Finikia Santorini: Best Alternative to Oia

Located in the north of Santorini, near Oia, on the Fira to Oia hiking trail, Finikia is one of the best Santorini villages to stay in. The charming village of Finikia offers several hotels and villas, suites, apartments, boutique caves, traditional tavernas, a free parking space and a convenience store.

From Finikia, you have easy access to Baxedes Beach and to the quiet resort of Paradisos in the northeast of Santorini.

Please keep in mind that not all hotels in Finikia are beachfront properties. Always take a look at the positioning on the map before booking your hotel in Finikia or anywhere else on Santorini for that matter.

When staying in Finikia, you are only a short walk away from Oia and its lovely sunsets that attract thousands of visitors each and every day. At the same time, you avoid the crowds, as Finikia is off the beaten path and not as touristy as Oia or Fira.

The convenience and the natural beauty of this village made me include Finikia on my list of the best places to stay in Santorini.

Just take a look at Finikia’s location on the map and choose the hotel that best suits you:

Booking.com

Main Reasons Why Finikia Is the Best Alternative to Oia

Here are my top reasons for choosing Finikia over Oia for your offbeat Santorini holiday.

Finikia: Santorini Caldera Experience without the Crowds

The Caldera is one of the top reasons why tourist want to visit Santorini. The biggest problems of the Caldera, though, are the crowds.

Should you choose a hotel in Imerovigli or Oia, you may have to put up with people walking over your roof to take selfies and photos of the scenic landscape. You may not get those beautiful photos you long for.

By sunset, you’ll find it hard to walk along the main road or to find a restaurant to have dinner.

Finikia has good restaurants that are less crowded. It has a supermarket (which is actually a small shop and grocery store, good enough for buying water, fruit, cheese and other such things)

Traditional Cycladic Architecture & Cave Houses

Built on the ridge of the Caldera, Finikia features some fine samples of the traditional architectural style of the Cyclades, cave hotels and narrow streets that connect everything together.

Finikia Has Beaches: Baxedes, Cape Columbo, Pori Beach

Baxedes is one of the biggest Santorini beaches. It has sunbeds and umbrellas.

The sand on Baxedes beach is black. There are also pebbles, so you may want to wear water shoes (unless you do enjoy a good foot massage while walking).

Cape Columbo and Pori Beach are also nice.

Finikia Santorini, the Best of Two Worlds

There are times when you want to have your cake and eat it too.

Santorini is the island where I felt this. I loved the caldera with its breathtaking views, I loved the Fira to Oia path, I loved Oia but I hated the crowds. I had to wait in line to take photos to go with my best Greece captions for my Instagram profile. If you need some inspiration, you may want to check out my Santorini quotes & captions listicle.

If you’re like me, you’ll enjoy Finikia. For those who want to be minutes away from the caldera, Finikia and Firostefani are the best choices of villages to stay in.

Where To Stay in Santorini: Finikia

Best places to stay in Finikia: Palm Tree Hill, White Cave Villas, Lotza Studios.

None of these is cheap Santorini accommodation. However, they are cheaper than cave hotels, apartments and villas with private bubble bath and views of the caldera.

Edem Luxury Hotel Finikia: Cave Suite with Private Hot Tub & Sea Views

How would you like to spend a few days in a cave suite, sipping cocktails and watching the sea?

Click here to see the available rooms and the amenities at Edem Luxury Hotel in Finikia. There’s only one cave suite, so hurry up to see whether it’s still available for your dates.

Finikia Santorini Memories Hotel

Finikia Memories hotel is another great choice to spend a few days on this iconic Greek island.

Finikia Memories hotel offers free on site parking (most probably in the public parking), a continental breakfast, free wi-fi, a swimming pool with two hot tubs and a sun deck.

You can see the rates and the availability here.

How To Get From Santorini Airport to Finikia Village

Santorini has good public transport. Buses reach pretty much everywhere on the island.

All bus routes start and end in Fira. To get from Santorini Airport to Finikia, you must change in Fira. The total duration of the bus journey is about 1 hour and a half.

Getting from the Santorini Airport to your hotel in Finikia by driving or taxi takes about 20 minutes.