Santorini beaches are volcanic and dramatic rather than golden sand, led by the black sand of Perissa and Kamari, the famous Red Beach beneath rust-coloured cliffs, and the white moonscape of Vlychada. This guide covers the best beaches, what makes each special, which to pick and how to get to them.
The island’s beaches are a striking part of the wider Santorini travel guide. They line the gentler south and east coasts. The sections below cover where to swim.
What are Santorini’s beaches like?
Santorini’s beaches are volcanic, with black, red and white sand and pebbles rather than the pale gold of other Greek islands. The main beaches lie on the south and east coasts, away from the caldera cliffs, and are valued for their dramatic scenery and warm, clear water.
Santorini’s beaches are like nowhere else in Greece. Because the island is a volcano, its shores are coloured black, red and grey by lava and ash, lined with dark sand and smooth pebbles instead of soft golden sand. The caldera side is a sheer cliff with no beaches, so the swimming is on the gentler south and east coasts. These beaches are best enjoyed for their unique, almost lunar beauty and warm, clear water rather than classic sand, and the main ones are well organised with sunbeds, watersports and tavernas, set within the wider things to do in Santorini. The black-sand beaches lead the way.
What are Perissa and Kamari like?
Perissa and Kamari are Santorini’s two main black-sand beaches, on the south-east coast either side of the Mesa Vouno headland. Both are long, fully organised stretches of black volcanic sand and pebbles with sunbeds, watersports and seafront tavernas; Perissa’s sand is softer underfoot.
Perissa and Kamari are the island’s classic beach resorts. Lying back to back beneath the rocky headland of Mesa Vouno, crowned by the ruins of Ancient Thera, both offer long sweeps of black volcanic sand and pebbles, warm shallow water and full facilities, from sunbeds and umbrellas to watersports and a strip of restaurants and bars behind. Perissa, with its smaller, smoother pebbles, is gentler underfoot and continues into lively Perivolos, while Kamari is more compact and polished, with a pretty promenade and one of the island’s best evening scenes. The black sand gets very hot, so footwear and a mat help, set out alongside the guide to Santorini’s villages. The Red Beach is the most photographed.
What is the Red Beach?
The Red Beach is Santorini’s most famous beach, a small cove of dark sand framed by towering red volcanic cliffs near Akrotiri. The colours are stunning, but the cliffs are unstable and the access path has been closed off since because of rockfall, so many admire it from a viewpoint or by boat.
The Red Beach is the image most people picture of Santorini’s shores. Tucked beneath sheer, rust-red cliffs near the Akrotiri archaeological site in the south-west, the blend of red cliffs, dark sand and turquoise sea is genuinely spectacular. However, the soft cliffs above are prone to rockfall, and the official footpath was shut for safety, with rockfalls having injured visitors, so it is wisest to view the beach from the marked viewpoint at the top or to see it from the water on a boat trip. Nearby White Beach and the Black Beach of Mesa Pigadia are also best reached by boat, set out alongside the guide to Akrotiri. Vlychada offers a quieter, surreal alternative.
What about Vlychada and the quieter beaches?
Vlychada is a striking beach on the south coast backed by tall white cliffs sculpted by wind into a lunar landscape, quieter and more natural than Perissa or Kamari. Other peaceful options include Perivolos, Monolithos for families, and the boat-access coves near Akrotiri.
For something calmer and more surreal, the south coast delivers. Vlychada is famous for the pale, smooth cliffs rising behind its grey-sand beach, wind-carved into curving, moon-like forms that make it one of the island’s most photogenic and relaxed shores, with a marina and a few tavernas. Nearby Perivolos extends Perissa with chic beach bars, while Monolithos on the east coast, with calm shallow water and a playground, is the most family-friendly beach on Santorini. The colourful coves around the south-west, including White Beach, are reached on boat trips, set out alongside the guide to Santorini boat tours. Choosing the right beach depends on your day.
Which beach should you choose?
Choose Perissa or Perivolos for soft black sand and beach bars, Kamari for a polished promenade and dining, Vlychada for dramatic white cliffs and quiet, Monolithos for families, and the Red and White Beaches for scenery best seen by boat. Most lie on the south-east coast.
The right beach depends on the day you want. For a lively, fully equipped day with watersports and bars, Perissa, Perivolos or Kamari are the obvious picks, with Kamari adding the best evening promenade. For peace and dramatic scenery, Vlychada’s white cliffs are hard to beat, while families with young children are happiest at calm, shallow Monolithos. The famous Red Beach is for admiring rather than lounging, ideally from a boat trip that also reaches White Beach and the sea caves. A hire car or the buses link them all, set out alongside the guides to a Santorini itinerary and getting around. Reaching them is straightforward.
How do you get to the beaches?
You reach the main beaches by KTEL bus from Fira, which serves Perissa, Kamari, Perivolos and Monolithos for a few euros, by hire car or quad, or by taxi. The Red and White Beaches near Akrotiri are best reached by boat, and most beaches are 20 to 30 minutes from Fira.
Getting to the beaches is easy from a central base. KTEL public buses run frequently from the main station in Fira to Perissa, Kamari, Perivolos and Monolithos, costing only a couple of euros each way, making car-free beach days simple. A hire car, quad or ATV gives more freedom to combine several beaches and reach quieter spots, with most lying 20 to 30 minutes from Fira on the south and east coasts. The Red Beach and White Beach near Akrotiri are reached on foot to a viewpoint or, better, by boat, since the cliff paths are unstable, set out alongside the guide to how to get to Santorini. The questions below cover the points travellers ask most.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Santorini have good beaches?
Santorini has dramatic volcanic beaches of black, red and white sand rather than golden sand, valued for their unique scenery and warm water. The black-sand beaches of Perissa and Kamari are the best for a full beach day, while the Red Beach is famously photogenic.
Why is Santorini’s sand black?
Santorini’s sand is black, red and grey because the island is a volcano, and its beaches are formed of lava, ash and volcanic pebbles rather than pale quartz sand. The black sand at Perissa and Kamari gets very hot in summer, so footwear and a mat are useful.
Can you swim at the Red Beach in Santorini?
You can still reach the Red Beach, but the access path has been shut since because of dangerous rockfall from the unstable cliffs. Many visitors admire it from the viewpoint above or see it safely from a boat trip, along with nearby White Beach.