The lava islands Nea Kameni and Palea Kameni in the caldera, Thirasia behind

Santorini

The white villages stand on the rim of a collapsed volcano.

The new one is growing in the middle. Most recently in 1950.

Scroll –
across to the island

Three hours from the old portHow the excursion works

Nea Kameni is uninhabited and has no ferry – you can only get there on an excursion boat. The standard tour: 20 minutes' crossing, an hour and a half on the island, then a swimming stop off Palea Kameni.

Down to the old port

Cable car from Fira or the stepped path of almost 600 steps. Both are open again after the 2025 closures.

Cable car each way · children €5€10

Admission is collected on the island

The municipal company Geothira sells the ticket at the jetty. It is almost never included in the boat price; a voucher alone is not enough.

reduced €2.50 · under 5 free€5

Gravel path to the craters

Without a guide, marked, easily done in the usual time. Fumaroles, sulphur, no shade – closed shoes, hat, water.

The 'hot springs' are lukewarm

From the boat you swim about 30 metres through open sea into the rust-brown bay. Only for confident swimmers; the iron-rich water stains light swimwear.

Sources: Geothira, decision 3/2024 and 2026 tariff (via atlantea.news) · cable-car price list 2025. Geothira's online shop shows €20 / €30 instead – presumably outdated placeholders; the price at the jetty is what counts. Boat prices from about €30 are figures from resellers.

The gravel path over the crater rim of Nea Kameni, dark scoria underfoot, the pale caldera wall with the villages on the edge behind — The path on Nea Kameni: an hour over scoria to the crater, without shade – and with the whole caldera rim as a backdrop.

After the 2025 earthquakesIs the volcano closed?

No. At the end of January 2025 a series of earthquakes began, with the strongest shock on 5 February; the state of emergency lasted until 3 March. Closed were slope areas and ports because of rockfall – not the volcanic islands. The civil-protection decision renewed in April 2026 applies until 31 March 2027: the old port of Fira is open again apart from one zone, and Nea Kameni and Palea Kameni are not closed in it. There is no official colour-coded alert level for Santorini as there is in Italy or Iceland.

The small white chapel of Agios Nikolaos on the dark lava rocks of Palea Kameni, right by the water — Palea Kameni, the older island: the chapel stands next to the hot springs where the boats anchor – you can only get in by swimming.

By boat into the calderaVolcano, springs, sunset

The short tour is enough for the volcano. The long ones add Thirasia and the sunset off Oia.

Most bookedSantorini: boat trip to the volcanic islands with hot springs4–10 hours · ★ 4.3 from 11,550 reviews · GetYourGuide

from€28

Santorini: volcano and caldera boat tour at sunset3 hours · ★ 4.3 from 791 reviews · GetYourGuide

from€30

Day trip: volcano, Thirasia and sunset in Oiafull day · ★ 4.4 from 778 reviews · GetYourGuide

from€48

Santorini: caldera catamaran cruise with barbecue and drinks5 hours · ★ 4.9 from 564 reviews · GetYourGuide

from€95

Affiliate links to GetYourGuide: if you book, we earn a commission and the price stays the same. Prices and ratings as of 21.09.2026. Admission to Nea Kameni (€5) is usually extra.

A three-masted wooden sailing ship with an orange hull lies off the caldera wall of Santorini — The kaïkia and wooden sailing ships from Athinios and Ammoudi: volcano, springs, Thirasia – if you want the sunset, take the afternoon trip.

Good to knowGetting there, best time, tips

Getting there

Without a car: The starting point is Fira; from there by cable car or steps to the old port. Bus connections to Fira were not checked. Many tour prices do not include a hotel transfer.

By car: There is no road to the old port; in Athinios the 2026 joint ministerial decision regulates traffic while ships are being handled.

From Fira · cable car about 3 min, boat about 20 min
Cable car (€10) or the stepped path to the old port, then boat

Best time to go

Avoid the 11 am departure when cruise ships are anchored off Fira – then the cable car and ticket desk get congested. There is no shade on the island; in July/August the afternoon tour is very hot, in May, June, September and October much more pleasant.

Who it suits

Children: Suitable; toddlers have to be carried – pushchairs cannot be used on the gravel path. Children under 5 free, 5–12 reduced.
Minimum age: none
Fitness: Short but shadeless climb on loose gravel to about 114 m (375 ft).
Heart and lungs: Heat and sulphur smell at the fumaroles; taxing at midday in high summer.
Wheelchair: Not suitable (boarding the boat, gravel path).
Dogs: no rule found
Clothing: Sun hat, sun protection, water. For the hot springs dark swimwear – the iron- and sulphur-rich water stains light fabrics.
Footwear: Closed shoes with grip; flip-flops are unsuitable on the sharp-edged lava.

Tips you will need on site

Carry €5 in cash per person for the park ticket desk – admission is practically never included in the boat ticket.
Factor in the cable car: €10 each way quickly turns the €30 excursion into a €55 one.
Dark, old swimwear for Palea Kameni; take off jewellery. If you are not a confident swimmer, stay on board.
Bring water and headwear – there is no shade on Nea Kameni.
Before booking, check which port the boat leaves from: the old port of Fira, Athinios, Vlychada and Ammoudi are far apart, and private cars may only drive to Ammoudi with severe restrictions.
The free 'Santorini Volcano' app by Geothira replaces the guide if the boat has none.

A short history

Nea Kameni formed over about two millennia from repeated dacite eruptions in the flooded caldera.
Historical eruptive phases: 1707–1712, 1866–1870, 1925–1928, 1939–1941 and most recently 1950 (lava dome).
1995: foundation of ISMOSAV to continue the volcano observatory and monitoring networks on Santorini.
2011: unrest phase with uplift of the caldera, without eruption.
From mid-2024 the caldera rises again; at the end of January 2025 an earthquake swarm begins north-east of Santorini near Anydros: more than 1,200 quakes between 25 January and 7 February 2025, the strongest ML 5.2 on 5 February 2025. More than 11,000 people leave the island, state of emergency from 5 February to 3 March 2025.
A study published in Nature in autumn 2025 (GFZ/GEOMAR and others) attributes the swarm to a magmatic dike about 13 km long with about 0.31 km³ of magma, fed from a reservoir beneath the underwater volcano Kolumbo; it stalled 3–5 km below the seabed.
14 March 2025: civil-protection measures for the Santorini archipelago in the government gazette (FEK B' 1267); extended and relaxed in April 2026 until 31 March 2027.

Cable-car gondolas between the old port and Fira hang above the steep caldera slope with pines — From the old port to Fira: cable car, 588 steps or mule – the boats leave at the bottom, the town lies 260 metres above.

Out of date onlineWhat other sites get wrong

“Admission is included in the boat price.”

As a rule it is not; €5 is collected separately on the island.

“Since the 2025 earthquakes the volcano has been closed.”

Wrong. Closed were slope areas and ports; the 2026 decision does not mention the volcanic islands.

“Cable car €6.”

Out of date; since 2025 a single ride costs €10.

Quick questionsBefore the boat trip

Can you visit Nea Kameni without a tour?

Without a guide yes, without a boat no. There is no scheduled ferry; you book an excursion boat and walk the marked path on the island on your own.

Is the excursion suitable for children?

Yes, the path is short. Pushchairs do not work on the gravel. Only confident swimmers should go to the springs.

When is the best time?

May, June, September and October. Avoid the 11 am departure when cruise ships are anchored off Fira – then the cable car and ticket desk get congested.

What is the admission fee for the Santorini volcano?

€5 per person, reduced €2.50 (including children 5–12, students, over-65s), children under 5 free. It is collected by the municipal company Geothira directly at the jetty on Nea Kameni.

How long does the volcano tour take?

The standard tour from the old port of Fira takes about three hours: 20 minutes' crossing, 1.5 hours on Nea Kameni, 30 minutes' swimming stop at Palea Kameni. Tours including Thirasia and Oia take five to six hours.

How do you get to the old port of Fira?

By cable car (€10 each way, children €5) or on foot down the stepped path of almost 600 steps. Both are open again according to the 2026 civil-protection decision.

What should you wear?

Closed shoes, sun hat, sunscreen and water. For the springs dark swimwear, because the iron-rich water stains light fabrics.

Is the Santorini volcano dangerous?

It is considered active; the last eruption was in 1950. In 2024/25 there was an unrest phase with a strong earthquake swarm, triggered by a magma dike north-east of the island. ISMOSAV and the National Observatory of Athens monitor the area continuously.

Is Nea Kameni open at the moment?

As of September 2026 there is no closure of the volcanic islands; the civil-protection measures in force until 31 March 2027 concern individual port zones and paths on the main island. On any given day the visit depends on whether the boats sail in the wind.

Who monitors the volcano?

ISMOSAV with monitoring networks for earthquakes, ground deformation, temperature and CO2, scientifically supported by the University of Thessaloniki; earthquakes are also located by the Geodynamic Institute of the NOA.

Sources · accessed on 21 September 2026

Geothira – park operator, tariff decision 3/2024
Geothira 2026 tariff (via atlantea.news, 19 December 2025)
ISMOSAV – monitoring of the volcano
Decision of the Greek civil protection of April 2026 (via in.gr, 28 April 2026)
Photos: Norbert Nagel (CC BY-SA 3.0), Norbert Nagel (CC BY-SA 3.0), Norbert Nagel (CC BY-SA 3.0), Norbert Nagel (CC BY-SA 3.0), Norbert Nagel (CC BY-SA 3.0), Norbert Nagel (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons

The blue domes of Oia above the caldera of Santorini, the deep blue sea and the island of Thirasia behind — Oia with a view of the caldera: the whole semicircle is the crater – the towns stand on its rim.