Top Crete activities
Top Crete landmarks
Beyond Crete
Crete trip ideas
Full-Day Santorini Island Trip from Crete
Crete, Greece
Likely to Sell Out
From $200.06
Select Date and Travelers
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
- 12 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Explore our promoted experiences
Overview
Take a day out from Crete to visit Santorini on this day trip. Board a boat to this famous volcanic island, known for its sea-filled caldera (crater) and black cliffs. On arrival, enjoy a caldera cruise to admire the whitewashed houses perched high on the cliffs, and take an island tour to stroll along the clifftops and visit Thira and Oia. Boat transfers, transport on Santorini, and pickup and drop-off at selected Crete hotels included.
- Full-day cruise trip to Santorini from Crete
- Sail to the volcanic island, famous for its black cliffs
- Cruise on the caldera to admire the whitewashed clifftop towns
- Soak in the caldera views on a cliffside stroll
- Island tour with time to stroll in the capital, Thira, and town of Oia
- Includes transport and pickup and drop-off from selected Crete hotels
What's Included
- Tour escort/host
- Return boat transfers to Santorini
- Local taxes
- Food and drinks
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Start time
08:00 AM
Pickup details
Pickup from selected hotels in: Heraklion, Gouves, Gournes, Kokkini Chani, Chersonissos, Malia, Analypsis, Anissaras, Stalida, Rethymnon, Bali, Georgioupolis, and the Chania and Kalyves areas.
What To Expect
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants must sit on laps
- Most travelers can participate
- ATTENTION: by law all full names, birthdates and nationality is mandatory in order to participate on any boat tour.
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
- Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
Traveler Photos
See more
Reviews
3.5
72 reviews
Kraig_H, Apr 2024
The views of the cities and islands. Guides was very informative. Restaurant was very good. Thank you
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Dear Kraig_H,
Thank you for your kind words!
We're thrilled to hear that everything was perfect during your excursion in Santorini with us.
We appreciate your feedback and look forward to welcoming you back for more memorable adventures in the future.
Rudolf_G, Oct 2023
Trip is advertised with pickup from hotel. There was however no pickup, so had to walk 3 km to the harbour.
Trip is advertised with visit to volcano. This however appears to be excluded and has to be purchased as extra for €20.
Santorini is beautiful, but these broken promises make the day much less enjoyable.
Response from Host, Oct 2023
Dear Rudolf,
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback.
Our guests' satisfaction is always our top priority, so we took your review into serious consideration and conducted an investigation to understand what went wrong.
The booking you had made was a "no-transfer" booking, which means you chose not to utilize our transfer service to the port. We offer two options for this excursion: one that includes transfer, which is slightly more expensive, and another without transfer, designed for guests staying near the port or those with a rented car who do not require transportation. Your choice was the option without transportation.
Regarding your comments about the visit to the volcano, it's important to note that our description does not promise a visit to the volcano as part of the standard package. The visit is optional and comes with an extra charge. Information about this option is provided during the excursion on the island.
We are sorry for any misunderstandings that may have affected your enjoyment of the excursion. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back in the near future.
Carol_F, Oct 2023
We were given 1.5 hrs at Oia, which was not enough time to see everything.
It was so crowded, and took so long to get up to the cliffs, we only saw about 1/2 of what we wanted to see.
More time would have been better 2.5 hrs.
We then went to Thira where we spent 2.75hrs, which we would rather of spent at Oia. Too long here, 1.5hrs would of been good.
Response from Host, Oct 2023
Dear Carol,
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us.
Our goal is to offer a balanced experience to our guests. Normally, the scheduled time in Oia is approximately 2 hours, and 1.5 to 2 hours in Fira.
Due to unexpected conditions such as crowds or traffic on the island, the scheduled program may change, but not significantly.
We appreciate your feedback and will share it with our partners for further improvement.
Thank you very much, and we hope to see you again soon.
Victoria_D, Sep 2023
Worth it! My bf and I originally worried due to some iffy reviews but ultimately decided on this guided tour for the time we wanted to spend and our budget. Going to Santorini for a day independently is expensive and if you have never been there before it can be hard to know how to get around by yourself. As far as some comments made about the itinerary being chaotic. I could see that at first, turns out though, don’t worry. Just line up at the ticket kiosk, grab your ticket, hop on board the sea jet, and know the bus you will get on is hand written on your sea jet ticket.
Santorini has much to be explored so if you want to fully experience it, plan to actually stay there a few days. For us, we wanted to see Santorini in a day so this was perfect. We wished there was more time but understood the long journey to get to the island limited things. This trip you get a hint of Oia and Fira (about 1.5 hr - 2.5 hr to explore each area). Our guide Myra was wonderful, she has a lot of interesting facts about the island and gave suggestions on what we may want to do with our time. This trip makes everything convenient if you have limited time.
Response from Host, Sep 2023
Dear Victoria,
We're thrilled to hear that you found the excursion to Santorini so good, especially considering the concerns you had from some reviews.
Your feedback is invaluable to us, and we're delighted that it met your expectations and budget. We understand that Santorini can be a bit overwhelming for first-time visitors, and we aim to make the experience as hassle-free as possible.
You've made an excellent point about the itinerary, it might seem chaotic at first, but it's designed for your convenience. We're glad you found it easy to navigate and get on board the sea jet.
Santorini is indeed a gem with so much to explore, and we agree that spending a few days there can be an amazing experience. However, we're pleased that our day tour allowed you to get a taste of Oia and Fira, and we're grateful for your understanding of the limitations due to the journey.
Thank you and we hope to assist you again soon!
Phil_P, Jun 2023
Being able to say we have been to Santorini and experienced life on the island. Would not go back especially at this time of the year
The boat was like a cattle truck pushed on and pushed off. Although booked some time prior to travel still didn’t manage to get seats together for both outward and return journey. There were 5 cruise ships in at the same time which made travelling about in a tour bus an unforgettable experience !
Response from Host, Jun 2023
Dear Phil,
Thank you for sharing your experience of Santorini with us.
We apologise for any inconvenience you experienced during your visit.
We would like to reassure you that the number of passengers on board was within the permitted capacity, although it may have seemed crowded.
We understand the impact of having several cruise ships on the island, making it a busy and lively time of the year. Santorini is one of the most famous destinations in the world, so it can be quite busy at times.
We appreciate your feedback, which we will use to improve our services. Despite the challenges, we hope you were able to enjoy some aspects of your time on the island.
Darin_R, Sep 2022
Christo was wonderful and informative! The views were breathtaking.. Thea has some wonderful restaurants to choose from.
Response from Host, Sep 2022
Thank you so much for your excellent review Darin,
It is true that the views in Santorini are breathtaking. It is an amazing place.
We hope to see you again soon!
Joe_F, Aug 2022
Difficult to give a review when we didn’t even get to go. Horrible customer service. We were told to wait for a bus pick up to the boat and to be there at 5:50 AM.. we were there early, 5:30 AM to ensure we didn’t miss it. No one ever came. The provided number for the tour operator has a voicemail box that was full. I called so many times and no one ever answered. Finally got in touch with the main Viator customer service line, they couldn’t get in touch with the tour operator either. At that point we asked if we could take a taxi ourselves to the boat, we were told no because they didn’t know the location of the boat. So even though the boat was scheduled to leave at 8:00 AM and we had TWO HOURS to get ourselves to the boat, we were told that we couldn’t go. This was the one thing we were looking forward to the most on this trip. Instead, it ruined our night before as we went to sleep early since it was going to be an early day, and it ruined the day since we didn’t get to go. At that point it was too last minute to book anything else. We are still waiting for a refund.
Lani_C, Aug 2022
1. This is expensive for what you get: a ferry ride to Santorini, then a bus ride to Oia (where the blue domes are) and Fierra. You do get some time to explore. You can choose option of seeing volcano for an extra fee.
2. The communication is bad. You will get a ticket with a thousand other people with a number on it. (No one says that) That number is your bus number. Everyone on that ferry is getting on a tour bus.
3. The ferry has food on it. The ferry ride is about 2.5 hours each way. You have an assigned seat on your ticket but you are free to move around.
4. If you want to do the volcano tour it’s a separate $20 a person. You can only purchase this while you’re on the ferry. They will announce it about 1/2 way through ferry ride.
5. Ferry does Not have wifi and only takes cash unless it is close to the island where they can electronically take card payment.
My impression all in all was it was very expensive. The ferry ride individually isn’t that expensive. You could probably not pay for the tour and book a ferry and a guide for a better price. You are crammed into a ferry in both directions like a herd of cattle. And people take forever to move. **See picture of crowd into ferry)**I am recommending visiting Santorini but that too was very crowded, but to me, worth the visit. (It doesn’t help I went during prime season)
Response from Host, Aug 2022
Dear Lani C,
Thank you for your detailed review.
We are really glad that you found Santorini very beautiful.
It is true that sometimes there are a lot of people on the island. Santorini is one of the most beautiful places in the world so it is common that many people want to visit the island during their stay in Greece.
Regarding the price of the excursion you mentioned, We always try to offer the best possible service and experience to our guests in the best possible price too. it will not be cheaper to have a private guide instead of sharing a guide with a group. Furthermore please have in mind that during summer, specially high season, it is a bit difficult to find an available official guide on the island.
Thank you for choosing Cretan Holidays for your excursion and we hope too see you again soon!
mrs_j, May 2022
Fantastic day trip, highly recommend, nice safe driver and lovely friendly guide. Hassle free trip and a grat experience.
Response from Host, Jun 2022
Dear Mrs. J,
it is always so nice to read such beautiful reviews from our guests,
We hope to see you again soon,
Thank you very much!
Gabriela_P, Jul 2021
This is a cautionary tale for parents out there. The tour guide was great and once we got to the island, it would have been fine, however the ferry goes regardless of the tide and it was so rough that like 85% of the people on the ferry were vomiting nonstop. We even took Dramamine ahead of time and they provided sea sickness gum and it didn’t help. We ended up having to buy new clothes since ours were covered not only from our vomit but others as well. The horrible ferry ride caused our youngest to get so sick, we had to book last minute tickets to fly back to avoid her getting worse. She is still recovering from it today. What was supposed a fun day trip turned into a nightmare. Whether you’re traveling with or without kids, get the kitchen sink of motion sickness stuff but you may still throw up if you get unlucky like we did with the awful winds causing the water to be so rough (it was red flag that day). I understand it was always a possibility to get seasick and we thought we us prepared well but it wasn’t enough. I wish we had had the option to cancel or get a partial refund on the day of because the flag status. The tour itself on the island was awesome so that part and the transportation was 5 star. If you choose to do this, take everything you can beforehand to help. I’m not sure it would have even helped with the sea being that rough though, but there were other options you can try.
Compare Similar Experiences
Current
Likely to Sell Out
Full-Day Santorini Island Trip from Crete
72
12 hours
Free Cancellation
From
$200.06
Customers Who Bought This Tour Also Bought
- Bus Tours
- Water Tours
- Cultural Tours
- Jet Boat Rentals
- Historical Tours
- Full-day Tours
- Day Trips
- On the Water
- Cruises & Sailing
- Cultural Tours
- Day Trips
- Tours, Sightseeing & Cruises
- Crete
- Bus Tours - Heraklion
- Water Tours - Heraklion
- Cultural Tours - Heraklion
- Jet Boat Rentals - Heraklion
- Historical Tours - Heraklion
- Full-day Tours - Heraklion
- Day Trips - Heraklion
- Bus Tours - Cyclades Islands
- Water Tours - Cyclades Islands
- Cultural Tours - Cyclades Islands
- Jet Boat Rentals - Cyclades Islands
- Historical Tours - Cyclades Islands
- Full-day Tours - Cyclades Islands
- Day Trips - Cyclades Islands
- Bus Tours - Dodecanese
- Water Tours - Dodecanese
- Cultural Tours - Dodecanese
- Jet Boat Rentals - Dodecanese
- Historical Tours - Dodecanese
- Full-day Tours - Dodecanese
- Day Trips - Dodecanese
- Arkadi Monastery (Moni Arkadiou) Tours & Tickets
- Elafonisi Beach Tours & Tickets
- Kournas Lake Tours & Tickets
- Preveli Palm Beach Tours & Tickets
- Limnoupolis Water Park (Aqua Creta Limnoupolis) Tours & Tickets
- Venetian Walls Tours & Tickets
- Archanes Tours & Tickets
- Malia Tours & Tickets
- Frangokastello Tours & Tickets
- CretAquarium (Thalassocosmos) Tours & Tickets
- Loggia Tours & Tickets
- Venetian Lighthouse Tours & Tickets
- Star Beach Water Park Tours & Tickets
- Maritime Museum of Crete (Nautical Museum of Crete) Tours & Tickets
- Old Venetian Harbor Tours & Tickets
- Marathi Beach Tours & Tickets
- Kourtaliotiko Gorge Tours & Tickets
- Heraklion Archaeological Museum Tours & Tickets
- Lions Square & Morosini Fountain Tours & Tickets
- Imbros Gorge Tours & Tickets
- Art & Culture
- Audio Guides
- Classes & Workshops
- Food & Drink
- Kid-Friendly
- Likely To Sell Out
- Outdoor Activities
- Seasonal & Special Occasions
- Tickets & Passes
- Tours, Sightseeing & Cruises
- Cruises & Sailing
- How to Get Around
- Private and Luxury
- Sightseeing Tours
- Tours by Duration
- Day Trips
- Full-day Tours
- Half-day Tours
- Layover Tours
- Multi-day Tours
- Overnight Tours
- Travel & Transportation Services
- Unique Experiences
© 1997-2024 Viator, Inc.