Oia to Athinios Port by private taxi
A taxi from Oia to Athinios Port costs from €45 for the whole car, VAT included, at any hour. The drive is 24 km and takes about 30 minutes down the cliff road, timed so you reach the quay in good time before your ferry sails.
- From €45, whole car
- 24 km
- About 30 minutes
Updated 12 September 2026 by the Santorini Taxi team.
What to expect
Leaving Oia for a ferry starts with the walk to the car, since the village centre is pedestrian and the driver cannot reach a caldera-side door. From the agreed meeting point the road runs south along the caldera rim through Imerovigli and Firostefani, then joins the route down to the port past Megalochori, where the switchbacks begin.
The descent to Athinios reverses the climb every arriving ferry passenger makes, a series of hairpin bends cut into the cliff face. It is a shorter drive than it looks on the map, but the last kilometres are slow whenever a ferry is loading, so the driver builds that into the pickup time rather than into the price.
Summer evenings work against a departure from Oia more than any other time of day. Between June and September the sunset crowd fills the caldera road right through Imerovigli, so a pickup planned for after sunset should allow for the walk and the drive both taking longer than usual. An early morning departure is the easier case: the road is empty and the quay is quiet.
A saloon suits two travellers with cases from a hotel with road access. A larger group, or anyone with beach gear picked up in Oia, should book the van, since Athinios has no porters and the bags go straight from the car to the ferry ramp.
Where the driver meets you in Oia
- 1
Oia's centre is closed to cars. Give us the hotel name and the driver tells you the meeting point the day before, usually the bus square or the car park by the main road.
- 2
For hotels inside the village the driver walks in to meet you at the door when the lane allows it, so the bags never cross the village on their own.
- 3
The pickup time is set for the walk. From a caldera-side house allow 10 minutes on foot to the road; the driver waits 15 minutes free at any address.
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
- Book the pickup from your ferry's sailing time, not from when you feel like leaving. The driver works backwards from the boat, not the clock.
- Athinios has no shade and few seats, so the aim is to reach the quay in good time before the boat leaves, not much earlier.
- From a caldera-side house in Oia allow extra time for the walk down to the road; the driver waits 15 minutes free once there.
- Ferries out of Athinios run late in high season. The price is the same whatever time your boat actually leaves.
Questions about this route
How early should I leave Oia for a ferry from Athinios?
The driver works back from your sailing time. Allow 30 minutes for the drive down the cliff road, plus the walk from the hotel to the car, and the quay itself has little shade, so there is no benefit in arriving too early.
What if the walk to the car takes longer than expected?
Tell us the hotel name when you book. The driver picks the closest point the road allows and waits 15 minutes free from the agreed time, so a short delay with the bags is not a problem.
Is the drive down to Athinios different at night?
Only in traffic, not in price. The cliff road is quiet after dark and the drive can be quicker than in the afternoon, when coaches and hire cars share the same bends.
Can you take us to Athinios for an early morning ferry?
Yes, at any hour, for the same price as a midday transfer. Give us the sailing time when you book and the driver sets the pickup around it.