Santorini Volcano & Hot Springs Tour: swim in thermal waters

★★★★★★★★★★ 3.50 (2 reviews)

Free cancellation

1/5

Duration3h

GroupUp to 100

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Walk the smoking crater, then swim in water warmed by the volcano itself

A half-day boat tour from Santorini takes you to the active volcano's crater rim, then to the natural hot springs of Palaia Kameni for a thermal water swim. The boat leaves from the main port, spends 1 hour 15 minutes at Erinia where you can hike to the top and see active craters still smoking, then moves to St. Nicolas bay where the water stays between 30 and 35°C year-round. You swim about 30 meters into the bay, then return to port by 2pm. A live English-speaking guide is included; you choose morning or evening departure at checkout.

Step-by-step itinerary

Santorini volcano and hot springs tour

Boat trip to volcano bay
Hike to active craters
Return to boat
Depart to Palaia Kameni island
Swim in hot springs
Return to port

The Experience

What makes this tour different from a standard sightseeing boat ride is that you actually climb to the active craters instead of viewing them from the water. After the 10-minute crossing to Erinia, the boat anchors for 1 hour 15 minutes — enough time to follow the path uphill, stand at the rim where the rocks still smoke and the air smells of brimstone, take pictures, and come back down without rushing. The guide is there to answer questions, but the pace is yours.

From the volcano, the boat moves to Palaia Kameni and the hot springs bay at St. Nicolas. The water here never cools below 30°C because it mixes constantly with seawater heated by the volcanic activity below. You climb down the boat's stairs and swim roughly 30 meters into the bay to reach the warmest water — there's no beach, so this is a genuine swim, not a wade. The 30 minutes here is enough to feel the temperature difference and float in water that has been naturally heated since the volcanic eruptions that created these islands. After swimming, the boat returns to the starting port by 2pm.

The tour runs three hours total and suits any fitness level, though the crater path is uneven ground and the boat entry requires climbing stairs and swimming. You can choose a morning or evening departure; both follow the same route and timing. A live guide speaks English throughout, and the boat's schedule is fixed, so you know exactly when you'll be back.

What’s included

Boat transport from Santorini's main port to Erinia volcano and Palaia Kameni hot springs.
1 hour 15 minutes at the active crater with access to the rim.
30 minutes swimming in the natural hot springs at St. Nicolas bay.
live English-speaking guide for the full tour.

Good to know

Easy physical level

Operated by BEYOND THE LIMITS

Is this one for you?Choose the morning departure if you want the rest of your afternoon free, or the evening option if you prefer to explore Santorini's towns earlier in the day — both tours follow the same route and return by 2pm. The fixed schedule means you don't arrange transport or timing yourself; the boat's departure and return are set, so you know exactly when to be at the port and when you'll be back.