Published: July 14, 2025
If you’re looking for a fun and relaxing way to spend the day–and escape the crowds–in Santorini, Greece, this is one hidden gem you don’t want to miss! For just 15 euros per person, this hop-on, hop-off water taxi takes you to three beautiful beaches: Red Beach, White Beach and Black Beach. Not only is it a unique way to reach spots only accessible by boat, but the ride itself offers incredible views of Santorini’s dramatic coastline. Here’s everything you need to know before you go, plus a breakdown of what to expect at each stop.
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A Hidden Gem Only Discovered by Word of Mouth
One of our favorite things we did during our trip to Santorini was spending a day beach hopping on the hop-on, hop-off water taxi. When I was planning our itinerary, I came across a random TripAdvisor review for the Red Beach where someone mentioned arriving by water taxi. I was intrigued, but after Googling it, I came up completely empty-handed. After some more digging and still finding very little, I posted in a Santorini Facebook group to ask if anyone had more details. One person replied, saying they had taken it from the port of Akrotiri and absolutely loved it–they highly recommended the experience.
Once we arrived in Santorini, I asked our hotel concierge about it and she immediately knew what I was talking about. She pointed us to the port, explained how it worked and told us the first boat left around 10:30 am.
First Stop: Port of Akrotiri
My husband and I had a rental car, so we drove ourselves to the port of Akrotiri. Our hotel concierge gave us a great tip: plug “Hotel Akrotiri” into our GPS, and it would take us directly to the parking area for the port. If you don’t have a rental car, taking a taxi is also an option.
We arrived to the port shortly after 10:00 am.. As we walked toward the dock, we immediately spotted a large sign for the water taxi. Ironically, it had all of the information that we couldn’t find anywhere online- the cost, the schedule, everything. About a dozen people were already waiting, some sitting on benches, others standing around, anticipating the first departure at 10:30 am.
Right on time, the captain called for everyone to board. The boat had two rows of benches facing each other in a big U-shape around the deck. going all the way around the boat. Once we got underway, the first mate came around to collect the fare (15 euros per person) and handed out wristbands that allowed unlimited rides for the day.
As we cruised toward the first stop, the captain spoke over the loud speaker to explain how it all worked: the boat arrives every 30 minutes at each beach, and you can hop on or off as often as you like throughout the day. Just don’t miss the last boat, which leaves at 6:00 pm!
Second Stop: Red Beach
Third Stop: White Beach
The scenery en route to White Beach was stunning! We passed close by towering white rock formations that looked almost like icebergs–a great introduction to what our next beach stop would be. Santorini’s White Beach is only accessible by boat, and since we were on the first water taxi of the day, it was completely empty when we arrived.
Like its name implies (whoever named these beaches may have lacked creativity) the beach is surrounded by stark white cliffs and turquoise water. The beach itself is rugged, made up of large white and grey stones. It honestly felt like we had landed on a secluded island–which was such a contrast to the crowded Caldera villages we had left behind earlier that morning.
The water taxi drops you off in thigh-high to waist high water, depending on your height, so make sure you’re already in your swimsuit or something you don’t mind getting wet. The beach itself is small, but there were about 25 sunbeds with straw-thatched umbrellas. As soon as as we arrived, a guy emerged from a shaded area at the back of the beach–he worked there and was the one to pay if you wanted to use a sunbed. We paid €25 for two chairs, although we didn’t sit in them much. They mainly housed our towels and bags while we grabbed our snorkel masks and explored all of the sea caves along the shoreline.
Fourth Stop: Black Beach
Santorini Water Taxi: What To Bring
If you’re planning to spend the day beach hopping on the water taxi, make sure you come prepared! Here are a few essentials I recommend bringing:
- Wear your swimsuit & cover up (you can put the cover up in your bag before getting off the boat in the water).
- A beach towel. I love these lightweight, quick-dry towels. They are easy to pack and don’t take up a lot of space. (Bonus-they work as a blanket on the airplane, too!)
- Sunscreen
- Water shoes are essential, especially for the rocky White Beach and Black Beach. Wear them on the boat as you will be stepping off the boat into rocky water.
- Snorkel masks. This is optional but so worth it! We loved snorkeling through the sea caves.
- A GoPro camera to take videos and pictures in the water, especially for snorkeling! If you don’t want to spend that much, this more affordable knock-off has rave reviews. Whichever you decide, be sure to get the floating handle accessory to go with it. Click here for the GoPro floating handle accessory bundle and click here for the knock off floating handle accessory bundle.
- A dry bag if you don’t want to have to carry your bag above your head in the water from the boat to the beach.
- A waterproof phone pouch, especially if you don’t have a dry bag.
- Cash for sunbeds and water taxi fare
- Water bottle and snacks for Red Beach and White Beach
- Hat & Sunglasses
- Portable charger for your phone. I use up a lot of phone battery taking pictures, and with a full day of beach-hopping, a portable charger is a must. This magnetic phone charger is my favorite, if you have a mag-safe phone case, it sticks to the back of your phone–no cords required! But, even if you don’t have a mag-safe case, the charger comes with built in phone cords.
👉 Want a packing list of all the essentials to bring to Santorini? Click here!
Why We Loved This Experience
The hop-on, hop-off beach water taxi ended up being one of our favorite things we did in Santorini. Between the gorgeous boat ride, the chance to visit multiple beaches in one day, and the flexibility to stay as long or as short as you like at each stop–it felt like a true hidden gem.
It was also a great way to escape the crowds along the Caldera, especially during peak season. While much of Santorini can feel packed with tourists, the beaches along this route were far more peaceful.
Pro Tip: Look up the Santorini port schedule online to see which days have the most cruise ships in port, and plan to do the water taxi on the busiest cruise ship day. It’s the perfect way to enjoy the island without getting caught up in the crowds that descend on Fira and Oia. Click here to read my detailed blog post on other ways to strategically plan your itinerary to avoid the crowds on the busiest days.
If we could do it again, we’d plan it for a day with no other activities. We had a wine tour scheduled in the afternoon and felt a little rushed-we would’ve loved more time to fully soak up each beach. So if you can, carve out a full day for this and just enjoy the beaches, the water and the views at your own pace.
The hop-on, hop-off water taxi is affordable, scenic, and lets you explore parts of the island that many visitors miss. Definitely add it to your Santorini itinerary-you won’t regret it!
👉 For helpful tips on where to stay, the and more, check out my other Santorini articles at the bottom of this post. Don’t miss The Top Things to Do In Santoriniand my Ultimate Santorini Itinerary to help you plan your trip!
Island hopping? Explore my Milos guides and itineraries here.
Watch My Water Taxi Video On TikTok
@postcardsfromcarrie Santorini’s hop on, hop off water taxi was one of our favorite activities in Santorini. 🇬🇷 There is no website for the water taxi and we found it difficult to find any information on it online. We heard about it from other visitors 🇬🇷 Since there is no address, type “Hotel Akrotiri” in to your GPS and that will take you right to the port. 🇬🇷 Be sure to bring cash if you want to rent sunbeds beds at the beaches 🇬🇷 The beaches are rocky so wear water shoes 🇬🇷 Bring snorkel masks to explore the sea caves at the white beach and black beach 🇬🇷 Highly recommend adding this to your Santorini trip itinerary 🇬🇷 A great thing to do to avoid the Caldera crowds on busy cruise ship port days 🇬🇷 Have you been on the water taxi before? Save this and follow for more ⬇️ #santorinigreece🇬🇷 #santorini #greekislands #greece🇬🇷 #greecetiktok #greecetravel #beach #watertaxi #travel #traveltiktok #exploregreece ♬ Tropical Summer Vibes - Netuno Music
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Carrie,
I loved your detailed account of the water taxi in Santorini. Question: do we need to make a reservation for the water taxi. I read that they collected the fare once you were on the boat.
Thanks,
Mike
No, there is no way to make a reservation for it that I am aware of. You just show up at the dock and pay when you get on the boat.
Thanks for the detailed article! I am looking forward to doing this on my upcoming trip to Santorini! Did you feel comfortable leaving your bags unattended on the beaches while you swam? I am a little nervous about that.
I was also nervous about that before the trip but we felt very comfortable once we were there.