I have a family of 10 that will be coming into Santorini on a cruise ship. I would like to hire a shuttle to take us to Oia. Do we have to wait for the Donkeys or the Cable car to take us to Fira to get transportation? Can cars drive to the tender drop off? I have heard that RC drops off there excursion customers at a different dock and then they tender the rest of the passengers into Fira where there is only the option of walking up with the donkeys or waiting in the long line for the Gondola? If this is the case, is there anyway we could get off with the excursion customers and arrange for a taxi to pick us up?
Posted by
Carmel, CA, USA
2456 posts
I’m not sure of the response, but I do expect you’d get more attention on the Greece Forum instead of this Italy Forum.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16206 posts
It’s been a few years since I went, but there are city buses from Fira to Oia. I’m willing to bet those buses are still there and will,probably be there when you go.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32398 posts
As suggested earlier, you'll probably get more responses to your question in the Greece section of the forum.
Your cruise ship will probably deliver passengers to the "old port" using tenders. From there I'd suggest using the cable car to get up to Fira. I'm not a big fan of using the poor overworked donkeys. They have quite an "odour" and your clothes would probably need laundering after the ride. If you're energetic, you could also hike up the paved path.
From the upper cable car station, you can easily walk to all the posh shops in Fira. If you want to also visit Oia, a Taxi would be the easiest method. Be sure to leave adequate time for your return to the ship, as the cable car station may be excessively busy in the late afternoon, as all your ship mates will be heading down about the same time.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16206 posts
I don’t know, but Santorini sounds Italian to me, not Greek.
Like Mussolini, Rossini, Paganini, Broccolini, Bucatini. Santorini must be also in Italy :-)
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23653 posts
....is there anyway we could get off with the excursion customers and arrange for a taxi to pick us up?..... Who knows??? That is solely up to the policies of your cruise ship. Ask them !!