Small children on board

Santorini boat tour with a baby or a toddler

7 min read

Babies and toddlers are welcome on our Santorini boat tour, but the day is built for adults. There is shade under the bimini and the sun is still fierce. Every swim is from the stern platform into deep water, with no lifeguard. A private boat can turn back early. A shared five-hour cruise cannot.

Parents ask us two things. Is it safe, and will it be five hours of misery. The honest answers are: it depends what you bring and how old they are, and sometimes yes.

This page is the version we would give you on the phone. Nothing on it is a sales argument.

The six things that decide it

None of these are dramatic. Together they are the whole question.

The sun. There is a bimini over the cockpit and it is real shade. It is not enough on its own. Light comes off the water as well as out of the sky, and the deck is hot underfoot by midday.

The swimming. Every stop is from the stern platform straight into open water. The boat anchors offshore at all of them, because no swimming stop in the caldera has a jetty. There is no shallow end. There is no lifeguard, and a crew member is not one.

The clock. A shared cruise runs five hours and carries up to 15 people to one schedule. It cannot leave early because your child has had enough. A private boat can, and that is the single biggest difference for a family with an under-three.

The life jackets. Tell us the ages when you book, so the right sizes are aboard. If you own an infant or toddler jacket you already know fits, bring it.

The heads. They are small marine toilets, down a companionway into a hull. There is no changing table anywhere on the boat.

The trampolines. The netting between the two hulls is the best thing on the boat if you are eight. It is netting stretched over open sea. It is not a place for a crawling child while we are under way.

The numbers

Age by age

The ages are a guide, not a rule. We have no published minimum age, and the captain has not set one. Send us the age and we will tell you what we think.

Age	What works	What does not	What to bring
Under 6 months	Sleeping in shade, in arms, in the cockpit. The catamaran does not lean the way a monohull does.	Heat between 12:00 and 15:00. Infant life jackets are not standard stock on every boat in Santorini.	Long sleeves, a brimmed hat, a muslin, and your own infant jacket if you have one.
6–18 months	A private departure timed around the nap rather than around our schedule.	Crawling on a moving deck. The trampolines and the side decks are both wrong for it.	A toddler jacket that already fits, a change of clothes, and more nappies than the day needs.
18 months – 3 years	Swimming off the stern platform in a parent's arms, at anchor, with the engines off.	Five hours without once getting off. There is no beach landing on any of our cruises.	Something to do at 13:30 while the adults eat, a rash vest, and deck shoes.
3–6 years	A snorkel mask, the trampolines at anchor with an adult, standing at the wheel for two minutes.	The long legs between stops, when there is nothing happening and nowhere new to look.	A rash vest, a dark swimsuit for the hot springs, and a hat with a cord.
6–12 years	Almost all of it. This is the age the boat is best at, and a shared cruise works fine.	Very little, if they swim confidently. The ladder back aboard is the only awkward part.	A dark swimsuit, a rash vest, and their own mask if they have one.

The hot springs at Palea Kameni stain pale fabric permanently — iron oxide out of the seabed. Put every child in something dark you do not mind losing.

The things parents actually ask about

The question	What is true on our catamaran
Is there shade?	A bimini covers the cockpit, where the seating and the table are. The foredeck and the trampolines have none.
Where do we change a nappy?	There is no changing table. People use the saloon table or a bunk in a cabin below.
How big are the toilets?	Small, and down a companionway into a hull. Doing anything two-handed in one is a struggle.
Can we bring a pram?	No. It stays ashore. The car that collects you from your hotel brings you back to it.
Do we get off anywhere?	No. The boat anchors offshore at every stop. A child who needs to run about will not get the chance.
How do we swim?	Down the steps at the stern into open water. One adult in the water per small child, every time.
Is there a lifeguard?	No. The crew are sailing the boat and cooking lunch. Supervision on deck and in the water is yours.
Can we go back early?	On a private boat, yes — it is your boat. On a shared cruise, no, and we will not pretend otherwise.
What will they eat?	Lunch is cooked on board: BBQ chicken, shrimp, salad, pasta with tomato sauce. Plain pasta is usually the winner.
What about milk and baby food?	Bring your own. We carry Santorini wine, beer and water, and nothing formulated for an infant.
Which life jackets do you carry?	Tell us the ages at booking and the right sizes are aboard on the day. Ask us rather than assume.

Shared seat or the whole boat

A shared seat is €100 per person. The whole catamaran is €1,200 for up to eight guests, which is €150 each at eight — more per head, not less. A private boat is never the cheaper option, and anyone telling you otherwise is doing the arithmetic wrong.

What the extra buys with a small child is control. You choose the departure time around a nap. You drop a stop. You go home at 13:00 because it stopped being fun at 12:40. On a shared cruise none of that is available, because 14 other people bought the same five hours.

Under three, we would take the private cruise every time. Over six, a semi-private seat is usually plenty.

The trampolines, said plainly

The netting between the hulls sits over open water. At anchor, with an adult alongside, children love it and it is fine. Under way it is the wrong place for a child who crawls or has just learned to walk. Keep them in the cockpit until the engines stop.

When we would tell you to skip it

If your child is under six months and you are travelling in July or August, we would say leave the boat for another trip. Five hours of Aegean sun in high summer is a lot to ask of a baby, and shade only solves half of it.

If you are booking a shared seat because the private boat is over budget, and your child is two, we would rather you took a shorter morning somewhere ashore. The five hours are the problem, not the boat.

If you are unsure, message us with the age and the date before you pay. Telling you no costs us one booking. Getting it wrong costs you a day of your holiday.

Ready when you are

Tell us their ages and we will tell you honestly

Send the ages, the date and the number of adults. We will say which cruise fits, or that none of them does.

Check availability & book

Call the harbour office+30 698 977 1888

Common questions

Is there a minimum age for a Santorini catamaran cruise?

We have not set one and we do not publish one. Babies have been aboard and so have grandparents. What matters more than a number is the length of the day and whether you can leave early, which is why we point families with under-threes at the private cruise.

Can babies and children join?

Yes. Parents stay responsible for supervision on deck and in the water throughout. Tell us every child's age when you book, so the right life jackets are on board on the day. If you own an infant jacket you trust, bring it rather than rely on ours.

Is there shade for a baby on board?

There is a bimini over the cockpit, which is genuine shade over the seating and the table. It does not cover the foredeck or the trampolines. Sun also comes up off the water, so long sleeves and a brimmed hat still do more work than the awning does.

Can we come back early if it isn't working?

On a private cruise, yes. It is your boat, so the captain turns for home when you ask. On a semi-private cruise, no. Everyone aboard bought the same five hours and the boat runs to one schedule, so we cannot shorten it for one family.

Is the cruise suitable for children?

From about six years old, very much so. Younger than three, the honest answer is that a private boat suits them and a shared one often does not. Between three and six it depends on the child, the month and how well they cope with a long day outdoors.

Where do we change a nappy on board?

There is no changing table. Guests use the saloon table or a bunk in a cabin below. The heads are small marine toilets down a companionway, and they are not a realistic place to change anyone. Bring a mat you are happy to lay on a bunk.

Santorini Boat Tour - Water Taxi is a catamaran cruise and water taxi operator based in Fira, Santorini.

Updated August 2026