Oia

Oia (pronounced EE-ah) is Santorini’s second-largest settlement and lies at the northern tip of the island.

Like Fira, Oia has an old port that can be reached by walking 300 steps down an old donkey path.

Also like Fira, Oia’s naturally insulated houses built into the side of the caldera were once caves. Many of them started out as seafarer’s homes; now, they are luxury hotels and fine restaurants.

Other distinctive architectural features of Oia are its blue-domed churches.

There are the ruins of a Venetian castle.

And its two windmills also date back to the Venetian era.

Oia’s narrow, winding pathways and stairs can only be explored on foot. I saw some cruise-ship tourists who were clearly defeated by the ups and downs of those stairs, but if you aren’t in a rush and don’t have any mobility challenges, you will have no problem navigating Oia. The best way to get to know the town is to wander it slowly from one end to the other.

See an alleyway you want to investigate further? Go for it. (Don’t worry, you can’t get lost. Oia is not that big and, when in doubt, just keep walking up and you’ll soon be back at the clifftop.)

Is someone blocking your postcard-perfect photo? Wait a few minutes. They’ll move along soon enough.

Are the crowds getting to you? Go take a nap and come back later in the day.

Oia is not the place to be if you are looking for solitude. But, if you have the patience, its sunset views are worth the wait.