The 15 Best Village Tours in Santorini

1.Santorini’s Iconic Villages: Oia, Imerovigli & Firostefani

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 708 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $62Our pick

Visit Firostefani, Imerovigli, Finikia, and Oia with a local guide in an air-conditioned minibus. You’ll get photo stops, bottled water, island commentary, and 90 minutes to explore Oia. Guides such as Yiannis, George, Joanna, and Krystos are praised for helpful tips and photography.

“Good overview of a lovely area! Loved the tour guide! Good overview… take the TRAM, the steps are crazy!”

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2.Lost Atlantis 9D Experience Museum Entry Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 440 reviews · 1 hour · from $16Best value

Visit Santorini’s Lost Atlantis Museum in Megalochori for an hour of Plato, Minoan history, holograms, augmented reality, and a sensory 9D account of the eruption. Guides explain each exhibit in Greek or English, while displays offer eight language options.

“We loved this guide to the world of the lost Atlantis. Would recommend it to anyone.”

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3.Santorini in 5 hours: Oia, Traditional Villages & Black Beach

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 282 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $95Top rated

This five-hour Santorini tour links the island’s famous caldera views with quieter village streets and black-sand Perivolos Beach. You’ll travel by air-conditioned minibus with a local guide such as George, Chris, Christos, or Spiros, with free time for photos, shopping, lunch, and swimming.

“We had a private tour and he took us all over explaining everything there was to see. He was excellent! Highly recommend this tour to everyone!”

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4.Private Cultural Villages Sightseeing & Akrotiri Excavations

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 135 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $217

Visit Pyrgos, Megalochori, Emporio, and the 4,000-year-old Akrotiri ruins in a private air-conditioned van. Local guides such as Panagiota, Vasilis, Alex, and Sakis tailor the pace, avoid busy coach routes, and share Santorini’s past and present.

“Fantastic tour around Santorini to learn more about the island! If you’re wanting to learn some history and get out of the main hubs this is the tour! Vasilis did a magnificent job!”

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5.Mesa Gonia, Pyrgos and Oia Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 79 reviews · 7 hours · from $48

See Santorini beyond the postcard cliffs on a seven-hour bus tour through Mesa Gonia, Pyrgos, and Oia. You’ll visit the earthquake-damaged Ghost Village, Byzantine churches, a Venetian fortress, and finish with sunset in Oia. English and German guides are offered, with pickup from selected resort areas.

“Wir hauen den Ausflug in frisch gebucht, mein Mann verstand leider kein Wort !”

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6.Horseback Riding Tour for Experienced Riders

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 65 reviews · from $215

Ride from Megalochori through vineyards to Eros Beach, then canter and gallop across black sand before climbing ancient trails above Santorini’s caldera. This small-group tour suits confident riders only and includes a guide, helmet, chaps, and guide-taken photos.

“Absolutely loved it, went on the safari beach gallop ride. Just me plus one other rider and the guide. Guide was lovely, took loads of photos for us. My horse was beautiful, I fell in love with him and he loved galloping along the beach. Would 100% do again. Great experience. Lots of canter and gallop.”

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7.Oia Sunset and Traditional Villages Full Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 64 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $66

Spend a full day touring Santorini by coach with a guide such as Kim, Yannis, or Christina. Visit Akrotiri, Emporio, Perissa Beach, Profitis Ilias, and Venetsanos Winery before ending in Oia for sunset. Hotel pickup is offered, though meeting points need careful checking.

“We felt like we were able to see the whole island of Santorini during this day trip. There were 6 stops. We enjoyed some free time during several of the stops. We did enjoy the archeological site and it would be nice if they added the ticket but we just planned the cost into our day! (We would have paid more for the tour so they could add the ticket and raise the cost of the tour!) The only thing that needs changed is at the wine tasting. No mention of prices or price list were given about the wine we tasted. It would be nice if they gave more…”

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8.Sunset In Oia & Traditional Villages Bus Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 54 reviews · 7 to 8 hours (approx.) · from $49

Explore Santorini with an English-speaking escort, stopping at a Byzantine church, Mesa Gonia, Pyrgos, and Oia. Tanya is one guide associated with this lively tour. Pickup is offered from several island areas, and you get about two and a half hours in Oia for sunset.

“Very busy but a perfect day for my son’s 18th. The tour guide was fantastic, funny and took lots of photos for everyone.”

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9.6hr Small Group Shore Excursion Villages & Wine

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 45 reviews · 6 hours (approx.) · from $156

Travel by air-conditioned vehicle from Santorini’s Fira cable car to Profitis Ilias, Megalochori, Oia’s Castle of St Nicholas, and Anhydrous Winery. You’ll hear island stories, taste wine with food pairings, and tour with a group of no more than 18 people.

“The guide was excellent and the driver was great! The tours in and around Santorini were also great as the guide was fabulous!”

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10.Private Santorini 4-Hours Tour : Oia, Megalochori & wine tasting

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 16 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $188

Spend four private hours with a driver-guide visiting Oia, Imerovigli, Megalochori, and Venetsanos Winery. You get caldera views, village time, photo stops, and volcanic wine tasting. Angelo is one guide named in past feedback, and pickup can be arranged from your hotel.

“We had such a great time seeing the red beach, black beach, Pyrgos Kallistis, the Monastery of Profitis Ilias, and Akrotiri with our wonderful guide, Angelo. The dishes and wine we tried were delicious and the experience of seeing all the sites we saw with a knowledgeable and fun guide made it even more special. We (four adults) highly recommend this tour and Angelo.”

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11.Hidden villages: Private tour 5-Hour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 14 reviews · from $301

Spend five hours with a local Santorini guide exploring Episkopi Gonias, Megalochori, Emporio, and Perivolos Beach. Hotel or port transfers, bottled water, and free time are included. Guides such as Akis add local stories, while lunch and drinks cost extra.

“Akis was TERRIFIC!! Showed us the hidden gems of Santorini Personable/funny A delight as our tour guide”

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12.Private Santorini Villages Morning Walking Tour inc. tastings

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 8 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $179

Spend four hours walking Imerovigli, Firostefani, and Fira with an English-speaking local guide. Sip coffee at a traditional kafeneion, taste family-made sweets, ice cream, beer, wine, and Greek tapas, and cover part of the Fira to Oia path. Pickup costs extra.

“Very knowledgeable about geology, biology, archaeology, etc. He had a lot of surprises in his bag of personal Greek foods from his family’s farm.”

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13.Santorini Traditional Villages and Oia Sunset Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 7 reviews · from $50

Spend about six hours touring Santorini with a guide such as Tanya, visiting Mesa Gonia, Pyrgos, Imerovigli, and Oia. You’ll see a 12th-century church, earthquake ruins, castle lanes, caldera views, and sunset terraces. Pickup is offered from selected hotels in Fira, Kamari, and Perissa.

“Tour was ok , the only claim is that when we arrived at 8.00 pm to Santorini the guide told us they had to leave in the Tour office and not in the meeting point as per booked because the bus could not enter on this area, so we had to walk more than 1 km with high winds and cold temperature seeing other tourist buses crossing on the way.?????”

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14.Traditional Villages & Akrotiri Excavations: Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 7 reviews · 4 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $240

Spend 4.5 hours exploring Pyrgos, Megalochori, Emporio, Akrotiri, and Red Beach in a private air-conditioned vehicle. Your English-speaking guide, including guides such as Dimitris, explains Santorini’s villages and past. Akrotiri admission is included, but an optional licensed guide is extra.

“Seeing Akrotiri was a once in a lifetime experience. We learned so much about the history of the island from our amazing guide. And, our tour guides that drove us around Santorini and the villages, were extremely knowledgeable about the places we went, super attentive, and very kind. We were thrilled with our experience. 5 Stars for all of our guides.”

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15.Private 4-Hour Cultural Villages Sightseeing Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 5 reviews · 4 hours

You’ll tour Santorini’s hill villages and Akrotiri in a private vehicle with an English-speaking guide. Expect flexible stops, Venetian fortifications, cave houses, volcanic views, and admission to the Bronze Age site. Guides have included Dimitrius, Argyris, Michele, and Irene.

“Our guide was awesome! He gave us the opportunity to shake up the original sites we had booked and we are so glad we listened to his suggestions. He was informative, friendly and kept up a very good narrative while driving. Highly recommend.”

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