If you are planning your trip to Santorini and are struggling to arrange your transfer from the airport, you are in the right place! We have brought together some top tips to help you organise a stress-free journey from the airport to your accommodation. Holidays should be fun and relaxing and with our advice you will have a fantastic start to your trip. Read on to discover the best ways to reach us in Santorini and join us on one of our memorable wine, food and cultural tours of the island!

Airport parking

If you are planning to fly to Santorini, chances are that you are going to drive to your destination airport and park when you get there. The problem is that many of us forget to book airport parking in advance and instead end up paying an unnecessarily high fee on the day.

Luckily there are two simple ways to avoid high costs on airport parking – book as far in advance as you can and do so through a comparison website. For those travelling from the UK, Parkhero is a great example of an airport parking comparison website. If you are looking for car parking Manchester Airport, simply choose the airport from the comparison tool, enter your travel dates and hit search. In seconds the tool will show you the available parking services ranked from the cheapest to the most expensive. You will find Park and Ride, Meet and Greet or even Park and Walk services and can filter further by distance to the airport, reviews and other important features. You simply need to choose the best one for your trip and book in less than 5 minutes. Simple! To find similar websites for your country, enter ‘compare parking at…airport’ into a search engine.

Flying to Santorini

As Santorini is quite small, it only has one airport, Santorini National Airport, which is located on the east side of the island near Kamari. Despite its size, it is served by a good variety of airlines from across Europe and the Gulf, such as Ryanair, easyJet, British Airways, Aegean Airlines, Olympic Air, Etihad Airways and TUI Airways amongst others.

Flying is the most popular way to reach the island and you will easily find flights through most of the year.

Transferring from Santorini Airport

The airport is just 6 km from the island’s capital, Fira, and is easily accessible from all the major villages on the island.

You have a number of options when it comes to transferring from the airport to your accommodation:

Arranged package transfer

If you have booked your holiday as part of a package deal then chances are your transfer from the airport will be arranged for you. A pre-arranged coach will take you directly to your accommodation together with other passengers. It will stop at a number of hotels and could take some time.

Public bus

You can catch a public bus outside the airport to Fira from where you can find buses to the rest of the island. Tickets can be purchased from the driver and cost €1.80 one-way. The journey takes around 25 minutes but with having to change buses in Fira, it can take up to 3 hours to reach your hotel. Do not use this option unless you are staying in Fira or nearby.

Taxi

If you are not staying in Fira and do not have a pre-arranged package transfer, taking a taxi is the next best option. Taxis can be found right outside the airport and generally it will cost between €15 and €30 to reach anywhere on the island. Make sure to negotiate! They will take you directly to your accommodation and you don’t need to worry about lugging your baggage around. Keep in mind that during the peak summer period you may need to wait as there are a limited number of taxis available on the island.

Private transfer

Slightly more expensive than a taxi but with added comfort and the certainty of being picked up as soon as you leave the airport, private transfers are a great option. You will be transferred directly to your accommodation and receive help with your luggage. Prices will vary and you will need to book in advance.

Car hire

If you want the flexibility to explore Santorini at your own pace, hiring a car could be a good option. You can hire one directly from the airport from Hertz, Europcar or Budget and drive to Fira in around 10 minutes and Oia or Akrotiri in around 20 minutes.

Taking a ferry to Santorini

One of the best ways to experience the beauty of Santorini is from the sea, so why not travel to the island by ferry?

During the summer months there are 6 ferries a day from Athens to Santorini but of varying costs and speeds. You can expect to pay between €40 and €80 and the journey will take between 4 and 10 hours. The fastest option is the SeaJet WorldChampion.

There are also ferry routes from Heraklion and Mykonos to Santorini, both taking around 2 hours on high-speed ferries. Other options include ferries from smaller islands in Aegean.

The main ferry port in Santorini is Athinios in the south-east of the island. It is a small post and can get quite crowded during the summer months, so make sure that you book your transport from the port to your accommodation in advance.

You can pre-book a taxi which will cost between €15 and €30 depending on your destination or take a public bus. Buses run on a regular schedule to Fira from where you can catch a connecting service to the rest of the island and cost €3.

We hope you find this information useful and look forward to meeting you for one of our fabulous tours of Santorini.