Oia Sunset and Traditional Villages Full Day Tour
Description
Take a break from Santorini’s black sand beaches on a full-day tour of its Minoan excavations, traditional villages, ancient capital and buried settlements. End the day at Oia and watch the sunset from the islands northernmost tip.Following a pick-up from your hotel, transfer by air-conditioned coach to the archaeological site of Akrotiri (**please note that from November till end of March the archaeological site of Akrotiri will not be included**). Explore an ancient city that was frozen in time after a volcanic eruption 3,600 years ago. Step inside with your guide and learn about the Minoan city before the devastating event occurred. Meet your guide again in the early evening for the transfer to Oia, a quintessential Greek village that’s known for its sugar cube houses and blue-domed churches. Join the legions who flock to Oia to watch the sunset, and stroll down streets nestled into the side of the cliffs overlooking the spectacular caldera.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Following a pick-up from your hotel, transfer by air-conditioned coach to the archaeological site of Akrotiri (**please note that every Tuesday the archaeological site of Akrotiri will be closed**). Explore an ancient city that was frozen in time after a volcanic eruption 3,600 years ago. Step inside with your guide and learn about the Minoan city before the devastating event occurred. Gaze in awe at the ruins of multi-storied buildings that date back to the 16th century and admire the intricately designed drainage system that hints at a talented civilization far more advanced than its time suggests. Stroll along the main street, lined with old stores and warehouses from the ancient city. Learn about the traditional ceramic artefacts, such as pithoi (earthenware jugs).
Our next stop will be at Emporio Village where you can explore one of the oldest and most authentic traditional villages of Santorini, built like a small labyrinth and visit its medieval fortress (15th century).
After that continue towards Perissa Beach and enjoy free time to have lunch and relax at one of the longest black sandy beaches in the Cyclades and the most popular beach of Santorini.
Profitis Ilias Mountain will be our next stop where you will finish your tour with a short stop at the highest peak of Santorini (567 meters) to admire the striking panoramic view of the entire island.
Wine tasting at Winery.
Meet your guide again in the early evening for the transfer to Oia, a quintessential Greek village that’s known for its sugar cube houses and blue-domed churches. Join the legions who flock to Oia to watch the sunset, and stroll down streets nestled into the side of the cliffs overlooking the spectacular caldera. Follow your guide to the ruins of a Venetian castle, known as the Kastro of Oia, and gaze down from the village and caldera to the sea. Return to the coach for the transfer back to your hotel.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Hotel pick up is offered subject to customer's hotel location. In case of property (villa- hotel- airbnb) is not within tour pick up areas, client should meet our group for the tour at the nearest pick up place.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- From November till March the tour does not include Akrotiri site visit.
- During Winter period due to earlier Sunset time the tour starts approximately at 09:00 am
- Pick up location is subject to the accommodation location. It will be either from your property or nearby walking distance location
Reviews(66)
I hired a tour in Spanish and the guide did the tour in English and French. She said she wasn't hired for Spanish and that I should go to the operator.
Plenty of time to enjoy beach and Oia sunset. Good arrangement for pick up transportation and drop off service.
I have mixed feels as the day was fantastic in the end but started off poorly as my ticket said I was to be picked up at the top of the cable car but this is a walking only area and there was no one to meet me. I don't speak the language and was unable to find clear directions to the actual meeting spot. Ultimately the tour left 10 minutes early and I was left behind. I paid for a cab to take me to the first stop, 30 minutes away. From there, the day was much better. Just be sure to get clear directions and leave lots of time to connect. The trip to the black sand beach in Perissa was definitely worth it and I enjoyed a delicious lunch seaside.
Thank you for your feedback. We’re very sorry for the confusion at the meeting point and the inconvenience it caused—this is something we will work to clarify for future guests. We’re glad to hear the rest of the day improved and that you enjoyed Perissa’s black sand beach and the seaside lunch. We truly appreciate your understanding and comments. MTM Customer Service
This was an amazing tour. It was a full day packed with interesting information. All of our guides were well informed and able to add extra insights into our stops. This tour is well worth the money! Be ready to walk a lot up hill. Our only disappointment was how far the meeting point was from the cable cars where we arrived. It took approximately 20 minutes to walk to that point.
Thank you so much for your great review! We’re happy to hear you enjoyed the full day and found our guides informative and engaging. We truly appreciate your note about the meeting point and understand the walk can be challenging—your feedback helps us improve the experience. Thank you again for joining us, and we hope the rest of your visit was just as memorable! MTM Customer Support
The experience was thoroughly enjoyable and ran smoothly. Our driver, Costa, was incredibly skilled—his driving was beyond words. Our tour guide, Mary/ Maria was amazing—knowledgeable, friendly, and engaging. Highly recommended!
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re thrilled to hear you enjoyed the tour and appreciated Costa’s skilled driving and Maria’s engaging guidance. Your recommendation means a lot, and we’d love to welcome you on another tour soon! MTM Customer Support
The tour itself was very well done. However, connecting with the Tour operator was difficult to find out the meeting place once we arrive to the airport. We were told from the ticket to meet someone at the airport. That was not correct. Please make this more transparent as it caused us some stress at the beginning of the tour.
Thank you for your feedback! We’re glad to hear you enjoyed the tour itself. We apologize for the confusion regarding the meeting point. As indicated in the product details, an email is sent with the exact pickup location and time, and we always encourage guests to contact the local supplier if it’s not received. We appreciate your comments and will work to make this information clearer for future travelers. MTM Customer Support
Our pickup had to change at the last minute, and Viator and NTA made it so smooth! Great variety to see and our guide Yannis helped everyone get great pictures and see the best vantage points. His suggestions in Oia to view the sunset made the perfect ending to a lovely day. It rained at the end, but we were treated well and had fun. Thank you so much! I am so impressed with the wonderful coach drivers on these road. So narrow, but they are amazing and accommodating. Thank you Nikos!
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re thrilled to hear that despite the last-minute pickup change and a little rain, you had a lovely day exploring the villages and enjoying the sunset in Oia. Yannis and Nikos will be delighted by your kind words, and we truly appreciate your recognition of their efforts. We hope to welcome you on another memorable tour soon! MTM Customer Care
Normally I find these tours excellent however this tour seemed to be the “one-off”. We got picked up which was great, then we were brought to a main spot where we were then informed once we were on the next bus that our tour was a combined French / English tour. Had I known it would have been like that when I signed up, I would have picked a different group. Iur guide even seemed surprised at the news as she was expecting a French only group. Our guide was very nice and with each stop she shared information in English and then in French. Half the time I didn’t know what was being said or felt very awkward being there as the other language was being spoken. It felt like we were moved into that tour because of overflow of the English only group. From now on I will be specifically asking to make sure we are on English only tours, as it significantly changed our experience for the worse. One stop of Akrotiri then delayed our other stops because the guide in Akrotiri was about 20 min late. Then when we got to the winery, it just felt rushed. I’ve taken a fair amount of Viator tours, and even did one similar to this during my last trip to Santorini 6 years ago, but did not get as much out of this tour as I normally do.
Thank you for sharing your detailed feedback. We’re glad to hear that your guide was nice and informative, but we’re very sorry that being placed on a combined French/English tour and the delays impacted your experience. Your points about clearer communication regarding language groups, more accurate timing, and avoiding rushed stops are important. We’ll take under consideration your comments so future guests can have a smoother and more enjoyable experience. MTM Customer Support
Long day but amazing tour. Many stops make it interesting. Drove through many towns throughout the day. Winery was wonderful. Lots of opportunities for photos.
Thank you for your lovely review! We’re glad to hear that the Oia Sunset and Traditional Villages Full Day Tour was amazing and kept you engaged with its many stops. It’s wonderful that you enjoyed the scenic drives, the winery, and all the photo opportunities along the way! MTM Customer Support
Viator location was different from voucher and the driver simply left. Never texted before even though I texted many times prior with no response.
