Santorini

Santorini Full Day Tour

Name: Santorini Full Day Tour
Brand: Cretan Holidays
SKU: 6761P35
Price: 73.65 USD
Rating: 4.0 (36 reviews)

Santorini, Greece

12 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Take your Santorini visit to new heights during this 9-hour offering access to the island’s eye-popping views, outdoor adventures, and architecture. Admire the jaw-dropping scenery from the island’s highest point and see the 16th-century monastery of Saint Elias. You’ll also journey by boat to the nearby islands of Nea Kameni, Palea Kameni and Thirassia.

Discover Santorini and its nearby islands during a full-day tour
Explore the islands of Nea Kameni, Palea Kameni and Thirassia by boat
Enjoy the stellar views from the 16th-century monastery at Santorini's highest point
Soak tired feet in a green sulphur hot springs and swim on an island beach
Visit the Byzantine churches and Venetian Castle in the village of Pyrgos
Great introduction to the natural beauty and history of Santorini and its nearby islands

What's Included

Local taxes
Guided tour of Santorini
Boat trip
Pickup from meeting points

Food and drinks
Gratuities
Volcano entrance fee 4,00 Euro per person

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

08:30 AM

Pickup details

Pickup and return transfer from specific meeting points in Kamari, Perissa, Fira, Karterados, Pyrgos, Emporio. Akrotiri, Vlychada, Messaria, Megalochori

What To Expect

Receive a morning pickup from your Fira, Kamari, or Perissa hotel, continuing by bus to the center of Santorini and the island’s highest point.

Reach the 1,804-foot (550-meter) peak of Santorini, enjoying the incredible panoramic views before exploring the monastery of Saint Elias, a 16th-century religious center built at this island apex. Continue the trip by proceeding to the village of Pyrgos, where you’ll check out the Cycladic architectural style of its buildings, see the Byzantine church, and stop by the Venetian Castle.

Your Santorini adventure continues with a boat ride aboard the ‘King Thiras’ to the island of Nea Kameni, where you’ll ascend a dirt path that leads up to the crater of an active volcano. After finishing your volcano exploration, continue to the island of Palea Kameni, where you’ll have time to soak your feet in the green sulphur waters of a local hot spring.

Head next to the island of Thirassia, a landmass that was once part of Santorini before a huge volcanic eruption ripped the two areas in half. Spend your time on Thirassia relaxing on the island’s beach, exploring the village of Manolas, or stopping for lunch. Cap off your day by proceeding to the port of Amoudi, where you’ll take in what promises to be a gorgeous sunset view. Your bus will pick you up here and provide a drop-off back at your hotel.

Monastery of Profitis Ilias

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Venetian Castle of Santorini

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Nea Kameni

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Palea Kameni

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Thirassia

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Oia

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Not wheelchair accessible
May be operated by a multi-lingual guide

Stroller accessible
Infants must sit on laps
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 50 travelers

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.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.0

36 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 36 reviews

Great introduction to the islands

Kelly_C, Sep 2023

A great trip! Saw so much of the islands, even climbed a not-entirely-dormant volcano (the newest island in the Mediterranean!). Vasha gave tons of interesting information, and made it fun. The lunch stop was a little "tourist trappy" quality food, but considering we were tourists, not entirely unexpected. I flew in from Athens in the morning before the trip, and flew back to Athens afterwards. That made for a very long day, word to the wise. Thanks for an enjoyable trip!

Response from Host, Sep 2023

Dear Kelly, Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. We're thrilled to hear that you had a great trip although it was just for one day. We are also really happy that the guide gave tons of interesting information, and made it fun. Thank you very much and we hope to have the chance to assist you with your bookings again soon.

Magical Santorini

Sherry_C, Sep 2023

Watching the beautiful sunset at the end of the tour. The view and the vibe all around seem so magical. Everyone was at awe. We absolutely loved this tour.

Response from Host, Sep 2023

Dear Sherry_, Thank you for sharing your enchanting experience with us! We are delighted to hear that you thoroughly enjoyed the tour, especially the breathtaking sunset and the magical ambiance it created. Your feedback is greatly appreciated, and it motivates us to continue providing exceptional experiences to all our guests. We look forward to welcoming you back for more memorable moments in the future.

Great excursion to see volcanic island and sunset in Oia

Joanne_G, Sep 2023

We enjoyed our tour very much. The hike to the top of the volcano on Nea Kameni was a good workout and the views amazing. Going to the hot springs was a fun experience and lastly the visit to Thirassia was good timing for having lunch but not much to do on this island — the area for swimming is very rocky and surrounded by boats. We ended our day in Oia for the sunset and enjoyed walking around and seeing the sunset. Our guide was nice but it would be much more helpful if she communicated instructions on the bus such as restroom locations, especially when each group is joining bus. Once everyone was on bus and when we were in boat, she was very good with instructions. We would recommend this tour.

Response from Host, Sep 2023

Dear Joanne, Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience with us! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your tour and the various highlights it had to offer. The hike to the top of Nea Kameni is indeed a great way to get some exercise while taking in the breathtaking views of the volcano. The hot springs experience and the visit to Thirassia are also unique parts of the tour, and we appreciate your feedback on these aspects. We're sorry to hear that Thirassia didn't offer as much to do as other stops, but we hope you still enjoyed your lunch and the tranquil atmosphere. Thank you once again for choosing us for your day of exploration, and we hope to see you again soon!

Very nicely organized,...

Mark_G, Oct 2022

Very nicely organized, amazing locations, plenty of time to explore, interesting commentary. Very good guide

Response from Host, Oct 2022

Dear Mark, Thank you very much for your excellent review. We are really glad that everything was so well organized and nice. Hope to see you again soon!

Enjoyable day

Loretawang, Dec 2021

Highly recommend this tour if you don’t have your own car. There were less than 10 of us during the first leg of the tour then we picked up several more tourists and the bus was full. Tour guide was engaging. Driver was skillful. Tour was enjoyable.

Response from Host, Jun 2022

Dear Loretawa Thank you for the positive review you've given to us. This type of feedback encourages the team of Cretan Holidays to continuously exceed quality standards. Thank you,

Extensive tour but too large a group

Karen_E, Sep 2021

Tour of village of Pyrgos and monastery was fine. Boat tour was fine but way too many people [over 100]. Vaso was a lovely guide, but was really challenged by herding that many people. We were not picked up at our hotel [1 km walk] but she was accommodating about getting us back.

Response from Host, Jul 2022

Dear Karen, Thank you very much for your review, We are really glad that you liked the excursion and that you were so satisfied with guide. Regarding the problem you pointed out about too many people, sometimes boats are almost full but never overcrowded because of the strict laws of the port authorities. For once more thank you for your nice review and we hope to see you again soon!

A very good and smoothly...

Fredericus_S, Sep 2021

A very good and smoothly organized tour (no worries) led by a guide with a lot of knowledge and who understands how to create a perfect day for all. In one day we were able to see a lot of Santorini.

Response from Host, Jul 2022

Dear Fredericu, Thank you for your nice review, we are really glad that you had such a nice experience in Santorini with us. Hope to see you again soon!

Pretty good, but mostly a volcano tour

Ben_S, Sep 2021

The tour is pretty good but please be advised that you spend the majority of your day on the boat and hiking the volcano, followed by lunch on Thirasia. You should bring sunscreen and lots of water accordingly, especially if you travel at any time other than the winter. It was extremely hot when I went, and water wasn't cheap aboard the boat. Also, the pickup point was hard to find so you should google it or write and ask for assistance before the tour to ensure that you go to the right spot. I was given a map and I even found it difficult to find. I managed to find the right spot just because I left in a cab early (cabs are hard to come by on Santorini so plan your time accordingly) and was able to remember parts of it from the photo I looked up on google maps. If you want to see more of the island (Akrotiri, Perissa, and parts of the main town), you should book another tour just for that. But the volcano hike is great and the view is very satisfying. Be sure to bring your vaccine certificates if you are doing this tour because they were checking everyone before they boarded the ship and for good reason - many people who were not on my bus were aboard the boat for that part of the tour.

Response from Host, Jul 2022

Dear Ben, Thank you so much for your review. We are really glad that you liked the hike and the view at the volcano. It is true that some days during summer the weather is quite hot but if you have some water with you as you mentioned then it is OK. About the pickup point, Santorini is a really busy place so we want to be sure that no-one will loose the bus to the tour, that's why sometimes the guests have to wait to specific points for their pick up. Thank you and we hope to see you again soon

Amazing Santorini Tour

Miguel_M, Aug 2021

Wow! This was such a great tour! They take you to five locations ! three on the island and two off the coast on the volcanic islands in the middle of the caldera. They give you free time on Te inhabited volcanic island Thirassa. Pls ty to do and a fabulous trip!

Response from Host, Jul 2022

Thank you so much for your enthusiastic review Miguel. It is our pleasure to provide the best possible experience to our guests. Hope to see you again soon!

An amazing tour

Maria_P, Aug 2021

The best tour to get to know Santorini in a day! Vaso (our tour guide) made the experience even better!

Response from Host, Jul 2022

Thank you very much for your excellent review Maria Hope to see you again soon!

Great value for money

Aoife_G, Aug 2021

Great tour, excellent tour guide with perfect English and vast knowledge. Long day (14 hours in total) so bring lots of water, snacks and sun cream. Volcano hike isn’t really necessary if you are not able, you can sit on the boat and relax.

Response from Host, Jul 2022

Thank you for your excellent review Aoife, It fills us with pride to know that our guests are so satisfied with our services. Hope to see you again soon!

Great day to discover Santorini...

Kevin_G, Aug 2021

The Tour Guide was absolutly brilliant and very informative. A great tour to do at the start of your vaction. The entry fee for the volcano is €5 Euros per person and not €4 as advertised. @Viator - maybe something you want to update ;). Was a lot longer than anticipated as was picked up at 810am, and didn't return until after 10pm. Should anyone feel any anxiety over Covid-19 and spacing, then probably not a tour you'd like to do. Only as the boat King Thira was very busy, and we had to stand for most of the journey as there were not enough seats for all. Although masks should have been worn, and the guide kept reminding of this, 80% plus didn't abide by that unfortunately. Overall we enjoyed the tour, with a few niggles, but was value for money, we learnt a lot, and got to see so much of Santorini also.

Best trip

CynthiaM_P, Aug 2021

The guide Christina is wonderful, and knowledge. We enjoy the trip. 🤗 we visit I beaches, and also the wine museum. Was a great trip. 🤗

Boats and volcanoes

Owen_D, Jul 2021

The boat trip to the various Islands. All around great tour with water, volcanoes and spectacular views

Response from Host, Jul 2022

Thank you so much for your excellent review Owen, It means so much for us when our guests appreciate our hard work for the best experiences. Hope to see you again soon!

No, no, no. Avoid this tour!

Gail_U, Jul 2021

This was awful. Do not book this tour. Pickup: not at the hotel as it says, but a random spot they message to you the day before. It was a 15 minute walk for me from hotel. Since I had to be there by 8:30, that gave me 5 minutes to eat breakfast, and only because my hotel was able to arrange it earlier than the usual 8AM breakfast start time. Others I met on the tour were not so lucky and had to go without breakfast. That's terrible given the next opportunity to eat on this 14 hour excursion is around 1:00 PM. Yes, the actual length of tour is more like 14 hours, not 9 as advertised. This is way too long. The boat ride was the worst part of the whole thing. They packed what seemed like over 100 people on a boat. These people are from different tours....must have been 4 or 5 tours converging onto one boat. The boat is so uncomfortable and you spend a good 5 hours on this hunk of junk. Uncomfortable metal seating without much shading. Everyone on the boat looked miserable. Let's not forget that there was no way to social distance with this many people on this boat. So, in addition to just being uncomfortable, it's also simply unsafe. When you arrive to the volcano island, you must pay €5 to enter per person. This is not included in the cost of the tour. You then have an intense hike up a hill in the hot sun for 25 minutes to reach the top of the volcano. Many people opted out of this and just sat under a shaded area for the 1.5 hour that we spent on this part. If you don't have good walking shoes, don't bother because it's a volcano folks..you're hiking up lava rocks. Next stop, the hot springs. The advertisement says "dip your feet into the hot springs". No. What happens instead is they dock the boat in a lagoon and tell everyone you can jump off the boat to swim of you'd like, or you can just sit there on that awful boat while others swim. I did not have a swim suit but all I wanted to do was get off that boat out of the hot sun and swim. Instead I sat there bored and hot with many others for 30 minutes until we left. At this point, my friends and I were plotting how we could pay a random person at the next port to take us back to Fira and away from this misery. The next stop is a little island which did have restaurants and swimming areas. This was a bit redeeming. However, the tour guide recommends a particular restaurant and when we checked it out, it appeared that it was owned by the same people operating the boat! And it didn't look good at all -looked like a complete tourist trap. We chose another spot to eat some gyros which was fantastic...but there was only one bathroom, so I had to queue for 20 minutes to use the loo. Back on the boat, heading back to Fira it was around 4PM. Remember, this craziness started at 8:30AM. I told the tour guide I did not want to continue the the next port after Fira and wanted to end the tour early. She said there was a bus taking one of the other groups, but that there might not be room for me! When we got to the bus she almost did not let me on, saying "you paid to continue on to Oia for the sunset." It was crazy. Here I am trying to leave, I don't care that I paid for another 4 hours of this misery, I just wanted to leave. And she tried to say there was no room on the bus to leave. THERE WAS PLENTY OF ROOM. Luckily I got on the bust and went back to my hotel where I could dunk my sorrows away in my hotel pool.

Response from Host, Jul 2022

Dear Gail, Thank you for your detailed review, We are really sorry that you didn't like the excursion. This is definitely not what we want for our guests. Regarding your pickup points , unfortunately in Santorini the streets are really narrow and the bus cannot approach on every hotel. About the bad experience you had on the boat we are really sorry and we have forward your comments to our partners for improvement. We hope to see you again and have a better experience in our other excursions. Thank you

Great

Sarah_L, Jul 2021

Amazing ! The guide is so nice, knows everything about Santorini’s history. She gave us the best spots for the sunset. Hiking the volcano and swimming in the hot water was the most unforgettable part. Best price for a full day. Thank you Vaso !

Response from Host, Jul 2022

Thank you so much for review Sarah, It give us much pleasure to know that our guests have such a nice time with us. Thank you

All day hike worth the effort

Leah_S, Jun 2021

Interesting your and challenging hike. We began with a visit to the highest point in Santorini. The view was beautiful and our guide, Vasco, was very personable. The hike up the volcano island was quite challenging for those of us who were older, but we persevered and were rewarded with arriving up on the top to see more of the spectacular surroundings. The boat ride was enjoyable and even though we did not swim in the hot springs we enjoyed relaxing on the boat. Sunset in Oia was lovely and Vasco suggested an appropriate site for us to enjoy the setting sun. All four of us enjoyed the long day.

Response from Host, Jun 2021

Dear LSec, thank you very much for your kind review! We are really glad that all of you had a good time and enjoyed the tour. Yes, it is a challenging walk to the volcano but the view is incredible. Thank you for joining our trip and we hope that we can welcome you once again. Kind regards

Best and most affordable Tour in Santorini

Liviu_M, Jun 2021

The tour lady was so friendly and helpful! This tour was perfect to see Santorini’s most iconic places! The boat trip was awesome, Watching the Sunset in Oia was the most amazing views ever !!!

Response from Host, Jun 2021

Dear Liviu_M Thank you very much for your review! We are really happy that you had a great time - this is always the best reward for us. Hoping that we can welcome you again, with kind regards

Full day Tour Santorini

Nathalie_D, Sep 2019

Very interesting and complete tour. The guide Vaso was very nice, patient and helpful, with a great personality. We highly recommand this tour.

This tour is jam packed with...

JoAnna P, Sep 2017

This tour is jam packed with activities well worth the money. I would not recommend this tour to people who are not physically active. There is an enormous amount of hiking and stairs, may not be for everyone. I do recommend you wear tennis or a light hiking shoe. Please stay away from flip-flops.