We were in Santorini last June/July as part of a 3 week trip. We were picked up from the ferry and driven to our hotel. A friend stopping on Santorini as part of a cruise in 2 weeks. She is wondering of the approximate cost of both the donkey and/or the funicular to the top of the caldera. I have no idea, as we did not avail ourselves of either method. Can anyone else help? Hazard a guess?

A Donkey. Hmmmmm... I made a mistake of using one of those in 1992 on Santorini and it was hell. It is one of my big regrets in life as I am an animal lover and I don't know what I was thinking. I would never recommend anyone use them. The last time I was in Santorini, my hotel overlooked the staircase and I saw those poor creatures being mistreated. What your friend should do is walk, if she can. She will have a great sense of achievement when she gets to the top. Otherwise, go for the funicular. I have no idea about the price. I always walk as one of these days I will be too old to do so..

We were there last week and took the cable car. Cost was $7 euros per person, each way ($14 euros total). Not sure about the donkeys.

How about giving the donkey a break, buying him a ticket to ride the cable car, and you walking?

Sorry. Couldn't resist.

Patrick, I love your reply. It made me smile. I'm with the "how about giving the donkey a break" crowd.

PLEASE tell your friend not to ride the donkeys! I have lived on Santorini twice for 6 months, and many times I have watched as the donkeys are whipped and prodded with sharp sticks or nails to keep them moving. They are treated very badly and overworked. It might look funny and fun, but if you care about the ethical treatment of animals you won't support the practice by riding one for the sake of a funny memory.

Thank you all for your responses. To be quite honest, since we were driven to the top of the caldera I really didn't observe much about the donkeys. That is really awful that the people mistreat them. Knowing that I'm doubly glad that we found other ways to enjoy ourselves on Santorini. Thank you to Michael for the info on the funicular.