recommend Stani. Exquisite view, delicious cuisine, hospitable staff and affordable.
Another option is a day tour. We took a guided bus tour that included Akrotiri, Megalochori, lunch at Black Beach, stop at Red Beach and brief winery tour and tasting. We met our tour bus in Firostefani at 9:30 and completed the tour before 4 pm. It was the highlight of our time in Santorini.
Posted by
OP
6 posts
Lots of great information here. Thank you, everyone! Janis ~ this day trip that you mentioned. Can you tell me who you used and how much it was? I have seen some tours like this, but they are very expensive!
Posted by
WA State
3961 posts
I don't recall the name of the tour company. It was arranged at our hotel. This site, www.greeka.com follows the same itinerary that I mentioned upthread. We had the choice to opt out of the evening view in Oia. We chose to visit Oia the following morning to avoid the crowds. We had the same Caldera view in Firostephani. We were there September 2017. The price was less than €50. We felt it was worth the price. It was the highlight of our stay.
Posted by
midland, tx, usa
78 posts
Our first time to Santorini was a day stop while on the Windstar cruise. We went directly to one of the rental car companies and rented a small car and started driving. We went to Oia and it is beautiful, but we loved driving to the other side of the island and seeing the beaches. We went to one of the small fishing villages and stopped for lunch and did the visit to the winery. There are hoards of people around the port area and crowds going to and from the boat tenders.
We are going back in October, this time we are staying 3 nights. Hopefully October won’t be so crowded. Have fun!! You will love it.