Best Private Tours in Santorini

Greece › Santorini › Private Tours
Updated: September 29, 2026 • By Santorini Dave

See Also

• Where to Stay in Santorini
• Best Hotels in Santorini
• Best Things To Do in Santorini

Private Tours on Santorini: My Advice

• Best private tour: If you’re doing only one, make it a private boat tour of the caldera. Seeing Santorini’s cliffs from the water gives you a completely different perspective on the island.
• Best land tour: A 5 or 6-hour private highlights tour is the easiest way to see Oia, Firostefani, Prophet Ilias, Akrotiri, and one or two smaller villages without wasting half the day on buses, parking, or taxis.
• The main advantage is flexibility. A good private guide can change the order of stops when Oia is packed, traffic backs up, or a cruise crowd arrives. This matters more than having a fixed list of attractions.
• Private tours are especially useful for cruise passengers. Your time on the island is limited, and tender boats and the Fira cable car can eat into the day. A private driver makes the time you have on Santorini much easier to use well.
• A driver is not necessarily a licensed archaeological guide. This matters at Ancient Akrotiri. If you want someone to guide you through the ruins, confirm that a licensed guide is included.
• For limited mobility: A private driver can minimize stairs and walking by using the closest practical drop-off points. The Accessible Santorini Private Tour has a wheelchair-accessible vehicle with a ramp.
• Book early for summer. The best private boat tours, guides, and wine tours have limited capacity. For July and August, I would book as soon as your dates are fixed.

Santorini Private Tour Tips

• Do not overpack a land-tour itinerary. Four or five good stops with time to walk around is better than racing through eight places for photos.
• Wear a dark swimsuit at the hot springs. The mineral-rich water can discolor light-colored swimwear.
• Come hungry for a food tour. There is a lot of food and several hours of walking. Skip the big breakfast and wear comfortable shoes.
• Cruise passengers need extra time for the Fira cable car. A private tour cannot eliminate the cable-car queue. Leave a generous buffer before your ship’s final tender.
• Hotel pickup usually means the closest vehicle-accessible point. Many caldera hotels are on pedestrian lanes or down long stairways, so vans cannot always reach the hotel entrance.

The 9 Best Tours in Santorini for a Private Experience

Most private land tours include pickup and drop-off at your hotel or the nearest vehicle-accessible point. For cruise passengers, pickup is normally in Fira after coming up from the Old Port, not directly from the tender.

1. Best of Santorini Private Tour

Best private land tour. The six-hour itinerary covers the island from Akrotiri in the south to Oia in the north, with stops that can include Firostefani, Prophet Ilias, Red Beach, a black-sand beach, Pyrgos, and a winery.

The important part is that the itinerary is customizable. Do not try to see everything. I would choose Oia, Firostefani, Prophet Ilias, and either Ancient Akrotiri or Pyrgos, then add a winery if there is time.

If you add a winery, I recommend Venetsanos for caldera views or Gavalas in Megalochori for a smaller, more traditional winery.

2. Private Catamaran Cruise

My favorite private tour in Santorini. You sail below the caldera cliffs, past Red and White beaches, with stops for swimming and the volcanic hot springs. Food and drinks are served onboard.

Choose the daytime cruise if swimming is the priority. Choose sunset if the views and evening atmosphere matter more. With a private boat you also have much more control over the pace and swim stops than on a standard group cruise.

My Tip: Wear a dark swimsuit if you swim at the hot springs. The mineral-rich water can discolor white and light-colored fabrics.

If sold out: Private Sunset Cruise • 7-Hour Private Catamaran Cruise

3. Private Santorini Wine Tour

Best private wine tour. Visit three wineries with a wine guide and learn about Assyrtiko, Vinsanto, Santorini’s volcanic soil, and the distinctive kouloura basket vines.

A private tour is worth the extra cost if you are serious about wine because the tastings can move at your pace and concentrate on the styles you like. It also solves the biggest practical problem with visiting Santorini wineries: nobody has to drive.

If you have a choice of wineries, Estate Argyros is excellent for serious wine, Gavalas for a traditional family winery, and Venetsanos for caldera views.

Cheaper option: Santorini Sunset Wine Tour

4. Santorini Eat & Walk Food Tour

Small-group tour, not private. I include it because it has the personal feel of a private tour and is one of my favorite ways to spend a first day in Santorini.

The four-hour walk goes from Firostefani into Fira, with stops for Greek coffee, pastries, fava, tomato fritters, souvlaki, seafood, local wine or beer, and dessert. You also get restaurant recommendations and a useful introduction to Fira and Firostefani.

I know the organizers and recommend them without hesitation. Come hungry and wear comfortable shoes.

5. Santorini Cooking Class and Wine Tasting

A winery tour and hands-on cooking class in one five-hour outing. You’ll taste Santorini wines, then help prepare local dishes such as tomato fritters and fava before sitting down to eat what you’ve cooked.

This is a good choice for couples, families with older kids, and anyone who wants something more hands-on than another sightseeing tour. Both private and small-group versions are available.

6. Santorini Fishing Tour

Small-group tour, not private. A great alternative to a catamaran cruise for families and anyone who wants a more active day on the water.

You head out on a traditional fishing boat, help pull nets and fish, stop for swimming, and eat a seafood meal prepared onboard. Groups are small, so the experience feels much more personal than the larger sightseeing boats.

Choose your time: Daytime Fishing Tour • Sunset Fishing Tour

7. Private Helicopter Flight

Expensive but spectacular. A helicopter flight gives you an aerial view of the caldera, Nea Kameni, Oia, Fira, and the island’s volcanic coastline in a short flight.

The more practical use is an island transfer. A Santorini-to-Mykonos helicopter is dramatically faster than taking the ferry and makes sense for travelers who value time more than money.

8. Santorini Private Photography Tour

Bring your own camera or smartphone. This is a photography lesson and location tour, not a professional photo shoot.

A local photographer takes you to good shooting locations and helps with composition, camera settings, timing, and light. Because the tour is private, it can be adjusted to your experience level and the type of photography you enjoy.

If you want professional photos of you rather than photography instruction, book a Santorini photo shoot instead.

9. Akrotiri & 3 Wineries with Tastings

Best private tour for history and wine. It combines Ancient Akrotiri with three Santorini wineries and is an excellent full-day alternative to a general island highlights tour.

The Akrotiri portion is much better with a licensed archaeological guide. The ruins are fascinating, but without explanation it can be difficult to understand what you’re looking at. Afterward, the winery visits cover Santorini’s volcanic vineyards, Assyrtiko, Vinsanto, and the kouloura basket vines.

If you want Akrotiri without the wineries, the Private Tour of Ancient Akrotiri is the better choice.