Santorini Logistics
 

We will be cruising in May with a day in Santorini (7 a.m. to 6 p.m., which realistically means 8 to 5!). I would appreciate any experience on whether it is entirely doable in that time frame to walk from Fira to Oia, enjoy a couple of hours in Oia, then get a bus back to Fira to spend some time there. Are there other ways to get to Oia besides bus or hiking? I think we will dock at Skala, and would need to take the cable car up to Fira to find the trail to Oia.

No cruise ships dock at Santorini. You have to come on shore by tender, so it can take a while. But it will be faster to take the cable car up rather than the donkeys.

If it were me, I'd recommend taking a taxi up to Oia and walking back (it's downhill on the way back and uphill on the way there). But it's a long walk, so I'm not sure if you will really have time. If it were me, I'd take the bus from Oia to Imerovigli and then walk back down to Fira from there. That's a little less than halfway, and it's the nicest part of the walk (for me at least). That will give you plenty of time to get back to your ship without being rushed.

I agree with Douglas that it's too far to walk all the way and if its hot it would be fairly exhausting. My husband caught the bus from Fira to Oia and it was easy. Crowded but easy! I'm pretty sure you cou,d probably get a cab from the dock straight to Oia which would make it an easy trip.

cathies

The dock is at the old port of Fira, where there are no cars at all.... ( it is at sea level of course, when Fira is at the top of the cliff)
OP should take the cable car , as Doug already said, go up to Fira and walk to where the taxis are waiting...

Now i can imagine that many others will have the same idea at the same time.... while the number of taxis is limited...

The bus is a good alternative, here is the official website of the KTEL buses on Santorini :

http://www.ktel-santorini.gr

What you see now is the winter timetable, until May they will switch to summer

You probably have time for the walk but somewhere around Imerovigli the footpath with wonderful views of the caldera becomes a walk along the main road until Oia. Not that great and for that reason I would follow the suggestions about bus or taxi part of the way.

Thanks clauser, unfortunately it's nearly 6 years since our lovely trip to santorini and I couldn't quite remember.

i wonder why everybody keeps writing my nickname as clausEr, even though it is clausAr ..... lol
( and that for a reason....) :)

"...You probably have time for the walk but somewhere around Imerovigli the footpath with wonderful views of the caldera becomes a walk along the main road until Oia. Not that great and for that reason I would follow the suggestions about bus or taxi part of the way."

What a bummer Cathinjoetown, that you must have missed the actual trail after Imerovigli and to Oia. Actually, after Imerovigli it turns into a true trail where you start to feel as you're hiking. To me, THIS is the best part of the hike. It's not on a road at all, but a trail along the edge of the caldera to winds through some beautiful scenery, coming across a few churches and quite often, feeling like you're all by yourself on the edge of the volcano.

It does get confusing where to go just past Imerovigli to get to the trail, perhaps that is why some people think it's just the main road from there.

Thanks for all that really good info! Sounds like if we DID walk back from Oia to Fira, we would have the option of hopping the bus in Imerovigli if we were tired or running late. If we do walk all the way, any time estimates that you can offer? (we are relatively fit, but are likely to stop alot for photos)

wug,

Thanks for correcting me, good information.

Since this is your first time to Santorini and your time is limited , wouldn't you rather spend it more wisely?

Go to Oia , walk around it is a great place then take the bus back to and get off at Imerovigli, walk to Fira...
You can spend some time in Fira as well, and then visit the archaeological site of Akrotiri, which in my opinion is a must see.

Visit one of the wineries of the island, go to Pyrgos to admire the panoramic view.... you have enough options...

Now that Akrotiri has reopened, it is got to be on everyone's list of potential places to see. The only difficulty is that it's literally on the other end of the island from Oia, so the logistics are difficult with just a day in port. I'd say it's probably one or the other. But there might be time for to Imerovigli either way.

OP will have 9 hours at disposal, with the right timing you can see a lot..... it is only a matter of priorities :)

It's not really 9 hours. It may take 2 hours or more to get everyone off the ship (those on ship-sponsored excursions will get to go first). Then there's also the huge line to get back on the ship. I say 5 to 6 hours tops. You can't do the full walk to or from Oia and Akrotiri on the same day, even if you wanted to.

I don't see any meaning in a the full walk for a first time visitor anyway, especially with that limited time.

But seeing Oia, walking from Imerovigli to Fira and visiting Akrotiri is absolutely doable...

Even if you calculate 2 hours to dis/embarkation they would still have 7 hours to spend on the island