A romantic boat trip in Santorini, for two
Two shared seats on the sunset cruise cost €200. The same boat with nobody else on it costs €1,200. Most couples should buy the first one, and we will say so.
€1,200 covers 8, then €100 each · 14:30 - 19:30 · The whole boat
For two people, a romantic boat trip in Santorini is usually the shared sunset cruise: €100 each, €200 for the pair, five hours, dinner cooked on board. The private boat costs €1,200 and buys the timing, the route and an empty deck. It is worth it when the day itself is the occasion.
This is the one decision couples write to us about, so here is the arithmetic and then our honest opinion, in that order.
€200 for two seats against €1,200 for the boat
| Two shared seats | The whole catamaran | |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay | €200 — €100 each | €1,200, whether two of you board or eight |
| Per person | €100 | €600 each, for two |
| Who else is aboard | Up to 13 other guests | Nobody, and two or three crew |
| Times | 15:00 until the sun has gone | 14:30 to 19:30 |
| The route | The captain's, and it is a good one | Yours to discuss, inside what the sea allows |
| Food and drink | Cooked on board. Wine, beer and water included. | The same food, on an empty deck |
| Your photographs | Other people are sometimes in the frame | Nobody is in the frame |
| A question you want to ask | Possible, in front of strangers | Private, and timed to the minute |
| Our verdict | Right for most couples | Right when the day itself is the occasion |
A private boat is never cheaper per head than a shared seat. For two people it is six times the price. We would rather you knew that before you paid it than afterwards.
Why the shared sunset cruise is the right buy for most couples
It is the same catamaran, the same route and the same hour of the day. The sun goes down in the same place. Nothing about the €100 seat is a smaller version of the caldera.
Fourteen other people on a deck this wide is not a crowd. You can sit forward on the trampoline with your back to everyone and watch the cliff go past for an hour, and that is a completely normal way to spend the evening.
And the difference between the two columns is a thousand euros. Two seats plus a long dinner in a village afterwards beats a private boat and an early night, most weeks of the year.
When to pay for the whole boat
When the day is the occasion. An anniversary, the last evening of a honeymoon, the day you flew in to mark something. Then the route is not the point. The point is that nothing else is happening on the boat.
When you want the timing. On a private sunset charter the light is yours to sail towards, 14:30 to 19:30. On a shared boat the captain is holding a schedule for fifteen people, and he is right to.
When you are going to ask a question. A proposal in front of thirteen strangers is a different event to a proposal in front of none. If that is the plan, we run a proposal charter at €1,600 for up to ten guests, built around the moment rather than around the route.
When there are more than two of you. At eight guests the private boat works out at €150 each, and less as the group grows. It never drops below the €100 shared seat, but the gap closes fast.
Two things that spoil a romantic evening on the water
Wind. The meltemi builds through the afternoon in July and August. If either of you is prone to seasickness, book the morning cruise instead and accept the plainer light. Nobody is romantic over a rail.
A pale swimsuit. Where the cruise swims at the hot springs, the water runs ochre with iron out of the seabed and it marks light fabric permanently. Wear something dark, and not the swimsuit you like most.
The sunset cruise leaves at 15:00 and comes back once the sun has gone, so both ends of it shift through the season. The time printed on your confirmation is the one that applies to your date.
Tell us the date and we will price both
Send one date. We come back with the two shared seats and the private boat side by side, and we tell you which one we would book if it were us.
Call the harbour office+30 698 977 1888
Common questions
Is this cruise good for couples or celebrations?
Yes, and for most couples the €100 semi-private sunset cruise covers it: same boat, same route, dinner cooked on deck. For a wedding anniversary or a honeymoon where the day itself is the occasion, the private sunset charter is €1,200 for up to eight guests.
Is a private catamaran worth it for two people?
Sometimes. You are paying €1,200 instead of €200, so €600 each rather than €100. What that buys is an empty deck, a route you help choose and a departure at 14:30 rather than 15:00. If the day is not marking anything, take the shared seats.
Will we be the only couple on a shared sunset cruise?
No. A typical sailing carries three or four couples, sometimes a family, occasionally somebody travelling alone, a handful of others in total. Nobody sits you at a table with anyone. Lunch and dinner happen on deck, plate in hand, and you join in as much as you feel like.
Can we propose on the shared sunset cruise?
You can, and people do. Understand that thirteen strangers will be watching and that the boat will not stop for you. If you want the moment placed properly, take a private charter, tell us what is happening, and we will put the boat in the right place at the right minute.
Which is more romantic, the morning cruise or the sunset one?
Sunset, for the light and for dinner cooked while the caldera goes orange. Morning wins on calm water, on clearer swimming and on price parity, since both shared cruises cost €100. If one of you does not love boats, the morning is the kinder introduction.
Santorini Boat Tour - Water Taxi is a catamaran cruise and water taxi operator based in Fira, Santorini.
Updated August 2026