https:\/\/uzisibalkaninak.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/62.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\nIt\u2019s worth turning up the volume \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n
I head back along the route, walk about 100 metres and come to a cobbled street called Nikolaou Nomikou, which gradually climbs uphill and winds its way around the caldera. There are certainly quite a few people here now, but I make the most of my assertiveness and manage to make my way through \u263a.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I\u2019m walking down the street, admiring the white houses with their blue domes. The houses are painted with white lime wash, which has three meanings:<\/p>\n
1. The bright white colour reflects the intense Mediterranean sun. That is precisely why the stone houses in Oi remain pleasantly cool even during the summer months.<\/p>\n
2. Lime has powerful antibacterial and antiseptic properties. In 1938, during a cholera epidemic, an official directive was issued to whitewash houses with lime in order to prevent the spread of disease.<\/p>\n
3. As there has always been a shortage of drinking water on Santorini, the inhabitants used to collect rainwater. And the lime wash on the roofs and walls naturally disinfected this water.<\/p>\n
Particularly impressive are the so-called \u2018houses on the cliffs\u2019, built in niches carved into the slopes of the caldera. And, of course, the little churches and chapels of Santorini \u263a …<\/p>\n
Nikolaou Nomikou Street stretches for approximately 800 metres and joins the tarmac road that links Oia with Santorini\u2019s capital, Thira. The Greek Orthodox church of Agios Georgios is situated here. It was built in the early 19th century, but was almost completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1956. It was rebuilt between 1966 and 1967 thanks to the efforts of the shipping magnate Loukas Nomikos. The church houses a historic icon of Saint George (Georgios), which was brought to Oia from Constantinople by the Nomikos family of seafarers. The icon was gilded in 1869. The church stands in a small square lined with cypress trees, next to the smaller Chapel of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.<\/p>\n
From the church, I walk another 300 metres along the tarmac road and I\u2019m already at the end of Oia, which leads into the outskirts of the village of Finikia. I don\u2019t go into the village itself; I keep to the right and, following the footpath, begin the climb up to the Chapel of the Prophet Elijah (Profitis Ilias). I\u2019m now far from civilization; the countryside is a bit rougher, and the sun is really making its presence felt. But the views are well worth it.<\/p>\n
And I even managed to discover the lost Atlantis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/p>\n
I can already see the chapel in the distance. It stands at an altitude of approximately 304 metres; the original building was erected in 1750 and is dedicated to the prophet Elijah of Tishbe \u2013 the traditional patron saint of mountain peaks. And what I like is that local families have been looking after the chapel for generations.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I decide to treat myself to a break only when I reach the little church of Psilos Stavros, which is 700 metres further on. The path winds up and down, and I\u2019m already looking forward to some shade. In the distance, I can see the little church of Psilos Stavros. The church (which translates as \u2018High Cross\u2019) is a small, single-nave building in white and peach, situated on the slopes of the dormant volcano Mavro Vouno at an altitude of 305 metres. The climb up here is quite a challenge, but it\u2019s a great place to rest, and as a bonus you\u2019re rewarded with a view of the entire caldera stretching out before you, with the village of Imerovigli and the Skaros cliff. Unfortunately, I didn\u2019t get to enjoy much shade here, as all the \u2018good spots\u2019 were already taken by tired tourists. So, after a short \u2018drink\u2019 break, I decided to carry on.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I continue along the path below the summit of Mavro Vouno; the path from the chapel descends and, after about 1.5 km, joins the main road, where (to my great delight) I spot a small snack bar where I can have something to eat, something to drink, top up my water and sit in the shade. I\u2019ve descended quite a bit in altitude and am already \u2018looking forward\u2019 to seeing the next mountain ridge ahead of me, which I\u2019ll have to cross.<\/p>\n
The dormant volcano Mavro Vouno<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/p>\n
And so, refreshed, I set off again. I walk another 400 metres along the tarmac road and once more begin to climb into the mountains along a steep footpath. The crater\u2019s rim remains on my right, and I\u2019m enjoying the walk despite the strong sun. After 600 metres, I arrive at the Naos Prophete Elia (Prophet Elijah). It is a beautiful, ivory-coloured building with a triple bell tower and a blue dome, built in 1750. The church is surrounded by a small courtyard, above which several pine trees tower. From here, there is a view of both the western and eastern coasts of Santorini.<\/p>\n
After walking 300 metres downhill, I come to another beautiful church \u2013 \u00c1gios Markos (St Mark). This building stands on the foundations of the original historic church dating from 1700, which has not survived. The church features typical Cycladic architecture, but unlike other churches on Santorini, it has a white dome topped with a cross and a small side bell tower with a single bell. It stands at an altitude of 292 metres.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I carry on and reach the outskirts of the village of Imerovigli. There are several accommodation complexes here, and for the first time I see \u2018cave accommodation\u2019 being offered as a hotel service. I\u2019m slowly starting to feel tired and hungry, and the sun is getting hotter and hotter. I still have nearly 2.5 kilometres to go to reach my destination (the centre of Imerovigli), so I decide to at least partially tackle the tiredness and completely sort out the hunger \u263a. However, several restaurants are closed.<\/p>\n
I wasn\u2019t lucky enough to see the cave people \ud83d\ude42<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/p>\n
Thank goodness, one place was open after all. I treated myself to a refreshing mimosa (prosecco with juice) and a delicious pita with local tzatziki, which was better than divine ambrosia. And, feeling refreshed, I set off for the finish line.<\/p>\n
This is coffee, not a mimosa \ud83d\ude42<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\n
The village of Imerovigli has approximately 470 permanent residents and is known as the \u2018balcony of the Aegean Sea\u2019 thanks to its location at the highest point on the rim of the caldera (330 metres above sea level).<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Among its most interesting sights is the Skaros rock massif, which I gradually reach by winding my way through the village\u2019s narrow streets. Below Skaros lie the ruins of a Venetian castle, built in 1207 by Marco Sanudo, then ruler of all the Cyclades islands. I decide not to go up to Skaros, as it is really very hot and there is not a breath of wind.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I\u2019m only a few hundred metres from my destination, but when I spot a place selling fresh smoothies, I just can\u2019t help but stop \u263a. It\u2019s the first time in my life I\u2019ve had a melon smoothie \u263a\u2026 \u2018Very good\u2019\u2026 is an understatement…<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve already reached the finish line, where I\u2019ll just wait for the car to take me to my flat on the east coast of Santorini \u263a\u2026<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I would definitely recommend this route, but you need to set off early in the morning, wear a cap or hat, and take some drinks with you. Those looking for an easier route should set off from Thira towards Oia \u263a. But either way, it\u2019s an unforgettable experience.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
If you decide to follow in my footsteps and need advice on accommodation, food, hiking trails or other ways to spend your time in Santorini, please don\u2019t hesitate to contact me via email at ajka@uzisibalkaninak.com<\/strong>. You can also follow me on social media: the \u2018Enjoy the Balkans differently<\/a>\u2019 Facebook page or Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\nP.S.: All the photos are mine and are protected by copyright\u2026 \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In this article, I\u2019ll show you a walking route on the picturesque Greek island of Santorini. I spent five days there and tried to make the most of my time. I set aside one day for a walking route that would take me through beautiful, authentic villages as well as rugged countryside with stunning views. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4175,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2582,824],"tags":[2591,2587,2615,2617,2619,830,2599,2597,2589,2601,2605,2593,2585,856,2621,1974,2607,2623,2625,2627,2629,2375,2609,2631,2633,2635,2595,2603,2613,2637,2639,997,2641,1779,2611],"class_list":["post-4534","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-greece","category-uncategorized","tag-aegean-sea","tag-agios-georgios-church","tag-agios-markos","tag-ammoudi","tag-august","tag-balkans","tag-caldera","tag-caves","tag-churches","tag-crater","tag-cyclades","tag-eruption","tag-greece","tag-hike","tag-imerovigli","tag-island","tag-londs-fortress","tag-mavro-vouno","tag-naos-prophete-elia","tag-nea-kameni","tag-oia","tag-planinarenje","tag-port","tag-profitis-ilias","tag-psilos-stavros","tag-santorini","tag-skaros-castle","tag-the-cyclades-archipelago","tag-the-mediterranean-sea","tag-thira","tag-thirasia","tag-tourism","tag-track","tag-village","tag-volcano"],"lang":"en","translations":{"en":4534,"ru":4542,"sk":4173,"hr":4537},"pll_sync_post":{},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uzisibalkaninak.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4534","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uzisibalkaninak.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uzisibalkaninak.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uzisibalkaninak.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uzisibalkaninak.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4534"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/uzisibalkaninak.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4534\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4536,"href":"https:\/\/uzisibalkaninak.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4534\/revisions\/4536"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uzisibalkaninak.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4175"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uzisibalkaninak.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uzisibalkaninak.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uzisibalkaninak.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![](\"https:\/\/uzisibalkaninak.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/50.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n