Oia to Fira Old Port by private taxi
A taxi from Oia to Fira Old Port costs from €35 for the whole car, VAT included, for the ride back to your ship. The drive is 14 km and takes about 15 minutes along the caldera road, timed with a margin for the cable-car queue before the last tender.
- From €35, whole car
- 14 km
- About 15 minutes
Updated 12 September 2026 by the Santorini Taxi team.
What to expect
The ride back to the ship is the return half of a cruise day in Oia, and it works from the ship's clock rather than the driver's. From the village the road follows the caldera rim south through Imerovigli and Firostefani to Fira, the same route as the outward trip, before ending at the top of the cable car rather than at the quay itself, since no road reaches the water.
The last tender is the fixed point everything else is planned around. The drive from Oia is only one part of the return journey; the cable-car queue at the top station is the part that grows through the afternoon, especially on a day when more than one ship is anchored in the bay. The driver suggests a pickup time working back from your ship's all-aboard time, with the queue built into that margin rather than left to chance.
Exact tender times are the ship's to give, not ours, so the plan stays flexible: a message during the day if the schedule shifts keeps the pickup accurate without a fresh booking. Some ships dock at Athinios rather than tendering to the old port, and that is a different pickup point entirely, so it is worth checking which port your ship uses before the day begins.
A saloon covers up to four passengers comfortably for the ride back. Cruise groups travelling together are better placed in the van or the minibus, both of which reach the cable-car station in one trip rather than two.
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 Fira Old Port
A ride back to the ship ends at the same top station; cars stop on the street beside it and you walk the last stretch to the cable car. Allow about 15 minutes from Oia and 15 from Akrotiri, plus the queue for the cable car down, which builds in the last hour before the final tender. Aim to reach the station well before your ship's all-aboard time.
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 return with the ship's all-aboard time in mind, not just the drive itself; the cable-car queue is the part that varies.
- The cable-car queue builds fastest in the last hour before the final tender, when everyone is thinking about the same deadline.
- If your ship's schedule changes during the day, a WhatsApp message to the driver keeps the pickup time accurate.
- Some ships dock at Athinios instead of tendering here; check your ship's port and book the matching route.
Questions about this route
How much time should we leave to get back to the ship?
Work backwards from your all-aboard time. Add the drive from Oia, the cable-car queue, which is longest in the final hour before the last tender, and a spare margin on top. The driver suggests a pickup time once you tell us the ship's schedule.
How long is the drive from Oia back to the cable-car station?
About 15 minutes for 14 km along the caldera road. On a day when several ships are in the bay, this stretch is busier in the late afternoon than in the morning.
What if the tender times change during the day?
Send a WhatsApp message with the update. The driver plans around your ship's schedule rather than a fixed clock time, and the pickup moves with it.
Does the taxi go all the way down to the ship?
No road reaches the tender quay. The ride ends at the cable-car top station, and the cable car, or the steps, or a donkey, covers the last stretch down to the water.