The 9 Best Santorini Shore Excursions

1.The Best Santorini Small-Group Shore Excursion for Cruise Ships

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 344 reviews · 4 to 5 hours (approx.) · from $83Our pick

This 4 to 5-hour Santorini shore excursion takes up to 19 people from the port area to Firostefani, Oia, Megalochori, and Perivolos Beach. Expect an air-conditioned minibus, an English-speaking guide such as Gina, Victor, Alex, or Spiros, free time, photo stops, and a ship-return guarantee.

“Traveling with family with all ages. This tour was a perfect way to see and learn about Santorini. Our guide was on time and super friendly and helpful. We got some beautiful photos and spent a little time shopping. The guide was flexible with our schedule and we learned about the history of the island. She was very patient with our group.”

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2.SKIP CABLE CAR® The Original Santorini Tour for Cruise Passengers

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 268 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $47Best value

Meet at Santorini’s Old Harbor for a small-group shore excursion that uses a boat instead of the cable car, then an air-conditioned minibus to Oia, Finikia, Megalochori, and Perivolos Beach. Guides such as George, Zeus, Yani, and Viera lead the day in English, with time for photos, village walks, and a possible swim.

“Yianni is the best tour guide we have ever had. He was full of energy, had a ton of information and stories to tell about Santorini and its culture! He went out of his way to ensure our group had optimal photo opportunities and positions. We loved that he called us "best group ever". He made sure we made it back on time to our ship. Over all he put his tour group first in every way and made the whole trip memorable. 10/10 best guide ever!”

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3.Skip Gondola Shore Excursion: No Cable Car, Water Taxi Provided!

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 87 reviews · 6 hours (approx.) · from $54

Cover Santorini’s essential sights in about six hours with hotel, airport, or cruise pickup, a small group of up to 16, and water transport from the old port. Expect Oia, Imerovigli, Pyrgos, black-sand beaches, Megalochori, and photo stops with guides such as George, Nicolas, or Lisandros.

“Nicolas was a wonderful guide! He was so knowledgeable and took us to all the beautiful sites, plus took pictures for us.”

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4.Santorini 8-Hour Private Tour with Hotel & Cruise Port Pickup

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 64 reviews · 6 to 8 hours (approx.) · from $392

Spend 6 to 8 hours touring Santorini in a private vehicle with a local guide and driver. Visit Oia, Firostefani, Mount Prophet Elias, two beaches, the lighthouse, Fira, and Estate Argyros Winery. Hotel, airport, and cruise-port pickup are available.

“We had 12 travelers & they were able to accommodate our group in a very nice van. They were also able to shift to an alternative port pick up at the last minute when there was a power outage at the main port with the funicular. Our guide was able to show us the whole island, avoid the crowds & do a wine tasting all in 6 hrs. Fabulous day! Definitely recommend doing a private tour with them on Santorini. Very worth the price! Slight hiccup at the end of the day with a super long line for the funicular due to the earlier power outage & 5 cruise ships…”

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5.Private Shore Excursion: Best of Santorini Customized Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 55 reviews · 4 to 8 hours (approx.) · from $199

Build a private Santorini tour around your priorities, from Oia and the blue-domed churches to black beaches, Akrotiri, villages, and wineries. Guides including Theodore, Michael, and Theo handle the driving, local stories, photo stops, and port drop-off in an air-conditioned vehicle.

“Loved the flexibility. Driver was knowledgeable, friendly & spoke English well. Thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend!”

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6.Skip Gondola Private Tour : Cruise Port pick up included

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 54 reviews · 6 to 7 hours (approx.) · from $199

Spend 6 to 7 hours seeing Santorini with a private driver-guide such as Nikos, Katerina, Vasilis, or Tony. Visit Oia, Pyrgos, the Three Bells of Fira, Prophet Elias, the Heart of Santorini, and Perivolos Beach, with Wi-Fi, water, and cruise-port pickup included.

“Other than a little confusion about the meeting place, which was also partially our own fault, this was an excellent tour of this beautiful island. Nikos, our guide, was friendly and very knowledgeable. He let us decide how much walking we could do, and gave us a very thorough tour, with a lot of information.”

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7.One Day in Santorini from Cruise Ship: Ultimate Island Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 53 reviews · 4 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $120

Travel by air-conditioned vehicle with a private guide such as Efstratios, also called Stratos, across Santorini’s best-known sights. You’ll visit Oia, Imerovigli, Firostefani, Pyrgos, Perissa Black Sand Beach, and Akrotiri Lighthouse in about 4.5 hours.

“Efstratios was a great tour guide and we really enjoyed it. We saw almost all the island . Thank you and we will be back soon.”

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8.Private Shore Excursion: Best of Santorini Customized Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 16 reviews · 4 - 6 hours · from $194

You choose the pace and priorities on this 4 to 6 hour private Santorini tour. A driver-guide such as Theodore, Theo, Michalis, or Marcos can take you to Oia, Firostefani, black beaches, Pyrgos, wineries, and Akrotiri, with hotel, airport, or port pickup.

“Theo was wonderful. He was late due to traffic, but offered us an additional hour at no extra charge.”

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9.Best of Santorini 5-hour Tour for Cruise Ship Travellers

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · from $131

Travel in a private Citroen Berlingo with an English-speaking driver-guide to Fira, Oia, Pyrgos, Red Beach, and Black Beach. You’ll see the Three Bells of Fira, Big Blue Dome, Saint Elias Monastery, and volcanic scenery, with pickup and drop-off arranged at your chosen Santorini location.

“This was a fantastic way to see around Santorini and make the most of the day. Perfect for people on a cruise. Our knowledgeable guide Dimitris was great, he showed us around interesting and picturesque parts of Santorini, we got to see things that we would’ve missed if touring on our own. Would highly recommend.”

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