Santorini Sightseeing Tour: Oia, Monastery & Black Sand Beach

See Santorini's signature spots without building the route yourself

A 5-hour guided sightseeing tour of Santorini covering Oia village, Prophet Elias Monastery, Firostefani's blue dome church, Megalochori's narrow streets, and Perissa Beach, with a driver-guide, hotel pickup and bottled water included. Groups stay under eight people. Minimum age is 12.

Step-by-step itinerary

Santorini sightseeing tour highlights

• Start tour from your hotel
• Visit Oia village and blue domes
• Photo stop at Imerovigli and Firostefani
• View Mt. Prophet Ilias above Pyrgos
• Walk through Megalochori village
• Relax at Perissa black sand beach

The Experience

The tour picks you up from your hotel and heads straight to Oia, where the blue domes and white-washed streets are the reason most people come to Santorini in the first place. You get the famous postcard angle without having to hunt for it or time your arrival around the crowds. From there the route climbs to Imerovigli at the highest point of the caldera, with a photo stop at the blue dome church in Firostefani before moving on to Prophet Elias Monastery, which sits above Pyrgos village at the island's peak.

The day includes a walk through Megalochori, a small traditional village with narrow streets that most visitors skip, then finishes at Perissa Beach—the black sand beach that's distinct enough to be instantly recognizable. Your driver-guide handles the navigation and shares local knowledge about each stop; you just show up at your hotel at the pickup time. Bottled water is included, and the group stays small enough that you're not herding through stops with dozens of others.

If you're a cruise ship passenger, let the operator know your ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time at booking—pickup happens near the cable car in Fira, close to the port. The tour runs five hours total, and it's suitable for all fitness levels.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off.
• driver-guide providing commentary throughout.
• bottled water.
• all taxes, fees and handling charges.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by My Santorini Tour

Is this one for you?The guide speaks English, so you'll follow the commentary comfortably if that's your language. Book this one if you want the five signature stops—Oia, the blue domes, the monastery, the traditional village and the black sand beach—without spending the day figuring out which order makes sense or how to get between them.

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Top questions

What exactly is the blue dome church everyone photographs in Santorini?

The blue dome church is located in Firostefani and is the most photographed spot on the island—it's the image you see on virtually every Santorini postcard. The tour includes a photo stop there during the Imerovigli portion of the route.

Can I visit Prophet Elias Monastery on this tour, or just see it from a distance?

Prophet Elias Monastery sits at the top of the island above Pyrgos village, and the tour includes scenic views of it and the surrounding landscape from that vantage point as part of the route.

Is Perissa Beach included in the 5-hour tour, or does it run longer?

Perissa Beach is the final stop on the 5-hour tour. It's the island's most famous black sand beach and is built into the itinerary as the last destination before returning to your hotel.

What's included in the tour price, and what costs extra?

The tour includes hotel pickup, the driver-guide, and bottled water. Gratuities and lunch are not included, so plan accordingly if you want to eat at one of the stops.

How many people travel together on this tour?

This is a small group shared tour that accommodates up to eight people, so you're not in a large crowd at each stop.

Do I need to speak English to follow the guide's commentary?

The guide delivers the tour in English, so you'll need to be comfortable following along in that language to get the full local knowledge and context at each stop.