Santorini boat tour FAQ: what people actually ask us
This page answers the questions we get asked most about a Santorini boat tour. A shared five-hour catamaran cruise is €100 per person, lunch and hotel transfers included. Private charters start at €1,200 for eight guests. Cancel a shared seat free seven days out. The captain decides on the wind on the morning.
Fifty-nine questions, grouped. They were taken from what people actually type and post: Google's People Also Ask, TripAdvisor and Cruise Critic threads, and the questions that arrive on our own WhatsApp.
Where a question has a page of its own, we link to it rather than repeat it. Where we do not yet publish a fact, this page says so instead of guessing.
No question matches that. Ask us directly — WhatsApp
The ten-second version
The ten things people ask before anything else. Everything below is the long version.
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| What does it cost? | €100 per person for a shared five-hour cruise. A private catamaran is €1,200 for up to eight guests, then €100 each. |
| How long is it? | Five hours on every cruise except the full-day private charter, which is ten. |
| How many guests? | Shared seats on one. The whole boat on the other. |
| What is included? | Hotel transfers both ways, lunch cooked on board, Santorini wine, beer, soft drinks, water, snorkelling gear, towels, port fees. |
| Where does it leave from? | Vlychada Marina, on the south coast. The included car brings you there from any hotel on the island. |
| Can I cancel? | On a shared cruise, free seven days or more before departure. On a private charter the terms come with your booking. A weather cancellation by the captain is always refunded in full. |
| Are children welcome? | Yes, on every cruise. Tell us their ages at booking so the right life jackets are aboard. |
| What if it is windy? | The captain decides on the morning. He may reroute, reorder the stops, or cancel and refund you. |
| How do I book? | Send the date and the number of guests on WhatsApp, or use the form on book. No card details on this site. |
| How fast do you reply? | Same day. WhatsApp is quickest: +30 698 977 1888. |
Every price on this page is the whole price. Nothing is added at the boat. The full table, RIB and water taxi included, is on prices.
Booking and payment
How far in advance should I book?
For July and August, book as early as your dates are fixed. The shared boat is small, so a single family can close a departure. May, June, September and early October usually need one to two weeks. Private charters need longer, because only one group sails per departure.
Can I book last-minute?
Sometimes. Cancellations free up seats and shoulder-season dates often have space. WhatsApp is the fastest way to find out, because the answer depends on what the boat is doing that week rather than on a calendar. Send the date and the number of guests and we reply the same day.
Can I book a boat tour on arrival?
You can try, and in April, May or October it often works. In July and August, arriving without a booking usually means taking whatever is left rather than the cruise you wanted. Sunset seats go first across the whole island. Booking ahead also leaves room to move if the captain cancels for wind.
How can I pay for the catamaran cruise?
We have not published our accepted payment methods or currency handling, so we are not going to guess here. No card details are taken on this website at all. Message us on WhatsApp at +30 698 977 1888 and we will confirm exactly how to pay for your date before you commit.
Do I need to pay a deposit?
No. Nothing is taken when you book, and nothing is taken on this website at all — the form sends us an email and a person replies. You pay for the day itself, and we set out how in that reply, before you commit to anything.
What is your cancellation policy?
Cancel seven days or more before departure and you are refunded in full. Inside seven days, message us and we will tell you what we can do. If the captain cancels for weather, that is not a guest cancellation: you move to another date or take a full refund.
Is there different pricing between working days and weekends?
No. A Tuesday costs the same as a Saturday, and August costs the same as May. We publish one figure per cruise and that figure is the whole price, with transfers, lunch, drinks and port fees inside it. The full table sits on prices.
How far ahead should I book a transfer?
As soon as your ship's itinerary is fixed. Cruise-day demand is concentrated into two or three hours, and Santorini's 2026 berth allocation moves ships between dates. We need 24 hours' notice at the very least, so send the ship, the date and the all-aboard time as soon as you have them.
Prices and what is included
How much do Santorini boat tours cost?
Ours are €100 per person for a shared five-hour cruise and €1,200 for a private catamaran carrying up to eight. Across the market, GetYourGuide's Santorini catamaran cards on 25 August 2026 ran from $75 to $150 per person for five hours. Those figures are shown in US dollars.
How much is a private catamaran cruise in Santorini?
A five-hour private charter with us is €1,200 for up to eight guests, then €100 for each guest after that. The ten-hour full-day charter is €2,400 for up to ten, again €100 each after. At eight guests that works out at €150 a head.
What's included in the price?
Road transfer from your hotel to the boat and back, Greek- and English-speaking crew, the meal cooked on board, Santorini wine, beer, soft drinks and water, snorkelling gear, towels, and the captain, fuel, insurance and port fees. Not included: walking on the volcano, the Nea Kameni park fee, and tips.
Is hotel pickup included?
Yes, on every catamaran cruise, both ways, at no extra cost. A car collects you from your hotel about forty minutes before the boat leaves, and it is waiting when you step off. Tell us where you are staying when you book so the driver has the right address.
Can I skip the free transportation and meet you at the port directly?
You can, but it saves you nothing, because the transfer is already inside the price. Tell us on WhatsApp and we will arrange the meeting details with you. We sail from Vlychada Marina, and your exact meeting point there is confirmed with your booking.
What does open bar mean?
On Santorini boat tours it usually means local beer, white wine, soft drinks and water without a limit, and rarely spirits or cocktails. Ours is simpler to describe. Santorini wine, beer and water are in the price on every catamaran cruise. Spirits are not part of the standard boat.
Is a private catamaran worth it?
It depends what you are buying. A private boat is never cheaper per head than a shared seat: €150 each at eight guests, and it never drops below the €100 shared seat however many of you there are. What the money buys is the route, the timings, the music and nobody else on deck.
Are Santorini boat tours worth it?
Yes, for the water access and the angle. The caldera wall, Red Beach, White Beach and Mesa Pigadia only read properly from below, and two of those have no road at all. The variable is boat size. Compare passenger counts rather than itineraries, which are much the same everywhere.
On the boat: food, drink, shade, toilets, music
Is food included?
Yes, on every catamaran cruise. The meal is cooked on board while you swim: BBQ chicken and shrimp off the coals, Greek salad, pasta in tomato sauce, vine leaf rolls, and the dips with bread. It is served at anchor, not at a taverna ashore. Santorini wine, beer, soft drinks and water come with it.
Are there any vegetarian or vegan options for the onboard meal?
Yes, told in advance. The salad, the pasta, the vine leaf rolls and most of the dips are already vegetarian, and the grill adapts for vegan and allergy plates when we know before the shop is done. Tell us at booking rather than on the morning: the crew buy for the grill in advance and cook in one galley.
Can I bring my own drinks or food on board?
We have not published a policy on this, and it may differ between a shared seat and a private charter. Ask on WhatsApp before you buy a bottle for a celebration, so that nobody is caught out at the boat. A minute of typing settles it.
Do catamarans have bathrooms?
Ours does. The Lagoon carries marine heads inside the hulls, and the crew show you where they are during the welcome. One rule everyone forgets: nothing but water goes down a marine head, so paper goes in the bin beside it.
Are there showers and changing facilities onboard?
Yes to both. There is a freshwater deck shower for rinsing off after the swims, and private space below deck to change out of a wet swimsuit. Between those and the towels on board, you can go straight to dinner ashore afterwards if you want to.
Is there shade on the boat?
Yes. The cockpit sits under a bimini and there is a saloon inside, alongside open trampolines and sunbathing space forward. There is room to move between sun and shade as the day heats up. Bring a hat anyway, because the sea reflects.
Do I need to remove my shoes?
Yes, shoes come off when you board. Hard soles mark the deck and heels damage it, and bare feet grip better on a wet surface anyway. Bring something easy to slip off for the walk to the boat, and expect to spend five hours barefoot.
Is there Wi-Fi or phone signal on board?
Mobile signal inside the caldera is generally usable, because you never get far from the island. On-board Wi-Fi is not something we have published, so do not plan a work call around it. If connectivity genuinely matters for your day, tell us before you book.
Is there music on board?
On a private charter the playlist is yours, and for a party that is part of what you are buying. On a shared cruise the music belongs to the crew. If you want a particular setup, tell us before you book and we will say what the boat can do.
What should I bring with me?
A dark swimsuit, sun cream, a hat, sunglasses, and something with sleeves for the run home. Towels and snorkelling gear are on board already. Shoes come off at the boat, so bring a pair you can slip off. Leave the hard suitcase and the white bikini behind.
That is not evasion. Some facts about this business are not confirmed in writing yet: payment methods, Wi-Fi, a child rate. We would rather say so than print a number we cannot stand behind. Ask on WhatsApp and you get the real answer, from a person, the same day.
Swimming, the hot springs and the stops
Where do we sail to?
Every cruise sails the caldera loop from Vlychada: Red Beach, White Beach, Mesa Pigadia, round the Akrotiri lighthouse, the volcano swim, the Fira panorama, and home through the channel between the two Kamenis — springs there when the sea allows. The order is the captain's call on the morning.
Do we stop for swimming and snorkeling?
Yes, on every catamaran cruise. There are three anchored swims in five hours, sea state permitting — Red Beach, White Beach and the volcano — plus the warm springs when the sea allows. You go in from the swim platform at the stern rather than from a beach. Masks and snorkels are in the price.
Do you drop us off at the beach?
No. The boats anchor offshore at every stop and you swim from the boat. None of the swimming stops has a jetty, so there is no tender run to the sand and no beach time in the day. If lying on a beach is the goal, take a taxi to Perissa.
Will I be able to walk on the Volcano or walk at any of the beaches during my Catamaran Cruise?
No to both. Walking on Nea Kameni is not part of any of our cruises, and the boat does not put guests ashore on a beach. If the crater walk is on your list, book a separate volcano excursion. It needs a landing and the national park ticket.
Are the Santorini hot springs actually hot?
Warm rather than hot. Published figures put the bay at Palea Kameni around 30 to 35 °C against an open sea of 20 to 25 °C, but that is a tourism number, not an instrument reading. Where the springs come up you feel it. A few metres away you do not.
Do Santorini's hot springs stain your clothes?
Yes, pale fabric especially. The water carries iron oxide out of the seabed and runs a rusty ochre. Wear something dark or old, and wash it the same evening, because the sooner it is washed the less the minerals bind to the fabric. Not your favourite swimsuit.
Is Red Beach Santorini closed?
The land approach has been restricted since 2013, with rockfalls reported in 2018, 2023 and 2025. Signage says closed and enforcement varies. From the water none of that applies: we anchor off the red cliff and you swim there. The sand is scenery either way, not a destination.
How do you get to White Beach?
By boat, and only by boat. White Beach sits under a wall of white pumice with no road and no path down to it. We anchor off and you swim in. That is the whole argument for doing the south coast from the water rather than from a hire car.
Is there good snorkeling in Santorini?
It is volcanic-rock snorkelling, not coral-reef snorkelling: dark underwater walls, deep clear water, modest fish life. Visibility is often excellent, especially in the morning before the wind stirs the surface. Go in expecting geology and blue rather than a tropical reef and you will enjoy it.
Where the long answers live
Weather, wind and cancellations
What is the meltemi and when does it blow?
A dry north wind that dominates the Aegean summer. Sources put it mainly between June and September, with episodes in May and October too. It usually starts in the early afternoon at force four or five and dies at sunset, but a strong spell can run for days.
Is July or August too windy for a boat trip?
Not too windy, but windier than June or September, and worst in the afternoon. If you are sailing in July or August and you are unsure of your stomach, take the 10:00 departure. Morning water in Santorini is the flattest water you will get all day.
Do small boats run in the caldera when it's windy?
It depends on direction more than on speed. A northerly leaves the south coast sheltered. A southerly makes that same coast unworkable while the caldera basin stays flat. That is why the captain reads the morning forecast rather than a number, and why the route can change.
How windy is Santorini on average?
Windfinder's long record at Santorini airport, covering November 2000 to July 2026, gives a mean of north-west at 12 knots with mean gusts of 29 knots. That is a windy island by Mediterranean standards. Anyone promising flat calm seas in August has not read the numbers.
Will I receive a refund if the operator cancels?
Yes, in full, or you move to another date, whichever you prefer. A weather cancellation is the captain's decision and it is made on the morning of the cruise. It is not a guest cancellation, and no part of your money is held back for it.
How warm is the sea for swimming?
Published monthly averages run from about 15.5 °C in February and March to about 24.5 °C in August, with September within half a degree of the peak. May sits near 18.5 °C, which is swimmable but brisk. The hot springs are warmer than any of those.
What's the best month for a boat trip?
September, most years. The sea is near its warmest at about 24 °C, the meltemi has usually eased below force five, and the island is quieter than August. June is the close second. July and August work well if you take a morning departure.
Children, pregnancy, accessibility and seasickness
Are children allowed?
Yes, on every cruise, and the trampolines forward are the best thing on the boat if you are eight years old. Tell us their ages when you book so the right life jackets are aboard. We have not published a child rate, so ask us what applies to your family.
Can babies and children join?
Children, yes. For a baby or a toddler we would rather talk first, because the boat anchors offshore and there is no shallow water anywhere on the route. A private cruise usually suits a very young child better: you set the timings and the stops around a nap.
Which tour is best for older travelers?
The morning cruise, most of the time. Calmer water, less heat late in the day, and shade in the cockpit throughout. You step from a quay onto a deck that moves, and the swim platform is reached by steps, so tell us before booking if that is difficult.
Santorini - disabled access: can the catamaran take a wheelchair?
We have not published a step-free boarding route, a lift or an accessible head, and we will not imply that we have one. What we can say is that boarding involves a step onto a moving deck, and that every swim stop is offshore. Tell us the specifics and we will answer plainly.
Can I go on a catamaran if I am pregnant?
We have not published a pregnancy policy, so please ask us rather than assume. In general a catamaran in sheltered caldera water is a gentler ride than most boats, and the morning is calmer than the afternoon. The decision belongs between you and your doctor, not us.
Will I get seasick?
Most guests do not. Two hulls make a catamaran far steadier than a monohull, and the caldera is sheltered by cliffs about 300 metres high. If you are prone to motion sickness, take something before boarding rather than after symptoms start, stay on deck, and watch the horizon.
Will I be able to join a Catamaran cruise if I get easily seasick and/or cannot swim?
Yes on both counts. Swimming is optional and plenty of guests never get in. There is shade, seating and a view that changes every twenty minutes. Tell the crew before the first stop if you are not confident in deep water, so they know to watch for you.
How rough is the water?
Usually calm in the morning and choppier after midday, because the meltemi builds through the afternoon. Inside the caldera the cliffs take most of a northerly out of the sea. The exposed part of the day is the run round the southern corner past the Akrotiri lighthouse.
On 28 July 2026 the Municipal Port Fund of Thira banned foot and mule traffic on the roughly 590-step Karavolades stairway, after a wall collapsed onto the path. No reopening date has been published. Until that changes, the cable car is the only way up from the tender pier. Or you leave Skala the way you arrived, by sea.
Cruise-ship days, ports and the water taxi
Do cruise ships dock in Santorini, or is it a tender port?
Santorini is a tender port. Ships anchor in the caldera and bring passengers ashore by tender to Fira Old Port, known locally as Skala. There is no road out of Skala. From the pier you go up by cable car, or you leave the way you arrived, by sea.
Is Santorini walkable from the cruise port?
Not since 28 July 2026. The roughly 590-step Karavolades stairway from Skala up to Fira was closed by order of the Municipal Port Fund of Thira after a wall collapsed onto it, and no reopening date has been published. That leaves the cable car, or a boat.
How do I avoid the long cable car queues?
Two ways. Go up in the middle of the day rather than at 09:30 or after 15:30, when everyone moves at once. Or do not go up at all: take a boat along the caldera to Ammoudi for Oia, or south to Athinios for a ferry.
Santorini - is there a cable car alternative?
By sea, yes. A private boat from the tender pier runs you round the caldera to Ammoudi under Oia, or south to Athinios. The stepped path is closed and the mules with it, so the honest list of alternatives in 2026 is short: the water, or the queue.
Is a water taxi faster than the cable car?
Not in raw travel time. The cable car ride itself is three to five minutes. It is faster in total time on a busy day, because you swap a queue of 60 to 90 minutes for a boarding time you control. On a quiet day the cable car wins.
How much does the Santorini cable car cost in 2026?
Published fares are €10 for an adult one way, €5 for a child and €5 for a bag. Cabins take six people and the system moves 1,200 passengers an hour in total, 600 each way. There is no pre-booking and no skip-the-line ticket, and strong wind shuts it.
Can I take my luggage on a water taxi?
Ask before you book. Small boats have real limits on bag size and number, cases have to be handed across a moving gunwale, and anything on deck gets wet in chop. It is a crew decision, not a passenger one. Send us the bag count and the sizes.
Fira Port to Oia ?? How?
Two routes. Up the cliff by cable car, then a bus or taxi north; the Fira to Oia bus is about €2.20 and runs roughly every half hour in summer. Or by boat round the caldera to Ammoudi, then about 300 steps up, or a vehicle for that last leg.
How do I get back to the cruise ship from Santorini?
Back down to Skala, then join the tender queue. You do not usually need a ticket for the return. Getting to Skala is the risk, because the descending cable car queue peaks in the late afternoon. Guides suggest reaching it 90 minutes before your last tender.
If you are in port for the day
A question that is not here
There are more than fifty answers on this page and it still will not cover everything. Boats are like that.
Send the question to +30 698 977 1888 on WhatsApp, or write to info@santoriniboattour.com. If we know the answer you get it straight. If we do not, we will say that too.
Still not answered?
Send your question with the dates and the number of guests. A person who works on the boats reads it and replies the same day. No payment is taken on this site.
Call the harbour office+30 698 977 1888
Common questions
How much does a Santorini catamaran cruise cost?
A shared five-hour catamaran cruise with us is €100 per person, including hotel transfers both ways, lunch cooked on board, wine, beer and water. A private catamaran is €1,200 for up to eight guests, then €100 for each guest after that. The full-day private charter is €2,400 for ten.
What is included in a Santorini catamaran cruise?
On ours: return road transfer between your hotel and the boat, Greek- and English-speaking crew, the meal cooked on board, Santorini wine, beer, soft drinks and water, snorkelling gear, towels, and the captain, fuel, insurance and port fees. Not included are walking on the volcano, the Nea Kameni park fee and gratuities.
Where do Santorini boat tours depart?
The business is based in Fira, and the catamaran sails from Vlychada Marina on the south coast. Your exact meeting point at the marina is confirmed with your booking, because the berth moves with what else is tied up that day. A car collects you from your hotel and brings you back afterwards.
How many people are on board?
A shared cruise is capped for comfort, and that does not move. A private charter is the whole boat. Two or three crew work the boat on top of the guest count. Big volcano boats in Santorini carry 40 to 80, which is a different day out entirely.
What if the weather is bad?
The captain decides on the morning of the cruise whether the sea is safe. If he cancels, you move to another date or take a full refund. He may instead change the route or the order of the stops, which is a judgement about wind direction, not about the timetable.
Can cruise passengers take a boat tour?
Yes, but rarely the five-hour catamaran cruise: with two road transfers it seldom fits an all-aboard time. What fits is a private boat from the tender pier, built backwards from your ship's clock. Send us the ship, the date and your all-aboard time and we will tell you what works.
Santorini Boat Tour - Water Taxi is a catamaran cruise and water taxi operator based in Fira, Santorini.
Updated August 2026