Santorini private driver, car and driver by the hour
A car and driver in Santorini is hired by the hour, 3 hours minimum and 10 hours maximum, with the hourly rate for each class of car shown in the widget before you pay. The private driver stays with you for the whole booking, you decide the stops and the order, and the price is per car for up to 4, 8 or 20 passengers.
Updated 13 September 2026 by the Santorini Taxi team.
How it works
Hire a car and driver in Santorini by the hour and the island runs at your pace. The driver collects you where you say, drives where you point, waits while you eat, swim or take photographs, and brings you back when the hours are up. Bookings run from 3 hours to 10 hours, and the hourly rate for each class of car is shown in the widget before you pay.
This is the booking for a day that does not fit a fixed transfer. A morning at the archaeological site at Akrotiri and Red Beach, lunch in an inland village, the caldera road in the afternoon and the sunset from the rim, all with the same driver and the bags in the boot. It also suits the practical days: an airport pickup that turns into a first look at the island, a shopping run to several villages, or a dinner where the car waits outside.
The price is per car, not per person. A couple in the saloon and a group of 8 in the van each pay one hourly rate for the vehicle, and a minibus takes up to 20 people on the same basis. The rate is the same at night as by day.
Cruise passengers use the hourly driver as a shore excursion by the clock. The driver meets you at the cable-car top station in Fira with a name sign, and the return is timed to the all-aboard time you give us, with a margin for the cable car down.
Booked online with 12 hours' notice, paid in full at booking, confirmed at once. If your plan needs more than 10 hours or more than one day, write to us and we arrange it by hand.
How hourly hire works
Open the widget, choose the by-the-hour option, and set the start point, the start time and the number of hours between 3 and 10. The hourly rate for each class of car is shown there; the total is the rate times the hours, for the whole car, VAT included. Pay online, and the confirmation arrives at once, with the driver's name, car and plate following 24 hours before the start.
There is no fixed route. Tell the driver where you want to go on the day, change your mind at lunch, add a beach at the end. The driver waits at every stop, so the car is there when you come out. If the day runs long, ask the driver: when the car is free after your booking, the hire is extended on the spot at the same hourly rate.
Cruise passengers with a few hours ashore
A port call in Santorini is a set number of hours, which makes hourly hire the natural fit. The driver meets you at the cable-car top station in Fira, the point every cruise passenger passes, and brings you back there with a clear margin before the last tender. Give us the all-aboard time when you book and the driver keeps the clock.
Cars for hourly hire
The saloon carries up to 4, the van 5 to 8 and the minibus 9 to 20, each at its own hourly rate. A higher-class saloon or van for up to 7 is available for those who want it. Every car has air conditioning, bottled water and phone chargers. Bookings longer than 10 hours, or spread over several days, are arranged by the form or WhatsApp.
Rates by the hour
Car, driver and fuel, 3 to 10 hours, anywhere on the island. The total shows in the widget before you book.
Questions
What does the hourly rate include?
The car and the driver for the hours booked, for everyone in the car, with VAT. Entry tickets, meals and tastings are yours to pay as you go. The rate is per car, not per passenger, so a full van costs the same per hour as a couple in a saloon.
Can I hire a driver for a full day?
Yes, up to 10 hours in one booking, which covers a full loop of the island with long stops. For more than 10 hours, or a driver on several days of your stay, write to us and we put it together by hand.
Can the hire start at the airport or the port?
Yes. Start at the airport when you land and the luggage stays in the boot while you see the island before check-in, or start at Athinios when the ferry docks. Give the flight or ferry details and the driver follows it.
Is the driver a guide?
The driver is a driver who knows the island well, speaks English and Greek and is happy to suggest stops and viewpoints. Guiding inside museums and the archaeological site is done by licensed guides, so you go in on your own or book a guide separately.
Do you offer set itineraries as well?
Yes. The private tours page lists fixed itineraries by request, including a sunset tour, a wine-village drive and a shore excursion. Hourly hire is the choice when you would rather build the day yourself.