Private Cultural Villages Sightseeing & Akrotiri Excavations

From $180.68 per person Lowest Price Guarantee

Select Date and Travelers

You can select up to 8 travelers in total.

Adult (12-99) Minimum: 1, Maximum: 8

Child (3-11) Minimum: 0, Maximum: 4

Infant (0-2) Minimum: 0, Maximum: 2

Book online or call: +1 437 970 2890

Free Cancellation For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Private Cultural Villages Sightseeing & Akrotiri Excavations

2 Adults x $355.87

$711.74

Approx Total

$711.74

Pickup included

Inclusions / Exclusions

Mobile ticket
Offered in: Greek, English
Hotel/Port/Airport Pick up & Drop off
Bottled water
Free admission to Akrotiri Archaeological Site
Experienced local driver/guide
Private transportation by air-conditioned & deluxe van
Maps & live commentary

Cable car tickets for cruise ship travelers

Overview

Enjoy different and new destinations with an authentic and genuine experience. This 4-hour private journey will offer you a contact with the real Santorini, its culture and history. Your local guide/driver will take you to the traditional villages of Pyrgos, Megalochori, Emporio & the famous excavations of Akrotiri on a comfortable and deluxe van. Get involved with the local traditions by walking through picturesque paths, that will take you through the island's history and Greek lifestyle. Visit Venetian fortresses, learn about the unique architecture of the island and explore the famous excavations of the pre-historic town of Akrotiri. Departure time is flexible and pick up point is organized upon your location request. Choose your own departure and enjoy a memorable trip.

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

-Hotel & Airbnb's: Pick up point is at the lobby or at the nearest point accessible by vehicle. -Cruise ship travelers: Pick up point is at the top cable car exit, where your guide/driver will be holding a sign with your name written on. -Airport & Ferry port travelers: Pick up point ... is at the arrivals terminal, where your guide/driver will be holding a sign with your name written on. Read more ▼

Itinerary

Pyrgos

Start your cultural experience with the village of Pyrgos, the oldest village in Santorini, known as the island’s “historic monument”. Built on the top of a hill, this settlement holds a 16th century Venetian castle. A charming location to wander around, built by the locals to fortify the area into small alleys and circle shape roads. The village is surrounded by vineyards, blue domed churches, narrow cave houses with charming balconies and pebbled paths.

45 minutes
Megalochori - Traditional Village

Continue to Megalochori one of the most picturesque and quaint villages of the island with typical and classical Cycladic houses dug into the volcanic rock. The scenery includes white washed tower bells, underground caves and churches with blue domes. Stroll around the narrow pathways of this non touristy settlement, enjoy your Greek coffee at the pebble stone square and get involved with locals lifestyle & culture.

45 minutes
Castelli of Emporio

Discover Emporio, the entry to another past era and the island's commercial center during the Venetian occupation. In Medieval times, the inhabitants of this village used to build their houses side by side in small quaint streets, so that they could shield themselves against the pirates. An exploration of the well-maintained castle constructed in the mid-15th century will give you a lovely sentiment as you walk through its paths.

45 minutes
Akrotiri Archaeological Site

Explore Akrotiri Archaeological Site and go back into time to marvel the secrets and wonders of this lost ancient city. This 4000 year old Bronze age settlement prospered for centuries before being eradicated by a great volcanic eruption. Eventually it was buried in Volcanic Ash, which ironically helped to protect the artifacts from being destroyed. Stroll through the ancient walls and take a glimpse of a Minoan town with the 3-story buildings, well preserved frescoes, an elaborate drainage system and much more.

1 hour
Santorini (Pass By)

Enjoy a 5-Hour private journey on a deluxe and comfortable vehicle. Your experienced local driver/guide will pick you up at the time and place of your choice and share his knowledge of Santorini’s culture, traditions and curiosities. Your private experience with us will be flexible and customized to suit your preferences.

Additional Info

Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Specialized infant seats are available
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Cruise ship passengers must provide the following information at time of booking: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Your guide/driver is not allowed to guide within Akrotiri's Excavations. You may hire one of the licensed guides in Archaeology provided by the site
The itinerary can be customized to suit your preferences

Free Cancellation

February 05100% refund

February 06No refund

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

101 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

5 stars

98
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We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her

Reviews by TravelOne travelers

Showing 1-5 of 98 reviews with 5 stars

Outstanding tour

Published on Dec, 2024

Vasilis did an outstanding job providing us with a history of Santorini that we could not have had on our own. His passion and knowledge came across throughout the tour. This was a highlight of our visit to this beautiful island. Highly recommend.

Santorini cultural villages tour and Akritiri.

Published on Nov, 2024

Our guide was the best part. Panagiota was our guide and she was waiting patiently for us when we exited the lift from the port. She is very proud of her island and had excellent knowledge of all the sites we went to. We were ahead of and away from the crowds and bus tours. She allowed us time to explore but still kept to a schedule. She was very informative and knowledgeable. When the tour ended she advised us of an excellent quiet restaurant and other sites to visit for our afternoon.

Great way to see the island

Published on Oct, 2024

My husband and I did a tour with Alex, who was knowledgeable and so nice. Having him be our driver and guide was such a great way to see and learn more about Santorini. It was awesome avoiding the large crowds, wait and coach buses! I would definitely recommend.

Positive experience

Published on Oct, 2024

We had Alex as our driver and guide. He was great! Very personable and knowledgeable of the island. It was a lovely experience having the tour just be Alex, my husband and I. Definitely worth the extra money to avoid crowds, coach buses and the wait!

Best thing we did on Santorini!!

Published on Oct, 2024

This was an adult family trip, my sister and I took our elderly mom to Greece. We found out about this tour co. from another tourist, who raved about it. She was right. I immediately emailed and found George (the owner) very easy to communicate with. He responded promptly and we set up a time for a private villages and ruins tour. THANOS, our tour guide, was wonderful. Being a local himself, he was able to provide us with a unique perspective into lives of the locals including daily life, history, politics, economics, we dove into every topic! It was fascinating! We booked the villages tour because that’s the one that included the Akrotiri ruins, what we most wanted to see. Do not miss this, it’s essentially the Pompeii of Greece. Seeing one village was enough for us given hiking (steps and uphill walking) are challenging for my mom. Really glad we got to see the traditional cave house in the village we did see, (not like your cave hotel room on Santorini). This was a highlight! I was also so impressed how accommodating THANOS was. At the ruins ( which he didn’t go inside with us but admission was included with the tour) we messaged him when we exited and he was there immediately to pick us up. Since my mom couldn’t do all the villages, he customized the tour for us and took us up a beautiful panoramic spot instead where we could see the entire island with 360 views and take photos. We loved this and we appreciated he was able to make the adjustments for us. He was also a fantastic storyteller. We were constantly learning about life on Santorini while driving from place to place. Nice touch he also provided and was checking that we had water. We really enjoyed every minute. This tour was the very best thing we did on Santorini. Don’t hesitate to book, the price is worth it, and ask for THANOS to be your guide.

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