Getting there
Santorini is served by it’s own airport, Santorini International Airport aka Thira Airport (JTR). Direct flights are available from European countries during the summer months or via Athens. Lowcost airlines fly direct from London such as Norwegian, easyJet & Thomson, Ryanair flies via Athens.
Once there, the only public transport on the island is the local bus service. All buses go to Fira (the capital) where changes can be made to your final destination. However, please note the bus service does not run on a regular basis, the schedule can be found posted just outside the exit of the airport. The journey to Fira is around 20mins and will cost approx €2.20. The alternative is a shared or private transfer, it is advisable to book this in advance to avoid the long queues. If you are hiring a car, the car rental offices can be found at Arrivals in both terminals. The taxi rank is just outside the terminal, you will need to join the queue and are directed to next taxi available. Taxis can only take a maximum of 4 passengers.
There is also a ferry port on Santorini – Athinios port. Serving passenger ferries and cargo ferries all ferries from Greece and the other Greek Islands will land here. It is possible to get to Athens (Piraeus port), Ios, Naxos, Paros, Crete, Mykonos, Tinos, Syros Rhodes, Anafi, Chalki, Diafani, Folegrandos, Karpathos, Kos, Kasos, Katapola, Kea, Kimolos, Koufonissi, Kythnos, Lavrio, Milos, Serifos, Sifnos, Sikinos and Thirassia from Athinios port. On arrival, there are usually taxis waiting however during the summer season they may be few and far between. It is advisable to book your ferry in advance during the height of the season the ferry prices are fixed – the high speed ferry costs €56.10pp one way and the low speed ferry costs €37.50pp one way with no car. The local buses meet every ferry landing and will take you to Fira.
Getting Around
Car is the best way to explore the island. These can be rented at the airport in the Arrivals lounge.
Local buses all run via Fira, there are regular buses that run from Fira to Oia, this will cost €1.60 – tickets are purchased on the bus. Buses leave Fira for Athinios part but please check schedules – this will cost around €2.20 and take around half an hour. Buses run from Fira to the airport between 7am & 9pm and cost €2.20, this journey will take around 20mins.
There is a cable car that runs from Fira to the post below, Fira Skala, from here you can take the boats to the volcanic islands – this costs €4 but beware if you have luggage you will need to pay another €2. The cable car runs between June, July and August between 6am & 10pm.