Kamari beach is one of Santorini’s most popular black-sand resorts, a long Blue Flag shore below the great rock of Mesa Vouno, with a vibrant seafront promenade of restaurants and bars, an open-air cinema and watersports. This guide covers the beach, the promenade, what to do and how to visit.
Kamari blends a striking black beach with a lively resort, a favourite in the wider Santorini travel guide. It lies on the south-east coast near the airport. The sections below cover the resort.
What is Kamari beach like?
Kamari beach is a long Blue Flag stretch of black volcanic sand and pebbles on the south-east coast, below the towering Mesa Vouno rock, opposite Perissa. More polished than Perissa, it has a lively beachfront promenade and clear water.
Kamari is the more polished of Santorini’s two main beach resorts. Sharing the dramatic rock of Mesa Vouno with Perissa on the far side, its long black-sand and dark-pebble beach holds a Blue Flag for clean water and good facilities, edged by a smart pedestrian promenade rather than a single road. The atmosphere is vibrant but relaxed, suiting families, couples and solo travellers alike, and the village behind offers a full range of hotels, shops and amenities. Backed by the great cliff and a long, gently curving shore, it makes one of the island’s most enjoyable beach bases.
The beach is well organised, with rows of sunbeds and umbrellas for hire, showers and lifeguards in season, so families and first-time visitors feel at ease here, set within the wider Santorini beaches. The promenade is its heart.
What is the promenade like?
Kamari’s seafront promenade is the resort’s social heart, a long pedestrian walkway lined with the widest choice of restaurants, cafés and bars on any Santorini beach. Lovely at night under strings of lights, it is one of the island’s best evening scenes.
The promenade sets Kamari apart from the island’s other beaches. Running the length of the shore, this pedestrian walkway is lined end to end with restaurants, tavernas, cafés and bars, giving Kamari the widest and best selection of seafront dining on Santorini. By day it is relaxed and beach-focused; by night it comes alive, strung with lights and filled with strolling diners and drinkers in a cheerful, unhurried atmosphere that makes it one of the loveliest places on the island for an evening out. The mix of good food, sea views and gentle buzz is a big part of Kamari’s appeal, set out alongside the guide to Santorini food. There is more to do than the beach.
What is there to do in Kamari?
Beyond the beach, Kamari has watersports such as jet skiing, an open-air cinema showing films in English, and walks up Mesa Vouno to Ancient Thera, the ruined hilltop city. Sunbeds, bars and tavernas line the sand, and the village offers shopping.
Kamari keeps visitors busy day and night. On the water, operators offer jet skiing and other watersports, while the beach itself has loungers, umbrellas and beach bars. A real highlight is CineKamari, an open-air cinema at the edge of the resort showing recent films in English under the stars, a magical evening, especially for first-timers to open-air cinema. Above the beach, a path climbs the great rock of Mesa Vouno to the atmospheric ruins of Ancient Thera, the island’s hilltop classical city, rewarding the effort with history and views. The village’s shops and amenities round out a comfortable stay, set out alongside the guide to Santorini villages. The black sand needs care.
What should you know about visiting?
You should bring water shoes, as the black sand and pebbles get very hot and can be sharp underfoot. Arrive early in summer for a good spot, and visit from May to October.
A little planning makes Kamari a pleasure. As with all the island’s volcanic beaches, the black sand and pebbles absorb heat and can be sharp as well as scorching underfoot, so water shoes or sandals are well worth packing. Arriving early in the day, especially in summer, secures a good spot before the crowds and the worst of the heat, with the months from May to October ideal.
Note that Kamari sits close to Santorini airport, about 10 kilometres away, so the occasional aircraft passes overhead, though most days this is only a brief distraction. Bring a hat, sunscreen and plenty of water, since shade on the open sand is limited beyond the hired umbrellas, set out alongside the guide to the best time to visit Santorini. Getting there is straightforward.
How do you get to Kamari?
You reach Kamari in about 20 minutes by KTEL bus from Fira for around 2.50 euros, with frequent services, or by hire car, ATV or taxi. The resort lies about 8 kilometres south-east of the capital and just 10 from the airport.
Kamari is one of the easiest beaches to reach. Frequent KTEL buses run from the main station in Fira to Kamari in around 20 minutes for about 2.50 euros, so it is simple to visit without a car. A hire car, quad or ATV adds flexibility for combining the beach with Ancient Thera, Perissa, Akrotiri or a winery, with parking available in the village. Its position about 8 kilometres from Fira and only 10 from the airport makes it both convenient for day trips and a practical base for a beach-focused stay, set out alongside the guides to how to get to Santorini and a Santorini itinerary. Comparing it with the island’s other beaches helps you choose.
How does Kamari compare to other Santorini beaches?
Kamari is one of Santorini’s best-organised beaches, more polished than Perissa and busier than the quiet north-coast shores. It shares the same black sand and Mesa Vouno rock as Perissa but has the finest promenade dining on the island.
Kamari sits at the comfortable, family-friendly end of the island’s beaches. It offers the black volcanic sand common to the south-east coast, but with the smoothest promenade, the widest choice of tavernas and a Blue Flag for its facilities, which makes it more polished than neighbouring Perissa across the rock. It is calmer and more classic than Perivolos, the beach-club and party stretch further south, and far more developed than the raw, undeveloped beaches of the north such as Vourvoulos. Those chasing dramatic scenery still make for the Red Beach and White Beach near Akrotiri, but for a long, easy beach day with everything to hand, Kamari is hard to beat, set within the wider Santorini beaches. Ancient Thera adds history above the sand.
What is Ancient Thera above Kamari?
Ancient Thera is the ruined classical city on the Mesa Vouno headland high above Kamari, founded by Dorian Greeks and lived in through Hellenistic and Roman times. A steep path or short drive leads up to its stone streets, temples and theatre.
Above Kamari’s sand rises one of the island’s great historical sights. The rocky headland of Mesa Vouno, which separates Kamari from Perissa, carries the extensive ruins of Ancient Thera, the classical city that gave the island its official name of Thira. Founded by Dorian settlers and inhabited for many centuries, it preserves the outlines of houses, agoras, temples and a theatre perched on the cliff edge, with the two beaches spread out far below. You can reach it on foot by the switchback path that climbs from Kamari, a hot but rewarding hour, or more easily by car up the winding road, set out alongside the guide to Ancient Thera. The questions below cover the points travellers ask most.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Kamari beach known for?
Kamari is known for its long Blue Flag black-sand beach below the great rock of Mesa Vouno, and above all for its lively seafront promenade, which has the widest choice of restaurants and bars of any Santorini beach. It also has an open-air cinema and watersports.
Which is better, Kamari or Perissa?
Kamari and Perissa share the same black sand and the Mesa Vouno rock, but Kamari is more polished, with a pedestrian promenade and the best beachfront dining, while Perissa is more relaxed and a touch cheaper with a younger beach-bar scene. Both are excellent beach days.
How do you get from Fira to Kamari?
You get from Fira to Kamari in about 20 minutes by frequent KTEL bus for around 2.50 euros, or by hire car, ATV or taxi. The resort lies about 8 kilometres south-east of Fira and only 10 from the airport, with parking in the village.
Is Kamari beach good for families?
Kamari beach is very good for families, with a Blue Flag for clean water and facilities, sunbeds, showers and a safe, gently shelving shore. The traffic-free promenade behind the sand has plenty of tavernas and cafés, and an open-air cinema and watersports keep children and teenagers entertained.
Does Kamari have black sand?
Kamari has black sand, made of dark volcanic grains and small pebbles typical of Santorini’s south-east coast. The dark surface absorbs the sun and grows very hot in summer, so water shoes are useful. The black shore below the Mesa Vouno rock gives Kamari its striking, distinctive look.
Where do you eat and stay in Kamari?
You eat along Kamari’s seafront promenade, which has the island’s widest choice of tavernas, fish restaurants, cafés and bars, many with tables facing the sea. The village behind offers hotels and studios in every price range, making Kamari a comfortable and well-connected base for a beach-focused stay on Santorini.
What is CineKamari?
CineKamari is an open-air cinema at the edge of Kamari that screens recent films in English under the stars through the summer season. Set among gardens with a bar, it is a relaxed, memorable evening out after a beach day, and a favourite with couples, families and first-time visitors to open-air cinema on the island.