Santorini cable car

How to get from Santorini old port to Fira?

Traveling to Santorini by a cruise ship and wondering how to get places? That’s easy! Hi, my name is Alexander Hadji and I’m a professional photographer in Santorini. I know the island from A to Z and just love to share my knowledge with the visitors. This time I will be telling about Santorini cable car.

Every cruise ship arriving in Santorini gets to the Old Port of Fira. As the latter is an only cruise ships terminal in Santorini.  There is one question after getting off the boat in the port. How to get from Santorini old port to Fira? Or how to get from Santorini cruise port to Oia?

Transfer options from Old port to Fira: donkeys

You can ride a traditional Santorini donkey so that you feel somewhat like a medieval traveler. You see, only donkeys were available for travelers in the old days. But mind the winds. For you might guess that donkeys produce lots of exhaust and not of the gasoline origin. So if you have a sensitive nose – you better opt for another mean of transport from the Old port to Fira.

Climb to the sky? Well, you’d better not!

Another transfer option from Santorini old port to Fira might be walking up the stairs. Lots of them, actually. But almost every tourist brave enough to start climbing regrets it a few spans after. So, just forget about it. Though, I agree, climbing to Fira might be a great opportunity to try oneself 🙂

Santorini cable car

What I recommend is the most convenient transfer option from Santorini Old port to Fira meaning Santorini cable car.  The cable goes from the Santorini Old port straight to the center of Fira. So if you are traveling to Santorini by a cruise ship, look for Cable car entrance.

Fira is located 220 meters above the sea. The trip takes 3 minutes spent in a comfortable car. The first thing you see is a big red wheel, that moves the cars. Then you feel “taking off” and, just some seconds later, you can enjoy unique Caldera views.

Santorini Cable Car serves up to 1200 persons per hour totally (600 for each direction). The ticket cost 6 (adult) and 3 (child) euro in 2017. Prepare another 3 euro for a luggage if you have any.

Tips and trick on Santorini cable car

You might be wondering how to get from Santorini cruise port to Oia. First of all, reach Fira using Santorini cable car. After that walk to Fira’s central bus station (10 mins) and take a bus to Oia. Otherwise, you can take a taxi: you will find one nearby. You might be also interested in my entry on Santorini public transport.

When enjoying the island please mind the time. To reach your cruise ship in time, head for the Cable car beforehand. As there might be huge queues in the evening, especially during the high season.

Please note, that on very windy days, the cable cars will shut down for safety reasons.

Below is a link to Santorini map which locates Santorini cable car, the central bus station, and a taxi rank.

Santorini Cable Car schedule

April

06:30, 06:40, 06:50, 07.00 – 21.00 (every 20 min)

May, September, October

06:30, 06:40, 06:50, 07.00 – 22.00 (every 20 min, last trip from Top Station: 21:40)

June, July, August

06:30, 06:40, 06:50, 07.00 – 23.00 (every 20 min, last trip from Top Station: 22:40)

November, March

07:30 – 10:30 and 14:30 – 18.00 (every 30 min, 10:30 – 14:30 – special trips if the maintenance progress of the cable car allows)

December, January, February

07:00 – 09:00 and 15:00 – 16.00 (every 30 min, 09:00 – 15:00 – special trips if the maintenance progress of the cable car allows)

You can find an up-to-date schedule and other info on Cable Car Santorini here

Still questions about Santorini cable car? Drop me a message or leave a comment below and I will come back with the answer asap. Have a nice stay in Santorini!