Getting around · Santorini · Greece
Getting around Santorini
Public transport, passes, airport connections and when a car makes sense.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Edal Anton Lefterov, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Santorini is small but hilly, and its villages are spread along a 20-kilometre road network. KTEL buses radiate from Fira's central bus station; otherwise visitors rent cars, quad bikes or scooters, book taxis or join tours. Not essential if you stay in Fira and use buses and tours, but a car for a day or two makes it much easier to reach wineries, Akrotiri, the lighthouse and quieter beaches.
Key facts
- Main way around
- Bus
- Airports
- JTR
- Need a car?
- Sometimes
Ways to get around
Bus
KTEL buses from Fira's bus station run to Oia, Kamari, Perissa, Akrotiri, the airport and Athinios port. Buses are frequent in summer but get crowded, and most routes require changing in Fira.
Pay the conductor in cash on board and check the last bus time back, especially after sunset in Oia.
Car
A small rental car is the most flexible way to reach the wineries, Akrotiri and the beaches, but parking in Fira and Oia is very limited in summer.
Park at the edge of Oia and walk in rather than driving through the village.
Scooter
Quad bikes and scooters are widely rented, but the roads are narrow, busy and winding, and accidents involving visitors are common.
Wear a helmet and avoid riding after dark or after drinking.
Taxi
Taxis are few for the number of visitors, so queues at Fira's rank and the port can be long; pre-booked private transfers are widely used.
Walking
The caldera path links Fira, Firostefani, Imerovigli and Oia on foot; distances inside each village are short but involve many steps.
Boat
Boats from Fira Old Port, Athinios and Amoudi Bay run volcano trips and caldera cruises, and ferries from Athinios connect to Athens and other islands.
From the airport
Santorini (Thira) Airport is on the east coast near Kamari, about 6 km from Fira. Buses run to Fira's bus station in about 15–20 minutes, and taxis and pre-booked transfers take a similar time. Ferries dock at Athinios, about 10 km south of Fira, where buses and transfers meet arrivals.
Do you need a car?
Not essential if you stay in Fira and use buses and tours, but a car for a day or two makes it much easier to reach wineries, Akrotiri, the lighthouse and quieter beaches.
Reaching the day trips
| Destination | Travel time | How |
|---|---|---|
| Ios | About 40–60 minutes by high-speed ferry | High-speed ferry from Athinios port |
| Naxos | About 1.5–2 hours by high-speed ferry | High-speed ferry from Athinios port |
| Heraklion and Knossos, Crete | About 2 hours each way by high-speed ferry | High-speed ferry to Heraklion, then bus or taxi |
| Mykonos | About 2–2.5 hours each way by high-speed ferry | High-speed ferry from Athinios port |
Questions travellers ask
+Do you need a car in Santorini?
Not essential if you stay in Fira and use buses and tours, but a car for a day or two makes it much easier to reach wineries, Akrotiri, the lighthouse and quieter beaches.
+How do you get from the airport to Santorini?
Santorini (Thira) Airport is on the east coast near Kamari, about 6 km from Fira. Buses run to Fira's bus station in about 15–20 minutes, and taxis and pre-booked transfers take a similar time. Ferries dock at Athinios, about 10 km south of Fira, where buses and transfers meet arrivals.
+What is the best way to get around Santorini?
Bus: KTEL buses from Fira's bus station run to Oia, Kamari, Perissa, Akrotiri, the airport and Athinios port. Buses are frequent in summer but get crowded, and most routes require changing in Fira.