A helicopter tour in Santorini, after which you can quite seriously say: “I’ve seen all of Santorini!” 🙂 And even more, as it is a full sightseeing tour not only over our island and the volcano’s caldera, but also a flight to the western regions and the island of Thirasia (also known as Thirassia or Therasia).
This helicopter aerial tour lasts 30 minutes: the flight fully incorporates the route of the shorter sightseeing tour (the basic twenty-minute ride) and also captures the opposite side of the caldera. The island of Thirasia can now be seen there – its lights in the evenings can be seen from the west coast of Santorini.
Longer sightseeing flights over Santorini are simply not necessary, because during this helicopter ride you will see all the most beautiful and interesting things that can be seen from the air:
As you see, this aerial tour contains more interesting sites. For example, the island of Thirasia. It is the only inhabited island besides Santorini and is located inside the caldera west of the village of Oia. It was separated from its older sister after a powerful eruption and a strong earthquake recorded more than three thousand years ago.
The schematic route of this aerial tour is shown on the map in the slideshow of photos above.
On this aerial tour we offer a small, bright and beautiful Robinson R44 helicopter to fly over the caldera of Santorini volcano and the islands of Nea Kameni, Palea Kameni and Thirasia. It is a compact helicopter, which, however, accommodates three passengers in addition to the pilot.
The three passenger seats are arranged as follows: one passenger can sit next to the pilot near the windshield and the other two in the second row. The first row seats are located near the almost panoramic windows, and the rear passengers can look not only through them, but also through the side windows. In other words, with either seating arrangement, everyone will have a great view! However, if you plan to take photos or record videos during your Santorini aerial sightseeing tour, we suggest you to take a seat next to the pilot to ensure the widest possible view.
While the helicopter is flying, the cockpit is quite noisy, but you can communicate with each other and the pilot using a microphone and headphones. The cockpit of the helicopter is equipped with special headsets for all participants in the flight.
In 2024 the price of a thirty-minute helicopter sightseeing tour in a Robinson R44 is 1150 euro. This is the price for a helicopter ride (private flight) and it does not depend on the number of people in your group.
No problem, the same route can be repeated in the evening before sunset.
We can arrange it! You can fly over Santorini in a large six-seat Airbus AS 355N helicopter.
Travelling with a large family or group? Contact us in advance and we will do our best to give you the most favourable offer.
Sometimes there are discounts on this trip and it is sold cheaper for our subscribers – follow us on Facebook!
You can book a 30-minute helicopter sightseeing tour over Santorini and Thirasia in a Robinson R44 helicopter online (see “How to book excursions in Santorini”).
Please note that in order to process documents for an aerial excursion over Santorini, our managers will need some additional information about all participants: name and surname (as in the passport or ID), passport or ID number, date of birth, citizenship and weight. If you already have this information, you can write it in the comments field when placing an order. Also don’t forget to take your passports or ID with you – we can check them before boarding the helicopter.
In 2024, a thiry-minute aerial tour in a Robinson R44 helicopter takes place from 20/05 to 10/10. Available days – on a daily basis.
Please note that the tour schedule is subject to change. Changes are extremely rare and usually associated with weather conditions on the island or in the sea. For example, it can be a strong wind, thunderstorm, rain or other force majeure situations. We always try to inform in advance about all changes.
Helicopter tours in Santorini are very popular – sometimes flight bookings start weeks or even months in advance. Please take this into account when planning your holiday on our island.
Please read Cancellation and Refund policy.
In case there are less than 24 hours left before the aerial trip, please book only after agreeing with the manager on availability.
Please note that in order to process documents for an aerial excursion over Santorini, our managers will need some additional information about all participants: name and surname (as in the passport or ID), passport or ID number, date of birth, citizenship and weight. If you already have this information, you can write it in the comments field when placing an order.
You will receive your tickets by email or WhatsApp – whichever is more convenient for you.
Please keep all documents and tickets until the end of the aerial tour!
The Santorini helicopter tour does not include transfers from and to hotels and villas – you can drive to the helipad if you have a rental car. If you wish, we can additionally organize a transfer for you by any type of transport (car or minibus of economy or premium class). Please let us know in advance.
Passport or ID (original or at least a photo on your phone or tablet). Before boarding the helicopter, we can check your documents.
If there is a possibility of motion sickness in transport, then we recommend taking the appropriate pills.
There are no limitations on participation in this aerial tour. If there is a possibility of motion sickness, then we recommend taking the appropriate pills.
Please note that some companies calculate the flight time from the moment the helicopter engine starts until it is switched off. On average these processes take about 7-10 minutes, so the actual flight time may be less than stated. This is not our practice.
When you book a helicopter flight in Santorini with us, the actual flight time is what you have paid for – from take off to landing. All technical procedures are considered outside the time of your flight, do not take up your time and are free of charge to you.
All pilots as well as all personnel on the helipad speak English well.
There are few seats in helicopters, so there are usually just the pilot and you in the cabin. If you wish (and there will be one free seat in the helicopter), then for an additional fee we can offer you a guide who will tell you all the information about the sights during the helicopter aerial tour over Santorini.
Helicopters don’t have a lot of seats, so it’s usually just the pilot and you in the cabin. If you wish (and there will be one free seat in the helicopter), then for an additional fee we can offer you a professional photographer who will take pictures for you both in flight and when boarding the helicopter.
All helicopters for sightseeing flights in Santorini are provided and maintained by an Austrian company which has been in the passenger transport business for decades.
All pilots have years of experience both on islands and offshore as well as in mountainous terrain.
Your safety is guaranteed by an experienced team with a very attentive attitude from weather monitoring to helicopter fleet control and maintenance.
In good windless weather the Robinson R44 is stable and you are unlikely to experience any rocking. In windy conditions, the helicopter may shake or vibrate on take-off and landing, but in flight it behaves smoothly.
Sometimes there are noticeable winds on our island, so take o note of the larger six-seater helicopter. It is much more stable throughout the flight, even in strong winds, and is used for the exact same aerial tour too.
Our team keeps a very close eye on the weather conditions on the island. If the weather is unsuitable for your helicopter flight in Santorini, we will inform you, cancel your flight and reschedule your aerial excursion to a suitable date and time with better weather conditions. If, however, the weather does not improve, we will refund you fully.
Yes, of course. If your hotel has its own helipad, then (for a fee, usually due to hotel policy) our helicopters can land there. However, this is dependent on the hotel and in our experience it is not always available at all times: some hotels do not always maintain their helipads, some hotels do not allow helicopters to land or take off from their helipads at certain times, e.g. early in the morning or late in the evening, etc. You can contact our managers for such details and they will be happy to help arrange everything.
The following is an approximate schedule. The order is a request for the desired departure time. The exact time will be specified in the information provided with your order.
| Flight schedule | |
|---|---|
| 30 minutes | Total duration of the helicopter tour over Santorini and Thirasia |
| 3 minutes | Flying along the caldera cliffs above Thira and north to the village of Oia |
| 2 minutes | Flying over the village of Oia. Turn to the south |
| 10 minutes | Flying over island of Thirasia. Turn to the south in the center of the caldera |
| 10 minutes | Flying south over the volcano and the islands of Nea Kameni and Palea Kameni |
| 2 minutes | Turning north over the Red Beach |
| 3 minutes | Flying over the Akrotiri Peninsula and returning to the helipad |