Caldera Walk From Fira To Oia, Santorini

Walking along the track on top of the volcanic caldera in Santorini provides contantly changing, spectacular views!

That top photo is the view looking towards Oia from the edge of the buildings and resorts in Fia. This one to the left is looking back to Fia. So dreamy!

Inspired by a post I read about the walk over on World Wandering Kiwi when I was researching the Greek Islands, I was determined to do this on my visit to Santorini.

The walk is about 9.6kms, and starts within the white restaurants and hotels of Fira. In my research I read one tourist saying it was hard to find the path, and whilst it wasn't marked, it was pretty easy to just walk in the direction of Oia, the peek of land you could see across the bay. The worst that could happen in this built-up area is that you wander through a pretty laneway, for yet another amazing view of the water!

The path is very defined once you are through the bulk of Fira buildings, and climbs up and down until you have a clear view of Oia town. At just one point it leaves you, making you veer onto the shoulder of the road connecting the two towns, but it is clear where it starts again, and you are once again walking along the edge of the volcanic cauldron.

I planned my walk to reach Oia around sunset, which also meant that I had avoided the heat of the day.

There were endless photo opportunities along the way, with a couple of iconic Santorini churches providing perfect white-and-blue contrasts, and the sun was obliging with great light. It's also hard to beat the view of the sun heading towards the water, and the reflections that that gives.

As the sun started it's seemingly faster dip into the blue Mediterranean, I reached the highest peek, and could see the white dotted town of Oia below. The path got easier as the destination was in sight, and was mostly downhill.

Weaving my way through the tiny streets as the building density thickened, the volume of tourists also increased. Whilst on the walk there were about 4 other people doing it around the same time as me, but as I walked through Oia, everyone in Santorini must have been there!

The beautiful sunset at the end of the jut of land was the reward for the walk, and worth every step!



jouljet notes
Serious Tip: There is only one spot along the way to buy water, so carry some with you.
Cost: Free!
Time Spent: I took just over 3 hours to complete this walk, but stopped to take LOADS of photos.
Quirky Tip: The little church right at the top has some random props for photos, like a standing bell tower, and an old upturned wheelbarrow, both with the most incredible views as backdrops.