If you are planning a holiday in Crete then you should not miss the famous island of Santorini. Do not need to worry it is totally rational. In fact, it can be a long day trip to Santorini from Crete but you will get to see one of the most beautiful and unique places in the world.
Crete and Santorini are the two of the most beautiful Greek Islands with a number of things to do and to discover all around the year.
If you are thinking to visit both of the places during your trip to Greece, then you should take a look at this helpful article that gives you the best way to plan a day trip to Santorini from Crete.
Day trip to Santorini from Crete
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Santorini Island offers travelers an enchanting experience with its breathtaking sunsets, charming pearly white houses adorned with vibrant bougainvillea, iconic blue-domed churches, and picturesque windmills. It’s no wonder Santorini is celebrated as a unique and captivating destination cherished by visitors from across the globe.
Places to visit in Santorini
There we give you a list of the best place that you should visit while on a day trip to Santorini island-
Fira
Fira is the capital of Santorini island, it is a place that is made up of whitewashed cubic houses and terraces, winding lanes, tiny squares, and blue-domed churches situated on the cliffs that are 300 meters above the caldera. Fira is reachable either by walking, riding, and by cable car from the small port of Skala.
There are Ferries are also available at Ferries dock at the port of Athinios that are connected to Fira by road and cruise ships put down anchor in the caldera and then passengers are transported to Skala by tender.
Fira is a place in Santorini island that is known for its tourism, buildings, small hotels, apartments, restaurants, cafes, souvenir shops, and jewelers.
Oia
Oia is the place that is known for its famed sunsets all around the world. This place attracts a number of tourists from all over the world. Oia s located on the northern tip of the Santorini island and it is 12 km up to the coast from Fira.
Oia is the picture-perfect village of whitewashed houses from which many have been converted into chic little boutique hotels with infinity pools, overlooking the caldera. Oia is the place that can be reached by local KTEL bus or by walking that trail along the cliffs that are high above the caldera.
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Caldera
Caldera Cliff Wall was made by the massive volcanic explosion that blew the center out of the island around 3600 years ago. Caldera is the sea that is filled with volcanic craters, it is measuring 12 km by 7 km and it is still home to volcanic activity. In the center of the caldera, there are two Kaimeni islets with hot springs and gas emissions.
There is a number of agencies that can offer you one-day excursions of caldera by boat such as bathe in hot springs and then have lunch on Thirassia, there is also a small island on the west side of the caldera that offers gorgeous views back to Santorini island across the water.
Red Beach
Red Beach is located just below a spectacular red cliff wall, it is accessible along the path from the town of Akrotiri. You also have an option to take the bus from Fira or can drive and park nearby before venturing down a rocky path to reach Red Beach.
Red Beach is also reachable by boat from Akrotiri, Kamari, and Perissa ports. This small beach gets crowded during the summer season so you have to be sure that you get here early to get the prime spot to enjoy the great views of the red rocks in front of the aquamarine water. You should also note that the Red Beach is prone to landslides and sections that have been roped off the visitors.
Ancient Thira
You can see the ruins of Hellenistic temples and foundations of Roman and early Byzantine buildings at ancient Thira. This place is located on the southeast coast of Santorini island. Ancient Thira is the place that can take you back to the 19th century BC.
In between the ruins you can able to find some religious sites, a theater, a gym for military trainees and old administrative buildings. You can also find some of the sites that are displayed in the archaeology museum of Fira.
Best Restaurants in Santorini
Undeniably Santorini is one of the picturesque islands in the world and you should also some cultural restaurants here with our guide of Santorini island’s top locations-
Agro
Agro restaurant is located in the Fira, it is a high-class restaurant that offers a scenic view of the caldera. This restaurant is also a great destination for the eco-conscious as this restaurant has an environmentally-friendly kitchen.
The menu of the restaurant is tempting with a variation of Greek and international dishes that are prepared with fresh local ingredients that takes you on a tour in many corners of the world.
Contact number- +302286022594
Aktaion Taverna
Aktaion Taverna is a restaurant that is open more than 90 years ago, it is a traditional Greek taverna that has seen almost a century of Santorini island’s history and the change. This restaurant is now run by the 3rd generation of its founding family.
Aktaion Taverna is located in an enjoy the full and great location and the staff of the restaurant treats their guest to a splendid display of the owner’s artworks. The menu of the restaurant is only based on row local ingredients with delicious dishes such as marinated anchovies with garlic, grilled and marinated mains, zucchini pie, or shrimps in basil pesto.
Contact number- +302286022336
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Selene
Selene restaurant was established in 1968, it is a stylish restaurant from the village of Pyrgos. They use local ingredients and recipes that help visitors to understand the culture of Santorini island.
This restaurant also offers cooking classes and it is located in the vicinity of the Santorini of the Past Museum. They have a menu that has delicacies including squid in Seawood, rabbit marinated in red wine, and grilled lamb with eggplant puree.
Contact number –+30226022249
How long is the ferry from Crete to Santorini?
The distance from Crete to Santorini is about 148 km. There is a number of daily ferries that run from Crete to Santorini, this trip can take around 2 hours on a high-speed ferry and almost 6 hours on an older and conventional ferry. The ferry ticket price range between 3o to 50 euro for an adult.
Is a day trip to Santorini worth it?
It is the question that everybody has, but it depends on some advantages and disadvantages that we will be going to discuss in this article-
Advantages of planning a day trip to Santorini from Crete
- Santorini is one of the famous islands in the world with stunning cliffs and gorgeous white houses. All these things make this truly a unique place.
- Santorini is only a 2 and half hours ride from Crete so if you are planning a trip to Greece any time soon then it can be a great opportunity to visit this place.
- There is a number of organized tours available so you do not have to worry about planning a day trip to Santorini from Crete. You just need to go with the flow.
Disadvantages of planning a day trip to Santorini from Crete
- A day trip to Santorini from Crete will cost you more than a day trip to any other place rather than Santorini.
- On a day trip to Santorini from Crete, you will have the options to take a bus, a ferry and same for the return and you will only leave with around 6 hours to explore the island but the Santorini is a big island and the traffic is intense here so you would be able to see only a few tourist spots.
- Santorini island is a very crowded place so if you are a person who does not enjoy being surrounded by hundreds of peoples then you should not go for it.
Now I am going to share my opinion, so if you are going to stay less than a week in Crete, then it is not worth it to go for a day trip to Santorini. There are a number of beautiful sights in Crete to explore, in case if you want a white village then you should go to Loutro.
But if you have a week or more and you know that you would not come back soon to Greece then it is a big yes that you should go for a day trip to Santorini island. Yes, Santorini island has indeed become touristic but the enthusiasm of travelers to visit this island with the caldera cliffs and white houses is still amazing.
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What is the best way to get from Crete to Santorini?
The best to get Santorini from Crete is by ferries due to the availability of the ferries on this route all around the year, but there is only one ferry is operating during the winter season and there are three ferries that are operating on this route during the summer season.
Two companies operate high-speed ferries from Crete to Santorini-
- Seajets with Champion Jet boats- The classic operating hours from April to October are Heraklion to Santorini ferry that departs at 7.50 from Heraklion and arrives at 10.15 on Santorini and the other is departs at 8.40 from Heraklion and arrives at 10.35 on Santorini island.
- Minoan Lines- The classic operating hours from April to October that departs from Heraklion at 9.40 and arrives at Santorini at 11.40 and returns from Santorini at 5.45 and arrives back at Heraklion at 7.30. There are also larger ferry boats available but they may take longer hours of 3 hours 45 minutes from Rethymno so there is no point
How much is the ferry from Santorini to Crete?
You will find the cheapest and convenient option is Superferry which takes a trip to last for 4 hours to get you to Santorini and it also costs you half as compare to the price of the fast ferry. It charges you only 40 euros for a one-way trip.
Crete to Santorini day trip cost?
A day trip from Crete to Santorini is cost you around 210 euros to 270 euros that include your ferry ticket, sightseeing tickets, and meals.