Firà - Ia via the caldera

Evaluation: This is the most obvious hike you can make on the island of Santorini and it will lead you - if you have not discovered them by now - through the sister villages of Firà, Firostefáni and Imerovígli, going higher up all the time above the caldera. It then continues through the expanding housing in northern direction and it finally goes to Ia via a really magnificent path. This hike offers so many changing views on the volcano, the sea and the caldera, that it definitely deserves an evaluation of ***.

Estimated time: This hike takes two hours and a half (actual walking time). It is ideal to leave Firà at about 10am and in this way you will arrive in Ia already between 1 and 2pm. You can then eat in Ia in one of the many bars. In the afternoon you can descend to the little harbour of Ammoudi or you can opt for the interesting trip to the beach of Baxedes – or you can return to Firà on foot, along the same route. Until late at night there are also buses back to Firà, but remember that the first buses after the sunset are usually overcrowded.

Route description:  from the bus square in Firà (when you get to Firà by bus) you have to continue to the very busy square of Theotokopoulou. This is the modern centre of Firà with a lot of travel agencies (the Santo Volcano next to the Emporiki Trapeza-bank is a very decent one), banks and bars. In the corner, in between the George's Snack Corner and the Pelican travel agency you go left, in the direction of the caldera. You can then take one of the three streets off the right, they all lead towards the higher part of Firà.
You can also depart from the spot where one has the most beautiful view over the volcano, high up near the cathedral and the Hotel Atlantis. From here on you walk in northern direction, past the old hotel Panorama, through the highest of the three parallel streets and past all the jewelry shops. You DO NOT go left to the staircase and the old harbour downstairs, but you go straight, by following the signposts to the "cable car".
After 5 minutes each of these three streets arrives at the Archaeological Museum higher up (this museum is open till 3pm, but not on Mondays). It is best to take a left here, past the upper station of the cable car. You then go right above the caldera, until the red-brown building higher up that dominates this neighbourhood of Firostefáni: it is the P.M. Nomikos Conference Centre, where a lot of exhibitions take place – on the extending corner in front of this building many people take pictures of the marvellous panoramic view.

[If you do not take a left at the Archaeological Museum, but go straight instead, the little streets higher up, on the left and the right of the catholic Dominican monastery (the youth hostel is in this area as well) will also bring you to the Nomikos Centre.]

On the left of the Centre you follow the tiled road and stairs, while you enjoy the view – in front of you you can see the even higher situated village of Imerovígli. Some 5 minutes later you pass the little church Agios Gerasimos; you then move away from the caldera into a busier street. You go higher again on the path on the left of the main road and some 15 minutes after you have departed from the Nomikos Centre you reach the monastery of Agios Nikólaos – also this is a great viewpoint.
Your street continues on the right of the monastery and you go further up till Imerovígli. You walk on steadily and you pass some beautiful villas and apartments. After about 10 minutes you reach the highest point of Imerovígli, near the little baroque tower and the church – both of them decorated with a blue dome. Some 30 metres further you can go down on the left, via a steep path with approximately 100 steps, until the little chapel of Agios Geórgios. The view from here is fantastic and there are some banks to have a rest. You can approach the caldera even more by getting on the protruding cape.

You return to the path above you and you continue for another 10 minutes; you go up a little, down a little, all the time along new apartments and villas, some of them with swimming pools. You then finally get to a gravel path and then on the old, tiled trail, some 45 minutes after your departure from Firà.

This is only the temporary end of the buildings, because a little further down the path turns into a gravel road again. In this way you walk for another 25 minutes past apartments – new ones or under construction. Past the Pantheon de Luxe the road splits up: on the left you can take a path and then some concrete steps to descend to a marvellous spot: you are at the peaceful church of Agios Antónios, and a couple of picnic tables invite you to take some rest.  If you have left a little later, then this is the ideal picnic spot. The other small road, going up on the right, leads to the restaurant To Monopáti. About 100 metres after this restaurant you finally find the quiet trail.

Some 5 minutes later you reach the blue-white church of the Profítis Ilías, but your trail goes down to the right about 50 metres before this church.

You now walk on a fairly narrow path above the asphalt road. You curve around the hill and after 20 minutes you get to the main road, close to a strange new building – next to this building there is an older building with a blue gate.

[If you make this hike in the opposite direction, this is where you have to leave the asphalt road: you go up on the right and after 20 metres you take a left and you follow the path that runs above the road – you do not go up against the hill!]

You follow the asphalt road for about 5 minutes and just past the cantina you take the path with pumice stone and lava pieces off the left. Your next aim is now the chapel on the left and high up the bare slope. At first, the trail is rather broad, but at a round and black rock you go up on the left (there is a sign to Oia). The next 20 minutes you walk on a black path, which can be burning hot in summer. The trail describes a wide bend and you go up until you arrive at the beautifully situated chapel of – yes, again – the Profítis Ilías, on the 331 metres high Mávro Vounó (= Black Hill). You have a great view towards Ia and the north of the island. Down the chapel there is a well with a plastic bucket.

The next 10 minutes you descend, sometimes over black or red-brown lava, until the little chapel of Stavrós. The tower and its bell are inviting to take picturesque photographs – and also here you can admire very beautiful sunsets. 

Immediately hereafter your trail splits up: on the right there is a path to the village of Finikiá, where you can also find the departure of the hike to the beach of Baxedes.
You take a left, though, and after about 10 minutes you reach some brand new apartments and also the desalinization installation. You continue past many ‘idyllic’ holiday resorts towards the actual centre of Ia. At last, you get to the asphalt road, near Market Oia. You follow this road for a couple of minutes until it curves to the right, just past the church. You go straight, into the main street of Ia.

You can now take some time to discover the streets of Ia, you can drink or eat something in one of the bars or restaurants, you can descend to the beach of Ammoudi, or you can stay to watch the sunset, which attracts hundreds of tourists each evening in summer time.

If you want to avoid the crowd you can continue hiking: you can leave from Finikià to go to the beach of Baxedes (see the hike Ia - Baxedes). You have to remember, though, that you have to return to Finikià on foot, where you can catch the bus back to Firà.