Black, sand, white sun bleached buildings and deep blue seas are the colours that confront you as your cruise ship approaches Santorini. No other island has the unique wild beauty of this volcanic island and no photos or descriptions can prepare you for the magnificent scenes that you will encounter on Santorini.
A coach transfer will take you to Rethymnon Harbour where you will board the Sea Runner fast ferry to Santorini. The sea runner ferry is 74.00m long x 26m breadth. It has seats 573 passengers, is air-conditioned throughout, has 2 bars and a maximum speed of 33 knots.
At 10.15, after a cruise of 2hours and 15 minutes, we will arrive at Santorini where a coach with a guide will be waiting to take you on tour of the island with stops at the 3 main towns of Thira, Oia and Firostefani. Thira is the capital of Santorini and it rises 400m above sea level and sits on top of a sheer cliff face. Contrasting layerts of volcanic pumice stone and soil bear witness to the volcanic eruption that occurred 3,500 years ago, causing three quarters of the island to sink into the sea. The measure of the catastrophe and the ruins of an advanced civilization found at Akrotiri have led many archaeologist to believe that Santorini is the legendary Atlantis. The intense character and unique fascination of this island will intoxicate you as much as the full-bodied wine and the view from the rim of the volcano, will stay in you memory long after your visit is over. The tour will include stops at all of the places you will have seen in the famous photos, with free time for lunch, and a swim at the beach as well. At 18.30 the ship departs for the cruise back to Rethymnon.
An alternative excursion to Santorini is available on The Golden Prince Ferry which is a slower vessel, taking 4 hours to travel from Rethymnon to Santorini. There are 2 swimming pools on The Golden Prince, and lunch and dinner are included in the ticket price. The guided tour around Santorini is not included in the ticket price but you may purchase this as an extra.
