Is a Santorini catamaran cruise worth it?
Updated October 27, 2026
Quick answer
For most first-time visitors, yes. A shared catamaran costs $85 to $145 per person for about five hours, and the price usually covers hotel pickup, a meal, drinks, snorkel gear and two or three swim stops. Skip it if you get badly seasick, dislike cold water, or only want the volcano: a volcano boat from $34 covers that.
Santorini is a ring of cliffs around a flooded volcano, about 12 by 7 km, and parts of its coast, White Beach among them, can only be reached from the water. Red Beach and White Beach, the hot springs and the caldera walls are what a catamaran shows you. The reviews back this up: the most-reviewed catamaran listing in our data is rated 4.6 on 7,400 reviews of that cruise on GetYourGuide, and the day catamaran 4.82 on 3,573. The common complaint is not value but time: travellers on several cruises say the swim stops felt short.
What the money buys
Take the day catamaran at $95. For that you get hotel pickup and drop-off, Greek meze, a barbecue lunch or dinner, unlimited white wine, soft drinks and water, snorkel gear, towels and five hours on a boat of up to 20 guests. Stops are Red Beach, the hot springs and Mesa Pigadia. Booked separately, a hotel transfer, a meal with wine and a boat to the hot springs would add up fast. The catamaran puts them in one price.
What reviewers praise, and what they don't
GetYourGuide's review summaries for the sunset, day, luxury and small-group catamarans all praise the crew, the food and the views. The summaries for the sunset, day and sailing catamarans share one complaint: more time at each swim stop would help. One sailing catamaran reviewer timed the first two stops at about 10 and 5 minutes. On the luxury catamaran, some travellers said the open bar was more limited than the listing suggests.
- Sunset catamaran — 4.6 on 7,400 reviews; from $88; up to 50–55 guests.
- Day catamaran — 4.82 on 3,573 reviews; from $95; up to 20 guests.
- Luxury catamaran — 4.78 on 4,446 reviews; from $123; up to 20 guests.
- Small-group catamaran — 4.83 on 1,564 reviews; from $145; up to 14 guests.
Who should skip it
Anyone who gets badly seasick: the boat is out for five hours and the summer meltemi can make the water rough. Anyone visiting from November to April who wants to swim: the sea is 16 to 19°C, and October reviewers already called the water cold. And anyone who only wants to stand on the volcano: catamarans do not land there, while the volcano and hot springs tour does, from $34 plus the €5 entrance fee.
Day or sunset?
The sunset cruise adds the sun going down over the caldera, which many small-group reviewers call the highlight, but it costs you a cooler deck and an evening. The day cruise has warmer swimming and leaves your evening free. Both run the same five hours on most listings. Day or sunset compares them.
When it is worth paying more
Group size is the main difference between the cheaper and dearer catamarans. The sunset catamaran carries up to 50–55 guests; the small-group catamaran 14, at $145. If you want the boat to yourselves, the private catamaran starts at $129 per person for up to 15 people in your group, and private charters in our data run from $738 per boat.
Frequently asked questions
Is a catamaran better than a volcano boat?
For swimming, food and comfort, yes. For the volcano itself, no: only the volcano boats land on Nea Kameni. See catamaran or volcano boat.
Can I cancel if the weather turns?
All ten cruises this site sells show free cancellation up to 24 hours before on their listings. Operators may also change the route or stops on the day if the wind is up.
What is the cheapest catamaran?
In our data, a shared catamaran cruise leaving from Ammoudi Bay starts at $67 and is rated 4.72 on 3,120 reviews. The prices page lists every format.
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