Kamari Beach Santorini • A Black Sand Beach in Santorini

Kamari Beach Santorini. This is a side of Santorini that the internet rarely shows you, or at least, a side of the island that is rarely associated with Santorini. In fact, this is one of the few stretches of coastline on the island that could really be classed as a beach; other waterfront spots like Amoudi Bay are rocky outcrops more popular with daredevil cliff-jumpers than lazy sunbathers.

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Kamari Beach is a wide open beach in the south east of Santorini, with the silhouette of the Mesa Vuono Mountain serving as its stunning backdrop. I first visited on a dry, scorching hot day in August (arguably the worst time to visit Santorini), and the wash of blue sky and sea was even more vivid next to the neutral stone mountain and tiny greyish black pebbles speckled with straw parasols. It’s clearly a lively place- there are beach bars and restaurants galore, and the atmosphere is far more family-oriented than the opposite island in Oía and Fira, which is Honeymoon Central Station.

But that makes sense: the water here is shallow and calm, and you won’t need to fling yourself off of a stone platform in order to swim. For people who appreciate a less gung-ho technique of getting into water, Kamari Beach is a great spot.

How to get to Kamari Beach

Santorini is a really, really easy place to navigate with public transport; the island isn’t massive, buses run fairly regularly (although admittedly, not always on time), and the tickets are also extremely affordable, with a single ticket costing €2 (2025).

All bus routes on the island run out of Fira, the island’s main city, and it’ll take around 15-20 minutes in total to travel by bus from Fira to Kamari. There are no numbers on the buses- just the final destination. Take cash with you (ideally the correct change), and pay the conductor after you sit down in the bus.

Check the Santorini bus times.

Of course, you could also travel to Kamari Beach by taxi, but that’s a much more expensive option which’ll cost around €25-€30. (2025)

What to do in Kamari Beach Santorini

The main reason that most people stay in, or visit, Kamari Beach is that this is one of the few places on the island that feel like a traditional beach resort. So the most obvious thing to do when spending time at this volcanic spot, is to enjoy a true beach day and everything that comes with it. The water here is crystal clear- it’s a lovely swimming spot- and although the beach can get busy, there’s plenty of space for sunbathing. Beach bars rent sun beds, and serve drinks and food directly to you on the sand if that floats your boat. There’s also a massive choice of places to eat and drink along the main promenade. Whether you’re after traditional tavernas, or something more modern, the beauty of Kamari is that you really can relax here.

I’m generally more of a ‘wild beach’ kind of a gal; consider my downhill hike to one of the most beautiful beaches in Europe, for example. Or this absolute stunner on Lefkada. Both slightly scary but worth it. But the one real downside of a wild beach for most folks (aside from the fact that they’re not particularly easy to access), is the lack of facilities. Kamari Beach has everything you need, and more, and I embraced it while I was there, that’s for sure.

Akrotiri, Santorini’s Red Sand Beach

Ancient history and a stunning view

The beach is one thing, but like many a spot in Santorini, you don’t have to look far to discover some truly ancient history.

Way up high on top of that majestic mountain that overlooks Kamari Beach, is Ancient Thera. This ruined city was founded around the 8th century BC by the Dorians (the Dorians were one of the four main ethnic groups of Ancient Greeks). These Dorians landed on the island, claimed it for themselves and swiftly named it ‘Thera’ after their leader, King Theras. The city, 365 metres above sea level, was in a great location for defence and keeping watch over the Aegean Sea, and it became very wealthy and successful, trading with Athens, Rhodes, Ionia and Corinth. Basically, Ancient Thera was kind of a big deal.

Later on, it was taken over by the Romans- and there’s plenty of evidence of Roman influence amongst the ruined city as well- but after a volcanic eruption in 726AD, the city was covered in ashy pumice and abandoned.

If you fancy a visit to Ancient Thera and its Roman baths, temples and ruined houses, you can reach it either from Kamari, or from Perissa- the village on the other side of Mesa Vuono. For a challenge, it’s possible to hike up the winding pathway from Kamari Beach to Ancient Thera, but this is probably better undertaken earlier in the day (or season). The temperatures on Santorini in summer can really soar, so if you still want to see the ruins and the view without the sweaty hike, consider taking a taxi.

The archaeological site of Ancient Thera is open 8.30am-3.30pm every day except Wednesdays. Tickets are €10 each, payable on entry.

Is Kamari Beach worth visiting?

I had originally planned to visit Kamari Beach in order to hike up to Ancient Thera- but by 10am on the day in late August that I arrived, the temperature was already sweltering hot. I spent a lot of this particular trip to Santorini hiking in exceedingly overwhelming temperatures, and that morning I scrapped my plans and settled instead for a much more relaxed itinerary. That is to say, there was no way in hell that I would be climbing a mountain in that heat. For a day of swimming, relaxing and allowing my legs to recover from tramping across the island, Kamari Beach was perfect.