The Old Ports of Santorini

Enjoy Santorini’s breathtaking scenery while approaching one of its two ports

Just below the town of Fira, the capital of Santorini, there is the port of Gialos, commonly known as the old port of Fira. Till a few decades ago, this was the main commercial port of the island. When Santorini started to develop touristically, this port became a mainly tourist port and the main commercial port was transfered to Athinios, the little bay underneath Oia. Presently, the port of Gialos does not receive commercial ferries.

It is operational mostly in the summer and serves only the many cruise ships that arrive on the island, the excursion boats to the volcano and Thirassia and a few fishing boats. The downhill location of this port makes it quite challenging to get up and down Fira.

This is why the most common way is to take the cable car from the old port up to the town of Fira. For a more traditional way to make the ascent to Fira, try the donkeys available at the old port to get visitors to Fira. For those who are willing to walk the route up, it takes about 20 minutes. And do not forget that there are great rent a villa options in many parts of Santorini.