Santorini Island (Thira, Greece)
Cruise Port schedule, live map, terminals, news
Region
Mediterranean - Black Sea
Local Time
2023-09-25 05:09
24.7°C
5.6 m/s
76 °F / 25 °C
Santorini Island (Greece) is among the most popular ports of call on Eastern Mediterranean/Aegean cruises. The island is in the Aegan Sea and is the southernmost of the Greek Cycladic Islands.
Santorini (aka Thera/Thira) covers a total area of approx 91 km2 (35 mi2) and has population around 15,000.
The island's largest town and principal port is Fira/Thira (locode GRJTR).
Santorini Island is essentially what remained after an enormous volcanic eruption which destroyed the earliest settlements on a formerly single isle, and created the geological caldera. A large central, rectangular lagoon, measuring about 12x7 km (7,5x4,3 mi), is surrounded via 300 m (980 ft) high, steep cliffs on 3 sides. The depth of the caldera is 400 m (1312 ft), which makes it impossible for any but the biggest ships to anchor anywhere in the bay. A fisherman's harbour is located at Vlychada, on the southwestern coast. The principal port on the island is Athinios. Fira is the capital, clinging to the top of the cliff that is looking down on the lagoon.
Santorini is the most active volcanic centre in South Aegean Volcanic Arc, but what remains today is mainly a water-filled caldera. The island's volcanic arc is approx 500 km (310 mi) long and 20-40 km (12-25 mi) wide. The region became volcanically active about 3–4 million years ago, but volcanism on Thera started about 2 million years ago via the extrusion of dacitic lavas from vents around Akrotiri.
The island is the site of one of the biggest volcanic eruptions in recorded history: Minoan eruption (sometimes called Thera eruption), which occurred around 3,600 years ago at the height of Minoan civilization. The eruption left a huge caldera surrounded by volcanic ash deposits and may have led to the collapse of Minoan civilization on Crete, 110 km (70 mi) to the south, via a gigantic tsunami. Another theory holds that Thera eruption is the source of Atlantis' legend.
Island's primary industry is tourism. The other main source of wealth includes agriculture. In recent years, the island has been voted one of the most beautiful in the world. Santorini remains the home of a flourishing wine industry, which is based on the Assyrtiko grape variety. White varieties include Aidani and Athiri, whereas red ones include mandilaria and mavrotragano.
In October 2017, the Greek Government ordered the raising of the sunken cruise ship Sea Diamond. The vessel foundered (took on water and sank) in 2007, leaving 2 passengers missing and 1 presumed dead. The decision was made as the wreck posed a potential environmental risk and was deemed a hazard to shipping near the island. On April 5, 2007, the 143-m ship struck a volcanic reef. All of its 1600 passengers and crew were evacuated, except a 45-year-old male passenger (of French origin) and his teenage daughter, who probably drowned. The bodies were never found. For cruise ship accidents you can visit our CruiseMinus section.
Santorini is the most popular cruising destination of all Greek Isles. The busy season for the island is from July through August. Santorini is often described as paradise and is among the world’s most breathtaking places. The towns on the island are situated atop of high cliffs and are looking over the caldera of an ancient volcano.
The closest to the cruise port Thira/Fira international airport is approx 6 km from downtown.
Santorini is often included in Eastern Med itineraries operated by major cruise line brands like Costa, MSC, RCI-Royal Caribbean, NCL-Norwegian, HAL-Holland America, Celebrity, Princess, as well as the luxury travel brands Azamara, RSSC-Regent, Oceania, Seabourn, Windstar, SeaDream.
In 2017, Santorini self-imposed a daily cruise passenger limit of 12000. In 2018, this limit was further pushed down to 8000 per day.
The island's cruise port schedule for 2018 had a total of 439 ship calls (409 in 2017). For season 2019 were handled 592 ship calls with ~870,000 passengers.
Following the COVID crisis, in 2022 Santorini handled a total of 686 cruise ship calls, which number in 2023 increased to 753 (112 in June alone).
Santorini Island cruise terminal
Cruise ships to Santorini Island dock (anchor) at Thira - port town on the western coast. The cruise port is a tender port (doesn’t have passenger terminal). Cruise vessels anchor in the caldera and their passengers are tendered ashore to the Old Port in Fira (Skala) via local tender boats (called skunas). Cruise liners usually call on Santorini Island at 8 am and leave at 6 pm.
Cruise ship tourists can reach town Fira by walking, by donkey or by cable car. Cable car and donkey rides are affordably priced. A cable car is available every 20 min. Donkey rides from the cruise tender dock take up to 30 min, almost the same as walking.
Santorini Island tours, shore excursions, hotels
City Tours and Shore Excursions
- Fira (Thira): the capital of the island is amazing place. The houses, the flowers, the sunsets – even they are impressive enough. All buildings are white with blue cupolas. The streets are narrow, the hotels are small, the cuisine in the restaurants is so tasty. The city is easily reached from Santorini cruise port tender dock – you need to climb 580 zig zag steps.
- Museum of Prehistoric Fira: located near the bus station.
- Folklore Museum: the museum is located on Kontochori. The building is a cave dwelling from the 19th century. Discover the typical household on the island. You can also find many local tools for wine-making or barrel-making. The Folklore Museum works from May to October. The admission is three euros.
- Oia: eight miles from Santorini cruise port tender dock (direction north) is the most photographed village of the island. Everything here is breathtaking, especially dinner at sunset.
- Naval Museum: the museum is located in Oia. It is open from April to November. The admission is three euros. The museum houses local ships models, equipment for navigation and more.
Port Santorini Island cruise ship schedule shows timetable calendars of all arrival and departure dates by month. The port's schedule lists all ships (in links) with cruises going to or leaving from Santorini Island, Thira, Greece. To see the full itineraries (ports of call dates and arrival / departure times) and their lowest rates – just follow the corresponding ship-link.
Day | Ship | Arrival | Departure |
---|---|---|---|
2 September, 2023 Saturday | ![]() | ||
2 September, 2023 Saturday | ![]() | 13:00 | 21:00 |
3 September, 2023 Sunday | ![]() | ||
3 September, 2023 Sunday | ![]() | ||
3 September, 2023 Sunday | ![]() | 07:00 | 19:00 |
3 September, 2023 Sunday | ![]() | 16:00 | 21:00 |
4 September, 2023 Monday | ![]() | 08:00 | 18:00 |
5 September, 2023 Tuesday | ![]() | 08:00 | 21:00 |
5 September, 2023 Tuesday | ![]() | 08:00 | 22:00 |
5 September, 2023 Tuesday | ![]() | 13:00 | 22:00 |
6 September, 2023 Wednesday | ![]() | 07:00 | 18:00 |
6 September, 2023 Wednesday | ![]() | 07:00 | |
6 September, 2023 Wednesday | ![]() | 08:00 | 21:00 |
6 September, 2023 Wednesday | ![]() | 08:00 | 18:00 |
6 September, 2023 Wednesday | ![]() | 08:00 | 18:00 |
7 September, 2023 Thursday | ![]() | ||
7 September, 2023 Thursday | ![]() | 07:00 | 19:00 |
7 September, 2023 Thursday | ![]() | 08:00 | 19:00 |
7 September, 2023 Thursday | ![]() | 09:00 | 20:00 |
7 September, 2023 Thursday | ![]() | 16:00 | 21:00 |
8 September, 2023 Friday | ![]() | ||
8 September, 2023 Friday | ![]() | 07:00 | 20:00 |
8 September, 2023 Friday | ![]() | 08:00 | 19:00 |
9 September, 2023 Saturday | ![]() | 07:00 | 19:00 |
9 September, 2023 Saturday | ![]() | 08:00 | 21:00 |
9 September, 2023 Saturday | ![]() | 14:00 | 22:00 |
10 September, 2023 Sunday | ![]() | ||
10 September, 2023 Sunday | ![]() | 16:00 | 21:00 |
11 September, 2023 Monday | ![]() | ||
11 September, 2023 Monday | ![]() | 08:00 | 18:00 |
11 September, 2023 Monday | ![]() | 09:00 | 21:00 |
11 September, 2023 Monday | ![]() | 12:00 | 21:00 |
12 September, 2023 Tuesday | ![]() | 07:00 | 16:00 |
12 September, 2023 Tuesday | ![]() | 08:00 | 19:00 |
12 September, 2023 Tuesday | ![]() | 08:00 | 21:00 |
12 September, 2023 Tuesday | ![]() | 12:00 | 19:00 |
13 September, 2023 Wednesday | ![]() | 07:00 | 18:00 |
13 September, 2023 Wednesday | ![]() | 07:00 | |
13 September, 2023 Wednesday | ![]() | 08:00 | 21:00 |
13 September, 2023 Wednesday | ![]() | 08:00 | 18:00 |
14 September, 2023 Thursday | ![]() | ||
14 September, 2023 Thursday | ![]() | ||
14 September, 2023 Thursday | ![]() | 07:00 | 20:00 |
14 September, 2023 Thursday | ![]() | 07:00 | 22:00 |
14 September, 2023 Thursday | ![]() | 08:00 | 19:00 |
14 September, 2023 Thursday | ![]() | 16:00 | 21:00 |
15 September, 2023 Friday | ![]() | 13:00 | 22:00 |
16 September, 2023 Saturday | ![]() | 09:00 | 21:00 |
16 September, 2023 Saturday | ![]() | 10:00 | 21:00 |
16 September, 2023 Saturday | ![]() | 14:00 | 22:00 |
17 September, 2023 Sunday | ![]() | 07:00 | 18:00 |
17 September, 2023 Sunday | ![]() | 08:00 | 22:00 |
17 September, 2023 Sunday | ![]() | 16:00 | 21:00 |
18 September, 2023 Monday | ![]() | ||
18 September, 2023 Monday | ![]() | 07:00 | 19:00 |
18 September, 2023 Monday | ![]() | 08:00 | 18:00 |
18 September, 2023 Monday | ![]() | 09:00 | 21:00 |
19 September, 2023 Tuesday | ![]() | 07:00 | 16:00 |
19 September, 2023 Tuesday | ![]() | 09:00 | 22:00 |
20 September, 2023 Wednesday | ![]() | 07:00 | 18:00 |
20 September, 2023 Wednesday | ![]() | 07:00 | |
20 September, 2023 Wednesday | ![]() | 08:00 | 21:00 |
20 September, 2023 Wednesday | ![]() | 08:00 | 18:00 |
20 September, 2023 Wednesday | ![]() | 08:00 | 19:00 |
21 September, 2023 Thursday | ![]() | 07:00 | 19:00 |
21 September, 2023 Thursday | ![]() | 07:00 | 22:00 |
21 September, 2023 Thursday | ![]() | 08:00 | 20:00 |
21 September, 2023 Thursday | ![]() | 08:00 | 19:00 |
21 September, 2023 Thursday | ![]() | 16:00 | 21:00 |
23 September, 2023 Saturday | ![]() | ||
23 September, 2023 Saturday | ![]() | 07:00 | 23:00 |
23 September, 2023 Saturday | ![]() | 13:00 | 21:00 |
24 September, 2023 Sunday | ![]() | 07:00 | 19:00 |
24 September, 2023 Sunday | ![]() | 08:00 | 17:00 |
24 September, 2023 Sunday | ![]() | 16:00 | 21:00 |
25 September, 2023 Monday | ![]() | 07:00 | 19:00 |
25 September, 2023 Monday | ![]() | 08:00 | 18:00 |
25 September, 2023 Monday | ![]() | 13:00 | 22:00 |
26 September, 2023 Tuesday | ![]() | ||
26 September, 2023 Tuesday | ![]() | 07:00 | 16:00 |
26 September, 2023 Tuesday | ![]() | 07:00 | 19:00 |
26 September, 2023 Tuesday | ![]() | 08:00 | 21:00 |
26 September, 2023 Tuesday | ![]() | 08:00 | 22:00 |
27 September, 2023 Wednesday | ![]() | ||
27 September, 2023 Wednesday | ![]() | 07:00 | 18:00 |
27 September, 2023 Wednesday | ![]() | 07:00 | |
27 September, 2023 Wednesday | ![]() | 07:00 | 20:00 |
27 September, 2023 Wednesday | ![]() | 08:00 | 21:00 |
27 September, 2023 Wednesday | ![]() | 08:00 | 21:00 |
27 September, 2023 Wednesday | ![]() | 08:00 | 18:00 |
28 September, 2023 Thursday | ![]() | ||
28 September, 2023 Thursday | ![]() | 07:00 | 19:00 |
28 September, 2023 Thursday | ![]() | 07:00 | 20:00 |
28 September, 2023 Thursday | ![]() | 08:00 | 19:00 |
28 September, 2023 Thursday | ![]() | 16:00 | 21:00 |
29 September, 2023 Friday | ![]() | 07:00 | 23:00 |
29 September, 2023 Friday | ![]() | 07:00 | 19:00 |
29 September, 2023 Friday | ![]() | 07:00 | 17:00 |
29 September, 2023 Friday | ![]() | 08:00 | 23:00 |
30 September, 2023 Saturday | ![]() | ||
30 September, 2023 Saturday | ![]() | 08:00 | 21:00 |
- Cruise Industry
Cunard opens for booking cruises 2025 (ships Queen Anne, Queen Victoria, Queen Mary 2)
Cunard Line is set to provide travelers with the opportunity to embark on an array of unforgettable journeys by releasing 180 voyages for 2025...
September 20, 2023 - Accidents
Greek police arrested 3 criminals pickpocketing cruise ship tourists in Santorini
Greek law enforcement authorities have successfully dismantled a criminal organization that had been systematically engaging in pickpocketing...
September 18, 2023 - Cruise Industry
Crystal Cruises' ships Serenity and Symphony in 2025 visit 281 ports/112 countries
Crystal has unveiled its 2025 itineraries for Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony, following the brand's acquisition by the A&K Travel Group...
September 14, 2023 - Cruise Industry
Celestyal Journey sets sail from Port Piraeus (Greece) on maiden voyage
On Saturday, September 2nd, the cruise ship Celestyal Journey embarked from the port of Piraeus (Athens, Greece), marking her inaugural voyage under...
September 3, 2023 - Cruise Industry
AIDA Cruises launches National Geographic Day Tours
AIDA Cruises, the leading company in the German cruise industry, has introduced new half-day and full-day excursions for its guests during the summer...
July 27, 2023 - Cruise Industry
Celestyal Cruises reveals design details for newly refurbished ship Celestyal Journey
Celestyal Cruises has revealed the details of its newly refurbished and technologically updated ship, Celestyal Journey (fka P&O Pacific Aria...
July 1, 2023 - Cruise Industry
Mykonos Island (Greece) suffers from influx of cruise ship tourists
Greece's Mykonos Island is struggling with a significant increase in cruise ship calls, resulting in overcrowding and straining the island's...
June 29, 2023 - Cruise Industry
HAL-Holland America introduces 'National Geographic Day Tours' to Mediterranean voyages
HAL-Holland America Line is enhancing its reputation for immersive travel experiences by introducing "National Geographic Day Tours" in the...
June 24, 2023 - Cruise Industry
Costa Cruises starts inaugural homeporting in Taranto (Italy) with Costa Pacifica ship
Costa Cruises has begun its first season in Taranto, marking a new addition to the company's program in Italy. The inaugural call occurred on June...
June 11, 2023 - Cruise Industry
Celebrity Cruises unveils top trending destinations for last minute voyages
Celebrity Cruises has curated enticing travel routes that span the globe, offering a variety of captivating itineraries. Passengers can embark on a...
May 19, 2023 - show more news