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Southern Island Bus Tour: Hidden Gems and History
3.8
19 Ratings
Moni Profitou Iliou
Explore the hidden gems of Santorini’s south coast on this half-day bus tour. Visit the 16th century Monastery of Prophet Elias, the traditional village of Megalochori, the ancient Minoan site of Akrotiri, and relax on the black sand beach of Perivolos.
Explore the hidden gems of Santorini’s south coast on this half-day bus tour. Visit the 16th century Monastery of Prophet Elias, the traditional village of Megalochori, the ancient Minoan site of Akrotiri, and relax on the black sand beach of Perivolos.
Duration:
6 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Monastery of Profitis Ilias - The tour begins at the 16th-century Monastery of Prophet Elias, situated at the island’s highest point, 550 meters above sea level. From this vantage point, visitors can enjoy a stunning panoramic view of the entire island.
- Akrotiri Archaeological Site - The tour concludes at Akrotiri, offering a perfect end to…
- Monastery of Profitis Ilias - The tour begins at the 16th-century Monastery of Prophet Elias, situated at the island’s highest point, 550 meters above sea level. From this vantage point, visitors can enjoy a stunning panoramic view of the entire island.
- Akrotiri Archaeological Site - The tour concludes at Akrotiri, offering a perfect end to the day. Upon arrival, a guide will be ready to lead visitors through the archaeological site, providing insights into the Minoan civilization of the ancient world.
- Megalochori - Traditional Village - Following the Monastery visit, the tour continues to Megalochori, one of the island’s most traditional villages. The tour guide will lead visitors through the narrow streets, showcasing the traditional architecture and the unique craftsmanship of local masons.
- Perissa - After departing Megalochori, the tour heads to the beautiful Perissa Beach, located in the southern part of Santorini. Perivolos is a well-organized beach with black sand, where visitors can spend approximately 2 hours enjoying free time to swim, dine at a local taverna, or simply relax and explore the area.
What's Included
- Pickup from designated meeting points
- Guided tour with a professional guide
- Comfortable travel with in-vehicle air conditioning
- Pickup from designated meeting points
- Guided tour with a professional guide
- Comfortable travel with in-vehicle air conditioning
What's Not Included
- Akrotiri excavation site entrance fee
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
- Guiding in the archeological site
- Akrotiri excavation site entrance fee
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
- Guiding in the archeological site
Additional Information
This bus tour takes you to the southern part of the island, where you can explore the area’s hidden treasures. The tour begins at the 16th-century Monastery of Prophet Elias, offering a breathtaking panoramic view of the entire island.
Following the Monastery, the tour proceeds to Megalochori, one of the island’s most traditional villages. Here, you can…
This bus tour takes you to the southern part of the island, where you can explore the area’s hidden treasures. The tour begins at the 16th-century Monastery of Prophet Elias, offering a breathtaking panoramic view of the entire island.
Following the Monastery, the tour proceeds to Megalochori, one of the island’s most traditional villages. Here, you can admire the traditional architecture and the unique craftsmanship of the local masons.
The next stop is Akrotiri, where a guide will meet you to provide insights as you explore the archaeological site, experiencing the Minoan site of the ancient world.
Perissa, an organized beach with black sand, is the final stop. You will have approximately 2 hours of free time to swim, dine at a local taverna, or simply relax and explore the area.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Please note that you cannot visit the Monastery in the inside
Location
Monastery of Profitis Ilias
Epar. Od. Pirgou Kallistis, 3 km from Pyrgo Thira, Moni Profitou Ilia
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
3.8
(19 Ratings)
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1 star
Darren
Sep 23, 2025
Stellar value. Pre-tour information could be improved. - This tour was phenomenal, and provided excellent value. (They should have charged more)
Here’s what you need to know, and a bit of feedback:
1. This is a full day tour, realistically. You are picked up between 10:15-11:15 and you won’t be back at your hotel until 5:15-6:15. Plan your day around that.
2. You have an opportunity to swim- this is not made obvious in the tour information. Under-dress a swimsuit and towel if you want to enjoy the crystal water at the black sand beach. It’s possible to use one of the beach chairs by ordering from one of the restaurants. But note #3!
3. The tour itinerary is a little odd that lunch is served at the beach at 3:30pm. If I were the tour operator, I would swap the beach and Akrotiri visits so we could get lunch at a reasonable time. It was a bit too late for me to have lunch.
4. You also have an optional side trip to view the Red sand beach after touring the archeological site. Note it’s about a 15 minute walk each direction, and has a rocky trail at the beach end.
Our guide on the day-of was fantastic. The tour company could have provided better information ahead of time. Consider visiting the beach before the archeological site instead of after, and consider spending a bit more time in Megalochori and a bit less time at the beach.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
John_s
Jun 28, 2024
Loved the half day tour. - We especially enjoyed the typical traditional village and Akrotiri. Our guide, Tatiyana, was delightful, entertaining and always happy.
Review provided by Viator
Sherry_d
Oct 11, 2023
Great Island Exploration - Very enjoyable tour! We enjoyed each stop. Akrotiri was definitely a highlight! We enjoyed all stops on this tour, though it would have been nice to have a bit longer at the beach.
Review provided by Viator
Sligoinian
Sep 29, 2024
A good tour - We done this tour and it wasnt a bad day out but it did seem long.
Tanya the guide was excellent very knowledgeable.You don’t get into the monastery only a small church nearby Megalochori was good but we felt could have had little bit longer we were told to get snacks there in mini market until our final stop when we would have lunch The Akrotiri archeological site was interesting and informative tour was given by one of the archaeologists. It was 3.15 before we arrived at our final stop Perrisa for sand and food Overall it was good.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Joe_b
Sep 28, 2024
Enjoyable - Tanya the guide was excellent very knowledgeable.You don’t get into the monastery only a small church nearby
Megalochori was good but you felt could have had little bit longer
we were told to get snacks there in mini market until our final stop when we would have lunch
The Akrotiri archeological site was interesting and informative tour was given by one of the archaeologists.
It was 3.15 before we arrived at our final stop Perrisa for sand and food
Overall it was good but it seemed a long day
Review provided by Viator
Eileen_b
Sep 20, 2023
Akrotiri City of Ancient Thera - Archaeological site of Akrotiri is very interesting. Shows the life of the people who lived there before the Minoan eruption. Happy ending—the people saw warning signs and escaped.
Review provided by Viator
Kailli_h
Sep 20, 2024
Meh - Honestly - just do yourself a favour and take public transit to Akrotiri yourself. The public buses are easy enough to figure out. We were picked up at 10am and not allowed to stop for lunch until 4pm, and had no free time to explore Megalochori or Akrotiri on our own. We also got back around 6:30pm, so beware this is not a half day tour at all.
Review provided by Viator
Robert_n
May 21, 2023
Skip this tour. - This tour has potential, but needs improvement. They picked us up in a small van & then dropped us off in the hot sun (no shade available) where we waited approximately 30 minutes for a large bus to arrive.
The tour was too long - they should eliminate the $1 euro bathroom break which took 20 minutes & eliminate the walk to red beach/ice cream break which would save at least another hour. Also lunch was at the end of the tour & everyone was thirsty & hungry by 3:30 in the afternoon.
So they should have a smaller group size, provide a bottle of water, shorten the trip, and not have lunch so late.
Review provided by Viator
Summer_b
Aug 31, 2025
Was given the wrong pick... - Was given the wrong pick up point on every email. Only when I went in to contact the company did I see a different pick up spot. Missed the tour and have been denied a refund.
Review provided by Viator
Lina_c
Oct 2, 2023
I want a refund because there was no tour bus at the meeting place at the appointed time. - I want a refund! We waited for the blue bus across the old medical center, but there was none! It was supposed to be there at 10:00 and we were there 9:50 and waited until 10:30. I did not receive any notification that the meeting place was changed. This should not happen!!!
Review provided by Viator
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