Santorini in One Day| Celebrity Ascent Guided Tour, Akrotiri, Oia & Fira

Santorini in One Day| Celebrity Ascent Guided Tour, Akrotiri, Oia & Fira

Imagine waking up to one of the most iconic islands in the world, Santorini. With its volcanic past, whitewashed homes, and those famous blue domed churches, this island is breathtaking, but also hectic. Today, I’ll take you through our first port stop aboard one of Celebrity’s newest ships, The Ascent, and share our guided tour of Santorini. What we loved, what surprised us, and some tips to make your visit smoother. Our celebrity tour came with a big perk. Instead of taking a tender to the old port, where most cruise passengers have to either wait in long cable car lines, climb more than 500 stairs, or ride a donkey, we were tendered directly to the Athenios port, the island’s main ferry port. From there, buses have direct access, so we skipped the cable car lines entirely and started our tour right away. Honestly, this saved us a ton of time and hassle, and it made the day run much smoother. Pro tip for any cruise passengers visiting Santorini. Before your trip, check out cruisemapper.com. It shows how many ships are scheduled to be in port on your day. For us, there were only two ships, our Celebrity Ascent and one smaller ship. This helps you gauge how crowded the cable car will be. Even if there are a lot of ships, try to beat the crowd by taking the earliest tender possible. After getting on our bus, we took a steep and winding road up into the island about a 30inut ride to our first stop, the ruins of Aquatieri. This site is fascinating. Santorini is actually the remains of a massive volcanic eruption that happened around 1600 BC. That eruption was one of the largest in human history. It reshaped the island, created the caldera, and may even be connected with the legend of Atlantis. The island is still active today with small earthquakes happening regularly as a reminder of its fiery past. Acriteri itself is an ancient Manoan settlement buried by volcanic ash. What makes it unique is how well it’s preserved similar to Pompei, though on a smaller scale. The site is protected by an enclosed structure, so you walk through raised pathways looking down into the ruins. You can actually see details like bed frames, staircases, and even one of the world’s first known toilets. The amazing part is that only a small portion of the site has been excavated. It gave a serious Pompei vibes. From there, we headed to the town of Ia, probably the most photographed spot in all of Greece. It’s famous for those whitewashed buildings with blue domes overlooking the Aian Sea. The views are stunning, no doubt. But let me be real, the streets were packed. At times it was so crowded you could barely move, and even getting out of shops was tricky. We skipped waiting in line at the famous Instagram photo spot, but still soaked in the scenery and did a little shopping. [Music] After I made our way to Fra, the capital of Santorini. It was also busy, but compared to Ia, it felt a little easier to navigate. We explored a few churches, admired the caldera views, and grabbed some photos. By this point, the heat and crowds were catching up with us, but the scenery made it worthwhile. At the end of the tour, we had a choice. Take the cable car down or ride the bus back to our tender. Since our bus had access to the port, we skipped the cable car line and enjoyed a scenic drive and tender back to the ascent. Our day in Santorini was beautiful, but also hectic. If I return, I might skip the full island tour and instead pick one spot, maybe Ia or FRA, and just relax at a cafe with a view of the caldera. But for a firsttime visit, this guided tour gave us a perfect mix. History at Acriri, iconic views and Ia, and a taste of Fear’s atmosphere. Thanks for joining me on this Santorini adventure. If you found this helpful, hit like. Subscribe for more cruise tips and tell me in the comments what would you do with one day in Santorini.

Join us as we explore Santorini, Greece, on our first port stop aboard Celebrity Ascent! 🚢

This guided tour took us beyond the busy cable car lines, straight to the highlights of the island. From the fascinating Akrotiri ruins (often called the “Pompeii of the Aegean”) to the postcard-perfect views of Oia and the charm of Fira, we’ll show you the beauty—and the crowds—that come with visiting this iconic destination.

We’ll also share insider tips on:
✅ How our Celebrity tender skipped the Old Port and avoided long cable car lines
✅ Why checking CruiseMapper before you arrive can help you plan for crowds
✅ What to expect at Santorini’s top spots, including Oia, Fira, and Akrotiri If you’re cruising to Santorini, this video will help you plan your day and make the most of your visit.

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