In the months leading up to our trip to Greece I kept hearing that the hike from Fira to Oia should be on my list of things to do while in Santorini. I started to do a bit of research and found out the following:
- It is a 10km hike, depending on where you start in Fira and where you end in Oia
- The hike can be completed in 3-4 hours, depending on how many times you stop to take pictures or stop to take a break
- Can be completed by anyone who is fairly active
I quickly decided it was something I wanted to do and added it to our list of activities. I consider both my fiancé and myself to be fairly active people. I play soccer and volleyball every week and I also ref soccer 1-2 times a week and my fiancé is a retired Canadian Forces veteran, so for him this should be a bit easier then some of the 35km ruck marches he used to have to complete, while carrying 50 pounds when he was in the military.
I’m not going to lie, I STRUGGLED with the hike! It was definitely a beautiful hike with some of the most incredible views I’ve ever seen, but it was hard. There are two large mountains you have to hike up and down that are also quite dangerous and definitely tested my limits. But, I made sure to keep hydrated, energized and took breaks along the way and was able to finish the hike and I am so happy that I did.
Tips:
- Start your hike early! The earlier you start the hike the better, as it gets quite hot pretty early on.
- Drink lots of water!
- Bring snacks!
- Wear a good pair of shoes or hiking boots.
- Wear sunscreen and a hat
- When in doubt, stay left!
This proved to be helpful many times throughout the hike. There are a few places you can stop at along the way for snacks and water but for about the last hour of the hike there is absolutely nothing until you reach Oia. We made sure to hit the supermarket before the hike to stock up on fresh fruit and nuts. I wished we had picked up a few energy bars or granola bars for the hike, as they would have given us that extra boost of energy that I definitely needed.
This hike also is not for people who are faint of heart. The terrain can be pretty rough in spots especially coming down the mountains and for most of the hike there isn’t anything stopping you from falling so definitely make sure to be careful and take your time!
We were staying at the Loizos Stylish Residences so that is where we started the hike from but you can certainly start from anywhere in Fira. Start by following the blue steps to the cable car museum. Once you arrive at the cable car museum, stay left. We encountered a roadblock around the Three Bells of Fira. Unfortunately, the road was closed due to what looked like it washing out so we had to turn back and go right. This definitely put us behind schedule as I was determined to get a photo of the bells and still had to figure out how to get back on the right path.
We ended up in a parking lot with what looked to be an abandoned stone building. We went up through the alley and stayed left and somehow ended up in a parking lot overlooking the Three Bells of Fira.
We still weren’t able to get back on the right path and had to continue down through a parking lot. We continued to stay left and eventually were back on track. You will come across many hikers trying to figure out the same trail as you and thankfully once you navigate your way through Fira, helpful signs will begin to appear keeping you on the right path.
Once you get through Fira you will come up to the Skaros Rock detour. This detour will add approximately an hour to your hike. We opted not to do the detour as the terrain looked pretty rough and I was pretty focused on getting through the hike.
We continued on the path following the signs to Oia. The next major landmark that comes up is a beautiful church, Ekklisia Profitis Ilias. This was one of the many places we stopped to take a break and was a great opportunity for a photo op!
After this church the terrain becomes quite dangerous due to the rock and loose gravel/sand coming down the mountain. Be very careful coming down as the path is quite narrow and because of the terrain it can be very easy to slip.
Once you reach the bottom you will have to walk on the road for a few minutes. Make sure to be careful of the traffic as everyone drives quite fast in Greece. You will come up to a small snack shop that sells drinks and some snacks, which you can stop at to refuel. Keep in mind that this will be the last place to stop for snacks or water before getting to Oia so if you are running low on water make sure you stop.
After the snack shop you will stay left and start your climb up again. You are approximately 1-1.5 hours from Oia (depending on your destination in Oia). At this point it was about 11:30 and definitely starting to get hotter and hotter. As I said earlier in my post, it would have been great if we could have started a bit earlier or if we didn’t get detoured around the Bells of Fira so that we could have made it to Oia before noon.
Once we arrived in Oia, we headed straight for Pito Gyros to get some lunch and take a break! It was pretty busy there but thankfully we came at the right time and did not have to wait very long to get a table! After lunch we continued to explore Oia checking out all of the different stores and views that Oia has to offer.
As we were pretty tired and just wanted to get back to our hotel we decided to take a taxi back.. We bargained with the driver and managed to get a ride back to Fira for 20€ but we could have taken the bus for 1.80€ each.
Although the hike was difficult and I felt pretty unprepared for the hike, I am so happy that we did it and were able to complete it. Santorini is truly a beautiful island and I loved getting to explore the island this way and appreciate all of the beautiful views this hike has to offer.
