Santorini Travel Guide
First Time on Santorini
Everything a first-timer needs to know before arriving: the cruise passenger levy and daily cap, the climate resilience fee, cruise-day crowds, how buses, taxis and ferries work, what happened after the 2025 earthquake swarm, and the customs that make a trip smoother.
Santorini is one of the most visited islands in the world, and in the last few years the authorities have introduced new rules to manage the crowds and protect a fragile landscape. Get the basics right and it is easy, safe and spectacular; get them wrong and you can spend your holiday in queues. Here is what to know.
The island in one paragraph. Santorini is the remnant of a volcano. A huge eruption around 3,600 years ago collapsed the centre of the island and left a flooded caldera, ringed on its eastern and northern sides by cliffs about three hundred metres high. The famous villages, Fira, Firostefani, Imerovigli and Oia, line the rim; the inland villages such as Pyrgos, Megalochori and Emporio sit among vineyards; and the black-sand beaches are on the gentler south-east coast. The volcano itself, the islets of Nea and Palea Kameni, sits in the middle of the bay, and the island of Thirasia closes the ring on the western side.
The earthquakes of 2025, and the island now. In early 2025 a seismic swarm centred in the sea between Santorini and Amorgos shook the island for weeks, with thousands of tremors. A state of emergency was declared, schools closed and many residents and seasonal workers left for a time. Activity faded through the spring, and the 2025 season went ahead. By April 2026, scientists reported that seismic activity and ground deformation had returned to stable levels, and most restrictions around the volcanic complex were lifted under a decision running until March 2027. A few precautions remain: a marked danger zone near the cliffs at the old port of Fira, traffic and parking controls at Athinios port, and the closure of the trail from Ammoudi to Cape Agios Nikolaos below Oia. Respect any signs on caldera paths and at beaches with rockfall risk, such as Red Beach.
Cruise ships: the levy and the cap. Santorini receives more than a million cruise visitors a year, most of them landing by tender at the old port below Fira. Greece now charges a cruise passenger levy on each disembarkation; for Santorini and Mykonos it is twenty euros per person from June to September, twelve euros in April, May and October, and four euros from November to March, usually added to the onboard account. A daily cap of 8,000 cruise passengers is managed through a berth-allocation system that spreads ships across the season, and when the old port is open up to seventy per cent of passengers land there, with the rest routed through Athinios. For land-based visitors, the practical lesson is to check the cruise schedule and enjoy Fira and Oia early and late on busy days.
The climate resilience fee. Hotels and short-term rentals across Greece charge a climate resilience fee per room per night, on top of the room rate. It is higher from April to October and rises with the hotel category, so it adds noticeably to a luxury stay in summer. It is usually paid at the hotel and is not always shown in online prices, so check.
Getting there. The airport, a short drive from Fira, has frequent flights from Athens, about fifty minutes, and seasonal international flights from spring to autumn. Ferries from Piraeus take around four to five hours on high-speed boats and around eight hours on conventional ferries, and there are connections to other Cycladic islands and to Crete. In winter, international flights largely stop and only slower ferries run, so flying via Athens is the usual route. Ferries arrive at Athinios, below the cliffs; book a transfer, take the bus or join the taxi queue, and expect traffic on the hairpin road when a big ferry docks.
Getting around. The public bus network runs from the hub in Fira to Oia, Imerovigli, Kamari, Perissa, Akrotiri, Pyrgos, the airport and the port, and it is cheap and frequent in season, though crowded in summer and around sunset. Taxis are limited in number, so pre-book transfers for flights and ferries and expect queues after sunset in Oia. Renting a car, an ATV or a scooter gives freedom but parking in the caldera villages is scarce and the roads are narrow and busy; drive defensively and avoid ATVs if you are not experienced. Within the villages, everything is on foot, often on steps, so pack light and choose a hotel that carries luggage.
Crowds and how to avoid them. Oia at sunset, Fira on cruise days and the cable car queue are the bottlenecks. Visit Oia in the early morning, watch sunset from Imerovigli, Pyrgos, a winery terrace or a boat, take the cable car before or after the main tender times, and do the caldera hike early. Spring and autumn are far calmer than July and August.
Money, tipping and manners. Cards are widely accepted, though small tavernas and kiosks may prefer cash. Tipping is appreciated rather than required: round up in cafes and leave around five to ten per cent for good service in restaurants. Greeks eat late, with dinner from around nine. Dress modestly in churches. Do not climb on church roofs or private terraces for photographs, however tempting; many of the most photographed domes are on private property. Donkey and mule rides on the old port steps are controversial on welfare grounds; the cable car or walking are the alternatives.
Winter is different. From November to March, many hotels, restaurants, shops, beach bars and boat operators close, ferries are slower and fewer, and the weather can be windy and wet, with daytime temperatures in the low to mid teens. Fira and Pyrgos keep the most services open, and Akrotiri and the museums stay open. It is a peaceful, beautiful time for walkers and photographers, but it is not a beach holiday.
What to see first. If you only have a short time, prioritise Akrotiri, a volcano tour or a catamaran cruise, the caldera walk from Fira toward Oia, a wander through Oia early in the day and a sunset away from the castle crowds. With an extra day, add Pyrgos and a wine tasting, the black-sand beach at Perissa and the Museum of Prehistoric Thera.