“Must Do” - Hike Fira to Oia

July 06, 2021

“Must Do” - Hike Fira to Oia

For our first morning in Santorini we found a delicious coffee joint called "Coffee Island". It must be good because it was mostly locals. I think it is a chain from Athens. For breakfast we tried a bunch of Greek delights from a bakery called Erotokritos; everyone was happy with their choice pastry.

Our main plan for the day was to hike/walk the path from Fira to Oia. On any website about Santorini I read repeatedly, "If there's one thing that you absolutely have to do in Santorini, it's hiking 6 miles (3-5 hours) from Fira to Oia." The trail along the cliffs takes you through the local villages and offers breathtaking views of the caldera and surrounding islands of Santorini. With nothing else to do, we were in no hurry. Talking to a local before we even made it out of Fira we were warned, "it's hot, make sure you have lots of water." I really enjoyed walking through the towns and seeing the varying views. It is the exact type of thing Greg and I look to do when we travel. If you decide to do it during a summer month, it is worth it but know it isn't a walk in the park. Flip flops have no business here.

Tips: You can hike the trail in either direction but starting in Fira to have the views towards Oia is more appealing. Bring plenty of water - the first half you have lots of stores to buy it but the last half there is not a single drop anywhere. If you are staying in Oia, take a taxi or bus to Fira first to start the hike there so you do not have to deal with catching a ride back when you're done and exhausted.

Wait - how long is this?

"This is cool" - Jeremy

Don't miss this view particularly in the summer when the bouganvilla is in bloom! This is in the village of Imerovigli (where the rock formation juts out into the sea). You have to take a small detour off the main path. You are looking for the blue dome which is Anastasi Orthodox Church.

Along the trail are many resorts overlooking the water.

After the villages end, the trail is no longer paved and turns first to light gravel (before the really unpleasant black lava gravel begins).

As the day wore on and the heat grew more intense, and the path turned uphill transitioning from a walk to a hike - no longer a paved trail, now just dirt and blazing black lava gravel with no shade - at this point you're not going to complain when you reach the end. Kate has decided that she is going to rewrite every blog that says this is a must-do - at least if it is over 78 degrees. For reference, it was 81 degrees at noon.

Greg announced this caption as "last shade for two hours".

Here we are looking towards Oia (the top tip of the island covered in white dwellings) and realizing we're only half way. At this point, it is obvious there won't be any more shade, and you're trying to figure out how you are going to climb over that big mountain between you and Oia. Your view is no longer varied, and the trail actually leaves the cliff for the duration.

In Oia we rewarded ourselves with food and beer before catching the bus back to Fira. We didn't have the energy for anything else, or the need to explore the place we would be spending the following 2 days.

We made it To Oia !

The hike makes you thirsty.

Our evening was one of those unexpected highlights that you can't plan and never forget. I had made front row reservations at PK Cocktail Bar on the cliff of Fira to watch the sunset. We sat there in paradise enjoying our fancy mixed drinks, each other's company, and the sun setting the horizon ablaze.