A Guide to Oia: Santorini's Most Famous cliffside Village

OIa, santorini

Santorini’s Famous Hilltop Village

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is oia worth visiting?

What Oia is Really Like and Why We Think It’s Worth It

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oia in september

What Oia and Santorini Are Like in Early September

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How much time to see oia

One Day in Oia or More to Relax

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Things to do in oia

Beaches, Sunsets, Hikes and Village Strolls

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where to stay in oia

Where We Stayed in Oia and Other Hotels and Airbnbs

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If this is your first time on The Weithouse - welcome! My name is Taylor and I’m the girl behind the screen and camera bringing you resources to help you plan the trip of your dreams.

This Santorini Five-Day Travel Guide will share our experience visiting Santorini in early September from Paris and share the details from our five days on the Greek island.

OIa, santorini

When you think of Santorini, odds are layers of white nook buildings tucked into a dramatic cliffside pop into your head. Although Santorini has more than one cliffside town, Oia is the most famous on the island and an idyllic place indeed.

Oia is a popular destination for romantics, from honeymooners to new lovers to big anniversary celebraters and there’s good reason why. This iconic Greek island village offers some of the most amazing accommodations with the most breathtaking edge of the world views.

The Greek town of Oia is relatively small and is only home to around 1,000 permanent residents. However, the hilltop village is always bustling with the more than 3 million tourists that are estimated to visit Santorini each year.

is oia worth visiting?

As Santorini’s and one of the Greek islands’ most famous hilltop villages, Oia can come at a price. The popularity of Oia, its location on the cliffs of the Caldera, and its luxury villas aren’t cheap. This might be leading you to the question of whether Oia is worth it or not.

I was in the same boat during our Santorini trip planning, but at the end of the day I decided that since we likely wouldn’t be traveling to Santorini again anytime in the near future, I wanted to take the risk and stay in Oia the entire time we were in Santorini.

Post trip, I can firmly share with you that Oia is absolutely worth it! Oia is worth visiting and also worth “splurging” on a hotel in. It’s an absolutely amazing place unlike any other, and you won’t regret soaking up the sunshine and sunsets and cliff views from your Oia hotel or Oia Airbnb.

If you choose not to stay in Oia but are wondering if it’s worth visiting during your time on the island, then again, Oia is worth visiting! You can find delicious restaurants, stroll through the streets and get some iconic views (and sunsets) as you do so.

what is oia like in september?

We visited Santorini over Labor Day weekend (August 31 - September 5). We knew these dates were more of a shoulder season on the island, but before the windy season of October.

During our days in Oia, we had the most beautiful weather! Mostly upper 80F and full sunshine. During September in Oia, we were able to go to the beach, swim in the ocean and do all of the summer things you might do on the island.

Additionally, we had no issues with crowds during our time in Oia in September. I was worried that Labor Day US travelers might impact our dates, but we didn’t feel like the island was over crowded in September. August is a huge vacation month for Europeans, so I think the Europeans had all started trickling out by the time we arrived.

How much time to see oia

If you’re planning a larger Greek island trip or just generally wondering how long you need to see Oia, the short answer is a couple of hours. If you’re visiting via bus from other parts of Santorini, you can enjoy the village, do some shopping, grab some bites to eat and be on your way in a few hours.

However, to fully experience Oia, I recommend at least two nights in the village. That will give you enough time to fully soak up the sunsets from your Oia Airbnb or hotel and actually get to relax in the jaw-dropping setting (and enjoy whatever place you’ve spent a lot of money on)!

I can’t compare Oia to any other Greek island cities as Santorini is the only Greek island we’ve visited (so far), but I can say that during our five-night stay in Santorini we never got bored or felt like we had overstayed our welcome.

Things to do in Oia

Santorini overall has a very laid back vibe and island life means no one is in a rush to “see all the things” or maximize the day. So the best things to do in Oia are going to be at a slow and leisurely pace, while the wind blows through you hair and you soak up every breathtaking view you come across.

watch the oia sunsets

If you only have time for one thing in Oia, it should be to catch a sunset from the top of the village. Really anywhere in the village is going to offer a breathtaking view of the sunset, and if you’re lucky enough to be there for more than one sunset you can catch it from different locations throughout the village.

One of the most popular spots to catch the sunset is from the Oia Castle which overlooks the windmills of Oia and the Ammoudi Bay. This spot does get pretty crowded, but is worth seeing at least once.

After sunset, head to one of Oia’s restaurants for a bite to eat. We enjoyed dinner twice at a local wine bar, Oia Oenosart.

ammoudi bay

The village of Oia sits on the cliffside, and most of the time you’re exploring will be “on top of the cliff.” However, I do recommend taking the Oia Steps down to Ammoudi Bay during your time in Oia.

Ammoudi Bay is a small bay at the bottom of the cliffside and is home to one of the more famous restaurants in Oia, Sunset in Ammoudi. You need reservations for the restaurant (which our taxi driver kindly made for us night of our arrival) and you will get a seat by the water and rocking boats.

ammoudi beach

If you’re visiting Ammoudi Bay during the day, be sure to take the short hike from the bay to Ammoudi Beach.

Ammoudi Beach is less of a beach and more of a rocky landing where you take your chances on finding a flat spot to lay your towel. However, it is a great spot to get in the water and sun bathe!

see the blue domes of oia

One of the most iconic spots in Oia is the blue domes. The blue domes are three famous blue domes in Oia, standing out against the rest of the architecture. You can find the locations to photograph them by searching for Domes Viewpoint or Viewpoint which will pull up a couple of locations.

We had a great view of the blue domes while having a delicious (and affordable) Greek lunch at Lotza on the terrace.

Stroll through the village streets of oia

During your explorations in Oia, you’ll want to set aside some time just to wander through the village and its streets. You can pop into local boutiques while strolling, find little narrow roads off the beaten path and really feel like you’re in the labyrinth of the village.

fira to oia hike (or oia to fira hike)

If you’re staying in Oia or doing a day exploration of Santorini, and if the weather isn’t too hot, you can hike between the village of Oia and the larger town of Fira. The hike takes roughly three hours (or more depending on your speed) and is 10 km (6 miles).

We sort of stumbled upon the hike after doing a quick exploration of Fira one day and it’s one of our favorite memories from the trip! The hike will take you along the cliffside, through the stunning and quaint village of Imerovigli and past tiny churches and sometimes even donkeys!

To do the hike, you definitely need to have good walking shoes as it can be pretty rocky. We luckily arrived back in Oia just in time for sunset which made the perfect end to our day.

You can take public transportation via bus in between Fira and Oia. Be sure to grab breakfast before catching the bus at Kookoo Bar Lounge. We grabbed breakfast here each day of our trip and it was a delight!

where to stay in oia

Oia is essentially a mini resort town, with the entire cliffside brimming with luxurious hotels and private Airbnbs. There’s no shortage of properties to book, and as mentioned prior, booking your Oia hotel or Airbnb with a view is worth the splurge.

Below are the two properties we stayed at in Oia during our five-nights in Santorini. I split the stays based on availability and cost (the first Airbnb was incredibly affordable compared to many of the hotels and properties in Oia).

Anelia House (ammoudi Bay)

Anelia House is a small, authentic apartment located in Ammoudi Bay at the bottom of Oia. The property has two levels, with a kitchen and living area downstairs and a bedroom upstairs. Anelia House is perfect for couples looking for a more private location in Oia and an affordable option for exploring the island.

In order to access the cliffside of Oia from Anelia House, you do need to take the Oia Stairs which were quite challenging, so I wouldn’t recommend booking Anelia House if you have any handicaps or physical issues.

If you do stay at Anelia House, you can easily access Ammoudi Beach, and watching the boats rocking from your window in the early morning.

Depending on the time of year you book, the property is under 300 euros per night.

Le cote oia (edge of oia)

One of the highlights of our trip was staying the last two nights at Le Cote Oia. The property is a small studio bedroom with bathroom at the very edge of Oia. It has a private balcony and hottub, and with its location at the edge of Oia, there are no other pedestrians walking past your room, so it’s completely private!

Steps from the property is a landing on the cliffs where you can watch the sunset. We saw one or two photographers and someone get engaged on the cliffs, but there was very little activity other than that.

We loved the privacy of the property and felt so lucky to have such a private part of Oia to ourselves. Le Cote Oia is a great option for a honeymoon, anniversary or romantic getaway where you don’t want any tourists walking past your patio.

A bit more expensive than Anelia House, Le Cote Oia can be booked for under 500 euros per night.

stick around a while

If you’re looking for some other Airbnb options in Oia, be sure to check out curated list of Airbnbs you’ll love in Oia. And if you’re visiting Greece via Paris, we have anything and everything you need to know about visiting the French capital.

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