Do Santorini Wine Tours Run in Winter?

Tours that stop for the winter

Our picks for a winter visit

A private tour for most visitors

The Santorini: Guided Wineries Private Tour with Wine Tastings costs $189 per person, holds a 4.99/5 rating from 43 reviews and has a November 2025 review from a guest who “Loved the Wine Museum.” The price is per person, not per vehicle, so a couple pays $378. Because the Wine Museum is on the route, one stop is open all winter regardless of which estates have closed. Ask the operator which other two wineries are open on your date.

For three or more people, compare it with the Santorini: 5-Hour Private Wine Tour, which is priced at $669 per group (4.93/5 from 29 reviews): for a group of four that works out at about $167 each, against $189 each on the per-person tour. Book the per-person tour as a couple and the per-group tour from four people up.

A shared tour, if your date shows on the calendar

The Santorini: Wine Tour with Sunset in Oia ($133 per person, 4.46/5 from 224 reviews) is the one shared tour we know of that has listed a winter schedule, with an earlier start and stops at Hatzidakis and the Wine Museum, both of which open in winter. Its rating is lower than the dedicated tasting tours because it splits the afternoon between wine and Oia. We could not confirm this winter’s schedule, so check the calendar for your dates.

The Santorini: Wine Tasting Tour to 3 Wineries with Transfer ($139 per person, 4.74/5 from 492 reviews) does not state a season. Its route includes Venetsanos, which closes from December 22 to January 7, so ask what replaces it over the holidays.

For a rainy day

The Koutsoyannopoulos Wine Museum runs through a natural cave eight meters underground and opens all winter: Monday to Saturday 9 am to 5 pm, Sunday from 10 am, with last entry an hour before closing. The Vothonas: Wine Museum Ticket with Tastings and Audio Guide costs $33 (4.77/5 from 425 reviews) and includes the tasting and the audio guide. Add Santo Wines’ indoor tasting room for a fully covered afternoon.

Without a tour

Santo Wines, the Wine Museum and Estate Argyros are a short taxi ride apart around Pyrgos, Vothonas and Episkopi Gonia, and all three open in winter. Estate Argyros lists a €25 Welcome tasting (about 45 minutes, four wines with a platter) and “Taste the real Santorini” at €40 (about 1 hour 15 minutes, six wines with food). The hours and appointment rules for each winery, and a one-day route, are on our winter wineries page.

For cruise passengers

Very few cruise ships call in winter. If yours does, book a private tour with pickup at the Fira cable car, since there may be no shared tour to fall back on. Allow about 90 minutes after your ship arrives for tendering and the cable car, stick to wineries near Fira (Santo Wines, the Wine Museum, Estate Argyros), and ask for a return time well before all-aboard. A listing with free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead is safer than a stricter operator-direct policy if the tender is called off.

How a winter tour differs from a summer one

• Different wineries. Summer stops such as Gavalas, Gaia and Sigalas close for the winter, and tours swap in Santo Wines, Estate Argyros, the Wine Museum, Hatzidakis or Venetsanos. “Subject to availability” in an itinerary means exactly this.
• Earlier days. Mid-month sunset is about 5:11 pm in November, 5:04 pm in December, 5:25 pm in January and 5:58 pm in February, so a winter sunset tour starts in the early afternoon.
• Cooler cellars. Many tasting rooms are cellars or caves that stay cool all year, so bring a warm layer.
• More private, less shared. Shared tours may not reach their minimum number of guests. GetYourGuide listings usually offer a different date or a full refund when that happens.
• Weather clauses. Many listings say the tour “requires good weather” and offer a new date or a full refund if it is cancelled for weather.
• Fewer people. In the quiet months you are often the only guests at a cellar door.

What winter tours cost compared with summer

• Shared seats are harder to find in winter. On GetYourGuide, the shared three-winery tours cost from $133 to $195 per person.
• Private tours are priced per person on some listings and per group on others: $189 per person on the private wineries tour, or $669 per group on the 5-hour private tour.
• We found no published winter surcharge. The extra cost in winter comes from booking a private tour when no shared seat runs.
• The cheapest winter tasting is the $33 Wine Museum ticket, plus a taxi.

Our Santorini wine tour prices guide breaks the price brackets down further.

Christmas, New Year and Epiphany

• December 25 and 26, January 1 and January 6 are Greek public holidays. Expect most wineries to close.
• Venetsanos closes from December 22 to January 7.
• Hatzidakis opens Tuesday to Saturday only and publishes no holiday closures, so ask.
• Santo Wines is the likeliest to open on holiday dates because it opens all year, but confirm by phone.
• Book your tour for December 27–30 or January 2–5, and ask the operator to confirm each winery in writing.

The full holiday list, with Clean Monday 2027, is on our winter wineries page.

How to check winter availability on GetYourGuide

1. Open the listing and pick your exact date in the availability box. Many listings state no season in the description.
2. Look for named start times. If no times appear for any date in December, the tour is not running then.
3. Read the itinerary for “subject to availability”. In winter it means the operator will swap wineries.
4. Read the cancellation box. GetYourGuide listings commonly allow free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead; operator-direct policies are often stricter.
5. Look for a minimum-number clause (“This experience requires a minimum number of travelers”).
6. Sort reviews by date and look for entries from November to February.
7. Message the operator through the platform before paying.

What to ask the operator before booking

Copy and paste this:

“We’d like to book on [date] for [number] people. (1) Will the tour run on that date, or does it need a minimum number of guests? (2) Which three wineries will we visit, and are they open that day? (3) What time will we finish compared with sunset? (4) If rain or wind changes the plan, do we get a full refund or a new date? (5) Is the price per person or per group, and does it include all tasting fees?”

If a shared tour does not reach its minimum

You are usually offered another date, an upgrade to a private tour (sometimes at extra cost) or a full refund. Book the shared tour with free cancellation, and line up a private back-up 48 hours before your date.

Rain and wind

Wine tours run by road, so they are much less sensitive to weather than boat trips. In winter:

• Rain: the tour normally goes ahead, with less vineyard walking and more cellar time. The Wine Museum is entirely underground.
• Wind: it rarely stops a road tour, but it can close outdoor caldera terraces.
• Catamaran and sailing wine cruises do not run as scheduled departures in winter; private charters depend on the weather on the day.

Tipping a wine tour guide

Tipping is appreciated in Greece but not expected. If you tip, give cash to the guide at the end; a little more for a private half-day than for a shared tour, and a separate amount for the driver if there is one.

A winery day without a tour

In winter it is a good option, because the wineries that stay open sit close together in the center of the island. A four-hour route of the Wine Museum, Estate Argyros and Santo Wines for sunset works on most days; the full route, with Hatzidakis on weekdays, is on our winter wineries page. Use a taxi, a pre-booked driver or the KTEL bus to Pyrgos, and check the reduced winter bus timetable first. Do not drive after tasting: Greece’s limit is 0.5 g/l of blood alcohol, and 0.2 g/l for new drivers, professional drivers and motorcyclists.

Frequently asked questions

Do Santorini wine tours run in winter?

Yes, but far fewer. Most shared small-group tours run only from April or May to October or November, and from December to February most tours are private. At least one shared tour has listed a winter schedule, so check the calendar for your dates.

Can I do a Santorini wine tour in November?

Yes. November is the easiest winter month: some operators run until early or late November, and private tours take November dates.

Can I do a Santorini wine tour in December?

Yes, most likely as a private tour. Avoid December 22 to January 7 if Venetsanos is on the itinerary, and check the holiday dates (December 25 and 26, January 1).

Can I do a Santorini wine tour in January or February?

Yes, privately. Build the day around Santo Wines, Estate Argyros, the Wine Museum and Hatzidakis (Tuesday to Saturday, by appointment). Our winter wineries page lists who else opens.

How much does a private winter wine tour cost?

On GetYourGuide, $189 per person for the private wineries tour, or $669 per group for the 5-hour private tour, which works out cheaper per head from about four people.

What time is sunset in Santorini in winter?

Mid-month, about 5:11 pm in November, 5:04 pm in December, 5:25 pm in January and 5:58 pm in February.

Is there a winter sunset wine tour?

The Wine Tour with Sunset in Oia has listed a winter schedule with an earlier start; check its calendar for your dates. Otherwise, book a private tour that ends at Santo Wines, which is open all year on the caldera, starting in the early afternoon.

Is the Small-Group Sunset Wine Tour with Santo Winery available in winter?

No. That tour runs from May to October.