Since on top of Santorini the waiting for a cable ride was almost an hour we decided to walk down ....NEVER EVER DO THAT... the rocky stairs (600) and the terrible smell. ...
seeing this amazing destination arrive on your balcony.. just wow! We took the boat ride just outside the port to Oia for 16$ per person, including the ride back to Fira. We walked down the stairs back to the ship! Don't do it! take theride down instead! I just hated seeing all the poor donkeys being abused.. with no water! ...
The warning provided by Royal Caribbean not to walk up or ride the donkeys was wise. the 588 steps would be challenging. I walked down and I needed to be very nimble to avoid "most" of the donkey waste that was on the steps. The 20 min walk down was faster than the line for the gondola but you need to be nimble and comfortable maneuvering through several herds of donkeys (20 or so at a time). ...
Not as good as the last time we visited due to the fact there was another Royal Caribbean ship in and it was very crowded. Nobody told us the other ship was leaving at the same time so the queue for the cable car was endless - approximately 1000 long. We had to then go down the 598 steps to the bottom with a 6 year old and an elderly Mum. It was treacherous as the donkeys poo everywhere and ...
Been here before so didn't take a tour but did go up on cable car which was new. Try to get the white wine nycteri which you can't get out of the island and try their tomatoes which are intense in flavour. ...
The views of the blue domes were so worth it! Alleys were rather crowded, and it wasn't even high season! After fighting the crowds, take the time to get a beverage in a cafe overlooking the water. ...