Car, Bike and Scooter Hire, Santorini Island

2 days is plenty. If I was younger I'd have had a quad bike, which would be a lot cheaper. Although - a car is a good way to get out of the sun, which, ungrateful though I sound, is needed in the middle of the day in July.

30 mins tops from Akrotiri to Oia.

The roads are good enough, although too narrow when you meet a bus. Take your time and be safe - you're on holiday after all!

I am pleased to report that precipices are rare, and those that exist are well guarded by arm-co. Not stressful to drive around this lovely little island.

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This is a must do activity! Santorini is small and beautiful, but it does have some big hills. Rent a scooter and go for it! I only found 2 hills where my passengers had to briefly get off the back. You get there more quickly than the bus, you decide where you stop and for how long, and its fun. There is not much road traffic and visibility and the roads are excellent. You can also get an unspoiled Caldera view (pictured) from areas where there are no tourists.

Enjoy! And wear boots.

A scooter, ATV, or dune buggy is an efficient, fun and cheap way to get around the island during your stay. My wife and I rented an ATV for 3 days for just 40 Euros total. WIth that, we got to any beach, any restaurant we wanted, no waiting for crammed buses, no paying for taxis. It was great.

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In my opinion it's a must to rent a scooter or an atv. You have to have a motorcycle license to rent a scooter, but you are able to rent a 4 wheeler if you have a regular driver's license. The roads in Santorini are pretty narrow, one lane each way. So, sometimes it gets a little bit scary when you are sharing the road with crazy drivers who know the rods like the back of their hand, big trucks and tour buses.
We rented the 4-wheelers for a day and rode them around Santorini, we visited all the beaches, red sand, black sand, etc, and then went wine tasting. There are a lot of wineries in Santorini and they are all very close to one another.

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I think the best thing we did was rent a little car and just drive around from one end of the island to the other end. It was wonderful to see the entire island this way. You can see the different beaches (black sand vs. red sand) and stumble upon an art gallery or roadside shrine. The views from different vantage points are magnificent!

Its possible to hire a Car, Motorbike, Scooter, Quad and what can only be described as a Dune Buggy from all the towns I have mentioned above. You will need your passport and driving licence. If you forget your driving licence, it is still possible with some companys, but will cost you extra for the company to call the Vehicle Licensing agency in your country. I hired a Quad for novelty value, which was fine. The Island is small enough to to drive around completely on one of these. However, for the inexperienced, Quads are quite unstable at speeds over 30 mph and difficult to control. Next time I will definitely be reverting back to my favoured mode of transport, the motorbike/scooter, which are much safer.
As with most Greek islands I have been to, the local drivers are mainly very courteous and careful with the tourists.

Anyone who's anyone on Santorini island hires a quad bike to get around. With a little more grunt than a scooter and cheaper than a car, they're fab for trekking about and having fun. Santorini is a fair sized island and if you wanted to see it all by bus, you would spend a lot of time at bus stops. We hired our bike for 25 euros per day and it was well and truely worth it. Also, if you've never ridden a motorbike before, a quad feels more stable than a scooter, and therefore less scary so you can enjoy the trip, rather than feel nervous all day. Great for bringing supplies back from the supermarket to our hotel, or for sightseeing all over the island from top to bottom.

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Lots of people rent scooters and 4 wheelers in this island. We went to a great place that gave us a map with great places to visit. It's a great way to get around and see lots of Santorini especially some of the lesser traveled places.

Santorini is a small island and can be seen in full in one day as long as you have a car. My husband and I rented a Smart Car and drove from the middle of the island (Imerovigli), to the far tip (Faros)and then all the way around to the complete other far tip (Oia). {Santorini is an island shaped like the letter C with the caldera or active volcano portion of the island in the middle of the C.} The roads are virtually non-existant and aren't very well marked, but if you have a good sense of direction it's not too hard to find your way around by car. Definitely worth doing for a day or two.