Finikia Santorini – The Quiet Village Next to Oia

Finikia Santorini: The Quiet Village Next to Oia

Finikia Santorini sits about a kilometre east of Oia, in a hollow just below the ridge, on the road in from Fira. It is one of the best-preserved settlements on the island and it is a five-minute walk from the most crowded place in Greece. Book with Santorini Tours, a licensed local operator.

That is the whole proposition of Finikia Santorini. Oia is a mile away and you can be standing at the castle for sunset in ten minutes, but the lanes here are empty, the rooms cost a fraction of what a caldera suite costs, and dinner is a village dinner rather than a set menu.

Finikia Santorini was built by the farmers and workers who served Oia when Oia was a shipping town. It sits below the rim rather than on it, in a fold of the land, with vineyards on the seaward side running down towards Baxedes beach. There is no caldera view from Finikia Santorini and that is precisely why it survived intact.

Where it is

One kilometre from Oia, ten minutes from Imerovigli, fifteen from Fira, two kilometres from Baxedes and the northern beaches, twenty-five minutes from the airport.

Why go

For the lanes and the cave houses, for the church of Agia Matrona and its October festival, for the sunset from Kyra Panagia without a crowd, and for a bed a kilometre from Oia at a village price.

What to See in Finikia Santorini

Agia Matrona

The village church, built in 1859 by F. Platis, and the best spot in Finikia Santorini. Its courtyard is the place to sit, and its feast day on 20 October is celebrated with a village festival and a wine-tasting competition – one of the few genuine village panigiria left on this island that has not been arranged for visitors.

Kyra Panagia

A chapel on the high ground above the village with an open view west. The sunset from here is the same sun that four thousand people are watching from Oia castle a kilometre away, and there will be almost nobody standing next to you.

The lanes and the cave houses

Narrow, stepped, whitewashed, and dug into the rock as much as built on it. Many houses are yposkafa – rooms excavated horizontally into the soft pumice with only the façade built. Several are now restored as small hotels; many are simply lived in.

The canavas

Vaulted wine cellars cut into the rock, from the period when the valley below the village was worked for wine. Some survive as stores and a few as guest rooms.

Agia Paraskevi and Agios Konstantinos

Two chapels out among the vineyards on the road down towards Baxedes. The walk to them from Finikia Santorini is the best short walk at this end of the island.

The tavernas

A handful, cooking with local produce, at village prices rather than Oia prices. This is the practical reason a lot of people end up eating here.

The History of Finikia Santorini

Medieval origins. Finikia Santorini goes back to the early medieval villages of Santorini, built inland and below the skyline because the sea belonged to whoever had the fastest ship. A village in a hollow behind the ridge is a village that does not get raided.

The Oia connection. When Oia flourished on shipping in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the captains and merchants lived up on the rim. The people who farmed the valley and worked the vineyards lived here. Finikia Santorini was the working half of a wealthy parish.

The church. Agia Matrona was built in 1859, at the height of that prosperity, and its October festival with a wine-tasting contest tells you exactly what the village lived on.

The collapse. Steam shipping ended the sailing fleet, and the Russian Revolution ended the market for Santorini’s sweet wine. By the early twentieth century both halves of the local economy were gone.

1956. The Amorgos earthquake, magnitude 7.7, hit the north of the island hardest. Oia lost a large part of its town on the rim. Finikia, set back in its hollow on firmer ground, came through comparatively well, and emigration did the rest.

Now. Restoration has reached here in the last two decades, but slowly and without changing the plan of the place. Finikia Santorini remains one of the most intact settlements on Santorini, a kilometre from the most photographed village in Greece.

Staying in Finikia Santorini

This is the single most useful thing on this page, so it is worth being direct about it.

What you get. Oia one kilometre away – walkable, ten minutes – at a fraction of Oia’s room rates. Restored cave houses and small hotels with courtyards and plunge pools, in a village where nothing happens after ten at night.

What you give up. The caldera view from your room. Finikia Santorini sits behind the ridge, so what you see is the village, the vineyards and the sea to the north. Walk up for the view; sleep down here.

The saving. Substantial. A caldera-view suite in Oia in August runs into several hundred euro a night. A restored cave house here is a different order of money, and the walk between the two takes ten minutes.

Who it suits. Anyone who wants Oia without paying for the view twenty-four hours a day; couples who would rather spend the difference on the rest of the trip; and travellers who want to sleep somewhere quiet.

Practical points. Some properties are inside the lanes and reached on foot, so luggage travels the last stretch by hand. Confirm with the hotel and tell us when you book a transfer. Our Oia and Finikia transfer covers this end of the island specifically.

Alternatives nearby. Oia itself for the view, Baxedes two kilometres down for the beach, Imerovigli ten minutes south. Oia · Baxedes · Imerovigli.

Eating and Drinking in Finikia Santorini

Finikia Santorini has a handful of tavernas cooking with local produce, a kilometre from some of the most expensive tables in Greece.

What it costs. Roughly 18€ to 28€ a head with wine for a full meal, against 50€ and up for a caldera table in Oia. That gap over a week is the strongest practical argument for staying here.

What to order. Fava, the yellow split pea purée with its own protected designation, warm with raw onion and capers. Tomatokeftedes, fritters of the small dense Santorini tomato. White aubergine, sweeter than the purple kind and grown almost nowhere else. Caper leaves, pickled. Chloro, the fresh goat cheese that never leaves the island. Slow-cooked rabbit.

What to drink. Assyrtiko from the vineyards in the valley below – dry, mineral, high in acid. The village’s own festival includes a wine-tasting competition, which tells you what they think of it.

When. From nine in the evening, after everyone has come back down from the sunset.

Booking. There are only a few tables in Finikia Santorini and in August they go. Ask your hotel to call ahead.

If food is why you travel, our food tour visits producers on the island and finishes with a sit-down meal.

Walking From Finikia Santorini to Oia

The walk that makes Finikia Santorini work as a base.

The route. Out of the village and up onto the ridge, then west into Oia along the main street. About a kilometre, ten to fifteen minutes, uphill on the way there and downhill coming back.

The surface. Road and paved lane. Not a footpath, but nothing difficult.

After the sunset. This is the point. Four thousand people leave Oia castle at once and queue for buses and taxis. From Finikia Santorini you walk home in fifteen minutes while they are still standing in the road.

Going the other way. Walk into Oia in the late afternoon, take the main street before the crowd builds, and be at the castle or on the western walls before the buses arrive.

Continuing on. From Oia the caldera path runs south along the rim through Imerovigli and Firostefani to Fira – around ten kilometres and the best walk on the island. Starting from Finikia adds fifteen minutes.

Down to the sea. The other direction: two kilometres through the vineyards, past the chapels of Agia Paraskevi and Agios Konstantinos, to Baxedes beach on the north coast.

Getting to Finikia Santorini

By car. One kilometre from Oia, fifteen minutes from Fira, twenty-five from the airport, thirty from Athinios port. Park at the edge – the lanes are pedestrian.

By bus. The Fira–Oia route passes the village and runs frequently in season, for a couple of euro.

On foot from Oia. Ten to fifteen minutes.

By taxi. Possible, though the island’s licensed fleet is very small and after sunset in Oia it is effectively unobtainable.

On a tour. Finikia Santorini sits on the Fira–Oia road, so it fits into any northern itinerary. The north part tour and the full day tour both work this end of the island.

By transfer. Our Oia and Finikia transfer runs from the airport and both ports, with flights and ferries monitored.

What to wear

Shoes with grip. The lanes are stepped and the walk up to the ridge is steep in the last stretch.

Finikia Compared With the Other Villages

Against Oia. One kilometre apart and the same parish. Oia has the caldera, the castle, the sunset and several thousand people a day. Finikia Santorini has the lanes, the quiet and the prices. Almost everyone should see both, and a good number should sleep in this one. More on Oia.

Against Imerovigli. Imerovigli has the best caldera view on the island and rooms priced accordingly. Ten minutes south. More on Imerovigli.

Against Baxedes. Two kilometres down towards the north coast, where the beaches are. Different holiday, five minutes away. More on Baxedes.

Against Megalochori and Pyrgos. Both are more substantial villages with more to see, and both are half an hour south. Finikia is smaller and its advantage is entirely its position next to Oia. Megalochori · Pyrgos.

Against Vourvoulos and Karterados. The equivalent villages behind Fira – quiet, cheap, five minutes from the action. Same logic, different end of the island. Vourvoulos · Karterados.

When to Visit Finikia Santorini

April and May. The best window for Finikia Santorini. The valley is green, the walk to Oia is comfortable and the village is open without being busy.

June to August. Hot and, in Oia, extremely crowded. Finikia Santorini is the escape valve: a kilometre away and almost empty at any hour. Walk up late in the afternoon and back after the crowd disperses.

September. Harvest in the valley below. Warm, still swimmable at Baxedes, and the best month of the year here.

20 October. The feast of Agia Matrona, with a village festival and a wine-tasting competition. If you want to see the village as a village, this is the day.

November to March. Quiet, and much of Oia shuts. Some rooms and a taverna or two stay open here.

Time of day

Late afternoon for the lanes, and Kyra Panagia for the sunset if you would rather not stand shoulder to shoulder at Oia castle.

Photographing Finikia Santorini

The lanes of Finikia Santorini. Whitewash, stepped alleys and cave façades, empty at any hour – which is the one thing Oia cannot offer at any price.

Agia Matrona. The courtyard and the bell tower, best in late afternoon light.

Kyra Panagia at sunset. The same sun as Oia castle, with room to set up a tripod.

The chapels in the vineyards. Agia Paraskevi and Agios Konstantinos on the road down to Baxedes, white against green in spring and against bare stone in autumn.

The cave façades. A painted door set flat into the rock with the hillside behind it.

Technical. Midday blows out the whitewash – expose for the walls, not the sky. Nothing in Finikia Santorini is crowded, so you can take your time, which is the whole reason to shoot here rather than a kilometre west.

Courtesy. People live in these lanes and they pass front doors. The courtyards are private.

Frequently Asked Questions About Finikia Santorini

How do you pronounce it? Roughly “fi-ni-KIA”. You will also see Foinikia.

Where is it? About one kilometre east of Oia, in a hollow below the ridge, on the road in from Fira.

Is Finikia part of Oia? Effectively yes – it is a separate settlement in the same parish, a ten to fifteen minute walk away.

Can you walk from Finikia to Oia? Yes, in ten to fifteen minutes, uphill going and downhill coming back.

Is Finikia worth visiting? Yes, and it is worth staying in. It is one of the best-preserved settlements on Santorini and a fraction of the price of the village next door.

Is there a caldera view? No. Finikia Santorini sits behind the ridge and looks north over the vineyards and the sea.

Where do I watch the sunset? Kyra Panagia above the village, or walk into Oia. The sun is the same; the crowd is not.

What is Agia Matrona? The village church, built in 1859 by F. Platis, celebrated on 20 October with a festival and a wine-tasting competition.

Is there a beach? Not in the village. Baxedes and the northern beaches are about two kilometres down through the vineyards.

Can you stay there? Yes – restored cave houses and small hotels, at far less than Oia.

Is it accessible? Partly. The lanes are stepped and narrow, and the walk to Oia is uphill.

Is it crowded? No, which is remarkable given what is a kilometre away.

Are there restaurants? A handful of tavernas using local produce, at village prices. Book ahead in August.

How do I get there without a car? The Fira–Oia bus passes the village, or walk from Oia.

Tours That Include Finikia Santorini

We are a licensed local operator with guides who live on the island year round. Prices are per vehicle rather than per person, pickup is included from anywhere including both ports, and an 80€ deposit confirms the date.

North part tour – the northern half of the island, including Oia and the villages behind it.

Sunset tour – timed for the evening, with a guide who knows where to stand instead of where everyone else is standing.

Full day tour – eight hours from 460€, the whole island with a traditional village stop.

Wine tour – four and a half hours from 650€, three estates with all tastings included.

Personalised tour – from 220€, built around whatever you actually want to see.

Every itinerary and all prices are on the santorini tours page. If you are staying in Finikia Santorini, our Oia and Finikia transfer covers the airport and both ports.

Is Finikia Santorini Worth Visiting?

As a sight for an hour, yes – it is one of the most intact settlements on the island and it is a kilometre from the most photographed one.

As a place to sleep, it is the best-value decision anyone makes at this end of Santorini. You give up the view from the room and you keep the view from the castle, ten minutes’ walk away, plus several hundred euro a night in August, plus a lane you can walk down at midnight without meeting anyone.

Go up for the sunset. Come back down for dinner. That is the correct way to do Oia, and almost nobody does it.

Send us your dates and party size and we will tell you honestly how Finikia Santorini fits into your trip.

What Finikia Santorini Costs

Finikia Santorini is a kilometre from Oia and a different currency, effectively.

Coffee. 2.50–4€ here, against 5–8€ on the Oia rim.

Taverna dinner. 18–28€ a head with wine, against 50€+ for a caldera table.

Wine by the glass. 4–6€.

Hotel, shoulder season. From around 80€ for a simple room to 220€ for a restored cave house with a plunge pool.

Hotel, August. Higher, but nothing like a caldera-view suite in Oia, which routinely runs into several hundred a night.

Bus to Fira. A couple of euro, and it passes the village.

Transfer from the airport. Covered by our Oia and Finikia service, with flights monitored.

A private tour. From 220€ for the whole vehicle, pickup from Finikia Santorini included.

The lanes, the church and the sunset from Kyra Panagia. Free.

A week here rather than on the Oia rim, at the same standard of room, is the largest single saving available on this island.

Who Finikia Santorini Is For

Anyone who wants Oia. Ten minutes on foot, at a village price, with a quiet lane to come home to.

Repeat visitors. People who paid for the caldera view once and would rather spend the difference elsewhere.

Photographers. Empty lanes at any hour, a kilometre from lanes you cannot photograph without a crowd in them.

Light sleepers. Nothing happens here after ten.

Walkers. The caldera path to Fira starts fifteen minutes away, and the vineyard walk down to Baxedes starts at the village edge.

Couples on a budget. The saving over a week is genuinely large.

Less suited to anyone whose trip is built around waking up to the caldera; travellers who want nightlife, which is in Fira; and people who will not walk uphill, since the route to Oia climbs at the end.

Common Mistakes in Finikia Santorini

Booking Oia without checking here first. The most expensive habit on the island.

Driving into the lanes. Park at the edge. They are pedestrian and stepped.

Watching the sunset from the middle of the Oia crowd. Kyra Panagia above the village has the same sun and room to stand.

Trying to get a taxi after sunset. There are none. That is the point of walking home.

Eating in Oia every night. The same meal is half the price ten minutes downhill in Finikia Santorini.

Missing 20 October. The Agia Matrona festival, with a wine-tasting competition, is the one day the village is fully itself.

Not walking down to Baxedes. Two kilometres through vineyards past two chapels, and almost nobody does it.

Everywhere We Can Reach From Finikia Santorini

Any of these can be built into a private itinerary. Each has its own page with what to see and how long to allow.

Caldera villages: Fira · Firostefani · Imerovigli · Oia · Baxedes

Inland villages: Pyrgos · Megalochori · Emporio · Mesaria · Karterados · Vothonas · Vourvoulos · Exo Gonia · Mesa Gonia · Pigadia

Beaches: Perissa · Perivolos · Kamari · Vlychada · Monolithos · Red Beach · White Beach · Agios Georgios · Agia Paraskevi

Sites and landmarks: Akrotiri · Ancient Thira · Akrotiri Lighthouse · Nea Kameni · Palia Kameni · Thirasia · Athinios Port

All our tours: All Santorini tours · Full day tour · Sightseeing tour · Personalised tour · North part tour · Horse riding · South part tour · Sunset tour · Shore excursion · Caldera tour · Food experience · Wine tour · Historical tour · Small group tour

Planning and services: Famous sights tour · Private transfers · Transfers to Oia and Finikia · Transfers to other villages · Villages of Santorini · History of Santorini · Tours near you · Languages we guide in · Food and fun tours · Gay friendly tours · Our tour buses · Daily tours · Day tours · FAQ · Gallery · Tour photo gallery · About us · Contact · Blog