Car hire at Santorini Airport
Santorini is 18 km end to end and a car is not the obvious choice it is elsewhere. The caldera villages are pedestrian lanes; Fira and Oia have a few overflowing car parks on their edges; and the roads between them are narrow, busy and lined with quads. Many visitors do best with a transfer on arrival and a car or quad for one or two days to reach Akrotiri, the wineries, the red and black beaches and the lighthouse.
That said, a hotel in Kamari, Perissa or the inland villages, where parking exists, changes the maths, and the rental desks are right in the arrivals hall with the vehicles a short walk away.
Rental companies at Santorini Airport
The international brands and a great many island firms operate from the arrivals hall; quads and scooters are rented from the same desks. Everything sells out in August, cars before quads and automatics first of all.
- Avis / Budget
- Hertz
- Sixt
- Europcar
- Enterprise / Alamo / National
- Santorini companies (many), for cars, quads and scooters, with desks at arrivals or hotel delivery
Booking tips
- Rent the smallest car available; the roads and car parks were not built for anything bigger
- Quads need a car licence and a helmet, and the accident rate is the island’s worst statistic; a small car is safer
- Consider one or two days mid-stay rather than the full week; ask for hotel delivery
- Full damage waiver is worth it; parking scrapes in Fira are routine
- Licences issued outside the EU/EEA need an international driving permit
Driving from the airport
From the airport, turn towards Kamari for the beach or towards Messaria for Fira (15 minutes), then follow the caldera road north through Firostefani and Imerovigli to Oia (35 minutes from the airport). For Perissa, Perivolos and Akrotiri take the road south past Pyrgos. Park on the edges of Fira and Oia in the signed car parks and walk in; the villages themselves are closed to traffic, and the Oia car park fills two hours before sunset.
Frequently asked questions
Which car rental companies are at Santorini Airport?
Avis, Budget, Hertz, Sixt, Europcar and Enterprise, plus a large number of island companies renting cars, quads and scooters, all from the arrivals hall with vehicles a short walk away.
Do I need a car on Santorini?
Not for the whole stay if you are in Fira, Oia or Imerovigli, where the villages are car-free and parking is scarce. Rent a small car for a day or two to reach Akrotiri, the wineries and the southern beaches, or for the whole stay if you are based in Kamari or Perissa.
See also
Prices and timetables are indicative and change seasonally. Confirm before you travel.