Two things catch families out at Santorini Airport (JTR): neither the taxis nor the public buses carry child car seats, and the terminal is small, short on seating, and slow at security in summer. The practical answer for 2026 is to pre-book a transfer with a car seat and to give yourselves more time than a couple travelling light would. Everything else about arriving or leaving with children follows from those two facts.
Do taxis and buses in Santorini have child car seats?
No, not as standard. Greek law requires a suitable restraint for children under 12 or shorter than 135 cm in private cars, but taxis are exempt: a child under three may legally ride in the back of a taxi without a seat. Legal is not the same as safe, and most island taxis carry no seat at all unless you arrange one in advance. The KTEL airport buses have no child seats either, and no dedicated space for a stroller, so a lap-held toddler on a full summer bus is the usual reality.
This is where a pre-booked airport transfer earns its place for families. Booking ahead through GetTransfer lets you request a car seat or booster for the right age and a vehicle large enough for the pushchair and the suitcases, with a driver waiting at arrivals rather than a scramble at the rank. Confirm the seat when you book, because it is fitted to your request and not kept on every car.
Getting your family from the airport
Ranked for travelling with young children and luggage:
- Private transfer: door to door, a requested car seat, room for the buggy, and a fixed price agreed before you land. The calmest option with tired children after a flight.
- Taxi: quick to Fira, but the island runs only around 40 cabs, so the rank can empty in peak season, and there is no child seat. See our airport taxi guide for fares and the wait.
- KTEL bus: the cheapest at a couple of euros a head, with luggage stowed below and above the seats, but no seat for a child and standing room only when it is busy. Our airport bus timetable has the real hours.
For a family of four with cases and a pushchair, the transfer usually works out close to the taxi once you would have split across two cabs anyway, and it removes the seat problem entirely. When you land, the walk from the aircraft to the terminal is often across the apron rather than through a jet bridge, so a baby carrier is handier than a stroller for those first minutes, especially if you gate-checked the buggy and collect it at the aircraft steps or the reclaim belt. Non-EU families then pass passport control, where the biometric EES checks now add time, before reaching baggage reclaim and the exit. Having a driver waiting outside means one less queue to manage with restless children and a trolley of bags.
What is Santorini Airport like with young children?
Manage expectations before you arrive. JTR is a single small terminal that handles far more summer passengers than it was built for, so seating is limited and in the busy hours families end up standing or sitting on cases. There is a duty-free shop and a few cafes, but facilities are basic and change tables are not something to count on. The airport's own site, jtr-airport.gr, lists the current shops and services.
Two points matter with children on the way out. A folded stroller goes through the x-ray like any other item, so plan to lift the baby out and collapse the buggy at the security belt. And once you pass security there is no way back out to the main hall, so buy snacks, water and anything the children need before the checkpoint. Our guide to eating at Santorini Airport covers what is open on each side, which matters when an early flight means the cafes airside may not be serving yet.
How early should a family arrive?
Take the upper end of the normal advice. Children slow the security line, a stroller needs its own screening, and the queue at JTR is where families lose their buffer. For a domestic flight to Athens in summer, aim for two and a half hours; for an international departure, three or more. Non-EU passengers should read our EES guide as well, since the exit checks add another step at passport control. Our full breakdown of how early to arrive at Santorini Airport explains why the queue, not the check-in desk, sets the clock. Arriving with time to spare also means you can find seats and settle the children before boarding, rather than standing in a crowd.
Early-morning and late-night flights with kids
Many Santorini flights leave in the 05:00 to 08:00 bank or land late at night. For an early departure a pre-booked transfer matters more than ever, because the first KTEL buses do not run early enough, and a sleeping child plus a fixed pickup time is far less stressful than hunting for a taxi at dawn. For a late arrival, arrange the ride in advance too, since the rank can be empty when a delayed flight lands after midnight and the buses have stopped. The official KTEL Santorini timetable is worth checking against your flight so you know whether the bus is even running when you travel. Pack a small bag of snacks, a change of clothes and any medicine in your cabin luggage, because checked bags and the walk out can take a while with a tired family.
