How to get from Athens to Santorini

Why visit Santorini?

Santorini is home to one of Greece’s most iconic trademarks — whitewashed buildings overlooking cliffs. They blend beautifully with the island’s rugged landscape, which was shaped by a massive volcanic eruption hundreds of years ago. Not-so-fun fact: Santorini sits on a still very active volcano, whose crater is hidden under the sea.

Volcanic-sand beaches dot the coasts of Santorini. Some black, some red, others even multi-coloured. They all open up to alluring turquoise waters that will make you want to take a dip. Do yourself a favour and spend at least one sunset in Oia. It will be one of the most picturesque views you’ll ever see!

There are 2 ways to travel the 235 kilometers (146 miles) from Athens to Santorini. You can choose between the flight and ferry. The journey takes 2 to 11 hours and the quickest way is by flight. If you're on a budget, the cheapest option is by flight with tickets starting at €27 ($30).

Taking a flight is a fast way to visit Santorini from Athens. You can find flight tickets for as low as €15 ($16.80). Note that you’ll need to take transfers to and from the airports, so total fares can cost about €27 ($30).

Both airports in Athens and Santorini are a bit outside the city centre. So although the flight itself only takes 55 minutes, the entire trip may take around 2 hours, excluding the waiting time for your flight.

From Athens, you can reach Santorini in three steps. We explain these below:

TIP: If you decide to travel by plane, please consider including a carbon compensation fee to reduce your impact on the environment.

When you fly from Athens to Santorini, you first need to travel 35 km southeast from Athens city centre to Athens International Airport (Eleftherios Venizelos).

Depending on where you’re staying, you can take the Athens Metro line for €10 ($11.20), a bus for €6.50 ($7.30), or a taxi from €66 ($74). Travel time from the centre to Athens Airport is between 40m to 1 hour 10 minutes.

The train is our recommended option to get to Athens Airport, especially if you’re staying near a Metro Line 3 Station. Trains are available every 30 minutes from 05:40-23:30.

Travel time by train is 40m.

You’ll have plenty of choices when taking a direct flight from Athens to Santorini, even more so during the high season (April to October).

Prices for flights to Santorini from Athens can get as low as €15 ($16.80), depending on the airline and the date of your trip.

Aegean Airlines — Greece’s largest airline company — operates multiple flights per day, but these are quite expensive at around €53 ($59). On the other hand, low-cost carrier RyanAir offers the cheapest Athens to Santorini flight fares, but RyanAir is available only during peak season.

The flight time from Athens to Santorini is around 55m.

As this is a very popular route, it’s best to book flights months in advance to get the cheapest tickets available.

Flights from Athens arrive at Santorini Airport. You’ll then need to travel around 5 km northwest to get from the airport to Santorini city centre in Fira.

Metered taxis are available at the airport 24/7. A ride to Fira takes around 15 minutes, and rates start from €25 ($28). If you’re travelling in a group, it’s really much more convenient to split the cost and take a taxi.

A shuttle bus is a cheap and direct way to get from Santorini Airport to Fira. Buses are available from 06:00-23:00 with a 90-minute interval. You can get a ticket for €1.80 ($2) for the bus ride that takes 25m.

If you’re taking the bus, be advised that the buses can get packed to the brim, making for an unpleasant and unsafe (from pickpockets) journey.

Although slower than a flight, the ferry from Athens to Santorini will be a very scenic journey.

Travel time is 5 hours for high-speed ferries and 6-10 hours for regular ferries (plus a 1-hour transfer to and from the ports). Combined ferry and transfer rates from Athens to Santorini start from €46 ($51).

A ferry ride between Athens and Santorini is a slow but sweet journey. The ferry is something we recommend if you have extra time and would like to see the charming Greek islands in the Cyclades along the way.

Below, we explain the journey in three steps:

When travelling by ferry from Athens to Santorini, head to Piraeus Ferry Port, 15 km southwest of central Athens. Ferries that go to Santorini depart from this pier. The easiest way to get to Piraeus is by train.

You need to take the Metro green line (Line 1) from either Monastiraki or Omonia station in the city centre. The train ride would take only 30m, and a ticket costs €1.50 ($1.70).

From the train station, just cross the street to get to the ferry port.

There are two kinds of available ferries between Athens and Santorini during the high season. High-speed ferries (Seajets) take almost 5 hours. Meanwhile, regular ferries (Minoan Lines, Blue Star, and Anek) take 6-10 hours.

If you’re short on time, take the Seajets fast ferry. But if you want to enjoy calmer seas and amazing views, you can opt to travel with slow ferries that cost much cheaper.

The last leg of this journey is to travel from the port to Fira town centre. You can take a bus or a taxi for this route.

When arriving in Santorini, there will be buses waiting for the ferry’s arrival near the port. The buses can’t accommodate all passengers, though. If you miss the bus, then you’ll most probably have to wait a few hours for the next one.

A bus ticket costs around €2.30 ($2.60) for the 30m journey from the ferry terminal to the city centre.

Alternatively, you can take a 20-minute taxi with rates from €30 ($33.50).