Fira Old Port to Oia by private taxi
A taxi from Fira Old Port to Oia costs from €35 for the whole car, VAT included, for cruise passengers coming up by cable car. The drive is 11 km and takes about 15 minutes along the caldera road, and the driver waits at the cable-car top station with your name.
- From €35, whole car
- 11 km
- About 15 minutes
Updated 12 September 2026 by the Santorini Taxi team.
What to expect
Cruise days built around Oia usually start the same way, tendering ashore at the old port and taking the cable car up to Fira, since no road reaches the quay itself. From the top station the road runs north along the caldera rim, the same route every car to Oia takes, past Firostefani and Imerovigli before the village comes into view.
It is the classic cruise-day trip: a morning or early afternoon in Oia, with time for the lanes and the view along the caldera, before the drive back down to the cable car. Because the whole day is shaped by the ship's schedule rather than a hotel checkout, most passengers book the outward and return legs together, so neither end of the day depends on finding a taxi on the spot.
Traffic on this road is heaviest on days when several ships share the bay, since every passenger going to Oia leaves from the same station within a few hours of each other. Leaving Fira before the coach tours does more for the day than any other timing trick, and the drive back is calmer once the tour groups have started their own return.
A saloon suits up to four passengers travelling together for the day. Larger cruise groups are better served by the van or the minibus, both of which wait at Oia for the return leg without needing to be rebooked.
Where the driver meets you above the old port
- 1
Tender boats land you on the quay at the old port, which has no road. Take the cable car up to Fira; the steps and the donkey path reach the same place, only slower.
- 2
The driver waits at the exit of the cable-car top station with a sign showing the name on your booking. Look for the sign before you walk on into the town.
- 3
The car is parked on the nearest street a car can use, a short walk from the station. Tell us your ship's name and the time you plan to come ashore, and the driver is there ahead of you.
- 4
The cable-car queue is longest just after a big ship's first tenders. If you are running late, a WhatsApp message keeps the driver in place.
Arriving in Oia
A ride to Oia ends at the bus square area on the main road, the closest point a car can reach. From there most hotels are a few minutes on foot; the driver walks with you and the bags when the hotel is within reach, and hotels deeper in the village send a porter to the square.
Prices for this route
up to 4 passengers, 3 suitcases
5 to 8 passengers, 8 suitcases
up to 20 passengers, 20 suitcases
up to 7 passengers, 6 suitcases
Good to know
- Rides from or to the old port are booked by request, not paid online. Pick the ride and the car, send the request, and we confirm it by email or WhatsApp after a word about the cable car and the walk. You pay the driver on the day.
- Book the cable-car top station as your pickup point, not the old port quay, which has no road and no taxi rank.
- Tell us your ship's name and the time you expect to come ashore, and the driver keeps an eye on the tenders.
- Cruise days are the busiest days on the road to Oia. Leaving before the afternoon coaches saves more time than any shortcut.
- Some passengers cross to Ammoudi Bay by boat instead and walk up into Oia from there; by road the driver takes you straight to the village.
Questions about this route
How do I get from the ship to the taxi for Oia?
Tender boats land at the old port quay, which has no road. Take the cable car up to Fira (the steps and the donkey path reach the same place, only slower), and the driver waits at the top station with your name on a sign.
How long is the drive from the cruise port to Oia?
About 15 minutes for 11 km along the caldera road, once you are up from the quay. On days with several ships in the bay the last stretch into Oia can slow down.
Can we book this as a there-and-back trip for the day?
Yes. Book the outward leg for when you plan to reach Fira and a return leg for later, and the driver comes back for you at the time you set, so the day in Oia is not rushed by finding a taxi at the end.
What if our ship changes its tender schedule on the day?
A WhatsApp message to the driver covers it. Give the ship's name when you book and the driver keeps track of the tenders rather than working from a fixed clock time.