Planning to hike from Fira to Oia (or vice versa)? Excellent choice. We did it this year and our practical guide has everything you need to know to plan perfectly for the trail!

Santorini was born of fire.

Over three thousand years ago, a volcano wiped out a civilisation on neighbouring Crete, spewed ash as far as Greenland, and is thought to have directly caused a two-year volcanic winter.

Known as the Minoan Eruption, with a ferocity 100 times more powerful than that which buried Pompeii, it caused the centre of the volcanic island to collapse into the sea, cracking it from a single whole into three separate islands of Thera, Thirasia and Aspronisi.

From this hollowed out core - known as the caldera - the beautifully steep, sharp edges of Santorini’s crescent-shaped western side were hewn. Home to stunning whitewashed villages, blue-dome churches, and boutique accommodation, most visitor's days are shaped by its contours, and appreciating it from the water, a luxury sailing trip, the skies, a private pool, or a special sunset spot.

For us though, the very best way to marvel at Santorini's famous caldera and get your head around its dramatic volcanic origins, is the Fira to Oia hike.

A smidge over 10kms one-way, it will bring you through the most famous and photogenic whitewashed villages, streets, blue dome churches and viewpoints on the island, as well as several which are much more off-the-beaten track. The hike, which can be done in a couple of hours or spread out for a whole morning, will also change your perspective on Santorini.

At times, completely on our own, we couldn’t quite believe where we were.

Connecting two of the most photogenic and popular destinations on the island, heading out on this coastal trail is, without a doubt, one of the best things to do in Santorini! Indeed, on an island famous for its luxury credentials and stylish boutique accommodation, there's something heartening that the experience most travellers come away holding closest to their hearts remains relatively wild, overgrown, and totally free.

It’s also a realistic, achievable activity for kids and those who don’t hike all the time.

In this guide, we've shared all the essentials to help you plan perfectly for the Fira to Oia hike. Alongside our personal advice to make the experience go well, you'll also find tips on alternative start points and not getting lost, transport connections, the best viewpoints and rest stops, a bonus secret swimming spot, and the most important fact about your suncream placement.

This is our guide to the Fira to Oia hike in Santorini, with everything you need to know before you go.

Fira To Oia Hike | The Essentials

Start / On Mitropoleos Street in Fira, the capital of Santorini (Google Maps)

End / The Castle of Oia - here on Google Maps

Alternative / You can do the trail in reverse but there are differences

Distance / 10.5 km (6.5 miles) point to point - most people do one-way then take a bus/taxi

Time / 3-5 hours depending on pace, preference, and stops - we suggest a half-day

Elevation / Gain is 326m - some gradual inclines but trail is mostly flat

Terrain / Dusty and gravel trail, but some sections on street and road

Difficulty / Easy. Moderate fitness required, with summer heat the biggest challenge

When / Year-round, but start early-ish or later in the afternoon to avoid peak heat

Transport / Public bus, taxi, or a combination of a rental car and the bus.

Wear / Loose sports or hiking clothing and trainers - no flip-flips or sandals

Bring / Cash, water, suncream, swimsuit, hat, phone and battery pack

Stop / Several opportunities for snacks, drinks or lunch on trail, as well as optional detours

Map / Trail is well sign-posted, but we recommend using this downloadable map on AllTrails

Guide / We did the Fira Oia hike independently, and that’s what this guide will help you prep for. If you’d prefer to join a small-group though, this guided hike option is highly-rated

How To Hike From Fira to Oia in Santorini

We’ve curated a step-by-step overview of the trail in the next section, but the truth is that it’s really quite straightforward once you’re on it.

Therefore, we first want to cover the two most important logistical points that you’ll need to sort out for your own day on the Fira to Oia hike: your start point and your transport.

These are particularly important if you have a limited time on the island, staying in a certain town, or plan on doing another activity before or after your hike.

Fira to Oia, or Oia to Fira?

Fira to Oia is the most common direction of travel, but whether you start in Fira or Oia won’t make a huge difference to your walking experience. It’s the same trail, the ups and downs balance out, and you will enjoy the same stops and viewpoints along the way. If you begin in Fira, you’re on the flat for quite a while so can ease yourself in, but from Oia you’ll have a gradual incline to start the day and then another steep-ish one soon after on a very volcanic section.

We’d suggest that having the stunning Oia as your lodestar and endpoint (with the option for a secret swimming spot in Ammoudi Bay) is more appealing than the transport hub town of Fira, which we don’t like. A few simple rules of thumb to determine where you should start are:

· If your hotel or Airbnb is based in Fira, then you should start there.

· If you’re going to be based in Oia, then you can start there but the more convenient and enjoyable option will be taking the bus to Fira, starting there, and then finishing the walk up back at your place (ideally with a plunge pool to jump straight into as you’ll be a hot, sweaty mess!)

· It’s worth mentioning that the Fira to Oia trail passes through Firostefani and Imerovigli, which several of you may be staying in. From Firostefani, you should just join it here. From Imerovigli, you can choose to:

1. do the section to Oia and/or the section to Fira as standalone one-way or roundtrip walks or;

2. take transport to Fira, walk to Oia, and bus or walk back to Imerovigli

We walked from Fira to Oia and so, that’s the route to which we’ll be referring in the next section.

Onward & Outward Transport

The vast majority of travellers will only do this hike one-way, meaning that a bus, taxi, or transfer is required at the end.

We had a rental car for our week in Santorini, so opted to travel from our apartment in Pyrgos, park up in Fira (the best free car park to go for is here on Google Maps), walk the trail, and then catch the public bus back from Oia to Fira for €1.60 each.

If you don’t plan on renting a car, then you should take the public bus or a taxi from your base to Fira For the return journey from Oia, you can choose from the following options:

1. Take the regular public bus back to Fira, then connect at the station there if you’re travelling / staying somewhere else on the island

2. Take a taxi or Uber back from Oia, but this is an expensive option

3. Take a water taxi from Ammoudi Bay - also an expensive option

4. Book yourself on a Santorini tour starting in Oia that afternoon - but just give yourself enough time to ensure you can align times!

For more advice on navigating the buses and taxis on the island, check out this explainer post: How To Get Around Santorini

If you’re concerned about the temperatures or your ability to complete the hike, then it’s worth knowing that there are a few bus stops along the route if you need to cut things short and go home.

Alternatively, if you won’t be renting a car or have limited time in Santorini, you may be better joining one of two highly rated small-group tours for the caldera hike. The main benefit is that they include hotel pick-up and drop-off, so remove the need to think about logistics or waste time waiting for the buses and connections.

Plan / If you want explore a lot of Santorini independently, then we recommend renting a car for a few days. We nabbed a Fiat Panda for £89 for the week on Rentalcars.com, and we recommend looking + booking there to check rates and availability. AutoEurope is another good option.

For more tips and insights, read 7 Things To Know Before Driving in Santorini (published soon)

The Hiking Route + Viewpoints

Right, now that the logistics are taken care of, we can share the route and highlights of the hike!

The trail involves a few ups and downs, but nothing that should pose concern for anyone of the most basic level of fitness. Most is along flat trail, path or steps, but some sections do involve loose lava stone or pebbles, so require a little more attention.

The route is largely signposted with a combination of the standard red waymarker signs used for all Santorini hiking as well as some handmade indicators. However, once you’ve found the start point, it’s basically ‘follow the sea’ and the curve of the caldera for the most part from Fira to Oia, with only one area where you have to go on the road for a few minutes before rejoining the trail.

To help you plan ahead, we’ve split the route descriptions below into 4 x 2.5km sections and included Google Maps links for key landmarks or points; you can also find the whole route profile, a downloadable map, and step-by-step instructions here on AllTrails.

The timings we’ve included below are very loose as this is an experience not a race; there are gorgeous views along the way, so it’s best to give yourself longer than you think. With many stops for photos along the way, a few detours, and a slow pace, we took just under four hours to cover the 10.5km. You could easily do it in two hours, but the point of the Fira to Oia hike is savouring it rather than rushing through, and we suggest setting aside a half-day for the activity.

SEction one | Fira to Imerovigli

There are a few different suggestions for the ‘official’ start point, but to avoid confusion, we suggest everyone makes their way to the Cathedral of Thira (here on Google Maps).

It’s a three-minute walk away from Fira bus station (maps) via Mitropoleos Street, or two minutes from our suggested free car park (maps).

With the sea on your left hand side, walk along and through the narrow shopping street, following signs for the toward the cable car (maps). Pass the cable car overlook - no point going down - and reach a cafe called Volcan On The Rocks (maps)

Continue along the coastline - stopping to admire the Three Bells of Fira - and pass through Firostefani (which is really just a hotel extension of Fira with a different name to make it seem like it’s not). Shortly after, you’ll pass a cool little place called Pink Sophia Maria (maps) which does good coffee and juices.

It’s a relatively rustic section of trail before you arrive in the whitewashed village of Imerovigli (maps). It’s a beautiful setting with lots of exclusive hotels and pretty streets, so if this is your only stop in the village, we recommend taking a some time to explore.

On our hike, certain photo spots and viewpoints there were packed with multicoloured flying dress photoshoot groups, which was a bit surreal.

After leaving the pretty hotel street of Imerovigli, you’ll come out on to dust and stone trail with wildflowers and several set-apart, boutique caldera hotels & resorts, including Andronis, The Divine Cave, Rocabella, and NOBU)

Continue along the path, and there’s a fork in the road where people get confused (including us).

Distance + Time / 2.4km, 45 minutes

Travel Tip // In Imerovigli, you can also take a detour down to Skaros Rock (maps), which is a popular sunset spot. However, if it’s really windy it may not be safe.

Section Two | Imerovigli to Prophet ELIAS Chapel

The official trail continues up and to the right.

However, at the fork, you can turn left and follow the path down to San Antonio The Unsung - a small blue and white chapel nestled in the foothills - and feel like you’re the only person in Santorini. There are some dramatic, photogenic views too, but this is very much an optional detour and will add about 15-minutes.

Back on the main trail, you’ll now be on a dusty road with a gradual incline leading to the Prophet Elias / Ilias Chapel (maps). This is a gorgeous little example of the Greek Orthodox, with several stunning icons inside and a very peaceful sense about it. We chatted a little bit to the friendly caretaker, and he confirmed it is fine for hikers to enter. We recommend catching your breath and removing your hat before entry, and treating the active place of worship with the necessary respect and silence.

The Chapel also offers an opportune moment for a break after the walk up, with some places to sit outside and a bit of shade from the trees.

Distance + Time / 2.5km, 45 minutes

Travel Tip // Note that the chapel you’ll visit today is not the same one as the popular Prophet Elias viewpoint (maps)

Section Three | Elias Chapel To Virgin Mary Holy Chapel

This section is why you shouldn’t wear flip-flops.

Once you’re done, the path banks left after Elias Chapel to go along a dusty path leading toward quite a steep descent down loose, dark volcanic terrain.

After a few minutes, you’ll shuffle down toward Aenaon Villas, then join the main road. Go left and stay on the left hand side of the road, using common sense and caution as this stretch does get quite a lot of car and ATV traffic. It’s 400 metres or so until you arrive at the wonderfully ramshackle roadside cafe (maps) that offers an opportune moment for a cold drink if you haven’t picked one up yet (cash only).

If you’re in need of a break, this is also a good spot for a breather and some shade.

There’s a signpost after the cafe, but the gravel trail is quite clear to spot too, with the first part running between a fence and a dry stone wall.

This part of the Fira to Oia trail is the most ‘volcano-y’, where one can look back and note the extremities of the whitewashed towns in the distance perched on the rim of the caldera, and Santorini looks most like a volcano than a holiday island. It reminded us of several crater lake hikes in Central America, and the vulnerable positioning of Imergivoli on the steep sides feels like a crazy idea!

This will also be the most challenging section for some of you due to the sharper ascent and terrain of loose pebbles and volcanic rock. Whether you’ve started early or not, the sun will also be quite a bit stronger by now too.

The path leads you up to The Assumption of the Virgin Mary Holy Chapel (maps), and you will see Oia shimmering in the distance.

This is a good spot for a breather and to drink in some views and water. There’s not much shade though, with people clustering according to the shadows cast from the church. You can also go further up the hill from the church for more views.

Distance + Time / 2.5km, 60 minutes

Travel Tip // You may see a man offering ‘insured and vaccinated donkey rides’ but, as we mention in 13 Wonderful Things To Do in Santorini, we don’t recommend using them.

Section Four | The Chapel To Oia

After the church it’s a wildflower-lined descent - how does such beauty grow out of lava, rock and dry nothing? - and then a descent along a section of man-made stone path toward Oia.

Once you’ve passed the Mr & Mrs White hotel, the path turns in to a car park and a chemical factory, so that’s the the point where the ‘hike’unofficially ends for us. Shortly after, you’ll enter Oia and it’s a pleasant five to ten-minute walk along pavement into the busy streets of the town centre.

Distance + Time / 3.1km, 60 minutes

Travel Tip // Keep scrolling for our bonus section for the best ending to your walk, plus all our prep + kit tips for the Fira to Oia hike.

Bonus Section | Continue To Ammoudi Bay

Now, Oia is the busiest place in Santorini and, unfortunately, however you plan this hike you’re likely to arrive there whilst it’s at peak tour and cruise overcrowding. That’s why we recommend visiting it separately in the early morning or later afternoon (before the sunset crowds congregate) if you want a better experience. Also, some of you may want to take photos in town where you’re not drenched in sweat and your stinky hiking gear.

So, work out before your hike day if this is the only stop you’re going to have Oia.

Personally, after the open-air and spaces of the hike, we didn’t want to linger in the very crowded streets of Oia, and were glad that we opted to grab our celebratory post-hike beer from a corner shop at the start of the town rather than in the overpriced centre.

Once you’re doing what you want to do in Oia, or whether you prefer to save it for later on in the day, we recommend continuing on to the spectacular viewpoints at the Castle (maps) and then down the 250+ steps to Ammoudi Bay.

Located beneath Oia, the old fishing port is picturesque with a few restaurants on the water. We think it’s the best place to ‘end’ your Fira to Oia hike and enjoy that well-earned drink, and you can grab cold bottles of local beer (still €7.50 each, mind) and ice-cream at Cool Cave (maps)

You could of course opt to have lunch here too (just freshen up a wee bit though as eating down here is a standalone experience for lots of visitors).

A short walk through the left-hand side restaurants and beyond Ammoudi Bay is a (relatively) secret swimming and cliff-diving spot. The perfect post-hike spot to get the sweat off, it's free to enter too - find out more in 13 Wonderful Things To Do in Santorini

Just don’t hate us when you’re faced with the walk back up the steps to Oia…

The Fira To Oia Hike | TRAVEL TIPS + WHAT TO BRING

We did the hike on a morning in late May, which meant pretty perfect conditions. In the peak summer months though, the temperature in Santorini spikes to 30-35°c, and failing to prepare around that would make this experience not just unenjoyable, but potentially dangerous.

Here’s what you need to know:

· The heat, rather than the terrain, will be the biggest barrier to a good day.

· You should start early! We headed out at 8am, which is a late start on a hike day for us, but seemed to be very early on the Santorini schedule. Everything was pretty much still closed and we didn’t see anyone else until we stopped to pick up a coffee at the Pink Lady Sophie. In summer though, it will be essential that you start no later than 9am to make sure you’ve given yourself a chance to cover the majority of the trail in enjoyable heat, rather than unbearable; it was concerning to see how many people seemed to have set off at midday along the way, when the sun is getting toward peak strength.

· The alternative is to do the walk later in the afternoon, once the peak afternoon heat has subsided a little and the light is starting to soften beautifully. There are pros/cons to this - less time to linger and keeping an eye on the clock and light - and you’d have to make sure you’re well off the trail before darkness falls. However, if you timed it right for golden hour, it could be spectacular.

· There is very little shade along the route. Bring a cap / hat, and make the most of the shaded spots (usually by the churches) along the way.

· If walking from Fira, the sea and the sun will be on your left hand side the whole way. You need to slap the sun cream on (bringing some with you to reapply) but make extra sure that you put a little more on your left arm and side of the face as it’s going to get a lot more exposure. Also, remember your legs!

· If you’re starting out from Oia, the above applies to your right hand side!

· Due to the type of terrain on sections (loose lave stone and pebbles), we 100% recommend NOT doing this in flip-flops or Birkenstocks. Hiking boots aren’t necessary (but by all means wear them if you’ve packed them) however trainers or closed-toe footwear is essential.

· Hiking poles aren’t necessary, unless you’re someone who uses them for all hikes.

· Outside of the towns, there are only two or three places along the route offering snacks, drinks or refreshments (not including pricey hotels or restaurants), so make sure to bring something to eat and plenty water! The bakeries dotted around the island are the best option for something savoury, affordable, and ideal to take along the hike.

We had our refillable WaterToGo filter bottles, but due to the heat and limited number of places to fill up outwith hotels and restaurants, we knew we’d also have to bring some single-use plastic bottles too. We’d suggest 1.5 litres per person as a conservative amount to start the hike with.

If starting early, before several shops will open in Fira, we recommend buying these the night before and bringing them with you.

Read more tips for using less plastic when you travel in this post, or read 23 Things To Know Before You Visit Santorini for advice on drinking tap water on the island.

· The route is largely signposted along the way with a combination of the standard red waymarker signs for hiking routes in Santorini and handmade indicators. It’s basically ‘follow the sea’ and the curve of the caldera for the most part, with only one area where you have to go on the road for a few minutes before rejoining the trail. If you get lost or waylaid, it won’t be a major detour or time drain, and may lead you to something worthwhile!

· The route is on Google Maps but we recommend downloading it before you go as signal is patchy. There are lots of people doing this route though, so it won’t be too long before you find a way to go and risk of getting lost is minimal. Read this post for instructions on how to download a Google Map

We also use Alltrails to find hikes when we travel, and it offers downloadable maps too.

· You’ll be gasping for a beer once you reach Oia, but it’s pricey and busy there, especially if you want to glug with a view. Instead, we grabbed a couple from the mini market in Oia (the most affordable drink you’ll find in town) and enjoyed them on the seats outside it. Or, if following our bonus route, grab a few more snacks to take to the secret swimming spot in Ammoudi or quench your thirst with some waterside beers down there at Cool Cave.

· Although several businesses along the route accept card, we recommend brining along cash too. About €30 should cover all eventualities for snacks, drinks, and transport.

· Perhaps save your day for exploring Oia without the crowds and when you’re not so sweaty. Or not, depends on how much time you have. You could also start the hike later to hit Oia for sunset - allowing you to do two of the best things to do in Santorini in a single day.