A Private Catamaran Cruise to the hot springs and around the Santorini caldera is one of the highlights of a trip to Greece.
Boat Tours of the Santorini Caldera & Volcano
- A boat tour of the caldera is stunningly wonderful and awesome. There’s no way you should visit Santorini and not do a boat tour.
- My favorite tours in Santorini are the boat tours of the volcano. A must!
- Don’t worry too much about which tour you book – they’re all good. Emphasis should be on getting something booked in advance before they sell out for your dates.
- Day tour or sunset tour? There is not a huge difference between the two types of tours beyond the time of day. A day tour/cruise usually runs from 9 or 10 am to 3 pm, serves lunch, and has lots of swimming. A sunset tour/cruise runs from about 3 pm to 8 or 9 pm, serves dinner, has a little less swimming than the day tour, and typically finishes by sailing beneath the Oia cliffs to watch the sunset.
- Private boat tour or small group tour? I’ll be honest, I definitely prefer the private. You get more input on where to go, how long to spend at different spots, what music to listen to, and (sometimes) where you get dropped off at the end. Yes, private tours are more expensive but I’d be shocked if anyone regretted the money they spent once they’re on the boat.
- The description says, “all you can eat and drink”, is that really true? Yes, but with some differences between tours. The private tours bring the drinks out before you’ve left the harbor. The less-expensive tours hold-off for a bit until the boat gets to the first destination and you’ve had a swim, which might be an hour to two, but after that, it’s an open bar.
- There are no ferries to the volcano. The only way to do a volcano tour is to do a boat tour. You can not access the volcano unless you’re part of an organized (private or group) tour.
- The Jet Ski Tour To The Volcano is amazing.
- All boat tours have great views of the caldera cliffs.
- Cruise options include: hike the volcano; swim in the hot springs (you can always stay on the boat if you wish); visit Thirassia and explore its villages; stop at Red Beach and White Beach to swim and snorkel; eat lunch or dinner on board, and watch the sunset below Oia.
- GetYourGuide.com is the best way to book tours in Santorini. If you ever need to cancel it’s usually much easier if you’ve booked through Get Your Guide.
The 8 Best Boat Tours in Santorini
All boat tours below provide meals onboard and have hotel pick-up and drop-off (which doesn’t sound like a big deal when you’re booking but makes the day so much easier and hassle-free when the time arrives). Also, all tours enter the caldera, sail to or near the volcano, and have plenty of swimming and snorkeling. Food on the tours ranges from surprisingly good to great. And the boats are very generous with their alcohol – after every tour, I ask myself how they make money when they’re so lavish with the food and drink.
1. Private Catamaran Cruise
Wonderful private cruise of the caldera. Great food and plenty of flexibility on what to see and where to sail. Ideal for a luxury honeymoon cruise, small group, or family. The day tour departs at 10:30am, the sunset-tour departs at 3:30pm. Both tours last 5 hours. Be prepared to be insanely pampered. If the above tour is fully booked – which is common from June to September – then try the Private Sunset Cruise. Another luxury option if you want a little longer on the water is the fantastic 7-Hour Private Catamaran Cruise.
2. Small Group Catamaran Cruise
Sunset Cruise (2:45pm departure) or Day Cruise (9:45am departure). Awesome cruise around the volcano, staring up at the cliffs of the caldera. You stop at a few beaches for swimming and snorkeling, then swim in the hot springs near the volcano, eat a huge lunch or dinner, and finally see the sunset from the cliffs below Oia (for the sunset cruise). Lots of fun! If this tour is fully booked then try the Caldera Cruise or Santorini Sunset Cruise.
3. Santorini Day Cruise
Wonderful day tour with great food and friendly staff (10:00am departure). You can’t go more than 5 minutes without someone asking if you want another beer or glass of wine. But it’s far from a drinking cruise – the emphasis is on swimming, snorkeling, and sunbathing on the top of the catamaran. You’ll visit a few beaches and the hot springs and have plenty of time to explore the sights of the caldera. (I did this boat tour last summer and it was awesome.)
4. Private Cruise on a Motor Yacht
This is an incredible way to see the Santorini cliffs and stare up at the villages perched on the caldera’s edge. The motor yachts allow for much more freedom in getting around the volcanic islands and seeing the caldera from every different angle. On a catamaran, you feel like you’re on vacation. On the motor yachts it feels a little more like you’re on an adventure (though there’s still plenty of swimming, snorkeling, eating, and drinking).
5. Volcano Boat Tour
Much less expensive and with a larger boat and group of people but still very fun. This tour is almost the opposite of the Sunset Catamaran Cruise. You get the volcano, hot springs (with swimming), and a visit to Thirassia island – but no beaches or going outside the caldera, and no sunset. This is the cheapest boat tour of the caldera.
6. Santorini Fishing Tour
This tour is very well done and lots of fun. Boat around the Santorini waters on a local fishing boat. Fresh seafood lunch or dinner served on board (eat what you catch and empty from the nets). The daytime tour is best for families and serious fishermen. The sunset tour is best for couples.
7. Santorini Jet Ski Tour
Not a boat tour, obviously, but super fun. We’ve done a couple of these tours (it’s always a small group of 2 to 4) to the volcano and they rank as some of the most exhilarating activities we’ve ever done. (That’s my son in the photo, 14 years old at the time.) The perspective you get as you ride through the caldera is awe-inspiring. A boat travels with the tour and is there for any emergencies or if the water gets too rough for beginner riders. The South Coast Tour is fun, but to see the volcano and caldera (which I recommend) you need to do the Volcano Tour or Extreme Volcano Tour. I would be shocked if anyone did this tour and at its conclusion didn’t yell, that was awesome!!!
8. Sea Kayaking Excursion
A fun and easy-going way to explore the Santorini coastline. The Morning Tour and Evening Tour stick to the south coast of the island. The Round The Lighthouse Tour goes into the caldera and offers incredible views of the caldera cliffs.
Map of Santorini Boat Tours
Santorini Boat Tours – Photos
The view of Imerovigli from a caldera boat tour.
View of Fira from a boat tour.
View of Imerovigli from a boat tour.
The caldera-side of Oia.
The white rock towers of southern Santorini.
The view of the volcano with Fira in the background.
The view of Oia from the Amoudi Bay where many boat tours begin from.
Jumping from the rocks below Oia.
Barbecue on a Santorini boat tour.
Food on the boat tours is surprisingly good – sometimes great.
All tours listed here have a sitdown lunch or dinner.
So much to see. Awesome!
Swimming from the boat to the warm waters of the hot springs.
My son jumping from the boat.
Most boats and catamarans will have 2 or 3 bathrooms. They are always clean and well maintained.
Jumping into the hot springs from the boat.
The views of the cliffs and caldera from the boat are incredible.
The Private Catamaran Cruise of the caldera with swimming and lunch or dinner.