How to get from Athens to Santorini
19
May, 2025
How to get from Athens to Santorini
For many of you, to get from your home country to Santorini, you’ll need to connect in Athens. We recommend that everyone participating in our Greek Islands Slowcation arrive at least 1 day early and spend the night in Athens before making your way to Santorini via plane or ferry.
Pre-Slowcation in Athens
We do not offer pre-trip extra nights on our slowcations but we strongly recommend spending at least 1 night in Athens before our Greek Islands Slowcation begins. This will help alleviate the stress of tight connections and/or any international flight delays.
Our recommended hotel for any pre-trip nights in Athens is the Athens Gate Hotel. It is right next to the Acropolis and offers amazing views of the Parthenon from the rooftop. The hotel is also a 5-minute walk to Plaka, Athens’ historical neighborhood with some of its top sites, great restaurants, and souvenir shops. We suggest booking as soon as possible as this hotel tends to fill up quickly!
We recommend this hotel to everyone on your trip. This way, you can easily meet up with others in the group (via the WhatsApp chat group that we’ll set up a few days before your trip) for dinner or sightseeing.
TIP: To get from the Athens airport to your pre-trip hotel, you can easily take a taxi upon arrival. You can also take an Uber but you’ll need to download and set up the app as well as store your payment method before arriving in Athens. Otherwise, you can pre-arrange a transfer with companies such as Welcome Pickups.
Athens to Santorini by Plane
Most travelers on our Greek Islands Slowcation prefer to travel to Santorini by plane. If you choose this option, we recommend using Skyscanner.com to look for flights. There are usually multiple flights on a daily basis from Athens (ATH) to Santorini Thira Airport (JTR), so you can choose to arrive in Santorini at a time that suits you.
We advise trying to arrive in Santorini by 5:30 PM at the latest so you don’t miss out on the welcome dinner on Day 1 of the slowcation! If you arrive earlier in the day, that’s OK too. Your room might not be ready but a welcome drink and hors d’oeuvres waiting for you. You can store your luggage at the Santorini hotel if you’d like to go to the beach or explore until your room is ready.
The flights typically cost around $50 – $100 USD each way and take just under 1 hour from Athens to Santorini airport one way.
NOTE: When looking for flights to Santorini, there will usually be more options available about 2 – 3 months before the date you’d like to book. That means if you are looking at flights 6+ months before your trip, you may not see very many options.
Athens to Santorini by Ferry
We don’t recommend this option because it takes a lot longer and ferries tend to be more prone to delays and cancellations due to bad weather. However, if you would like to get to Santorini by ferry, then you can use Ferryhopper.com to find and book ferry tickets. Again, we advise trying to arrive in Santorini by 5:30 PM at the latest so you don’t miss out on the welcome dinner on Day 1 of the Greek Islands Slowcation.
The ferries typically cost around 60 – 90 EUR each way and take around 5 – 8 hours from Athens (Piraeus) to Santorini (Athinios) port one way.
Transfer to your Hotel
Whether you’re arriving by plane or ferry, your transfer to the hotel is included in the trip cost on our 10-day Greek Islands Slowcation.
If arriving by plane, you’ll collect your luggage and then you’ll see our driver holding a sign with the Globe Drifters logo on it:
The Santorini airport is quite small and easy to navigate and it is less than a 10-minute drive from the hotel. Once you find your driver, it’s just a short drive to the hotel to start your slowcation!
If arriving by ferry, you’ll also collect your luggage and get off the ferry. As you walk off the ferry you will see someone holding a Globe Drifters sign or a sign with your name on it.
If you’d like to tip your driver, you’re welcome to tip him by rounding up the fare or 1~2 EUR. If you have a lot of big, heavy luggage, please consider this when tipping.
NOTE: If you do not let us know about any delays, your hotel transfer will be forfeited without refund and you will be responsible for getting to the hotel on your own and at your own expense.
Getting to Santorini from Athens is a pretty straightforward affair, especially on our 10-day Greek Islands Slowcation. The airport and port are small and very easy to navigate and we’ll be in touch with you every step of the way. Happy travels!
