What time is sunset in Santorini?

Between 17:04 in mid-December and 20:37 in mid-June, Greek local time. Mid-September is 19:27 and mid-October 18:43. The [sunset time page](/santorini-sunset-time) has every month.

Where is the best place to watch the sunset in Santorini?

Oia, at the island's north-western edge, is the classic spot and the most crowded one. Fira and Imerovigli also face the caldera. From a boat you watch from the water below the cliffs, with no crowd around you.

Is a sunset cruise better than Oia?

It is calmer and you see the cliffs as well as the sun. It costs more: shared sunset catamarans start at $88, while watching from Oia is free. In wind it can also be cold on deck.

Do I need a jacket for a sunset cruise?

Yes. The sunset catamaran, luxury catamaran and small-group listings all tell guests to bring warm clothes for the evening option.

The Santorini Sunset, from Land and from the Water

The sun sets over Santorini between 17:04 in December and 20:37 in June. You can watch it from the clifftop villages, mainly Oia, or from a boat in the caldera below them. Oia is free but packed in summer. A boat costs from $88 per person and gives you the same sky without the crowd.

What time the sun sets

These are computed times for the 15th of each month at Santorini, in Greek local time. They are accurate to within a few minutes.

Month	Sunset	Month	Sunset
January	17:25	July	20:36
February	17:58	August	20:10
March	18:24	September	19:27
April	19:51	October	18:43
May	20:17	November	17:10
June	20:37	December	17:04

The jump between March and April is the clocks going forward, not the sun. Greece moves to summer time on the last Sunday of March and back on the last Sunday of October. The sunset time page adds sunrise, daylight hours and the times sunset cruises leave.

Where to watch it from land

Oia. The village sits on the north-western edge of the island, and sunset viewing is its best-known draw. Wikipedia notes that its narrow paths get congested in the tourist season. Plan to arrive well before sunset if you want a place at the wall.

Fira and Imerovigli. Both sit on the caldera rim further south and look out over the same water. If Oia is full, they are the obvious alternatives.

Ammoudi Bay. The small harbour below Oia is reached by steep stairs. You watch from sea level, with the cliffs above you. Ammoudi Bay has more on getting down there.

The caldera’s cliffs rise about 300 m on three sides, and the basin measures about 12 by 7 km. That height is why the villages give such a wide view.

Is the Oia sunset worth the crowds?

It depends on your tolerance. Reviews of the full-day volcano trip that ends in Oia say it plainly. One calls Oia “manic”, and another says they watched from near the car park. If you want Oia anyway, arrive early. If you do not, pick another spot.

What a boat changes

A sunset cruise puts you on the water below the cliffs as the sun goes down. Three things differ from a terrace.

You see the island as well as the sun. From the water you look up at the villages on the rim. From Oia you are standing in one of them.

The boat can move. In June the sun sets about 30° north of due west. In December it sets about 30° south of west. A terrace has one fixed view. A skipper can point the boat at the sun.

There is no crowd. The sunset catamaran carries up to 50–55 guests. The luxury catamaran carries up to 20, the small-group catamaran 14, and the wooden boat 10. A private boat carries only your group.

The trade-off is the wind. The summer meltemi blows hardest in the afternoon, and evening decks get cool. Every sunset listing we sell tells you to bring warm clothes. One October reviewer of the small-group cruise wrote that they “spent the entire sail in the back and under the covering”. They still rated it five stars.

Which sunset cruise

Cruise	From	Guests	Sunset detail on the listing
Sunset catamaran	$88	50–55	Stays afloat to watch the sun go down; BBQ dinner
Luxury catamaran	$123	20	Stops below Oia for sunset
Small-group catamaran	$145	14	Sails below Oia at sunset
Wooden boat	$112	10	Dinner in the coves of the Black Mountain, then sunset
Volcano, Thirassia and Oia	$64	Large boat	A 12-hour day; you watch the sunset from land in Oia

The sunset catamaran is rated 4.6 on 7,400 reviews of that cruise on GetYourGuide. The small-group cruise is rated 4.83 on 1,564 reviews. One small-group reviewer called the sunset from the water “the best way to experience the Santorini sunset during our trip”. All of these show free cancellation up to 24 hours before on their listings.

If you are torn between morning and evening, day or sunset sets out the differences.

How a sunset cruise fits the clock

Most sunset catamarans run for about 5 hours and are timed to finish just after sunset. One private sunset charter in our data leaves at about 15:00 to 15:30 and returns at about 20:00 to 20:30. The small-group cruise’s sunset slot in mid-April leaves at 14:45. The wooden boat listing says its schedule moves through the season with the sunset time.

Hotel pickup can start about 1.5 hours before departure. In June, with sunset at 20:37 and a cruise that ends just after it, that puts your pickup at around 14:00. Book the cruise and you can skip the evening fight for a spot in Oia.