Following on from our earlier chat about Santorini, and whether it was worth all the hype – lets zoom in on the hike to Oia and what greeted us when we arrived.

By the way, it’s pronounced ‘eeya’ not ‘oya’ (like soya)

If you’ve been to Santorini you’ll no doubt have done the hike or heard about the hike. It’s ‘a thing’ and lots of people do it, starting from anywhere between Fira and Imerovigli.

If you have a fear of heights and steep cliff edge drops, go easy and take your time. Some of the terrain gets pretty rugged and you need to be careful with your step on some of the steep, rocky trails.

It’s not just a long walk so do some prep

I’d recommend watching a few videos of other people doing the hike to get an idea before you decide whether to do it.

On average it takes between 2-5 hours depending on how fast you walk, how many times you stop to take pictures and admire the stunning views – but be warned, it’s not really set up for rest breaks or toilet breaks, but you can stop any time you want and find a wall/rock etc to sit on for a breather.

Above: heading upwards through Imerovigli during the hike to Oia.

There are a lot of very steep climbs and slopes, along with uneven rugged pathways, so wear proper walking/hiking footwear. Sandals, flip flops, shoes will get you nowhere fast on this trail. 

The one half way point that people show in the vlogs – with a cafe and toilet, was closed when we walked past it. By the time you get to this point of the hike, there are no more buildings or hotels on the trail…you’re out in the sticks.

A couple of other tourists walking near us for a while said they pleaded with a hotel further back, to let them come in and use a toilet as one of them was really desperate – thankfully the hotel said yes.

Happy for a Cloudy Day

We set off from Firostefani at 7am to avoid the worst of the strong heat and it took us just under 4 hours to complete. 

Early morning or late evening are the recommended start times, unless you want to get scorched. 

Thankfully, the day we picked for the hike happened to be mostly overcast and cloudy, the sun wasn’t as strong as it had been – or as strong as it was the rest of the week, quite a fortunate situation. It wasn’t misty and it didn’t rain either – perfect.

Of course, take water and a few snacks to keep you going and think about protecting your skin in case you do end up choosing a brighter day.

Once you leave the village of Imerovigli, you won’t really see any more shops or cafes, unless you’re fortunate enough to pass a road side stall selling drinks, fresh fruit….which we didn’t.

Above: a few wobbly clips to give you an idea of what to expect on the ground during the hike to Oia.

So what was Oia like then? 

“Don’t got to Oia” said one blogger: 

“Don’t go to Oia. This is the most photographed village in Greece and is at the very northern tip of the island, so very congested. You can find blue church domes and bells and great sunset visits in plenty of other locations. The fascination with this one village has always been a bit baffling and is a prime example of herd mentality.”

Source: https://www.greecetravelsecrets.com/is-santorini-worth-it/ 

I also heard a vlogger say a glass of pink lemonade cost her 14 euros in Oia. Ouch.

In my opinion it’s a bit ‘showy’ as well, with a lot of higher end boutiques for bigger spenders, not much heart to it, a bit cold (atmosphere-wise).

It’s pretty enough, but crowded and maybe not worth spending too much time there if there are other places on the island you want to visit.  

Sunsets are less crowded in Imerovigli and Firostefani and from what I’ve heard – just as good if not better, so no need to rush to Oia if you don’t want to. 

Crazy. Not just at sunset! 

When researching this trip I quickly realise just how ‘touristy’ Oia gets, especially around sunset. I saw bus loads and coach loads flock to Oia from Fira for the iconic sunset views. 

However, following a morning hike to Oia and arriving before lunchtime – the place was complete chaos. Entering into Oia from the hiking trail was fine, all seemed calm and quiet. 

Upon entering the main square….well. I can only describe it as pandemonium. There were crowds and crowds of tour groups all crammed into the square, guides shouting for their groups, people looking lost and confused, creating a frenzied swarm of people, ‘football match style’ probably mostly from cruise ships.

Everyone was trying to squeeze in and walk up one of the little narrow alleys that takes you toward the iconic blue domes and sunset spots that people seem to idolise in Oia, but you couldn’t get in, nor could those within it move left, right forwards or backwards.

It looked like a superglued mass of bodies all crammed into the walkway, with more on the tail end waiting to get in there….the crowd seemed to be growing and growing as we tried to get out of the crowds and find the buses (which were close by, thankfully). 

Above: clip  – when it’s time to get out!!!!

TIP: A local who served our lunch told us the best time to come to Oia is after 10pm. He said the last cruise ship leaves at 10pm so by that time the swarms have evaporated. I guess sunrise is probably a good time too – before any cruise ships come in and most people are still in bed.  

Anyway, after grabbing a quick lunch we managed to find the buses and headed on out of there, back down to Fira, relieved and horrified at the same time, and never thought about returning to Oia after that. Fira was pretty congested too, but nothing like the ordeal we’d just been subjected to. 

The snapshot I saw of Oia felt completely different to the rest of Santorini – a kind of bland, empty feeling.

Another tourist we got talking to said they’d gone up to Oia for the sunset on another evening and it was chaos with extra chaos on top from a power cut. The power cut meant a lot of the swanky shops couldn’t work their tills and were unable to sell much of their stock. Lights went out. Apparently power cuts happen a lot on Santorini but thankfully I didn’t experience any. 

Once again, sunsets are stunning wherever you are on Santorini, so don’t force yourself to squeeze in amongst heaving crowds if it’s packed – there’s nothing relaxing or enjoyable about that. 

In fact I’ve heard it said from reliable sources that the sunsets in Akrotiri  (south west tip of Santorini) are actually better than those in Oia  – and with hardly any crowds, I didn’t visit that area myself. Those in Firostefani were stunning and good enough for me. 

Anyway….was it worth the hike?

Yes.

It’s a great hike, but I won’t pretend it wasn’t challenging at times. Pace yourself and don’t forget to keep hydrated.

Great views and a good work out are always worth it.

Oia though, I wasn’t all that impressed with the little I saw and don’t think I missed much to be honest. Maybe in the lowest season it might be nice to go wandering in Oia.