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How to get to Santorini
Santorini National Airport (JTR), also known as Thira Airport, is located in the central eastern part of the island near Kamari. It’s 6 kilometres (4m) away from the capital of Fira and 17 kilometres (10m) from Oia. It’s a tiny airport, so it’s quick and easy to navigate – but can feel very busy during the summer months.
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Flying in the high season
Getting to Santorini in 2017 is simple and speedy during the summer season, when direct flights are available from a number of UK cities. You’ll generally need to book well in advance in order to nab the cheapest Santorini flight deals during this peak travel season.
Thomas Cook Airlines, Thomson Airways, easyJet, Norwegian, and British Airways all offer non-stop flights to Santorini from the UK during the summer months. Flights from London Gatwick (LGW), Heathrow (LHR), London City (LCY), Newcastle (NCL), Manchester (MAN), Bristol (BRS) and Birmingham (BHX) all arrive at Santorini Airport in around four hours.
Flying in the off-season
During the low season, the only way to reach Santorini by air from the UK is via Athens Airport (ATH) or Thessaloniki Airport (SKG) on mainland Greece. Flying via one of these airports is also an option in the summer and is one way to score the cheapest Santorini flights.
You can fly with easyJet to Athens from Gatwick, Manchester and Edinburgh (EDI). Ryanair also flies to Athens from London Stansted (STN), and Aegean Airlines, which runs services to Athens from Heathrow and Manchester. British Airways has frequent flights to Athens from Heathrow, as well as flights from Gatwick to Thessaloniki.
Once you arrive in Greece, flights from Athens to Santorini take just 45 minutes and flights from Thessaloniki arrive on the island in about an hour. Olympic Air and Aegean Airlines offer frequent cheap Santorini flights year-round from both Athens and Thessaloniki.
Getting to Santorini by boat
If taking two flights sounds like a drag, you also have the option of continuing to Santorini by boat from Athens. This is particularly easy to do during the summer, when ferry companies make frequent trips to the island.
Ferries depart from Athens’ two ports, Piraeus and Rafina, and the journey generally takes between six and nine hours. The astounding view of Santorini’s picturesque clifftop villages from the water is worth the extra journey time for many travellers. Just be sure to check out what time your ferry is expected to reach Santorini.
Many boats arrive at night, which means missing the sunny views of sparkling blue waters and whitewashed buildings. Most ferries dock in Athinios, from where buses take passengers on to Fira.
Entry requirements
Whether your cheap Santorini flight brings you directly to the island or you fly via another Greek city, your passport is the only thing you need to access those breathtaking caldera views. UK citizens don’t have to get a visa to enter Greece.
But before your trip, take a peek at your passport and make sure it’s valid until at least the end of your stay. You can stay in Santorini (and all of Greece) as a visitor for up to three months.