TOURING SANTORINI: Fira to Oia Hike
While researching Santorini before our trip, I found out about the hike from Fira to Oia.
The hike is almost 7 miles and takes about 3-5 hours. It takes that long because there's photo opportunities all along the way. You know all those really pretty photos of bloggers looking out into the endless blue? If you take this hike, you can hit pretty much all those spots. There's so many beautiful chapels along the way and so many lookouts.
DEETS:
Start early. It takes a while and you do not want the sun baring down on you!
Wear comfortable shoes with grip! Photos don't really display how cobbled the roads are... or how most of the island is actually pebbles that can slip under your feet.
Wear layers... if you go early (which you should do, especially during peak tourism season). Ocean breeze is nippy in the morning (I'm always cold, though) but by the time you're hiking and it's nearer to noon, it's warmer. We went in November, near the start of rainy season and the end of tourist season.
Bring water.
Be extremely careful taking photos. A lot of places that look like photo opportunities are actually the roofs of people's homes. Don't be that tourist.
There's not a lot of bathrooms from Imperovigli to Oia so do your business often and early.
You can literally "walk" some of the hike on Google maps to get a better idea of where you're going.
You aren't going to be traveling on roads shared by cars for most of the trip unless you are in the towns. And you won't be in the towns for a lot of the hike.
If you are ever tempted to hire a donkey, know that the donkeys are not always so well taken care of.
If you take wrong turns within the cities, you can usually find a sign to get you back on track. The signs will point you to each city: Firostefani, Imperogivli and finally, Oia.
The website we referred to for tips before this trip is below in the sources sited! It is a great site with photos that really show the different confusing parts of the hike!
A detour to Skaros rock adds time to your hike. We didn't go all the way out to the rock but we hiked with some rambunctious college-aged traveling buddy/dudes who did and they said it was amazing!
A lot of the walk is steep! At some point you will be literally walking up a tall craggy hill with views of water on both sides of you.
There are more than 600 temples on this 29.42 mile island! To an outsider, each one is typically spectacular.
Handsome doorways and gates are also sweet surprises. Think of an all girl private school with uniforms and the unique way each girl gets around uniformity with accessories. Santorini may have a white and blue dresscode... but little freedoms are found in places like dolphin-carved fences, painted tiles and intricately wrought iron.
You’re going to see a lot of large working-class type dogs along the way. They all seem well kept and we never came across any that seemed unsavory.
You’re going to see a lot of hotels-in-construction with their infinite pools empty and waiting.
The way that the call to prayer sounds around Egypt, bells ring around Santorini to remind you of the presence of the devout.
There's churches of Orthodox and Catholic faith. Icons glimmer everywhere. There's basilica and byzantine crosses.
Oia Castle is the best place to view the sunset (according to many a Santorini native). However, anyone who has been to Santorini can tell you that all you need to do is look towards Oia and out into the ocean to be blown away but the sunset anywhere on Santorini.
A few churches along the trail
Church of St. John the Baptist
Church of Anastasi
St. Gerasimos Christian Church
Betcha' didn't know Santorini is mostly dark-colored volcanic rock!
Our view from Imperovigli to Oia.
Markers on the path! Can you believe they lasted this long? I was overpowered with the thought that so many people from so many places came here to admire creation. We left some stones of our own.
In Oia:
The much photographed (and in my opinion, NOT overrated) view from Oia Castle.
Ekklisia Panagia Platsani
Ekklisia Isodia Theotokou
NOT AN AD: I wore Vionic sandals (Amber in gold cork) because I wasn't going to chance it! I have a twisted pelvis and have chronic pain from it grinding on my sciatic nerve. I was scared it may happen on the trail and if that were the case, I didn't want to make the pain worse with badly fitting shoes. I got these sandals because of their formed, padded bed, shock-absorbency, cleanliness and the ease at which you can adjust and undo all the straps (they are all velcro). It was great on planes and great for hikes. They looked cute and still dressy enough to wear with a cute dress! When you're a fashion geek on a budget, traveling 5 countries, versatility is the best for packing!
Sources
https://santorinidave.com/fira-oia-hike
https://www.santorini-view.com/santorini-churches/
