Santorini, the volcanic Greek island that launched a thousand sunset selfies, and party isle Mykonos are popular for good reason. Luxury hotels carved into precipitous cliffs peer out over Santorini’s sunken caldera, and narrow alleys wind between blue-shuttered, whitewashed houses in Mykonos. But if you’re planning to visit Greece’s most famous islands by cruise ship, be prepared to shell out some extra cash.
In December 2024, the Greek parliament passed a bill approving a peak summer season levy on cruise passengers, in an effort to manage a surge in visitor numbers and upgrade local infrastructure. The fee will be 20 euros (about US$21 based on current conversion rates).
How much does the cruise passenger fee cost?
During the islands’ peak season, which runs from June to September, disembarking cruise passengers will need to pay the 20-euro fee. In April, May, and October, the levy will drop to 12 euros; then from November to March, it will decrease to 4 euros. A seasonal fee will also be applied for all other island ports at a rate of 5 euros, 3 euros, and 1 euro, respectively.
When will the fee be implemented and how will it work?
A joint ministerial decision on exactly when the fee will be implemented, who will be responsible for collecting it, and how it will be paid is anticipated in the coming months. The same bill also includes a provision for travelers staying in a hotel or short-term rental accommodation: They will pay a per-night climate resilience tax.
Why is Greece charging cruise passengers to visit the islands?
On July 23, 2024, a Santorini city councillor caused a local uproar when he announced on social media that 17,000 cruise passengers were scheduled to visit the island that day and advised inhabitants to “strive to minimize their movements”. The post was swiftly taken down but residents were outraged at the suggestion.
Santorini, a mere 29 square miles in size, is home to around 25,000 permanent inhabitants, according to the city council. In the height of summer, thousands of visitors cram narrow cobblestone streets, lining up for hours in the heat to capture the island’s famed sunset over the caldera. Images illustrating the reality versus carefully edited Instagram selfies have somewhat besmirched Santorini’s romantic reputation of late.
“Greece does not have a structural overtourism problem. . . . Some of its destinations have a significant issue during certain weeks or months of the year, which we need to deal with,” said Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis when he announced the cruise passenger levy in September 2024.
The PM said revenues from the fee would go toward improving infrastructure, including the building of a long-discussed second port in Santorini, in Monolithos village on the island’s eastern coast. Cruise ships currently moor in the caldera, and passengers are ferried by tender to Fira’s small old port, where a cable car whisks them up to the caldera-side capital Fira. During peak season, however, the queues can be long. As of April, an e-ticketing system will be introduced for the cable car to regulate visitor flow with timed entry. Discussions are also being held on the installation of a second cable car and the creation of a marina.
Following Mitsotakis’s announcement, CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association) responded, saying any “increase in the existing port fee” should be applied to all visitors and benchmarked against other Mediterranean port fees to ensure Greek ports remain attractive and competitive.
According to the Santorini municipality press office, a 2018 University of the Aegean study concluded Santorini could sustain up to 8,000 cruise passengers per day. The island hosts an average 7,000 to 8,000 now, but this figure can reach 15,000, according to the municipality. Santorini Mayor Nikos Zorzos said that, in addition to the new fee, he would reinstate a berth allocation system in 2025 to manage passenger flows and ensure this figure wasn’t exceeded. Cruise lines will need to apply two years in advance for a berth (a mooring spot in the caldera) on the date they would like to call at Santorini. If it appears that cruise passenger numbers will exceed 8,000, the system automatically allocates a different date. Cruise operators are advised 18 months ahead of sailing. Zorzos said that local authorities should determine the fee and receive the revenue in full in order to determine its allocation. “These funds are required to improve infrastructure and for day-to-day operations on the island,” he told Greek state broadcaster ERT.
Are cruises to blame for overcrowding in Santorini?
Santorini has been a highly desirable port of call for cruise passengers for decades. In 2023, about 800 cruise ships brought 1.3 million visitors to the island, up from 592 vessels and 980,771 passengers in 2019, according to Zorzos. And 2025 is expected to break a new record, with 1.5 million passenger arrivals.
Some locals believe that Santorini has become a victim of its own success. Shop owner Maria Psychogiou, who sells Greek-made household items at her store Sivaris in the tourist-magnet town of Oia at the island’s northwestern tip, retreats indoors when the sun starts to go down. Located just steps from the celebrated sunset spot, she said that, for many cruise passengers, Santorini represented “merely a blue church dome and a flying dress.”
“They don’t care to learn about the island’s history or culture, or visit ancient Akrotiri, or get to know the local people. They prefer to go to the Red Beach,” she said.
Hotelier Dimosthenis Leontis, who owns Amaze Suites in the quieter caldera-side village of Imerovigli just north of Fira, expressed similar frustration.
“Santorini is a top destination but it’s going through a crisis that needs to be dealt with,” he said. “When four or five cruise ships arrive every day carrying 5 to 10,000 people . . . it’s catastrophic for me as a hotelier.” Leontis said buses transferring cruise passengers to Oia and Fira cause severe bottlenecks, while the masses of people hinder views, create noise pollution, and leave behind an enormous amount of litter.
Orlando-based luxury travel advisor and cruise expert Nick Pena said he has witnessed a steady increase in interest in Santorini among his clients, particularly postpandemic.
He said he didn’t expect the cruise passenger levy to dissuade cruise passengers from disembarking in Santorini, “an aspirational, bucket-list travel destination” often reserved for celebrating special occasions. “There is not a single person who can pay the thousands of dollars it costs to go there who is going to say, ‘You know what, maybe I’m going to go in the shoulder season because I’m going to save the 20-euro levy’,” Pena said.
He added that he hoped fee revenue would be invested in better security, a port where ships could dock, and a well-organized staging area where cruise passengers could easily locate local operators with whom they had booked private guided tours.
I’m planning to travel to Santorini within the next couple of years. Should I still go?
In recent years, Greece’s tourism ministry has sought to encourage travel to the islands beyond summer. Santorini draws the majority of its visitors from March to October; however, numbers are fewer in early spring and late fall.
Kristin Rattini, of Missouri, visited with family in early June, staying at a hotel in the beach town of Kamari on the southeastern coast, away from the caldera. “Oia was extremely crowded at sunset with all the cruise ship passengers,” she said. “We appreciated the friendly, laid-back vibe in Kamari.”
Marielle Michalopoulos, of North Carolina, visited in late September with cruise line Explora Journeys. She said the island was “busy but not overwhelming,” though she returned to the ship in the early evening before crowds started to gather. Michalopoulos opted for a cooking class during her time on the island, where she “felt like a part of the family. They were extremely congenial and welcoming.”
Jodi Mekyten, of Atlanta, Georgia, said she was looking forward to experiencing Santorini on a trip with Norwegian Cruise Line, with her husband and two teenage children, in late July next year. She said she expects it to be busy but that tourist crowds have never concerned her. “It’s crowded for reasons that we’re going then because that’s when your kids are out of school and that’s when people can travel,” she said. Mekyten added that, while the fee would not discourage her from visiting, other families faced with paying 80 euros for four people might wait and visit another island that doesn’t charge as much instead.
Although November is cooler and rain is a possibility, it is a good month for those interested in experiencing a slow-paced Santorini. A handful of lines including Silversea and Viking have recently extended their Mediterranean season and are scheduled to call at the island in November 2025.
For those who prefer lesser-visited destinations, small ship operators Sea Cloud Cruises, Atlas Ocean Voyages, and Greek-owned Variety Cruises venture to islands like Karpathos, Ithaki, and Syros between spring and early fall.
