Santorini cruise port transfers from Fira old port
A private car from the Santorini cruise port to Oia costs from €35 for the whole car and the drive takes about 15 minutes. Cars cannot reach the quay at the old port, so you ride the cable car up to Fira and the driver waits at the top station with your name on a sign. Cruise port rides are booked by request and paid to the driver on the day.
Updated 10 September 2026 by the Santorini Taxi team.
How it works
Cruise passengers reach Santorini through the old port below Fira, and the one fact that shapes every transfer from there is that no car can reach the quay. Tenders bring you from the ship to the quay; from the quay the cable car, the stepped path or a donkey take you up the cliff to Fira; and the driver waits for you at the cable-car top station with your name on a sign. Our cruise port transfers are private, one car for your party at a fixed price for the whole car, VAT included, booked by request and paid to the driver on the day.
Book with the ship's name, the date and the all-aboard time. The driver is at the top station for the time you give and, if the tenders run late, a WhatsApp message with your new time is enough. From the top station Oia is about 15 minutes along the caldera road and the drop-off is at the bus square area on the main road, the closest a car gets to the pedestrian village.
The return is planned around the last tender. In the afternoon the cable car down forms a queue when several ships are in, so the driver brings you back to the top station with a clear margin, and the path down on foot is always there if the queue is long. If the ship uses the ferry port at Athinios instead of tenders, tell us and the pickup moves there.
Groups from one ship travel together, up to 8 in the van and up to 20 in the minibus, at one price per vehicle. Passengers who want a full loop of the island with the driver waiting at each stop are better served by the hourly private driver or a private tour, both of which start at the same top station.
An independent water taxi also runs from the old port to Oia by sea; see the recommendation below.
From the ship to the car
Cruise ships anchor in the caldera and tenders carry passengers to the old port below Fira, the quay people also call Skala or Gialos. No road reaches it. From the quay you go up by cable car, on foot up the stepped path, or by donkey on the same path, and all three arrive at the top in Fira. The driver waits at the cable-car top station with a sign showing the name from your booking, and the car is parked at the closest point the pedestrian centre allows.
Book with the ship's name and the date. If the tenders run late, send a WhatsApp message with the time you expect to be at the top and the driver adjusts.
Booked by request, paid on the day
Every other ride on this site is paid online and confirmed at once. Rides from or to the old port are the exception, because no car reaches the quay: between the ship and the car there are the tender, the cable car and a short walk, and that needs a word before anyone pays. Pick Fira Old Port in the widget, choose the car and fill in your details as usual, and send it as a request. We confirm the ride by email or WhatsApp with the time and the meeting point, and you pay the driver the fixed price on the day. Nothing is charged online.
Timing a port call
Tell us the all-aboard time when you book and we plan the return around it. The cable car down carries a queue in the afternoon when several ships are in, so the driver brings you back to the top station with a clear margin before the last tender, and the walk down the path is there as a fallback. Oia is about 15 minutes each way, which leaves time in the village on a normal call.
Groups from one ship travel together in the van for up to 8 or the minibus for up to 20 at one price per vehicle. For a full loop of the island with several stops, the hourly driver and the private tours are the better fit.
Embarkation days
Joining a ship in Santorini works the same in reverse. From the airport or your hotel the driver drops you at the cable-car top station in Fira and you ride down to the quay with your luggage, where the ship's tenders wait. The airport to the old port is about 10 minutes and costs €30 for the whole car.
Prices from Fira Old Port
Whole car, saloon up to 4, VAT included, the same day and night.
Questions
Can a taxi collect me at the quay in the old port?
No. There is no road to the old port, so no car of any kind reaches the quay. Every driver, ours included, waits at the top of the cable car in Fira. The ride up takes a few minutes once you are on board the cable car.
Why is the cruise port ride not paid online?
Because no car reaches the quay. Between the tender and the car there are the cable car and a short walk, and we would rather confirm the timing and the meeting point with you first than take a payment for a ride that could be misunderstood. Send the request, we confirm it by email or WhatsApp, and you pay the driver the fixed price on the day.
How do we make sure we are back for the last tender?
Give us the all-aboard time and we set the return with a clear margin before it, counting the drive and the queue for the cable car down. The driver keeps the clock during the day so the stop in Oia ends when it should.
Is the price per person or per car?
Per car, VAT included. €35 to Oia covers up to 4 passengers in the saloon. From the fifth passenger the van takes over at €45, and groups of 9 to 20 from the same ship travel together in the minibus for €75.
What if the ship docks at Athinios instead of tendering?
Some ships use the ferry port at Athinios rather than the tenders. Tell us the port shown on your itinerary and we book the pickup there, where the driver waits at the foot of the port road with a name sign.
Also useful
Independent services we recommend
Santorini Boat Tour. An independent water taxi from the old port to Oia by sea, for passengers who would rather skip the cable car and the road.