--- title: "Santorini Catamaran Cruise: Types, Prices & How to Choose" date: 2026-10-31 canonical: https://boattoursantorini.com/catamaran-cruise/ --- A **santorini catamaran cruise** is the most booked way to see this island's caldera from the water, sailing past Red Beach and the volcanic hot springs on a wide, stable twin-hulled boat built for swimming and sunbathing between stops. Here's what I'd actually do: decide first whether a full meal and open bar, a smaller group, or a second island stop matters most to you, because the three catamaran cruises on this route each lean into a different one of those. I'll compare the day-trip, BBQ, and sunset-focused versions here, then route you to the deeper pages on the BBQ angle and the broader vehicle-type question. For a shorter, cheaper way to see the same volcano and hot springs, my [volcano and hot springs tour page](/volcano-hot-springs-tour/) is worth a look, and if privacy matters more than price, my [private boat tour page](/private-boat-tour/) covers chartering one for just your group. Since every figure here traces back to a real listing, I'd [compare all seven Santorini boat tours side by side](/tours/) before committing to any single one. ## What's the Difference Between Santorini's Catamaran Cruises? A **santorini catamaran tour** generally falls into one of three shapes: an all-inclusive day cruise with a full meal and open bar, a smaller-group BBQ cruise with a quieter hot springs stop, and a premium cruise that adds a second island. All three sail the same general caldera coastline, Red Beach, the hot springs near Palea Kameni and Nea Kameni, and a sunset-timed return, but differ in group size, meal style, and how many stops they pack in. I'd think of the choice less as "which is the best catamaran" and more as "which extra feature do I actually want," since the core scenery is shared across all three. ## Which Catamaran Cruise Should Most People Book? The [Santorini Luxury Catamaran Day Cruise](/tours/santorini-catamaran-day-cruise/) is my pick for most first-time visitors. At $122.40 for 5 to 6 hours, it's the only one of the three with a full Greek meal, an open bar, and three separate swim stops, Red Beach, White Beach, and the hot springs. It's the most heavily booked cruise on this route for a reason: it covers nearly every angle most travelers want in a single trip. My honest take: if you only have time for one catamaran cruise, this is the one I'd book, specifically because it doesn't make you choose between food, drinks, and multiple swim stops the way the other two do. ## What If I Want a Smaller Group? The [Santorini Catamaran BBQ and Hot Springs Cruise](/tours/santorini-catamaran-bbq-cruise/) keeps numbers lower than the bigger catamarans on this route and anchors at a quieter stretch of the hot springs as a result. At $118.51 for 5 hours, it's close in price to the day cruise but trades a full sit-down meal for a simpler onboard BBQ. My [BBQ cruise page](/catamaran-cruise/catamaran-bbq-open-bar-cruise/) covers what's actually served and who should pick this one. I'd choose this over the day cruise specifically if you've already done a bigger catamaran cruise before and want a calmer repeat, or if crowding at the hot springs is a real concern for you. ## What If I Want to See More Than One Island? The [Santorini Platinum Catamaran Cruise](/tours/santorini-platinum-catamaran-cruise/) adds a stop at Thirasia Island, a quieter part of the Santorini group most other catamaran cruises skip entirely. At $94.58 for 5 hours, it's also the cheapest of the three catamarans, and it closes with a glass of sunset sparkling wine on the sail back. My honest take: if seeing Thirasia is appealing to you, this is genuinely the only catamaran cruise on this route that offers it, so the choice is easy. If Thirasia doesn't matter to you, the savings over the day cruise are modest enough that I'd still lean toward the more complete meal on the pricier option. ## Catamaran vs a Traditional Sailboat or Private Boat A catamaran's twin hulls make it noticeably more stable than a traditional single-hull sailboat, which matters if you're prone to seasickness or just prefer a steadier platform for swimming. If you want the same caldera scenery with total privacy instead of a shared deck, my [private boat tour page](/private-boat-tour/) covers chartering a catamaran, yacht, or self-drive boat for just your group. I'd pick a shared catamaran cruise over a private one unless privacy itself, not just the view, is what you're after, since the per-person cost gap between the two is substantial. ## Is a Catamaran Cruise Better for Sunset Than a Regular Boat? Yes, generally. A catamaran's wide deck gives more people a comfortable spot to watch the sunset light hit the caldera cliffs than a smaller sailboat does, and all three catamarans on this route offer a sunset-timed departure as an option alongside their morning slot at no extra cost. ## Does a Catamaran Cruise Include Food? It depends on which one. The day cruise and the BBQ cruise both include a full meal and drinks, while the budget-friendly [volcano and sunset caldera cruise](/volcano-hot-springs-tour/) runs on a bar-only model with no meal included, at a much lower price point. I'd match your choice to whether you want to eat onboard or would rather grab a cheaper, shorter trip and eat on land. ## Who Should Skip a Catamaran Cruise Entirely? If what you actually want is to drive a boat yourself rather than sail with a crew, none of these three fit, and the [no-license private boat rental](/tours/santorini-boat-rental-no-license/) covered on my private boat page is the better match. If three to five hours on open water with a group of strangers sounds uncomfortable rather than appealing, a shorter, calmer land-based alternative might suit you better than any boat tour on this route. ## What Makes a Catamaran the Default Choice for Santorini? A catamaran's twin hulls spread weight across a much wider base than a single-hull sailboat, which is why nearly every GYG product built for this caldera uses that hull shape. The result is a flatter, steadier ride that makes swimming off the back platform, sunbathing on the trampoline netting, and moving around the deck far easier than on a narrower boat. I'd say this stability is the real reason catamarans dominate this market, more than any marketing angle. If you've never been on a boat before or you're traveling with people who get seasick easily, a catamaran genuinely is the safer bet over a traditional sailboat for that reason alone. ![illustrated map of Santorini highlights for Santorini Catamaran Cruise: Types, Prices & How to Choose, santorini catamaran cruise](/images/blog/santorini-about-catamaran-cruise-2.webp) ## How Do the Three Catamarans Compare on Price Per Hour? Breaking the three main options down by rough price per hour makes the value gap clearer than the headline price alone. The Platinum Cruise at $94.58 for 5 hours works out to about $19 per hour. The BBQ Cruise at $118.51 for 5 hours comes to roughly $24 per hour. The Day Cruise at $122.40 for 5 to 6 hours lands around $20 to $24 per hour depending on which length you get that day. My honest take: the three are close enough per hour that I wouldn't let a few dollars decide this for you. I'd pick based on what each one actually includes, Thirasia, a smaller group, or the fullest meal, rather than chasing the lowest hourly rate. ## What Time of Day Should You Book? Every one of these three catamarans offers both a daytime and a sunset-timed departure at the same price. I'd pick the sunset slot if photography and the caldera's golden-hour light matter to you, since the return sail on all three is timed to catch exactly that. I'd pick the morning slot if you'd rather avoid the biggest crowds at the hot springs and swim stops, since afternoon departures tend to stack up with every other boat heading out around the same time. My honest take: on a first visit, I'd default to the sunset departure specifically because the light during the final stretch back through the caldera is genuinely one of the best parts of the whole trip, and it costs nothing extra to choose it. ## Does the Season Change Which Cruise You Should Book? Peak summer months, June through August, bring the biggest crowds to every stop these catamarans visit, especially the hot springs, where boats can cluster closely together. If you're traveling in peak season, I'd lean toward the smaller-group BBQ cruise specifically to soften that crowding at the one stop where it matters most. In the shoulder season, April, May, September, and October, crowding eases across all three options, so I'd let the meal and Thirasia question decide instead, since the group-size advantage matters less when the water simply isn't as busy. ## Can You Combine a Catamaran Cruise With Other Santorini Activities? Most travelers pair a catamaran cruise with a day exploring Fira or Oia on land, since the cruise itself takes up roughly half a day. I wouldn't try to stack a full land-based itinerary on the same day as a 5-to-6-hour cruise, since the transfer time to and from the port, plus the cruise itself, genuinely fills most of a day once you include pickup and drop-off. If you specifically want the volcano hike and hot springs without the meal and open bar, my [volcano and hot springs tour page](/volcano-hot-springs-tour/) covers a shorter, cheaper alternative that frees up the rest of your day for something else entirely. ## What Don't These Catamaran Cruises Include? None of the three include a dedicated guide narrating the geology and history as you sail, relying instead on crew announcements for logistics. None include the land-based volcano hike at Nea Kameni either, since that's a feature of the budget caldera cruise rather than the catamaran lineup. And across all three, the swim stops are from the water rather than actually stepping onto the named beaches, since catamarans generally can't moor directly on the sand. I'd flag this clearly before you book: if a narrated history of the caldera is something you specifically want, none of these three catamarans deliver that, and you'd need to look at the audio-commentary option on my [volcano and hot springs tour page](/volcano-hot-springs-tour/) instead. ## Is a Catamaran Cruise Safe for Non-Swimmers? Yes, all three catamarans provide flotation devices at the swim stops, and nothing on the standard itinerary requires you to get in the water if you'd rather stay on deck. The hot springs stop in particular is designed to work either way, since the crew anchors offshore and you swim the short distance yourself, meaning staying aboard and simply watching is a completely normal choice. My honest take: I wouldn't let a non-swimmer in your group talk themselves out of booking one of these cruises. The scenery, the meal, and the open bar are worth the trip on their own, and the swim stops are genuinely optional rather than a requirement built into the itinerary. ## How Do You Book the Right Catamaran for Your Trip? I'd start by ranking your own priorities: a full meal and the widest range of stops points to the Day Cruise, a calmer, smaller-group experience points to the BBQ Cruise, and wanting to see Thirasia specifically points to the Platinum Cruise. From there, pick your departure time, sunset for the best light, morning for lighter crowds, and book directly through the listing with the current price confirmed. Booking a few weeks ahead in peak summer season is worth doing, since the most popular departure slots on the busiest cruise, the Day Cruise, can fill up during July and August. Shoulder-season travelers generally have more flexibility to book closer to their travel dates. ## What's the Real Difference Between "Catamaran" and "Caldera Cruise" Listings? Search results for this island mix "catamaran cruise" and "caldera cruise" freely, and I'd clear up the confusion directly: a caldera cruise is the broader category, any boat tour sailing the volcanic rim that gives Santorini its shape, while a catamaran cruise specifically names the hull type doing the sailing. Every catamaran cruise on this route is also a caldera cruise, but not every caldera cruise uses a catamaran, the budget volcano and hot springs option, for instance, runs on a more traditional motor boat. I'd use "catamaran" in your search if stability and deck space matter to you specifically, and stick with the broader "caldera cruise" term if you're still deciding on boat type and just want to compare everything sailing this particular stretch of water. In practice, if you're set on swimming at multiple stops with a stable platform underfoot, narrowing straight to "catamaran" saves you from sifting through sailboat and motorboat listings that won't give you the deck space you're actually after. ## My Honest Take on Santorini's Catamaran Cruises For most travelers, I'd book the [Day Cruise](/tours/santorini-catamaran-day-cruise/) first and not overthink it, since it covers the widest range of what people actually want from this experience. I'd only switch to the BBQ cruise for a smaller group or the Platinum cruise for Thirasia, and I'd skip all three in favor of a private charter only if privacy is genuinely worth the extra cost to you. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Which Santorini catamaran cruise is the best value? The [Santorini Luxury Catamaran Day Cruise](/tours/santorini-catamaran-day-cruise/) at $122.40 offers the most complete package: a full meal, open bar, and three swim stops, making it the strongest value for most first-time visitors. ### How long does a Santorini catamaran cruise last? Most run 5 to 6 hours, covering a sail out to the main swim stops, time in the water, an onboard meal, and the return sail, often timed to catch the sunset. ### Do catamaran cruises in Santorini include a meal? The day cruise and the BBQ cruise both include a meal and drinks. The budget sunset caldera cruise does not include a meal, only an onboard bar for extra purchases. ### Is a catamaran cruise better than a sailboat for seasickness? Yes, generally. A catamaran's twin hulls provide a steadier platform than a single-hull sailboat, which helps if you're prone to seasickness. For general background on the caldera these cruises sail across, see the [Wikipedia page on Santorini](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santorini). [santorini boat tour →](/)