Akrotiri, Red Beach, Perivolos beach or local winery and Oia Village

6 h. tour (Private tour)

(Transportation + guidance all the way + guided tour of Akrotiri + visit of Red Beach + beach getaway or wine tasting experience at a local winery + visit of Oia village)

Santorini is an island famous all over the world, not only for its beauty and unique location but also for its history and the great archaeological site of Akrotiri, where the excavations have brought to light some exquisite artifacts and frescoes from the prehistoric times. This island  was once cursed to get totally destroyed by the volcanic eruptions, but is today blessed to have so many people from all over the world arriving to visit and photograph it. In addition to that the volcanic soil and the lack of water are responsible for the production of some of the most famous wines in the world. Therefore you will notice as you will be driving pass the fields that the vineyards are nothing like what you see in the rest of the world. They are kept low and just above the soil, so that they absorb every single drop of moisture that comes from it. The older plants look like handwoven baskets.

You could spend days on this island and still want to explore more and more of it. But since you will be stopping only for a few hours while on a cruise, we have designed this customizable tour, in order to help you make the most of your time there.

The tour will start as soon as you meet your tour guide at the designated area.

After an approximately 30 minute drive, arrive and enjoy a guided tour of the archeological site in Akrotiri. The usual duration of this guided tour is approximately 60 minutes, but is at your discretion to make it last longer with the help of your guide, if its history fascinates you. The site is covered by a large canopy, so you will be in the shade, even during summer.

After the visit of Akrotiri, you will drive to the nearby famous Red Beach for a short stop for photographs.

Your day will continue with one of the following activities that you can choose of, or if you don't delay getting off and getting around the rest of the places, you might combine them both:

A. Visit a famous local winery

You will proceed to one of the most famous and oldest wineries in Santorini. Established in 1880 inside a natural cave 8 meters below ground, there is also located the only wine museum in Greece which is considered one of the best wine museums in the world (ranked as #2). You will enjoy a tour of the wine museum that presents the history and life of wine from 1660, and then enjoy in a private room a wine tasting experience of 4 wines, one of which is the famous Vinsanto, accompanied with snacks. An electronic audio guide will be provided to you with information for both the wine museum, but also for the tasting experience.

B. Visit the Perivolos beach

Santorini is famous mostly for other things rather than its beaches. Still, the beaches found on the southern part of the island are unique due to the volcanic soil and covered with black rocks. Among other beaches, Perivolos is one of the most famous ones, where you can swim, enjoy the sun and relax by the seaside. There are also various sea sports available. In case you do not want to swim, you can enjoy lunch or a beer with "mezes" at a seaside taverna. The island is very famous for its cherry tomatoes, the fava beans, the white eggplants and many other products that come from the dehydrated soil. One of your best experiences will be to taste the tomato or fava bean balls, or the salads they make with their own local way, with a mixture of the aforementioned products.

Last but not least drive to the village of Oia and walk along its narrow streets, which typifies the white-painted houses of the Cyclades. In many cases they are built directly into niches which are cave houses used by the crew of the ships, on the lip of the volcanic crater, between which are narrow alleys and blue-roofed churches with cupolas and neoclassical mansions that used to be captain’s houses in the 19th century. Your tour guide will give you narrations and will let you explore the magnificent Oia and take "millions" of pictures.

Finally return to Fira where your tour will end. You can either spend time exploring Fira village on your own or you can take the cable car to return to your ship. Your tour guide will give you tips and suggestions so you will be able to make good use of your time. If you don't choose to have lunch somewhere during the tour, you can enjoy lunch or dinner in one of the many restaurants in Fira, overviewing the caldera gulf.

Kindly note that due to rock falling some times the visit at the Red Beach is prohibited by the local authorities. In such a case we will visit the picturesque traditional village of Megalochori.
More in this category: « Akrotiri, Red Beach and Oia

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  • Lil

    Rated 5 out of 5 stars

    Our family of six booked three tours through Niki for stops on our cruise that included Olympia, Piraeus and Santorini. I would not hesitate to recommend her services. She was very responsive in helping to arrange the tours and detailed in providing options for suggestions of what to visit while touring. Her tours allowed us to skip,past the herds of travelers waiting to board the large buses from the cruise ships and speed off to our destinations. We were even able to shift our itinerary if we wanted to change the course of our day. All of the guides were exceptional and highly professional. They even made it interesting for our four teens on each tour. You can book with confidence with Niki and then relax knowing you will have a great time.

    from Little Rock, AR, USA

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Niki was the official Olympia Expert in BBC live broadcasting to explain the significance of the lightning of the Olympic flame for the 2012 London Olympics

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Niki's knowledge of the history there as well as how she related it to all of us was a perfect balance!
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