r/Santorini

I know I bring this topic up a lot, but we are still in peak tourist season, which means 1000s of new people are visiting Santorini every week and may not know what these animals are going through.

If riding a donkey is on your list of things to do while you're visiting, I would strongly encourage you to reconsider. There are other ways to get where you are going. You can walk. You can take the cable car.

The donkey rides might look like a classic Santorini experience in photos and travel videos, but seeing it in person is very different. These animals spend hours climbing steep steps in the heat while carrying tourists all day long. You don't have to agree with me, but I do think it is worth taking a minute to think about the animal behind the experience before deciding whether to participate.

Skipping a donkey ride won't take anything away from your trip, but it could make a difference for the animals that are still doing this work every day.

My bf and I will be in Santorini (staying in Thira) and are looking to make a nice dinner reservation for our last night (9/25). Recommendations? We are seeking good food and views. Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone, which is the cheapest way to go from Athinios Port to Santorini Airport next month?Thank you you!

Long time lurker here. My husband and I are going to Santorini (Thira and then Imerovigli) for a week in September. We are looking for recommendations on restaurants that serve authentic Greek food. 😀

If you’re reading reviews before booking a transfer in Santorini, let this one stop you: do not use this company.

We went to their booth right at the port (they run taxi service and car rental out of the same desk) and were served by a young blonde woman who assured us a cab would be there in 3 minutes for a ride that should take 20 minutes. That was a flat-out lie.

What actually happened:

**•	30 minutes** stranded at the port — no cab, no update, no apology  
**•**	Herded onto a bus heading toward the **airport** — not our destination  
**•**	Dumped at a random location near Fira with **zero explanation**  
**•**	Another **30-minute wait** for a second bus to finally get us moving

Total time: 2.5 hours for a 20-minute trip we’d already paid for.

At no point would staff tell us where we were being taken or when — or if — we’d reach our hotel. When people in our group (understandably) pushed back and asked what was going on, staff shouted at customers and got openly aggressive. Being moved around for hours with no information about your location or arrival time isn’t “customer service” — it’s closer to being held hostage by a taxi company.

When we asked for even a partial refund afterward, they laughed in our faces and said “welcome to Greece.” No accountability, no apology, no attempt to make it right — just contempt for the people who’d paid them.

This is not a one-off bad day — this is how they operate. Save yourself the stress:

**•	Skip this company entirely.**  
**•**	Book your transfer directly through your hotel instead — most charge around **€40** for port-to-hotel or airport-to-hotel, and you’ll know exactly who’s picking you up and when.

Don’t let them do to you what they did to us.

Hi All,

Am planning a solo trip to Fira, Santorini for the 2nd week in September Monday to Friday, of which I will have 3 full days to play with.

Am planning to go to a few wineries and try a few restaurants.

I believe the buses are reliable, as I'm aiming to go to Oia and then walk back to Fira.

Am also looking at maybe a cruise but there are loads to choose from!

Really just planning to walk around but don't want to waste time while I'm there.

Could anyone suggest anything that can be done in the 3 days? Would be interested in anything that is gentle walking.

Thank you.

Hi all!

Will be in Santorini with my husband, flying in 9/23 flying out 9/26.

Definitely want to do a Catamaran Cruise but can't decide on day cruise or sunset cruise.

Any suggestions?

My girlfriend and I will be in Santorini for 4 nights (7–11 October). For those who have visited around this time:

How is Santorini in early October in terms of crowds, restaurants and overall atmosphere? Does it still like everything is still open and enjoyable, or are things starting to close?

Also, is a sunset catamaran cruise worth doing in our case?

A few days earlier we'll be doing a full day Kleftiko boat tour in Milos, and in Santorini we're staying in Imerovigli with a private Caldera view accommodation with an outdoor hot tub.

Would you still do the sunset cruise, or would you skip it and spend that time exploring Oia and maybe doing a sunset wine tour or doing something else all together in the Oia region? We've earmarked an entire day for Oia.

Would especially love to hear from anyone who's done both Kleftiko in Milos and a Santorini sunset cruise.

My husband wanted to do Santorini for our honeymoon, and it was fine with me considering it’s always been a bucket list place. However, I didn’t do much research before booking and since looking it up haven’t heard the best things. Our trip is booked for 12 days (two of which will be travel) and I keep seeing how you really only need 3 days on Santorini. Our Airbnb is booked in Vothonas and we probably won’t have much room in the budget to stay on another island so if we visited it would have to be a day trip. Will we be bored of Santorini with 10 days and want to go see other islands or do you think it’s possible we will enjoy it the entire time? We do like a little of everything: Excursions, night life, beaches, hiking, and relaxing. I’m still very excited but looking forward to hearing from either locals or other travelers that have any advice !

If you’re in Santorini right now (or visited this summer), what did you see with the donkeys?
I have posted about the treatment of the donkeys in Santorini a countless amount of times, and this week I want to do something a little different.

Rather than only sharing what I witnessed, I would really like to hear from people who are there right now or who have visited during summer 2026.
When I visited Santorini, I watched donkeys working continuously in the scorching heat, carrying tourists up and down the steps. I also witnessed exhausted animals being struck while they struggled to continue. It affected me so much that I have continued trying to raise awareness ever since.
But I do not want this conversation to be based solely on my experience, so hoping to get others’ voices and perspectives to help spread the word…

If you’ve been to Santorini this summer…What did you see?
Did you see donkeys being ridden in the heat?
Did you notice whether they were being given breaks, water or shade?
Did you witness anything that concerned you?
Did you take photos or videos?
And on the other hand, if you saw improvements in how the animals were being treated, I would genuinely like to hear that too as that would be super helpful to know.
I am really hoping we can use this message thread to create a snapshot of what visitors are actually witnessing in Santorini this summer.
If you are currently there and feel comfortable doing so, please document what you see. Photos, videos and firsthand accounts are much harder to dismiss than me as one person repeatedly saying, “This is happening.”
For anyone planning a trip to Santorini…please don’t ride the donkeys**.** There are other ways to get up and down the cliffs.
Thank you so much to everyone who has shared their experiences on my previous posts. For those of you wondering why I continue to post on this…it’s because new travelers visit reddit every week, so it is important to continue to post. Plus these animals obviously can’t tell people what is happening to them. Visitors can.
If you have been there recently, please add your experience below. ❤️ Thank you so much 🙏

My girlfriend and I will be in Santorini for 4 nights in early October and are deciding between a semi-private sunset catamaran and renting a small self-drive boat from Ammoudi.

For anyone who's done either/both:

Which experience would you recommend?

How difficult is it to operate a small boat with zero boating experience?

Is it easy enough after the safety briefing, or would you recommend a captain?

Looking for a romantic, relaxed experience for two, not a party boat. Thanks!

First time visitors for a few weeks in August and September, 2026. Should we bring some mosquito spray? Packing and can't wait to visit.