Catamaran Cruises in SantoriniVista Yachting Santorini: The Gold Catamaran Cruise
Vista yachting santorini searches usually land on this Gold catamaran cruise, a run out of Vlychada Marina. It costs $96 per person, lasts 5 hours and carries a 4.8 rating from 3,554 verified GetYourGuide bookings. The price bundles hotel pickup and drop-off, a welcome drink, Greek meze, a BBQ lunch or dinner, an open white wine bar, unlimited soft drinks, snorkel gear, towels and blankets. You pick a lunch or a dinner departure when you book. This page walks through the day stop by stop, sets out what the price actually covers and says plainly who should look elsewhere. See all Santorini catamaran cruises side by side.
About This Tour
Vista Yachting runs this shared catamaran from Vlychada Marina on Santorini's south coast, with hotel pickup and drop-off included. You choose a lunch or a dinner departure when you check dates. Both run the same 5-hour route past Red Beach, White Beach and the Venetian Lighthouse, with swim stops at the hot springs and Mesa Pigadia Beach. A guide explains the caldera in English and a BBQ is cooked on board.
The listing does not state the group size, so ask before booking if a crowded deck matters to you. Vegetarian and vegan meals are available if you note them at check-out. Life jackets, pool noodles, towels and blankets are all provided.
$96 per person, booked on GetYourGuide. Reserve now and pay later is available.
5 hours, lunch or dinner departures. Check availability for starting times.
Hotel pickup and drop-off are included. If you make your own way, the meeting point is Vlychada Marina, the start and end point of the cruise.
Group size is not stated on the listing. The live guide speaks English.
A shared catamaran with restrooms on board. Greek meze on arrival, a BBQ lunch or dinner with Greek dishes and desserts, a welcome wine or soft drink, an open white wine bar and unlimited soft drinks and bottled water.
Nothing is listed as excluded and no mandatory extras are stated. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
Check Dates and Availability
The listing shows lunch and dinner departures with live prices per date. Checking dates also confirms the pickup point for your hotel.
Quick answer The short answer
The Vista Yachting Gold catamaran costs $96 per person for a 5-hour cruise from Vlychada Marina with hotel pickup, a BBQ meal and an open white wine bar. It rates 4.8 from 3,554 GetYourGuide reviews. Free cancellation applies up to 24 hours before departure.
Key takeaways
- See how it compares with every other Santorini catamaran cruise on the homepage.
- Want the same operator with only 18 guests and seafood on the grill? Look at the ViSta Platinum Catamaran.
- Want beer in the bar price? The Sunset Oia Ocean Voyager includes it.
- Want a small group with cocktails? Check the Spiridakos Luxury Small Group.
What the Price Actually Covers
The GetYourGuide listing is generous on inclusions and lists nothing as excluded. Here is the line-by-line breakdown from that listing.
Included, and What Is Not
The $96 fare covers transfers, all food and the drinks named below. Beer and cocktails are not mentioned anywhere in the listing, so do not expect them. No pickup charge, upgrade fee or mandatory extra is stated. If you want beer included, the Sunset Oia Ocean Voyager carries unlimited white wine, soft drinks and beer for $67.
The table sums up the listing's own Includes section.
| Line | In the price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel pickup and drop-off | Yes | Check availability for pickup details |
| Guide | Yes | English-speaking, live on board |
| Greek meze | Yes | Greek mezedes at the Red Beach stop |
| Lunch or dinner | Yes | BBQ on board, depends on the starting time you pick |
| Open bar | Yes | White wine only, plus unlimited soft drinks and bottled water |
| Snorkeling equipment | Yes | Life jackets and pool noodles too |
| Towels and blankets | Yes | Provided on board |
| Restrooms | Yes | On board |
| Beer and cocktails | No | Not mentioned in the listing |
The eroded pumice cliffs of Vlychada glow orange in low light. Photo: Thodoris Alexandropoulos, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
What the Day Is Really Like
The itinerary below follows the listing's own stop order, from hotel pickup to drop-off.
Pickup to First Swim
A pickup vehicle collects you at your hotel and drives to Vlychada Marina, a working fishing harbor on the low southern shore about 10 km from Fira. On board you get a welcome wine or soft drink and a safety briefing before the boat leaves the marina. The first stop is Red Beach, where you swim and snorkel below the red cliffs while Greek meze comes out on board.
Red Beach has been closed to land access since 2013 because of rockfall danger, so the boat view is the only safe way to see it.
- Hotel pickup, then the drive to Vlychada Marina
- Welcome drink and safety briefing on board
- First stop, Red Beach, swim and snorkel with meze served
White Beach, the Lighthouse and the Springs
The boat passes White Beach, which has no road and is reached only from the water, and the Venetian Lighthouse at Akrotiri while the guide explains the caldera. The second stop is the volcano hot springs near Palea Kameni, where the water is warmer than the sea and colored brown and orange by sulfur and iron. Bring an old or dark swimsuit, since sulfur can permanently stain it.
You swim about 50 meters across open water from the boat to reach the warmest water.
- Pass White Beach and the Venetian Lighthouse with commentary
- Second stop, the volcano hot springs swim
Mesa Pigadia, the BBQ and the Return
The third stop is Mesa Pigadia Beach, a black-pebble cove reached by boat or by dirt road. While you swim and snorkel, the crew grills the BBQ on board and serves it with traditional Greek dishes and desserts. Vegetarian and vegan versions are yours if you said so at check-out.
The cruise then runs back along the caldera cliffs to Vlychada Marina and you are taken to your hotel. Sunset moves from about 17:05 in late December to 20:40 at the summer solstice, so how the dinner departure looks depends on the season.
- Third stop, Mesa Pigadia Beach, swim while the BBQ cooks
- Sail back past the caldera cliffs to Vlychada Marina
- Hotel drop-off
Vista Yachting Santorini - Catamaran Cruise - We Create Memories
Vista Yachting shows its own catamaran cruise around the caldera. Third-party video by Vista Yachting. This site did not shoot it and has no relationship with the creator.
Who This Tour Rules Out
The listing itself flags one access limit and stays quiet on the rest. Here is what is stated and what follows from it.
Check This List Before You Book
The listing says the tour is not suitable for wheelchair users, and the listing makes no exception. No minimum age, fitness level or difficulty rating is stated. English is the only guide language, so non-English speakers get the views but not the commentary. If any of that rules you out, the comparison of Santorini catamaran cruises on the homepage shows the alternatives.
Three practical limits follow from the listing. The shared deck size is unknown because the group size is not stated, so travelers who want a guaranteed small deck should pick the Santorini Star Catamaran, capped at 18 passengers. The bar pours white wine and soft drinks only, so beer drinkers do better on the Sunset Oia Ocean Voyager. And the listing states no weather policy, so ask the operator what happens to the stops in rough seas.
- Not suitable for wheelchair users, per the listing
- Guide language is English only
- Group size not stated, so deck crowding is a gamble
- White wine and soft drinks only, no beer or cocktails
- Wind can change the stops and the order
Guests swim beside a catamaran at a swim stop. Illustration.
Getting There and What to Add
Transfers are handled, but the area around the marina and the rest of the south coast reward an extra hour or two.
The Port and the Pickup
Hotel pickup means most guests never drive at all, and the drop-off after works the same way. If you skip the pickup, Vlychada Marina sits on the south coast about 10 km from Fira and 6 to 7 km from the airport. It is a working fishing harbor operating 24 hours, with close to 980 meters of quay and moorings for boats up to 20 meters. If you arrive early, the eroded cliffs at Vlychada beach are worth a look. Cruise-ship guests should note that ships cannot dock at Santorini, so passengers tender to the Old Port and ride the cable car up to Fira, €10 one way for adults. Give yourself generous slack to reach a pickup point and back before the last tender.
For more on the departure point, see the guide to Vlychada Marina.
- Pickup included from your hotel
- Vlychada Marina, about 10 km from Fira
- Cruise guests tender to the Old Port, then the 10 euro cable car
Add-ons Nearby and Further Afield
The listing names no landing on Nea Kameni. The crater rim walk is a separate volcano tour with a 5 euro landing fee, and a gravel path leads to the rim with a full circuit possible. The Red Beach guide explains why the shore itself stays closed.
Ammoudi Bay sits below Oia and is reached by 300 steps down from the town.
- Nea Kameni crater walk on a separate volcano tour, €5 landing fee
- Red Beach guide, why the shore stays closed
- Ammoudi Bay below Oia, 300 steps down from the town
The Day, Step by Step
Times below follow the listing's own stop order. The listing states no clock times, so steps are given as phases of the 5-hour run.
-
Start
Hotel pickup and briefing
A pickup vehicle collects you at your hotel and drives to Vlychada Marina. On board you get a welcome wine or soft drink and a safety briefing from the English-speaking crew.
-
First stop
Red Beach swim
First stop at Red Beach. Swim and snorkel below the red cliffs while Greek meze is served on board. The shore has been closed to land access since 2013, so the boat is the safe way to see it.
-
Mid cruise
White Beach and the Venetian Lighthouse
The boat passes White Beach, reachable only from the water, and the Venetian Lighthouse while the guide explains the caldera and the rock formations.
-
Mid cruise
Volcano hot springs
Second stop. Swim in the warm, sulfur-rich water near Palea Kameni, about 50 meters across open water from the boat. Wear a dark swimsuit, sulfur stains.
-
Third stop
Mesa Pigadia Beach and the BBQ
Third stop at the black-pebble cove of Mesa Pigadia. Swim and snorkel while the crew grills the BBQ, then eat on board with Greek dishes and desserts.
-
Last stretch
Caldera cliffs and return
The cruise runs back along the cliff-side villages to Vlychada Marina, for the hotel drop-off. Where the sunset falls depends on the season and the departure you pick.
Pros and Cons
An honest read of the listing and the route, including where this boat is not the right pick.
What we genuinely like
- Hotel pickup and drop-off are in the $96 price, with no stated extras
- Food is covered start to finish, meze on arrival and a full BBQ with desserts
- The open bar pours white wine and unlimited soft drinks and water
- Three swim stops plus snorkel gear, life jackets, pool noodles, towels and blankets
- Vegetarian and vegan meals are available if you note it at check-out
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure and reserve now, pay later
The honest downsides
- The group size is not stated on the listing, so you cannot know how full the deck will be
- Beer and cocktails are not in the listing's bar, only white wine and soft drinks
- The listing states no weather policy, so stops could change in rough seas
- Sunset runs from about 17:05 in late December to 20:40 at the summer solstice, so the dinner departure changes with the season
Who it's NOT for: Wheelchair users, travelers who want beer or cocktails in the fare, and anyone who needs a guaranteed small group should book a different boat.
Questions About This Tour
How much does the Vista Yachting Gold catamaran cost?
The listing price is $96 per person for the 5-hour cruise, booked on GetYourGuide with reserve now, pay later. The homepage comparison of Santorini catamaran cruises shows every fare side by side.
Does the price include hotel pickup?
Yes, hotel pickup and drop-off are included, and the meeting point if you drive yourself is Vlychada Marina. Read more about the departure port in the Vlychada Marina guide.
What drinks are on board?
A welcome wine or soft drink, an open white wine bar and unlimited soft drinks and bottled water. Beer is not in the listing, so beer drinkers should look at the Sunset Oia Ocean Voyager, which includes it.
How big is the group on this catamaran?
The group size is not stated on the GetYourGuide listing, and the operator's Platinum boat is capped at 18 guests. If a small deck matters, compare the ViSta Platinum Catamaran.
Can the route change?
The listing states no weather policy, so ask the operator. The Santorini sunset cruise guide covers how the season shapes the routes.
Is the hot springs stop safe for swimming?
The listing calls it therapeutic swimming in warm, sulfur-rich water near Palea Kameni, reached by a swim of about 50 meters from the boat. The Santorini hot springs guide covers the water temperature and staining.
Is this tour suitable for wheelchair users?
No, the listing states the tour is not suitable for wheelchair users. The homepage section on small-group and luxury catamarans lists other boats.
What Travelers Said
We really enjoyed the trip. Nicoleta was great as were Mikos were great.
Beautiful experience, we highly recommend worth the money.
We really enjoyed the catamaran trip - engaging staff, great views, delicious food. Appreciated the hotel pick-up and return drop-off. It was a wonderful way to end our visit to Santorini.
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