Private Cultural Villages Sightseeing & Akrotiri Excavations
Description
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 the pick up point is organized upon your location request. Choose your own departure and enjoy a memorable trip.
Tour Options
Itinerary
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Hotels & Airbnbs: Pickup is at the lobby or the nearest location accessible by vehicle. Cruise Ship Passengers: The primary pickup point is at the top cable car exit, where your guide/driver will be waiting with a sign displaying your name. Alternatively, pickup can be arranged at Athinios Port or Amoudi Port, provided that travelers arrange a water taxi at their own expense. Airport & Ferry-Boat Travelers: Pickup is at the arrivals terminal, where your guide/driver will be holding a sign with your name.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- 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
Reviews(147)
We did the Private Santorini Sightseeing and Cultural Villages Tour this morning with Mike and thoroughly enjoyed it. Mike was friendly, knowledgeable and gave us a great overview of the island’s history, culture and local life. We visited some beautiful villages, stopped at some amazing viewpoints and learned far more about Santorini than we would have exploring on our own. Nothing felt rushed and Mike was happy to answer all our questions. A fantastic way to see the island and highly recommended if you’re visiting Santorini.
Dear Bruce, Seeing that you had a 5-Star experience is the best thing we could hope for.Your review means a lot to us,and our local guide Mike will be more than happy and proud for his service towards you. We look forward to serving you for many years to come. Best regards, The Santorini Road Trips team
We loved the tour! Dimitri was such knowledgeable tour guide, and accommodated to our preferences. Would definitely recommend the tour!
Dear Jennifer, Hearing how much you enjoy your private experience with our local guide Dimitri brightened our day at Santorini Road Trips.Thank you for the 5-Star review you left us and for choosing us.We're looking forward to making your day once more when you next visit our beautiful island. Warm regards, The Santorini Road Trips team
Mario was a fantastic guide. Perfect English, very knowledgable. This is a very good way to get a brief overview of the island in 5 hours or less
Dear Jason, Your 5-star review,and your kind words mean a lot.Thank you for taking the time to highlight our local guide Dimitris and your experience with Santorini Road Trips. Best wishes, The Santorini Road Trip team.
Very good one-on-one guided tour. Mike was very knowledgeable, raised family on the island. When I booked, goal was ruins at Akrotiri, and visiting the Prehistoric Museum the prior day was helpful because those exhibits gave much perspective when trying to visualize the ruins themselves. The surprise was, I had forgotten when booking, that this private tour visited several historical villages Castle of Pyrgos Kalilstis, Cave House and Megalochori, Venetian Castle of Emporio, Vista over Caldera Beach. The quaint villages, narrow walking paths, historical houses, and amazing orthodox churches….guide was very knowledgeable…nothing like it I’ve ever seen. Only recommendation I would like to see is that the guide continue to give a guided tour within Akrotiri ruins itself, but maybe facility restriction, although we did observe guides leading both small and large groups through the ruins.
We greatly appreciate your 5-star rating.Our local guide Mike enjoyed showing you the highlights of Santorini. Thank you for choosing Santorini Road Trips. Best regards, The Santorini Road Trips team
The walk was intriguing as we wound up/down/around authentic, narrow cobblestone streets through 3 villages. Our guide, Michael, provided both historical and current context for the sites we experienced. Definitely wear comfortable shoes and be prepared for a good workout! We particularly enjoyed experiencing a true cave house (no longer in use). A great beyond the usual Santorini experience.
Dear Mindy, We greatly appreciate your 5-star rating.Our local guide Michael enjoyed showing you the highlights of Santorini. Thank you for choosing Santorini Road Trips. Best regards, The Santorini Road Trips team
Our guide, Michael, escorted us efficiently through the historic streets, sites, and neighborhoods of hidden and authentic Santorini that we would not have discovered on our own. A definite highlight was entering an original cave house unused today - an incredible peek into Santorini pre-tourism! We recommend this tour and guide to get a deeper understanding of Santorini’s past and present.
Thank you for the 5-star review! We’re delighted that our local guide Michael made your Santorini Road Trips experience enjoyable and memorable. Best wishes, The Santorini Road Trips team
Mike was the most knowledgeable tour guide who quite apparently loves and is proud of his country. I highly recommend Mike and this tour
Dear Rosemarie, Your 5-star review,and your kind words mean a lot.Thank you for taking the time to highlight our local guide Mike and your experience with Santorini Road Trips. Best wishes, The Santorini Road Trip team.
What a great tour of the island. Dimitri was a fantastic guide. If you want to see the real Santorini up close and personal, this is the tour to take.
Dear Daniel, We would like to thank you for your excellent review for our local guide Dimitri and your private experience with Santorini Road Trips. We would like to wish you the best of health and we hope we will see you again in the near future. Best regards, The Santorini Road Trips team
We had the pleasure of doing this tour with Mike. His knowledge of culture and history on this island is incredible. Anyone wanting to understand the island both past and present should do this tour.
Dear Andrea, Thank you so much for your wonderful 5-star review!We are truly proud to hear such kind words about your local guide Mike and your experience with Santorini Road Trips.Comments like yours give us the motivation to keep getting better every day for all those who visit Santorini and Greece. All the best, The Santorini Road Trips team.
Mike was great from our introduction until dropping us off. Lots of information and Santorini life learned from him and the tour. Great experience to learn about the history of Santorini and the city’s we visited. Couldn’t recommend more.
Dear Mike, Thanks for the heart for your amazing 5 star review!We're so glad you had a great experience with Santorini Road Trips and our local guide Mike. Warm regards, The Santorini Road Trips team.
