Private Santorini Tour with Local Driver: Customize Your Day

Six volcanic beaches, three villages, two monasteries, one driver who steers to what you want to see

A private driving tour of Santorini where you choose the stops and the pace, with a local driver-guide, air-conditioned transport, and pickup from your hotel, cruise port or airport. The itinerary is a suggestion—Oia, Pyrgos, Akrotiri, Perissa Beach, Red Beach, Profitis Ilias monastery and a dozen other sites are all optional, so you build the day around what matters to you. Tours run from three to eight hours depending on how much ground you want to cover.

Step-by-step itinerary

Private customizable Santorini island tour

• Pick up from chosen location
• Stroll in Firostefani village
• Visit Oia village and caldera views
• Explore Imerovigli panoramic views
• Stop at Red Beach viewpoint
• Relax at Perissa–Perivolos Black Beach
• Visit Profitis Ilias hill and chapel
• Discover traditional settlement with cave houses
• Tour Pyrgos village and Venetian castle
• Explore Akrotiri ancient ruins (self-guided)
• View windmills above Emporio village
• Visit Akrotiri Lighthouse
• Wine tasting at Santo Wines Winery (optional)
• Visit Art Space Winery (optional)
• Explore Wine Museum Koutsogiannopoulos (optional)
• Drop off at accommodation or preferred location

The Experience

The driver picks you up from wherever you're staying in Santorini and the route is yours to shape. A proposed itinerary includes the postcard villages—Oia with its blue domes and caldera views, Pyrgos with its 16th-century Venetian castle perched on a hilltop, Firostefani with its iconic whitewashed church. But if you'd rather skip the crowds and head straight to the beaches, the driver takes you there instead. Perissa and Perivolos have black volcanic sand and seaside restaurants where you can swim and eat lunch on your own time. Red Beach sits at the southern edge with rust-colored cliffs and a viewpoint for photos. The driver handles all the driving; you decide how long to stay at each place.

Profitis Ilias monastery stands 567 meters above sea level and includes a Greek Orthodox chapel where you can listen to Byzantine music and buy hand-made local products from the monks. Akrotiri is a Bronze Age settlement buried by volcanic eruption around 1600 BCE—your driver drops you at the entrance and you explore the frescoes and ancient buildings at your own pace (entrance fee paid on-site). Three wineries dot the island: Santo Wines, Art Space Winery in a historic 1861 building carved into pumice rock, and Wine Museum Koutsogiannopoulos in a 300-meter cave that traces winemaking back to 1660. Wine tastings are optional and paid separately. The tour ends whenever you're ready—your driver takes you back to your hotel, cruise port, or airport.

You choose how long the day runs: three hours for a quick loop, up to eight hours if you want to see everything without rushing. The vehicle is air-conditioned, bottled water is included, and the driver speaks English and knows the island well enough to answer questions about Santorini's volcanic geology and history as you go. Cruise passengers meet the driver at the top of the cable car station at the port.

What’s included

• Private driver-guide with local knowledge of Santorini.
• pickup and drop-off at your hotel, cruise port, or airport.
• private air-conditioned vehicle.
• complimentary bottled water throughout the day.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyInfant seats available

Operated by KALLISTI TOURS

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want to build your own itinerary instead of following a fixed schedule—the driver knows the island and steers to what you actually want to see, whether that's the famous villages, the beaches, the ancient ruins, or a mix of all three. Choose your duration (three to eight hours) based on how much ground you want to cover in a single day.

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Top questions

Can I customize the stops on a Santorini private tour, or is the itinerary fixed?

The itinerary is entirely customizable. A suggested route includes Oia, Pyrgos, Akrotiri, Perissa Beach, Red Beach, Profitis Ilias monastery and several wineries, but you and your driver plan the day together based on what interests you most. You can skip any stop or add others.

What's included in the private Santorini tour price?

The tour includes private transport in an air-conditioned vehicle, a local driver-guide, hotel or port pickup and drop-off, and complimentary bottled water. Entrance fees to museums and archaeological sites, meals, wine tastings, and tips are optional and paid separately.

How long does a private Santorini tour take?

Tours range from three hours to eight hours depending on which option you choose and how many stops you want to make. You control the pace—spend as much or as little time at each location as you prefer.

What is Akrotiri and can I explore it on the tour?

Akrotiri is an ancient Bronze Age settlement preserved under a modern roof after a volcanic eruption around 1600 BCE. Your driver drops you at the entrance and you explore the site independently at your own pace; entrance fees are paid on-site. Only official Greek archaeologists are permitted to guide inside, so your driver cannot accompany you into the ruins.

Does the tour include wine tasting at Santorini wineries?

Wine tastings are optional. Three wineries are on the suggested itinerary—Santo Wines, Art Space Winery, and Wine Museum Koutsogiannopoulos—but tastings and any purchases are paid separately at each location. Your driver can take you there and wait while you taste.

Where does the driver pick me up if I'm arriving by cruise ship?

Cruise passengers meet the driver at the top of the cable car station at the cruise port. From there, the driver takes you anywhere on the island you want to explore before returning you to the port in time for departure.