Water taxi from Fira Old Port to Athinios
One journey, two very different ways to make it. Athinios is about eight to ten kilometres south of Fira, and the road to it climbs a cliff and then descends a set of hairpins.
A water taxi to Athinios is a private boat south from Fira Old Port to Santorini's ferry port. It exists for one reason: a ferry you cannot miss. We plan it backwards from your departure time, not forwards from ours, and we quote it per boat rather than per seat.
It is a shorter distance than the Oia crossing and a much less scenic one. Nobody asks for this route because they want to look at anything. They ask because a boat is sitting under them and the alternative is a cable car queue followed by a switchback road.
Where Athinios is, and why the road is the problem
Athinios is Santorini's only port with scheduled passenger ferries, cut into the base of the caldera cliff on the south-west coast.
It sits about eight to ten kilometres south of Fira — roughly a twenty-minute drive, or about twenty-five by scheduled bus. That figure is fine on a quiet Tuesday and misleading on a ferry day.
There is one access road. It climbs from the quay to the clifftop in a series of hairpins, zigzagging back and forth up multi-coloured volcanic rock. Every arriving foot passenger, every hire car, every coach and every taxi uses it, and they all use it in the same twenty minutes, because that is how ferries work. When two ships come in together, the road stacks.
Coming the other way — from Fira down to Athinios for a departure — you meet that same stack head-on, in the wrong direction, with a ferry to catch.
And if you are starting at Fira Old Port rather than in Fira town, you have a second problem before the road even begins. No road reaches the Old Port. The stepped Karavolades path has been closed since 28 July 2026 after a landslide, which leaves the cable car as the only way up: 1,200 passengers an hour in total, six to a cabin, with queues published at 60 to 90 minutes at peak.
So the sea route is not really competing with a twenty-minute drive. It is competing with a queue, then a climb, then a descent, at the one moment in your holiday where being late has a hard consequence.
The sea route against the road route
The honest comparison. Market figures are marked as market figures, with the source and the date we saw them.
| By sea | By road | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it starts | The quay at Fira Old Port, at sea level. You are already standing where the boat is. | The same quay — but first you must get up a 220-metre cliff, because no road comes down to it. |
| The first move | Board at a stated time and go south along the caldera wall. | Join the cable car queue. Since 28 July 2026 there is no stepped alternative. |
| The bottleneck | None, unless the sea state is against us. The route is short and it runs inside the caldera. | Two: the cable car, then the single hairpin road down into Athinios, which stacks at every ferry arrival. |
| Time | We do not publish a crossing time for our own boat. It depends on the sea state and the exact landing, and an invented number is worth nothing to you at the quayside. | Cable car 3 to 5 minutes plus the queue. Fira to Athinios about 20 minutes by car, about 25 by bus, per santorinidave.com and greeka.com, seen 25 August 2026 — before any ferry-day traffic. |
| Cost basis | Per boat, by quote, whether two of you travel or eight. Market rates for comparable Santorini crossings ran from about €20 per person shared to €220 per boat when we looked on 25 August 2026. | Cable car €10 per person one way and €5 per large case, per santorini.net. Bus to Athinios about €2.50. A taxi is the fastest road option and the island runs on roughly 30 to 40 licensed taxis with no ride-hailing app. |
| Luggage | Handed across a moving gunwale by hand, and exposed to spray. Tell us bag count and size before you book. | The cable car charges per large case. A taxi takes what fits in the boot. |
| What can go wrong | Wind. A small boat stops running before a big one does. We would rather cancel the night before than at 07:40 with your ferry at 08:15. | The queue, the road, and the fact that a full bus simply leaves without you. |
| Where it leaves you | At the ferry quay itself. | At the ferry quay itself, having paid for the cable car and the taxi to get there. |
| Best day for it | A multi-ship day, or any ferry departure where missing it costs you a flight. | A quiet morning out of season with two hours in hand. |
The short version: if you are already up in Fira town with time to spare, take a taxi and we will tell you so. The boat is for the case where you are at sea level, the clock is running, and the cliff is between you and the ferry.
How we plan it, backwards
Every other transfer on this site starts with a departure time. This one starts with an arrival time, because a ferry does not wait.
- You send us the ferryThe operator, the departure time and the date. Not "a morning ferry" — the actual sailing, because they do not all leave from the same berth and they do not all board at the same moment.
- We subtract the check-inGreek domestic ferries want you at the quay well before departure, and the bigger the ship the earlier that is. This is the number people underestimate.
- We subtract the crossingOur sea time for your date and the forecast, plus a margin. The margin is not padding; it is the difference between a plan and a hope.
- That gives your boarding time at FiraWe tell you the time and the exact meeting point with your booking, and you build your morning around that rather than around the ferry.
- We watch the wind the day beforeIf the forecast is against us you hear from us the evening before, not on the quay, and you have time to book a taxi instead.
Who this route suits
Cruise passengers with an onward ferry. You come ashore at the tender quay and your next boat leaves from a port with no road connection to where you are standing.
Anyone catching an early sailing on a multi-ship day. The cable car queue at 09:30 is the single most reliable way to miss a ferry in Santorini.
Small groups with hand luggage. The boat costs what it costs; six people split it six ways, and the cable car would have charged all six individually plus €5 a case.
People connecting to Thirassia. Thirassia is a scheduled stop on at least one Piraeus ferry routing, and it is also reachable by caique from Ammoudi in about twenty minutes. So Athinios is not always the obvious connection. Tell us where you are actually going and we will say which makes sense.
Who it does not suit
Anyone with four large cases. Luggage crosses a moving gunwale by hand on an open boat. A car is the right answer and we will say so.
Anyone with no margin and no plan B. If missing this ferry means missing a flight home, book a taxi as well and cancel one of us. We would rather you did that than gamble on a forecast.
Anyone already in Fira town on a quiet day. You are twenty minutes from Athinios by road. Take the taxi.
Anyone who wants to see something. This is a transfer. The Oia crossing is the one with the view.
Both depend on your date, your ferry and the sea, and a number invented for a web page helps nobody at 07:40 on a quay.
Send the ferry, the date and the number of people to WhatsApp or call +30 698 977 1888. Your exact meeting point is confirmed with your booking.
Which ferry are you trying to catch?
Operator, sailing time, date, and how many of you. One message is enough and we will tell you honestly whether the boat or the road is the better bet.
Call the harbour office+30 698 977 1888
Common questions
How do I get from Santorini's old port to the ferry port?
There is no road between them. From Fira Old Port you go up by cable car, then about 20 minutes by taxi or 25 by bus down the hairpin road to Athinios. Or you stay at sea level and take a boat round, which is what this page is about.
How far is Athinios port from Fira?
About eight to ten kilometres south, roughly a twenty-minute drive on a clear road and about twenty-five minutes by scheduled bus. Those figures are before any ferry-day traffic, and a single hairpin road serves the whole port.
Can I take a boat from Fira to Athinios?
Yes, as a private charter arranged in advance. There is no scheduled service on that leg and no ticket office to turn up at. Tell us your ferry, your date and how many people, and we quote the boat as a whole rather than per seat.
How early should I get to Athinios for a ferry?
Earlier than you think. Greek domestic ferries want foot passengers at the quay well before departure, the road into the port stacks at every arrival, and the berth is not always the one you expect. We build our timings backwards from the sailing, with a margin.
What happens if the sea is too rough?
We tell you the evening before rather than on the quay, so that you can put a taxi in place instead. A small boat stops running before a large one does, and a ferry connection is the worst possible thing to gamble on a forecast.
Is it cheaper than a taxi?
Usually not, for two people. The boat is priced whole, and a taxi from Fira to Athinios is a single fare. It becomes competitive with a group, and it becomes the sensible choice when you are starting at sea level with a cable car queue in front of you.
Santorini Boat Tour - Water Taxi is a catamaran cruise and water taxi operator based in Fira, Santorini.
Updated August 2026