Travel tips for Santorini

Greece has no island-specific entry rules beyond what applies to the country as a whole, but a handful of practical points shape every trip through Santorini. The official currency is the euro, and it is accepted everywhere on the island, from taverna bills to ferry tickets and quad rentals, with cards taken almost everywhere in Fira and Oia. Two arrival points serve the island: flights into Santorini's own airport (JTR), and the ferry route from Piraeus, near Athens, which calls at the port of Athinios below the inland villages — which one suits a given itinerary better often comes down to how much of the mainland is also on the plan.

The high season runs from June to September, when the caldera path and the sunset spots at Oia are at their busiest; May and October sit either side as quieter shoulder months; and much of the island's hotel and restaurant scene closes for winter. Roads around the caldera rim wind along the cliff edge between the villages, and getting into Fira or Oia by car during the busiest parts of the day can be slower than the distance suggests, so a quad or a scooter often covers the same stretch quicker.

Ferries to Thirassia, to the volcanic islets and onward to the near, central and western Cyclades run to a published timetable rather than on demand, and schedules thin out sharply once the high season ends, so a return crossing is worth confirming before setting off rather than assumed. The Athinios port below the inland villages handles most of the inter-island and mainland ferry traffic, while the older port beneath Fira, reached by the cable car, serves the caldera cruises and the smaller boats out to Nea Kameni and Palea Kameni.