A Santorini yacht proposal, timed backwards from sunset
Five hours, €1,600 for up to ten guests, and one half-hour the whole afternoon is arranged around. The boat is in position and the engine is off before the light goes.
€1,600 covers 10, then €100 each · 10:30 or 15:30, five hours · The whole boat
A Santorini yacht proposal with us is a private catamaran charter of five hours, leaving at 10:30 or 15:30, at €1,600 for up to ten guests and €100 for each guest after that. The price is above a standard private cruise because the route and the timing are built backwards from one minute.
This is a product page, not a proposal guide. What follows is what the boat does, when it does it, and what we need from you two weeks beforehand.
The facts, in one table
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Times | 10:30 or 15:30, five hours. Afternoon departures move later through high summer. |
| Price | €1,600 for the boat, up to 10 guests. €100 for each guest after that. |
| Guests | Two is normal. Ten is the ceiling on this price, 17 is the ceiling on the boat. |
| Boat | Lagoon sailing catamaran, two or three crew. Wide and level, with shade and room to move. |
| Departure | Vlychada Marina, on the south coast. The included car collects you from your hotel and brings you back, so you never have to find it. |
| Included | Hotel transfers both ways, lunch or dinner cooked on board, Santorini wine, beer and water, snorkelling gear, towels, crew, fuel, insurance and port fees. |
| Not included | Photographer, flowers, cake, music you have not sent us, and anything else you would ask a planner for. |
| Weekends | The price is flat. It does not change by day of the week. |
| Cancellation | Agreed with your booking, because the whole boat is held for you. A weather cancellation by the captain is refunded in full. |
| Meeting point | Your exact meeting point is confirmed with your booking. The car both ways is included. |
Sunset proposals, worked backwards, month by month
This is the useful table on this page. The two left columns are sunset itself. The two right columns are our planning rule: in position forty minutes before sunset with the engine off, and the moment about half an hour before the sun reaches the water.
| Month, 2026 | Sunset on the 1st | Sunset on the 15th | Boat in position by | The half-hour we aim at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April | 19:40 | 19:52 | 19:00 – 19:12 | 19:10 – 19:22 |
| May | 20:05 | 20:17 | 19:25 – 19:37 | 19:35 – 19:47 |
| June | 20:30 | 20:38 | 19:50 – 19:58 | 20:00 – 20:08 |
| July | 20:40 | 20:37 | 19:57 – 20:00 | 20:07 – 20:10 |
| August | 20:25 | 20:10 | 19:30 – 19:45 | 19:40 – 19:55 |
| September | 19:48 | 19:27 | 18:47 – 19:08 | 18:57 – 19:18 |
| October | 19:03 | 18:43 | 18:03 – 18:23 | 18:13 – 18:33 |
These are sea-level, flat-horizon times, which is the right reference for a boat sitting on the water. From the caldera rim, 250 to 350 m up, the sun sets slightly later, so do not plan a viewpoint from this table. Every date we have is on sunset times by month.
On 1 July the sun reaches the water at about 20:40. A five-hour afternoon cruise leaving at 15:30 would be due back at 20:30. That is why afternoon departures move later through high summer, and why the time on your confirmation is the one that applies rather than the time on this page.
If the moment has to happen with the sun still on the water in late June or July, say so when you ask about the date. It changes the shape of the afternoon, and we would rather build it than apologise for it.
What we need from you, and what happens
Four things happen before the day and three on it. None of them are complicated, and all of them are better done early.
- When you ask: the date and which half of the daySunset or morning. Sunset is what almost everyone wants, and it is the slot that fills first in July and August. A morning proposal buys flatter water and an emptier coast, and light that is honest rather than golden.
- Two weeks out: the detailsBoth names. How many people are aboard, and whether any of them must not know. Whether a photographer is coming. Whether a bottle, a cake or flowers are arriving, and who is carrying them to the boat. Any song you want playing, sent to us as a file or a link.
- The morning of: the captain's callHe looks at the sea and decides whether the day happens. If he cancels for weather you move to another date or take a full refund. He may instead swap the order of the stops, which changes nothing about the timing of your half-hour.
- On board: nobody says anythingThe crew know. They will not mention it, toast it, or catch your eye over lunch. The afternoon runs like any other private cruise: swimming stops, food cooked on deck, the coast going past.
- The half-hourWe put the boat where you asked, stop it, and cut the engine. The crew go forward or below. You get the cockpit, the stern or the trampoline to yourselves, and quiet. Somebody comes back out with glasses afterwards, and only afterwards.
- The rest of the afternoonThere is usually an hour or more left, and that is deliberate. A proposal that is the last thing to happen leaves you standing on a dock ten minutes later with nothing to do but text people.
What the crew do not do
They do not carry the ring. Keep it on you. A pocket that zips is worth more than any plan we can make for you.
They do not film it properly. Hand a phone to a crew member and they will use it, gladly, and the result will look like a phone. If you want photographs, bring a photographer and tell us they are coming. We will keep the deck clear and hold the boat on the angle they ask for. Whether we can book one for you is not something we have published, so ask us on WhatsApp.
They do not fly a drone, and nor can you. The Santorini caldera is a no-fly zone and the water below it sits in controlled airspace. Launching from a boat is not a workaround. Vessel flights need prior authorisation from the Hellenic authorities, with weeks of notice.
They do not decorate. No petals, no arch, no banner with your names on it. If those matter, they come aboard in a bag with you and we will find somewhere to put them.
They do not make a speech. The half-hour is yours and the boat goes quiet for it. That is the product.
Why €1,600 and not €1,200
Our standard private sunset charter is €1,200 for up to eight guests. This one is €1,600 for up to ten. The difference between them is €400 at two guests and €200 at ten, because this price carries ten people where the standard charter carries eight.
What the rest reflects is time, not props. The whole afternoon is planned around one half-hour. We hold that slot, we set the route so the boat arrives in the right water at the right minute rather than whenever the swimming happens to finish, and we stop and go silent in the middle of a working day. Nothing physical is added to the boat for the money.
If that is not what you want — if you simply want a private sunset on the water and you will pick your own moment — book the private sunset cruise at €1,200 and keep the difference. We would rather tell you that here than sell you the more expensive one.
What is in the €1,600
In the price
- Return road transfer between your hotel and the boat
- Greek and English speaking crew
- A meal cooked on board: BBQ chicken and shrimp off the coals, Greek salad, pasta in tomato sauce, vine leaf rolls, and Greek dips with bread
- Santorini white wine, cold beer, soft drinks and water
- Snorkelling gear
- Towels
- Captain, crew, fuel, insurance and port fees
Not included
- Walking on the volcano (the boats anchor offshore)
- Nea Kameni national park entrance fee
- Gratuities
Send us the date and we will send you the times
Tell us the date, how many people are aboard, and whether it is sunset or morning. We come back with the sunset time for that day and the shape of the afternoon around it. No payment is taken on this site.
Call the harbour office+30 698 977 1888
Common questions
What is the best time to propose?
The half-hour before sunset, with the caldera wall behind you. Our proposal charter runs five hours at €1,600 for up to ten guests, plus €100 per extra guest, which is long enough that the proposal is not the only thing that happens all afternoon. The table above gives the times by month.
What is the best location to propose?
On the water off the Akrotiri lighthouse in the last of the light, where the horizon is open sea, the caldera wall colours behind you, and there is nobody in the frame. That is the practical argument for proposing from a boat rather than from a viewpoint in Oia, which is shoulder to shoulder every evening of the season.
Is there different pricing between working days and weekends?
No. Our published prices are flat and do not vary by day of the week: €1,600 for the five-hour proposal charter covering up to ten guests, plus €100 for each additional guest. Seasonal variation is not something we have published, so ask us for your date.
Can I fly a drone from the boat?
Assume no. The Santorini caldera is a no-fly zone and the water surface below it sits in controlled airspace, so launching from a boat is not a workaround. Flights from a vessel need prior authorisation from the Hellenic authorities, with weeks of notice. Bring a photographer instead.
Should we have a special dress code?
For a surprise, dress smart-casual summer rather than formal. Formal clothes on a boat give the surprise away and are uncomfortable for five hours. Shoes come off on deck. If a photographer is coming, plan the outfit around wind and bare feet rather than around a studio.
What happens if the wind gets up on the day?
The captain decides on the morning whether the sea is safe. If he cancels you move to another date or take a full refund. More often he reorders the stops, which does not move your half-hour — the timing is planned around sunset, and sunset does not care about the wind.
Santorini Boat Tour - Water Taxi is a catamaran cruise and water taxi operator based in Fira, Santorini.
Updated August 2026