My most anticipated stop on my 7 day Greek Isles cruise on the Norwegian Jade was Santorini (read my full cruise review here). I saw all the beautiful pictures of blue domed churches and couldn’t wait to explore Santorini for myself. To be perfectly honest, the experience did not live up to the hype. I suspect that spending only one day in Santorini from a cruise ship does not do it justice.
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Getting Around Santorini from a Cruise Ship
Santorini has two cruise ports: Athinios Port and Old Port of Fira. Both require a tender to reach them from your cruise ship. If you book a bus tour through your cruise ship, you will use both ports. Upon departure from the ship, you will arrive in Athinios to board your bus. On the return journey, you will be bused to Fira to head back to your ship. If you do not book an excursion through your cruise ship, you will likely arrive and depart from Old Port of Fira.
If you are coming to Santorini I am going to assume you want to go to Oia, Santorini’s most famous city with iconic views of blue domed churches. While you can technically hike from Fira to Oia, it is about 6 miles (one way) and will take nearly 3 hours in the hot sun. I don’t think it makes sense to spend so much of your one day in Santorini hiking this route. Instead, I recommend arranging transportation.
Note, that to reach your tender from Old Port of Fira you will need to walk up/down hundreds of steps or wait in line for the cable car. Lines can be long so plan accordingly.
Do I Need to Book an Excursion or Can I see Santorini on my Own?
Given the distance between the cruise ports and the things to see in Santorini, I recommend booking an excursion or your own guided tour of the island. If you don’t like the tours offered by your cruise ship, Viator offers a few different options including a cruise ship passenger tour and private tour. Alternatively, if you only plan on visiting Oia during your stay, consider arranging a taxi and exploring on your own.
A Review of My One Day in Santorini Experience
We booked a multi-stop excursion with lunch through our cruise ship. First, we took a bus to Pyrgos village. This village is the highest point of Santorini (meaning you have to climb stairs to explore) and was charming for a quick stop. We walked around, took some photos, and then boarded the bus to go to lunch.
After lunch, we drove to Oia, the popular destination in Santorini. We had a brief guided tour then a limited amount of free time to explore. The town was crowded which definitely detracted from the experience. We explored some shops and kept looking for those iconic views of the domed churches. Next, we stopped for a snack and ended up seated on a rooftop right above the blue domes for a beautiful view. This serendipitous stop was the highlight of the day! Overall, our stay here felt rushed due to the timing of the excursion. Plus, the extremely crowded streets made me feel like is was okay to leave early.
After Oia, we took the bus to Fira town. Here, our guide showed us where to reach the cable cars to return to the tender to our ship. Afterwards, we had free time and needed to get back to the ship on our own. I think we ended up with more free time in Fira than we did on Oia, which was disappointing. There was a lot of shopping available in Fira town, but it was very commercial feeling and did not have the charming architecture of Oia.
Things to do with One Day in Santorini from a Cruise Ship
Oia – One Day in Santorini Highlight
Yes, Oia left me underwhelmed and it’s a very touristy and crowded spot. But let’s face it, most of us are going to Santorini for those Instagram worthy views. I am sure you want to see Oia for yourself so I still recommend stopping here. If this the only place you really want to see, then I think you should skip the excursion and tour the city on your own. This will allow you to explore at a more leisurely pace and maybe avoid some crowds.
Akrotiri Archeologic Site
Akrotiri is an ancient archeologic site of a city that was buried by a volcanic eruption. You can explore this excavated city and purchase a skip the line ticket in advance.
Wine Tasting
Santorini is known for its wine and you could spend your one day here on a wine tasting tour.
Beaches
Santorini is not known for having the best beaches in Greece, but the island does have some interesting options with red or black sand. If you want to spend your one day in Santorini on the beach, check out Red Beach, Perissa and Perivolos, or Kamari beach.
If you are looking for more things to do in nearby Greek islands, check out my guides on Athens, Kusadasi (Turkey), Corfu, Argostoli, and Rhodes. If you are wondering what it’s like to do a cruise through the Greek Isles, read my review of the Norwegian Jade here.