A helicopter tour in Santorini by Robinson R44 is an opportunity to see our island from a bird’s-eye view, to look at the steep cliffs and snow-white cities on their edges, to fly directly over the volcano caldera and appreciate its scale. After all, do you remember that we live on a real volcano?
During the summer season we run helicopter tours in Santorini on a daily basis. The basic route of the flight over the island takes about 20 minutes – this is the basic option. It may seem that a 20-minute flight in a helicopter is not a long time at all, but when you fly, it is as if time stops. Moreover, in a 20 minute helicopter sightseeing flight in Santorini you will see almost all the key sights of our island:
The schematic route of this helicopter tour is shown on the map in the photo slideshow above.
The heliport is located practically in the centre of our island, so as soon as you start the helicopter sightseeing tour, the whole of Santorini opens up to your eyes. The first thing you’ll see is the villages and towns of the island, and Santorini will be like a toy – all the white houses and churches with blue domes will be far below.
The next part of the route will take you over the caldera and the dormant volcano Nea Kameni, over which the helicopter will make a full circle. Of course you will also see the pearl of our island, the charming village of Oia on the northwest coast of the island, as well as the south of the island, the area of Akrotiri.
On this aerial tour we offer you a flight in a Robinson R44 helicopter, a small, bright and beautiful aircraft. It is a compact helicopter, which, however, accommodates three passengers in addition to the pilot.
The passenger seats in this helicopter are arranged in two rows. One passenger sits in front by the windshield next to the pilot and two other passengers sit in the second row behind.
During the flight, the cockpit is quite noisy, but you can communicate with each other and with the pilot using the microphone and headphones. The helicopter cabin is equipped with special headsets for all flight participants.
The helicopter has large windows both in front and on the sides, so all passengers are by the windows in all seating arrangements. If you plan to take photos or record videos during this Santorini aerial tour, we suggest that you take a seat next to the pilot. In this case the view will be almost panoramic.
In 2024 the price of a twenty-minute helicopter sightseeing tour in a Robinson R44 is 700 euro. This is the price for a helicopter ride (private flight) and it does not depend on the number of people in your group.
We can arrange it! First of all, check out a sightseeing tour in a similar Robinson R44 helicopter, but with one and a half times longer route.
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.
Sometimes there are discounts on this trip and it is sold cheaper for our subscribers – follow us on Facebook!
You can book a 20-minute helicopter sightseeing tour over Santorini 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 and citizenship. 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 twenty-minute aerial tour in a Robinson R44 helicopter takes place from 20/05 to 10/10. Available days – everyday.
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.
Program at the beginning of the season
ATTENTION: at the very beginning of the summer season (01.04 — 15.05) the program may be changed (rescheduling of dates, times or languages of accompanying). Please check the details you are interested in with the customer care managers before purchasing.
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 and citizenship. 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.
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 | |
|---|---|
| 20 minutes | Total duration of the helicopter tour over Santorini |
| 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 south over the volcano and the island of Nea Kameni |
| 2 minutes | Turning north over the Red Beach |
| 3 minutes | Flying over the Akrotiri Peninsula and returning to the helipad |