Imerovigli to Athinios Port by private taxi
A taxi from Imerovigli to Athinios Port costs from €35 for the whole car, VAT included, at any hour. The drive is 11 km and takes about 15 minutes down the caldera road and the switchback cliff road, timed to your sailing.
- From €35, whole car
- 11 km
- About 15 minutes
Updated 12 September 2026 by the Santorini Taxi team.
What to expect
Leaving Imerovigli starts on foot more often than not. Most hotels sit below the main road, on lanes that turn into steps, so the first part of the journey is the walk up with the bags before the car even moves. The driver agrees the meeting point the day before, based on the hotel name, and waits 15 minutes free from the agreed time.
Once the car sets off, the route runs south along the caldera rim through Fira, then joins the road down past Megalochori to the switchback bends that drop to the quay at Athinios. It is a shorter distance than it feels from the cliff top, but the final kilometres slow whenever another ferry is already loading below.
Timing works backwards from the sailing, not forwards from your hotel. The driver builds in the walk down from the cliff, the drive itself, and a margin for the port's own habits, all before naming your pickup time. Athinios has no real shelter, so arriving in good time is the goal rather than arriving early and waiting around.
A saloon fits two travellers and their cases. A larger group, or anyone with bulky beach or boat gear, should book the van so the walk down the lane takes one trip, not two.
Where the driver meets you in Imerovigli
- 1
Imerovigli's hotels line the caldera edge below the main road, reached by narrow lanes and steps. The driver stops on the road above the hotel, at the top of its lane, and walks down for the bags when the hotel is within reach.
- 2
Give us the hotel name when you book. The driver confirms the meeting point the day before, the top of the lane, the small square by the church or the car park on the main road.
- 3
Allow time for the walk up. From a hotel low on the cliff it is a steep few minutes with steps; the driver waits 15 minutes free from the agreed time.
- 4
For hotels on the main road itself, the car comes to the door.
Arriving in Athinios Port
For a ride to the port the driver drops you at the ferry area at the bottom of the port road, next to where the boats load. Allow about 15 minutes from Fira and 25 from Oia, and be on the quay 45 minutes before sailing; in July and August the hairpin road down the cliff backs up when two ferries load at once, so add 15 minutes.
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
- Give us your ferry's sailing time, not the time you want to leave. The driver works out the pickup from the boat, not the clock.
- Most hotels here sit below the road, down a lane with steps. Allow extra time to bring cases up before the car can leave.
- The port has little cover from the sun or the wind, so arriving in good time before sailing is enough; there is no need to rush.
- The caldera road towards the port is calmer at night than during the sunset hours, when Oia-bound traffic fills the same stretch.
Questions about this route
How much time should I allow to get down to the road from my hotel?
More than the drive itself suggests. Most hotels in Imerovigli sit below the main road on lanes with steps, so bags need to come up before the car can start, and the driver waits 15 minutes free from the agreed time.
How long is the drive from Imerovigli to Athinios port?
About 15 minutes for 11 km, first along the caldera rim past Fira, then down the switchback road to the quay. In peak season the last part slows when a ferry is already loading.
Can you get me to an early morning ferry?
Yes, at any hour, at the same price as a midday transfer. Give us the sailing time and the driver sets the pickup around it and the walk from your hotel.
Is the port a good place to wait once we arrive?
Not really. Athinios is a working quay with little shade and few seats, so the plan is to arrive with time to spare rather than to wait around for long.