[Part II] Santorini - A Hike from Fira to Oia
Friday, December 11, 2015
I have been dreaming about going to Greece for years. I wanted to see this magical blue and white oasis I always see pictures of. During my research I learned that the blue and white buildings, especially the famous domes, are at Oia, Santorini. This was the last part of our trip. With our go-today package we stayed at a hotel in Fira, which is in the western middle side of Santorini. Fira is a convenient place to stay if you want to visit all parts of the island. Our hotel was right down the block from the central bus station that has routes to all the major stops in Santorini. You can easily visit Oia in the north, and Akortiri Archeaological site and popular beaches in the south.
In this post I want to share my hike experience from Fira to Oia. It was probably my favorite part of our trip. Accoring to Tripadvisor, it's the #1 thing to do in Santorini. The distance from Fira to Oia is about 7 miles. According to the signs, it takes 3 hours to hike. It took me 4 hours with lots of breaks and picture taking.
We started at the town of Fira. Here's a view of it (below) as we left it.
And up ahead on our journey is Oia (that white stretch of land in the far distance)
One of the first signs we encountered after we started our hike. I took a picture every time I saw one, so I hope this helps others look out for them too.
Almost there!
You can see it behind the shrubs.
You hike through other towns, roads, rocky paths, and paved roads (below).
This map gives an overview of the hike path. We are on the purple line.
A building we stopped at on the way. There it is through the doors.
After 4 hours we finally made it. It was actually more colorful than I imagined. I thought I would see many white buildings with blue domes but I walked up and down the roads and couldn't find where they were. I even checked the postcards at the gift shops. It hit me that all the postcards show one iconic view. I just couldn't find where it was. As sunset was approaching, I saw a huge group of people standing in the horizon so I headed towards there...
And there it was, the perfect view of Oia, Santorini.
After a long day, stop by Lolita's Gelato or some really unique and tasty gelato.
Oia Castle gives great view of Oia and also perfect for watching the sunset. Be aware it does get very crowded around that time.
If you have time, take a walk down to Amoudi Bay. Great place to have seafood by the water.
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