Santorini, Greece - Hike from Fira to Oia
We woke up on Day 1 in Santorini ready for our hike to Oia. We fueled up at our favorite breakfast joint and then walked straight towards the Aegean Sea. We went past some of the shops in Fira and stepped out to an incredibly breathtaking view.
We turned right and headed up a few sets of stairs made of cut stone. While hiking in and out of different shop fronts and villas, we continued stopping in awe of our surroundings. We had arrived the night before without being able to see all of the amazing sights of the island so, other than photos and other travel blogs, this was our first time we could see the unbelievable views with our own eyes. At this point, climbing the stairs in 85°F (30°C) heat was already starting to wear on us but the views surrounding us were too unbelievable to let it deter us. We heard something coming around the corner and realized that the sounds we heard were donkeys.
Once again, the view was breathtaking.
At this point, we were in Firostefani and looking back on Fira, where we had just come from. We had climbed up and up multiple flights of stairs but how could you not enjoy this hike. We continued on through the stone walkway, in and out of villas, but we had to stop often to catch our breath and wipe the sweat from our brows. We continued to Imerovigli, which lay both in front of us and above us. We wanted to take a quick break to grab a beer and a cold drink for the hike.
We were able to see the large rock Skaros. Once a fortress that offered protection from pirates, Skaros is about an hour detour on a side trail when you take pictures.
After our beer, we bought an iced tea to bring with us on the hike! There were some rock stairs on this path but there was also a lot of loose rock and steep paths on this part of the trail. I would highly recommend bringing a pair of good hiking shoes or something with good grip. Britt and I did this with shoes without great grip and we were sliding a lot.
The hike out to Skaros felt more like a real hike with a bit more challenge. The pathway still had some stone staircases that were helpful in heading all the way down to the far side of Skaros to a small church. The church was beautiful and felt like it was in a different world. You could see Oia off in the distance from the church. Our destination at the end of our hike.
The walk down the trail to the church was down a very long flight of stairs. As we walked down them I joked that we were going to have to come back up this incredible amount of stairs. We trudged back up the steps to the top, stopping a few times to catch our breath. I guess the beer before the hike down wasn't the best decision. When we got up, we noticed a path up to what we figured was the top of the rock. We tried climbing all of the way up and got stopped at more of a rock climb than a hike. I started heading up one route and I froze. I noticed that I was on a rock that was only wedged between two other rocks and, from what thought I saw, I was hanging over the ocean. I got down low, took a couple of photos, and turned right around. I wish heights didn't bother me as much as they do but I was unable to make it to the top. Probably a good choice with the shoes we were wearing.
When we got back up, we grabbed a beer and some waters and headed up to Imerovigli. It was yet another beautiful village on Santorini and, I thought, the most photogenic. When you're there, you have a 360 degree view of most of the island. Instead of telling you, I should just show you.
Like I said, beautiful village. After Imerovigli, the hike started to get a bit more challenging and went onto dirt paths instead of the stone paved walkways through the villages. At this point, we want to reiterate, wear good hiking shoes with traction. We were able to get through it but some of the higher spots had loose rocks under your feet and we would've been better off with hiking shoes or just shoes with better traction.
This part of the hike was really different from the first part and what I had thought it would be like. There were little lizards that looked like geckos throughout the hike and tons of them in this part of the trail! The trail goes onto the road a couple of times and then back up into the mountains. It is a beautiful journey as you're headed into Oia. You can see so much around you and how far Oia is off in the distance. It was a tough hike too. There were a few challenging spots where you had to make sure you had good footing before proceeding. There were a few places in this stretch with a few hotels, houses, or shops. We would also make sure you have a liter or two of water with you because there were not many places to buy water on this part of the hike. Stay hydrated! Especially when it's 85°F (30°C).
Once again, the view was breathtaking.
At this point, we were in Firostefani and looking back on Fira, where we had just come from. We had climbed up and up multiple flights of stairs but how could you not enjoy this hike. We continued on through the stone walkway, in and out of villas, but we had to stop often to catch our breath and wipe the sweat from our brows. We continued to Imerovigli, which lay both in front of us and above us. We wanted to take a quick break to grab a beer and a cold drink for the hike.
We were able to see the large rock Skaros. Once a fortress that offered protection from pirates, Skaros is about an hour detour on a side trail when you take pictures.
After our beer, we bought an iced tea to bring with us on the hike! There were some rock stairs on this path but there was also a lot of loose rock and steep paths on this part of the trail. I would highly recommend bringing a pair of good hiking shoes or something with good grip. Britt and I did this with shoes without great grip and we were sliding a lot.
The hike out to Skaros felt more like a real hike with a bit more challenge. The pathway still had some stone staircases that were helpful in heading all the way down to the far side of Skaros to a small church. The church was beautiful and felt like it was in a different world. You could see Oia off in the distance from the church. Our destination at the end of our hike.
The walk down the trail to the church was down a very long flight of stairs. As we walked down them I joked that we were going to have to come back up this incredible amount of stairs. We trudged back up the steps to the top, stopping a few times to catch our breath. I guess the beer before the hike down wasn't the best decision. When we got up, we noticed a path up to what we figured was the top of the rock. We tried climbing all of the way up and got stopped at more of a rock climb than a hike. I started heading up one route and I froze. I noticed that I was on a rock that was only wedged between two other rocks and, from what thought I saw, I was hanging over the ocean. I got down low, took a couple of photos, and turned right around. I wish heights didn't bother me as much as they do but I was unable to make it to the top. Probably a good choice with the shoes we were wearing.
When we got back up, we grabbed a beer and some waters and headed up to Imerovigli. It was yet another beautiful village on Santorini and, I thought, the most photogenic. When you're there, you have a 360 degree view of most of the island. Instead of telling you, I should just show you.
Like I said, beautiful village. After Imerovigli, the hike started to get a bit more challenging and went onto dirt paths instead of the stone paved walkways through the villages. At this point, we want to reiterate, wear good hiking shoes with traction. We were able to get through it but some of the higher spots had loose rocks under your feet and we would've been better off with hiking shoes or just shoes with better traction.
This part of the hike was really different from the first part and what I had thought it would be like. There were little lizards that looked like geckos throughout the hike and tons of them in this part of the trail! The trail goes onto the road a couple of times and then back up into the mountains. It is a beautiful journey as you're headed into Oia. You can see so much around you and how far Oia is off in the distance. It was a tough hike too. There were a few challenging spots where you had to make sure you had good footing before proceeding. There were a few places in this stretch with a few hotels, houses, or shops. We would also make sure you have a liter or two of water with you because there were not many places to buy water on this part of the hike. Stay hydrated! Especially when it's 85°F (30°C).
After about another hour, we started heading down towards Oia. We were excited to have finished the journey! We were ready to get some food and drinks and enjoy the sunset! We love that there is a pathway from Fira to Oia and we had a great time hiking it. We would have definitely worn better shoes and applied a bit more sunscreen! We would definitely recommend this for anyone who wants to see a lot of Santorini in about 5-6 hours. (If you stop, have a beer, take pictures, and enjoy yourself) We hope you enjoyed following our journey and let us know if you have any questions about the hike!
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