Services in Santorini – Info for Travelers
Services in Santorini – Information for Travelers
There are services that every traveler needs – wifi, transportation, a great place to stay, and, unless you are seriously overpacking you’ll need a laundry service! (Don’t be tempted to over pack! Get tips on how to pack light and still look amazing!) Avoid making mistakes that will cost you time and money.
Services in Santorini – Tour Guides
Santorini has a lot to offer a traveler and most of it is hard to find. Maps have empty spaces where in real life you’ll find a road and vice versa. Streets do have names, but those names are largely ignored by natives. The good news is that the island is small and you can’t really get too lost! Exploring is part of the fun!
We enjoy a 1/2 day overview tour when we arrive in a new place to get a lay of the land. We chose Santorini Day tours (we received a media discount)for their 1/2 day tour. Our tour started at 3 in the afternoon and we were picked up at our hotel by George. We were really happy to see a minivan with great air conditioner pull up! You can get a morning tour but this tour ends with a view of the famous sunset. I thought it would be better to see this with a tour guide’s expertise on where to go and how to get there! That was a good call!
A tour of the iconic Oia, home to the whitewashed buildings with blue roofs, is a must when you visit Santorini. Since everyone who visits Santorini has this same exact thought, it was really nice to have a tour guide who could deal with the crowds and the parking for us!
George, our tour guide, was energetic and showed us around with great enthusiasm. He is proud of the area and knows it like the back of his hand. He was ready for our adventure with water and sodas in a cooler and introduced us to some wonderful sesame covered nuts for a snack!
With George, of Santorini Day tours, we saw Oia, Fira, and several colored beaches. He took us to the very end of the island to see a lighthouse. We heard wonderful information about how the island was formed by a volcano. Fascinating information about who had previously inhabited the island made the whole place really come alive. According to our kids, who are 11 and 13, George tells GREAT stories. High praise indeed!
Services in Santorini – Santorini Car Rental
To get around the island it is fun to rent a car. For the four of us, we chose a convertible Fiat from Moto Chris. This Santorini car rental was conveniently down the street from our hotel Villa Anto. We were pleasantly surprised at the price! Expecting it to be much more than 65 euros a day. Considering the high cost of everything else on the island we thought this was quite reasonable.
When you rent a car here on Santorini island, inspect the car very carefully and VIDEO that inspection. Streets are very small and parking is very tight. I think rental cars sometimes get damaged so they really inspect them carefully when you get back. Considering the inspection we received when we turned the car back in, I think they actually expect damage! Be sure you can prove any damage is not your fault.
**KNOW the coverage in your current car insurance at home before you rent. You may be covered and not need the extra coverage from the rental car company.
+30 22860 24713
www.motochris.gr
Services in Santorini – ATV and motorcycle rentals
You can find these available to rent all over the island. Literally everywhere and they are extremely popular. You’ll see them going down the road all over!
ATV rental information-
*2 persons can ride
*Four wheelers are unstable and many holiday accidents happen when people who are inexperienced rent
*Easy to Park
*Uses very little gas
*You need a regular driver’s license
*Please wear a helmet!
*Don’t forget the sunscreen if you are out all day.
Motorcycle rental Information
*2 persons can ride
*Motorcycle endorsement on your driver’s license required to rent
*easy to park
*Uses very little gas
*Please wear a helmet!
*Don’t forget the sunscreen if you are out all day.
Services in Santorini – Laundry
Unless you pack WAY too much you’ll need to do some laundry during your trip. Don’t fret too much about this. If you DO pack too much so you don’t have to do laundry on vacation think about this….you’ll have to lug it all around and when you get home you’ll still have to wash it.
We proudly pack light and wear things that I can wash in the sink. (Learn all my secrets here!) However; I don’t wash socks and underthings in the sink because they will NOT dry overnight. So, we pack enough to get us 1/2 way through the trip and then hire the laundry done.
Sometimes hotels will have this service. BEWARE the price. Somehow, hotels can charge 5 euros to wash ONE pair of socks – and they charge it with a straight face. I can buy a pair of brand new socks for that! Insanity. I only pay that in the event of a planning mistake and then only what we absolutely need!
By planning ahead you can have someone else do the laundry and not pay an arm and a leg for it! We used this laundry service in Santorini and for only 15 euros we had ALL of the laundries washed and folded. SWEET!!! It is even cheaper if you want to use the machines yourself.
Angela and Freedom will take good care of your things. Bring cash, though, because they don’t take credit. There is an ATM just a few doors down if you need one like I did!
This laundry spot is right down the street from the hotel we chose, Villa Anto.
Agiou Athanasiou
+30 2286 023533
Services in Santorini – Taxi or Minibus
Have your hotel call you for you to arrange a taxi – in advance if possible. Since you know when your flight or ferry leaves go ahead and ask.
I did NOT reserve ahead of time and that was a mistake.
Taxis can fill up when the ferries leave because there is a max exodus from the island. Luckily for me, Alex, at Villa Anto was able to arrange a minibus which was a great deal. Somehow it was bigger than a taxi AND was cheaper.
George was our driver from Zoros Travel. Yes, another George! The Greeks follow the tradition of naming children after grandparents and there are lots of Georges in Greece.
cell: +30 6944 412546
office +30 22860 30113
info@zorrostravel.gr
Santorini is a fantastic destination! What a wonderful time you’ll have to explore this iconic Greek island – home to the world’s most famous sunset. You have to see it to believe it! Even more gorgeous in person than in the postcards.
Read these related posts to get ready for your Greek vacation!
How to get to Santorini: Ferry or Flight?
Greek Food – What you simply MUST try!
Read before you go: Kids’ Books Set in Greece
Akrotiri – The Pompeii of Greece
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Happy Travels,
Natalie, The Educational Tourist
Santorini sounds amazing! Great tips on how to get around. Thanks for the post!
Sounds like an amazing trip! I want to go:
So much wonderful advice. I love the idea of taking a half day tour to get a feel for the area and what there is to see. Seems like a real time saver. Using a foreign laundry mat is an adventure for sure.
Great tips! Will definitely keep these in mind when I travel to Greece!