The name comes from the Greek for a day watch. This was the lookout: from here you can see the whole caldera and any ship entering it, which mattered when the ships were pirates.
Diagram by Greece Trips. Free to reuse with credit - CC BY 4.0.
What is actually here
Very little, and that is the point. Imerovigli is a strip of white houses, blue domes and cave-hotel terraces along a cliff edge, with:
- A handful of restaurants, most of them attached to hotels and priced for the view
- A church or two on the rim, including Panagia Malteza
- No nightlife, no shopping street, no real centre
- A great many steps
If you want somewhere to go in the evening, this is not it. Fira is twenty minutes’ walk south along the caldera path.
Skaros Rock is the thing to do
Below and west of the village, a rocky headland juts into the caldera. Skaros was the island’s medieval fortress and effectively its capital - a whole settlement on and around the rock, abandoned after earthquakes.
Almost nothing built survives. What you get is the walk, which is the best short walk on Santorini:
- It drops from the village onto the neck of the headland and climbs the rock
- The path is uneven, unshaded and steep in places, and worth proper shoes
- Beyond the rock, a further path leads to the small chapel of Theoskepasti on the far side, where the view back at the caldera wall is the best on the island
Allow an hour or so return from the village, more if you go to the chapel. Do not do it at midday in August.
The walk to Oia
The caldera-rim footpath from Fira through Imerovigli to Oia is Santorini’s classic walk, and Imerovigli is roughly the halfway point.
Northwards to Oia is around two hours of exposed, undulating path with no shade and no water on the way. It is genuinely beautiful and genuinely hard in summer heat. Start early, carry water, and be honest about the conditions - people attempt it at two in the afternoon in August and regret it.
Where it sits in a Santorini trip
Imerovigli is the standard answer for a couple who want the caldera without Oia’s crush. It is also the wrong answer for anyone who wants to walk to dinner options, a beach or anything to do after dark.
The full rim-versus-coast argument is in where to stay in Santorini, and Fira covers the busier neighbour twenty minutes down the path.
Getting there
Imerovigli is on the caldera rim road between Fira and Oia, served by the island bus network from Fira, and about a twenty-minute walk from Fira along the rim path.
Vehicle access into the village itself is limited - it is a pedestrian strip of lanes and steps. If you are staying here with luggage, ask your accommodation exactly where a vehicle can stop, because the answer is often “several flights of steps away”.
What to take from this page
Come for the view and the Skaros walk, not for things to do. Do the walk early, wear real shoes, and if you want an evening with options, sleep in Fira and visit.
Last checked August 2026. Paths and opening hours change - see our editorial policy.
Common questions
What is there to do in Imerovigli?
Walk out to Skaros Rock and the chapel beyond it, take the caldera-rim path towards Fira or Oia, and look at the view. There is no nightlife and no shopping street.
Is Imerovigli better than Oia?
For quiet, yes - it has the same caldera outlook with far fewer people. Oia has more restaurants, more shops and the sunset crowd. Imerovigli is the calmer, duller, cheaper-to-eat-in choice.
How long is the walk to Skaros Rock?
About an hour there and back from the village, longer if you continue to the Theoskepasti chapel. The path is steep and unshaded, so avoid the middle of the day in summer.
Can you walk from Imerovigli to Oia?
Yes, on the caldera-rim path - roughly two hours, exposed the whole way with no shade or water. Start early and carry water.
Is Imerovigli good for families?
Less so than the beach coast. It is steps, cliff edges and long walks, with no beach and little for children to do.
Why is Imerovigli called that?
From the Greek for a day watch. The village sits at the highest point of the rim and was the lookout over the caldera.
Next
Read things to do in Santorini, Fira and Oia, or settle the base question with where to stay in Santorini.