Santorini Shore Excursions
Made for Cruise Travelers
You have one day in Santorini. Make it extraordinary. Our private shore excursions are designed specifically for cruise passengers: flexible, perfectly timed, and curated to give you the very best of the island before your ship sails.
What is a Santorini Shore Excursion?
A shore excursion is a private or guided tour you join during a cruise port stop, giving you a structured, fully organised way to explore the island without worrying about timing, transport, or finding your way back to the ship.
At Wineland Tours, our Santorini shore excursions go several steps further. Every experience is exclusively private, just your group, your guide, and your pace. Each itinerary is carefully designed around your ship’s schedule to ensure a smooth and stress-free experience.
5-Star Rated
Consistently top-rated by cruise travelers on Google & TripAdvisor
3,500+ Travelers
Couples, families, and cruise groups hosted since founding
Cruise-First Design
Every itinerary is built around your ship's arrival and return time
Award-Winning
Recognised for excellence in wine tourism & guest experience in Greece
Meeting Point & Arrival Process
All cruise ships dock at the Old Port of Santorini, where guests are transferred ashore by tender boat. From there, passengers take the cable car to reach the top of the island (Fira).
The cable car is the designated meeting point for all cruise ship passengers, and our team coordinates pick-up directly from there.
- Priority access for both the tender boats and the cable car is provided to passengers with any type of disability
Cable car ticket cost: €10 per person, per ride
Alternative Arrival Options
For guests who prefer not to take the cable car, or on exceptionally busy days with multiple cruise ship arrivals, we can arrange a water taxi at an additional cost. Water taxis can transfer guests to:
- Ammoudi Bay (Oia)
- Athinios Port (Santorini’s main port)
From these locations, we arrange direct pick-up.
Some cruise lines also offer the option for passengers to disembark directly at Athinios Port, with shuttle buses to Fira. We coordinate seamlessly with all arrival scenarios.
Simply share the name of your cruise ship, and we’ll handle all logistics.
Taste Santorini's Volcanic Wines on Your Cruise Day
Santorini sits on one of the world’s most extraordinary wine-producing terroirs. The island’s volcanic soil, centuries-old basket-vine technique, and the unique Assyrtiko grape produce wines unlike anything you’ll find elsewhere.
Our private wine shore excursions take you to boutique, family-run estates selected for quality, authenticity, and setting. You’ll taste with context: learning why volcanic soil changes the minerality, what makes Vinsanto one of Greece’s rarest sweet wines, and how local winemakers keep ancient traditions alive.
- Visits to 2 or 3 handpicked Santorini wineries
- Guided tastings with local food pairings
- Scenic stops at caldera viewpoints & villages
- WSET-certified sommelier guidance throughout
- Fully private: your group only, no strangers
Shore Excursion Types for Every Cruise Traveler
From a focused wine tasting to a full-day island exploration, every Wineland Tours shore excursion is private, comfortable, and crafted around your time on the island.
The Right Shore Excursion for Every Kind of Cruise Traveler
Couples & Honeymooners
Private by design, romantic by nature. Sunset wine tastings, cliffside views, and a completely personal pace. Your cruise day in Santorini becomes one of the great memories of your trip.
Families & Groups
A private tour means everyone moves at their own pace. No strangers, no rushing. We adapt each itinerary to your group's interests: from cultural sightseeing to relaxed winery visits.
Wine & Culture Lovers
You want depth, not a bus tour. Our sommeier-led excursions go beyond a glass of Assyrtiko — they explore the history, terroir, and winemakers behind every pour.
Not All Shore Excursions Are Equal
Most cruise excursion providers move quickly through the island with large groups. We do the opposite. Everything we offer is private, personal, and paced for enjoyment.
Exclusively Your Group
Back On Time, Guaranteed
Genuine Sommelier Knowledge
Designed for Travelers
How It Works
Booking a Santorini shore excursion with Wineland is simple. We keep everything transparent so you can plan your cruise day with total confidence.
Choose Your Shore Excursion
Browse our range of private Santorini shore excursions and select the experience that best fits your group's interests, size, and available time ashore.
Share Your Cruise Schedule
Tell us your ship's arrival time, latest return time, and docking port (Athinios or tender via Ammoudi Bay). We'll design the itinerary around your specific window.
Receive Instant Confirmation
You'll get a booking confirmation with your guide's contact details, your meeting point at the port, and a full itinerary overview so you know exactly what to expect.
Guide Meets You at the Port
Step off your ship and find your Wineland guide waiting for you. From that moment on, we handle everything: transport, reservations, navigation, and timing.
Testimonials
Don’t just take our word for it. See why cruise travelers call the Wineland Tours Santorini shore excursions one of the highlights of their entire voyage.
Traveled with us recently? We’d love your review. ★★★★★
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything cruise travelers ask us before booking a Santorini shore excursion.
What's included in a Santorini shore excursion with Wineland?
Every shore excursion with Wineland Tours is fully private and includes everything you need for a seamless day ashore. Specific contents vary by tour, but across all experiences you receive:
- Comfortable, spacious private vehicle with pick-up and drop-off at your port
- English-speaking guide with deep knowledge of Santorini’s wines, history, and landscape
- Winery entry fees and curated wine tastings at boutique estate wineries
- Cycladic food pairings to complement the wines
- A relaxed, personalized pace built around your group
Our wine tours typically cover 2 or 3 estate wineries, with tastings of local varieties including Assyrtiko and Vinsanto. Combo tours add scenic stops at Santorini villages and viewpoints. Full inclusions for each experience are listed on the individual tour pages.
Can you pick us up directly from the cruise port?
Yes. We coordinate pick-up from both Athinios Port (the main cruise pier, where large ships dock directly) and Ammoudi Bay (the tender boat landing below Oia, used when ships anchor in the caldera).
Santorini’s two arrival points serve different ship types, and knowing which applies to you shapes your morning. Ships that anchor offshore run a tender boat service to Ammoudi Bay; from there, guests typically use the Fira Cable Car or donkeys to reach the clifftop. Ships that dock at Athinios Port disembark directly on the southern side of the island.
Share your ship’s docking details when you book and we arrange the rest, including your exact meeting point and timing.
How do you make sure we're back in time for the ship?
Getting you back to port before departure is our guarantee, and we treat it as a non-negotiable.
Here is how we do it:
- We confirm your ship’s all-aboard time at booking, not as an afterthought
- Every itinerary is planned with a built-in buffer return window, accounting for traffic, tender queues, and cable car wait times
- Our guides are local professionals who know Santorini’s roads and timings across seasons
- If your ship’s schedule changes, contact us and we adapt
One of our guests, Jessica Zimmerman, noted that her guide waited when their tender ran late and still completed the full tour. That flexibility is standard for us, not an exception. For context on Santorini’s port logistics, the Port of Santorini Authority publishes daily ship schedules that we cross-reference when planning departures.
Can I combine wine tasting with sightseeing in one shore excursion?
Yes, and it is one of our most popular requests from cruise travelers.
Our combo shore excursions blend wine tastings at Santorini’s boutique estate wineries with visits to the island’s most iconic spots. Depending on the tour, stops can include:
- Pyrgos village, the highest settlement on the island with panoramic caldera views
- Megalochori, a quiet traditional village surrounded by vineyards
- Oia viewpoints for photography and caldera scenery
- Akrotiri and the volcanic landscape of the southern tip
Are the tours suitable for travelers 50+ or guests with mobility considerations?
What this means in practice:
- Spacious, clean private vehicles with no overcrowding
- Unhurried itineraries with time to sit, taste, and enjoy each stop
- No forced walking or steep terrain unless you choose it
- The guide adapts the day to your group’s energy and preferences
Santorini does have some naturally uneven terrain, particularly in older villages and on the Fira-to-Oia walking path. However, all of our winery visits and scenic stops are accessible by vehicle and involve minimal walking at a comfortable level.
If anyone in your group uses a wheelchair or has specific mobility needs, please note this at booking. We will confirm whether the tour you have chosen suits your requirements and adjust the route if needed.
What is the cancellation policy for shore excursions?
We offer free cancellation up to 3 days before your tour date. No fees, no complicated process.
We understand that cruise itineraries can change at short notice due to weather, port conditions, or schedule adjustments. If your ship changes port or your all-aboard time shifts, reach out to us directly and we will do everything we can to accommodate you.
For cancellations within 3 days of the tour date, please contact us to discuss your situation. We handle each case individually and will always try to find a fair solution.
Do I need wine knowledge to enjoy a wine shore excursion?
Not at all. Our wine shore excursions are designed for curious travelers, not experts.
Your guide introduces the wines with context and storytelling, not technical jargon. You will learn why Santorini’s volcanic soil and basket-trained vines produce wines unlike anywhere else in the world, what makes Assyrtiko the island’s flagship white grape, and why Vinsanto, Santorini’s ancient sun-dried dessert wine, has been celebrated for over 3,500 years. None of it requires prior knowledge to appreciate.
Guests often tell us the education is one of the highlights of the tour. You are not just tasting wine; you are tasting the history, geology, and traditions of one of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world.
If you already have wine experience or hold certifications, our guides are WSET-qualified and happy to go deeper on varietals, terroir, and production methods.
