Kamari Santorini – Black Sand Beach and Village

Kamari Santorini: The Black Sand Resort Under the Rock

Kamari Santorini is the largest beach resort on the island, a crescent of black volcanic sand on the southeast coast with a pedestrian promenade running the whole length of it and the sheer cliff of Mesa Vouno closing the southern end. Book with Santorini Tours, a licensed local operator.

It is the practical half of Santorini. The caldera villages have the view; Kamari has the beach, the restaurants, the supermarkets, the car hire, the pharmacies, the diving school, the open-air cinema and rooms at a price ordinary people can pay. A very large share of everyone who visits this island sleeps here or eats here at some point.

The beach carries the Blue Flag. The sand is black and coarse, the water is deep and clear, and the whole bay is organised – sunbeds, umbrellas, water sports and a paved seafront closed to traffic through the summer.

Above it all sits Ancient Thera, the Hellenistic and Roman city on the ridge, reached by a switchback road or a path from the back of the village.

Where it is

On the southeast coast, ten minutes from Fira, five from the airport, ten from Pyrgos and Mesa Gonia, twenty from Perissa by road, twenty-five from Oia.

Why go

For the beach, the promenade, the food, the cinema under the stars, and Ancient Thera on the cliff above.

Kamari Beach

Kamari beach is the reason the village exists in its present form, and one of the two great black beaches on Santorini.

The sand. Black and coarse, more shingle than sand at the waterline. It is volcanic, it holds heat, and by eleven in the morning in August it is genuinely too hot to cross barefoot. Take something to walk in.

The water. Clear and deep quickly. The shelf drops away within a few metres, which suits swimmers rather than paddlers. The colour over black sand is a deep blue you do not get on a pale beach.

The organisation. Fully serviced along most of its length: rows of sunbeds and umbrellas, beach bars, showers, water sports and a diving school. Kamari Santorini is a proper resort beach and makes no apology for it.

The Blue Flag. The beach holds the award for water quality, safety and facilities, which on this coast is worth something.

The southern end. Under the cliff of Mesa Vouno the sunbeds thin out and the beach becomes rock and pebble. Quieter, and the most dramatic place to swim on the whole bay.

The wind. The east coast takes the meltemi side-on rather than head-on, so Kamari is usable on days when the north-facing beaches are not.

Cost. Two sunbeds and an umbrella typically run 15–25€ a day, often waived if you eat at the bar behind them.

The Promenade at Kamari Santorini

The paved seafront of Kamari Santorini is the second reason people come, and it is genuinely well done.

It runs the full length of the bay, following the crescent, with the beach on one side and restaurants, cafés and shops on the other. Through the summer it is closed to cars, so the entire waterfront becomes a walking street from one end to the other.

In the morning it is quiet: people going for bread, a handful of swimmers, the beach staff setting out umbrellas.

In the afternoon it is the shortest route between your sunbed and lunch.

In the evening it fills. Families walking the length of it before dinner, tables spilling out from the restaurants, and the cliff of Mesa Vouno going black against the sky at the far end. The evening walk along the Kamari Santorini seafront is one of the pleasant, unglamorous, entirely reliable things to do on this island.

Late. Bars at the northern end, open until the small hours in season. Not Fira’s nightlife, but not nothing either.

Practical. Cars are excluded in summer, so park in the streets behind and walk in. Everything – pharmacy, bank, supermarket, car hire, doctor – is within a few hundred metres of the seafront.

Ancient Thera Above Kamari Santorini

The cliff at the end of Kamari Santorini is Mesa Vouno, and along its ridge lies the most substantial archaeological site on the island after Akrotiri.

What it is. Ancient Thera, the city founded by Dorian settlers and built up through the Hellenistic and Roman periods, occupied for well over a thousand years. What survives is an entire urban plan on a knife-edge ridge: a main street, an agora, houses, cisterns, a theatre, temples, a gymnasium and the terrace where the Gymnopaidiai were danced.

The setting. Three hundred and sixty metres above the sea, with Kamari Santorini on one side and Perissa on the other, and nothing but Aegean beyond. It is the best view on the island and nobody talks about it because everyone is looking the other way at the caldera.

Getting up. A switchback road climbs from the back of Kamari – narrow, unbarriered in places and not for the nervous, though it is paved. There is also a footpath from Kamari and another from Perissa. Allow an hour on foot, more in heat.

When to go. Early morning. There is no shade on the ridge and the site closes in the early afternoon.

How long. An hour and a half to walk the site properly.

Our historical tour covers Ancient Thera with a guide, which makes a considerable difference to a site with almost no signage. More on Ancient Thera.

What Else to Do in Kamari Santorini

The open-air cinema

One of the best things on the island and almost nobody plans for it. A garden cinema with a bar, showing films in the original language after dark under the trees. It runs through the season and it costs a fraction of an evening on the caldera.

Diving

Kamari Santorini has the island’s established diving base. The volcanic seabed, the walls off Mesa Vouno and the wrecks make this a genuinely interesting place to dive rather than a resort add-on.

Water sports

Along the organised stretch of the beach in season – the usual range, run off the sand.

The church of Panagia Myrtidiotissa

The village church, back from the seafront, with its bell tower and courtyard.

Walking to Perissa

Over the shoulder of Mesa Vouno on the old path, passing the chapel and Ancient Thera. Around two hours and one of the best walks on Santorini. By road it is twenty minutes the long way round.

Boat trips

Small boats run from the beach along the coast in season, including to the sea caves under the cliff.

The wine country

Ten minutes inland from Kamari Santorini and you are in the vineyards around Exo Gonia, Mesa Gonia and Pyrgos, with several serious estates. Our wine tour covers three of them.

The History of Kamari Santorini

The ancient harbour. The bay served the city on the ridge above. When Ancient Thera was the principal settlement on the island, this shore was its landing place, and there was a sanctuary and a settlement here in antiquity.

Excavation. Archaeological work in the area has turned up material from that ancient shoreline settlement, including finds associated with a hero cult of Achilles – among them an inscribed vessel carrying the hero’s name and the maker’s. Local accounts date the discovery to 2002.

The village. For most of its later history Kamari was a small fishing and farming settlement below the cliff, in the shadow of the larger inland villages at Mesa Gonia and Pyrgos.

1956. The Amorgos earthquake, magnitude 7.7, destroyed the village and much of the eastern side of the island with it. Mesa Gonia up the slope was so badly hit that most of its population came down here and rebuilt on the coast rather than going back.

The rebuilding. That is why Kamari Santorini looks the way it does. It is a modern village, laid out after 1956 on flat ground by people starting again, which is also why it has wide streets, parking and a promenade – none of which the medieval villages could ever have.

Tourism. From the 1970s onward the beach did the rest. Today it is the largest resort on the island and the single biggest concentration of beds outside Fira.

Staying in Kamari Santorini

What you get. The most practical base on the island: a Blue Flag beach, a pedestrian seafront, restaurants at every price, supermarkets, pharmacies, banks, car hire and the airport five minutes away. Hotels from simple rooms to full resorts with pools.

What you give up. The caldera view, entirely. Kamari Santorini is on the far side of the island from the crater and faces the open Aegean. Drive over for the sunset.

The price. Substantially below the rim for the same standard. A family room here costs what a basic double costs in Imerovigli.

Who it suits. Families, first and foremost – there is more to do here for children than anywhere else on Santorini. Also anyone who wants a beach holiday with a village attached, travellers on a budget, divers, and people arriving late or leaving early.

Who it does not suit. Honeymooners set on a caldera view, and anyone looking for a village that has not been built for visitors. Kamari is a resort and it is unembarrassed about that.

Aircraft. The airport is close and the approach passes nearby. Traffic is seasonal and daytime; ask the hotel which way the room faces.

Alternatives nearby. Perissa over the mountain for the same idea slightly cheaper, Mesaria inland for a working village, Pyrgos above for the view. Perissa · Mesaria · Pyrgos.

Eating and Drinking in Kamari Santorini

Kamari Santorini has more choice than anywhere on the island except Fira, and at noticeably lower prices.

What it costs. Roughly 20€ to 32€ a head with wine on the seafront, against 45€ and up for a caldera table. The tavernas in the back streets are cheaper again.

Where to eat. The promenade has the view of the bay and the passing crowd; the streets behind have the places the residents use. Both are worth doing.

What to order. Fava, the yellow split pea purée with its own protected designation of origin, warm with raw onion and capers. Tomatokeftedes, fritters of the small dense Santorini tomato. White aubergine, sweeter than the purple kind. Caper leaves, pickled. Chloro, the fresh goat cheese that never leaves the island. Fresh fish, priced by the kilo – ask before it is cooked.

What to drink. Assyrtiko from the vineyards ten minutes inland – dry, mineral, high in acid, and the natural partner to anything out of this sea.

When. Greeks eat from nine. Kamari Santorini serves earlier than that because it serves visitors, but the tables worth having fill after nine.

Breakfast. Bakeries in the back streets from early, and the seafront cafés from around eight.

If food is why you travel, our food tour visits producers inland and finishes with a sit-down meal.

Getting to Kamari Santorini

By car. Ten minutes from Fira, five from the airport, ten from Pyrgos, twenty from Athinios port, twenty-five from Oia. Park in the streets behind the seafront; the promenade itself is closed to cars in summer.

By bus. The Fira–Kamari route is one of the two busiest on the island and runs frequently from early until late for a couple of euro. This is the easiest beach on Santorini to reach without a car.

By taxi. Possible, though the island’s licensed fleet is very small and in August it is effectively fully booked.

On foot from Perissa. Over the shoulder of Mesa Vouno on the old path, about two hours, passing Ancient Thera.

On a tour. Kamari Santorini appears on our eastern and full-island itineraries, and pairs naturally with Ancient Thera above it. The full day tour and the historical tour both work this coast.

By transfer. Our private transfers run from the airport and both ports from 40€ per vehicle, with flights and ferries monitored.

Cruise passengers

Cruise ships tender into the old port below Fira, not here. If you want the beach on a ship day, our shore excursion is timed around the tender schedule.

Kamari Compared With the Other Beaches

Against Perissa. The direct rival, on the other side of Mesa Vouno. Perissa is longer, flatter, marginally cheaper and younger in feel. Kamari Santorini is better organised, has the promenade and the cinema, and is closer to Fira and the airport. Both have black sand and a Blue Flag. More on Perissa.

Against Perivolos. The beach club end of the south coast, with the loudest music and the smartest loungers. More on Perivolos.

Against Monolithos. Ten minutes north, shallow, calm and made for small children, with almost none of the facilities. More on Monolithos.

Against Vlychada. Wind-carved white cliffs over black sand and a marina, on the south coast. Strange rather than comfortable. More on Vlychada.

Against the Red and White beaches. Dramatic coves on the southwest coast reached by boat or a rough track, for looking at rather than for a day out. Red Beach · White Beach.

Against Baxedes. The quiet north-coast alternative below Oia, with tamarisk shade and no facilities to speak of. More on Baxedes.

When to Visit Kamari Santorini

April and May. Kamari Santorini wakes up. The sea is cold until late May but the promenade is pleasant and nothing is busy.

June. The best month. Warm water, everything open, and the crowds not yet at full weight.

July and August. Peak. The beach fills, the promenade fills, and the black sand is genuinely too hot to walk on at midday. Book a sunbed early and eat late.

September. The warmest sea of the year and the crowds thinning. Arguably the best month at Kamari Santorini overall.

October. Still swimmable in the first half. Businesses begin closing from mid-month.

November to March. Largely shut. The village empties and most hotels and restaurants close. Some residents remain and a few tavernas stay open.

Time of day

Early for the beach before the sand heats, and the two hours before dinner for the promenade. The cliff of Mesa Vouno takes the light beautifully in the late afternoon.

Kamari Santorini With Children

Kamari Santorini is the most family-friendly place on the island, and it is not close.

Flat ground. The whole village is level. The caldera villages are built down a cliff with long flights of steps and unfenced drops.

The promenade. Traffic-free through the summer, so children can walk ahead of you without being watched for scooters.

The beach. Organised, with sunbeds, showers and beach bars, and staff who are used to families.

The water. The one caveat: it deepens quickly. Kamari Santorini suits confident swimmers; for a shallow entry take the ten-minute drive north to Monolithos.

Everything you need. Supermarkets, pharmacies, a doctor and a bank within a few hundred metres.

Things to do. The open-air cinema, boat trips off the beach, water sports, and the climb to Ancient Thera for older children.

Rooms. Family rooms and apartments with kitchens are the standard here, at a fraction of caldera prices.

The hot sand. Black volcanic sand burns bare feet from mid-morning in high summer. Take shoes for the beach; this catches people out every single year.

What Kamari Santorini Costs

Coffee. 3–4.50€ on the promenade, 2–3€ in the back streets, against 4–7€ on the caldera.

Taverna dinner. 20–32€ a head with wine on the seafront, less behind it.

Wine by the glass. 4–6€.

Two sunbeds and an umbrella. 15–25€ a day, often free if you eat or drink at the bar behind.

Hotel, shoulder season. From around 60€ for a simple double to 200€ for a resort room with a pool.

Hotel, August. Higher, but a fraction of an equivalent room on the rim.

Bus to Fira. A couple of euro, running frequently until late.

Car hire. Several agencies in the village, and the cheapest place on the island to arrange it.

Transfer from the airport. 40€ per vehicle for one or two people, a five-minute drive.

A private tour. From 220€ for the whole vehicle, pickup from Kamari Santorini included.

The beach, the promenade and the walk up to Ancient Thera. Free, apart from the site entry.

Practical Notes for Kamari Santorini

Shoes on the sand. The single most useful line on this page in July and August.

Parking. In the streets behind the front. The promenade is pedestrian in summer.

Sun. Black sand radiates heat upward as well as down. Factor that into how long you lie on it.

Swimming. Deep water close in and occasional undertow when the sea is up. Watch children.

Falling rock. Do not sit directly beneath the cliff face at the southern end.

Money. Cards everywhere, ATMs on the front.

Shops. Supermarkets, bakeries, pharmacies and car hire, all within walking distance.

Aircraft. Seasonal daytime traffic. Ask the hotel which way the room faces.

Winter. Most of Kamari Santorini closes from November to March. Check before booking out of season.

Frequently Asked Questions About Kamari Santorini

Where is it? On the southeast coast of Santorini, ten minutes from Fira and five from the airport, under the cliff of Mesa Vouno.

Is Kamari beach black sand? Yes – coarse black volcanic sand and shingle. It gets extremely hot; take shoes.

Does the beach have a Blue Flag? Yes, for water quality, safety and facilities.

Is the water deep? It shelves away quickly, so it suits swimmers more than paddlers.

Is there a caldera view? No. Kamari Santorini faces the open Aegean on the far side of the island.

Is Kamari or Perissa better? Kamari is better organised, has the promenade and the cinema, and is nearer Fira and the airport. Perissa is longer, slightly cheaper and younger in feel. Both are black sand with a Blue Flag.

Can you walk to Ancient Thera? Yes, by a path from the back of the village, about an hour uphill with no shade. There is also a switchback road.

Is there nightlife? Bars along the front open late in season. It is quieter than Fira and busier than anywhere inland.

Is it good for families? The best on the island – flat, traffic-free on the front, with everything you need in walking distance. The only caveat is the deep water.

Is there an open-air cinema? Yes, showing films in the original language after dark through the season.

How do I get there from Fira? The bus runs frequently for a couple of euro, or ten minutes by car.

Is it open in winter? Mostly not. The village largely closes from November to March.

Is there diving? Yes, the island’s established diving base is here.

Is it crowded? In July and August, yes. In June and September it is comfortable.

Tours That Include Kamari Santorini

We are a licensed local operator with guides who live on the island year round. Prices are per vehicle rather than per person, pickup is included from anywhere including both ports, and an 80€ deposit confirms the date.

Historical tour – Ancient Thera on the ridge above the village, and the archaeology of the eastern side.

Full day tour – eight hours from 460€, the whole island with a traditional village stop.

Wine tour – four and a half hours from 650€, three estates with all tastings included, ten minutes inland.

Food tour – five hours from 556€, producers and a sit-down meal.

Sunset tour – the village faces east, so we take you across the island for the evening.

Personalised tour – from 220€, built around whatever you actually want to see.

Every itinerary and all prices are on the santorini tours page. If you are staying in Kamari Santorini, our private transfers cover the airport and both ports from 40€.

Is Kamari Santorini Worth It?

If you are here for two nights and want the photograph, stay on the caldera and visit the beach for an afternoon.

If you are here for a week, travelling with children, watching the budget, or simply want to swim every day, Kamari Santorini is the sensible answer and a very large number of experienced visitors reach it. You get a Blue Flag beach, a traffic-free seafront, food at every price, everything you need within walking distance, the airport five minutes away, and one of the great archaeological sites of the Aegean on the cliff above your hotel.

What you do not get is the caldera, and it is a twenty-minute drive away whenever you want it.

Go up to Ancient Thera early one morning. Watch a film outdoors one evening. Eat late, walk the promenade, and let the island’s most photographed half wait until you feel like it.

Send us your dates and party size and we will build the days around wherever you are staying.

Kamari Santorini Month by Month

January and February. Closed. A handful of residents, a taverna or two, and an empty beach that is worth walking along in winter light.

March. The first hotels reopen and the beach bars start rebuilding their decks.

April. Open but cool, and the sea is still cold. Good for the promenade, the walk up to Ancient Thera and the vineyards inland.

May. The sea becomes swimmable towards the end of the month. Everything is open and nothing is full.

June. The best all-round month in Kamari Santorini. Warm water, long evenings, full service, and the July weight of people not yet arrived.

July. Hot and busy. The sunbeds go early and the sand is brutal at midday.

August. Peak of everything – heat, prices and crowds. Book rooms and tables well ahead.

September. The warmest sea of the year with the crowds falling away. For many people the best month here.

October. Swimmable early on, and closing down by the end. The light on Mesa Vouno is at its finest.

November and December. Shutting. Check before booking anything at Kamari Santorini out of season.

Day Trips From Kamari Santorini

The village is a better base for seeing the island than the caldera villages, because it sits near the middle of the road network.

Ancient Thera – directly above. The Hellenistic and Roman city on the ridge. More on Ancient Thera.

Mesa Gonia and Exo Gonia – 5 minutes. The Byzantine church, the earthquake ruins and the Art Space winery. Mesa Gonia · Exo Gonia.

Pyrgos – 10 minutes. The castle village and the best all-island view. More on Pyrgos.

Fira – 10 minutes. Museums, the cable car and the caldera path. More on Fira.

Megalochori and Emporio – 15 minutes. The two most intact traditional villages. Megalochori · Emporio.

Akrotiri – 25 minutes. The Bronze Age town under its shelter. More on Akrotiri.

Oia – 25 minutes. The northern tip and the sunset. More on Oia.

From Kamari Santorini nothing on the island is more than half an hour away, which is not true of Oia.

Photographing Kamari Santorini

Mesa Vouno from the beach. The defining frame – the great rock rising straight out of the sea at the end of the bay. Best in the late afternoon when the light rakes across it.

The black sand. Get low. The texture and the deep blue water above it are the picture.

The promenade at dusk. Lights coming on along the crescent with the cliff going black behind.

Sunrise. Kamari Santorini faces east and the sun comes up out of the sea in front of the whole village. Nobody on this island is awake for it.

From Ancient Thera. Looking straight down onto the bay from three hundred and sixty metres, with Perissa on the other side of the ridge.

Technical. Black sand fools automatic metering into overexposing. Dial down a stop, or expose for the highlights on the water.

Courtesy. It is a working resort beach. Photograph the place, not other people’s families.

Common Mistakes in Kamari Santorini

Walking barefoot on the sand at noon. The most common injury on this beach every summer.

Assuming the water is shallow. It shelves away within a few metres.

Driving down to the promenade. It is closed to traffic in summer. Park behind it.

Climbing to Ancient Thera at midday. No shade, no water on the ridge, and the site closes in the early afternoon. Go at eight.

Eating only on the seafront. The back streets are cheaper and often better.

Booking Kamari Santorini in winter without checking. Most of the village closes from November to March.

Missing the open-air cinema. It is one of the best evenings on the island and costs a fraction of dinner on the caldera.

Not asking about the airport. One question before booking removes the only real drawback.

Who Kamari Santorini Is For

Families. The strongest case. Flat ground, a traffic-free front, supermarkets, a pharmacy, a doctor, family rooms with kitchens and things for children to do after the beach.

Beach holidays. If your plan is to swim every day and see the caldera twice, this is the correct base and not the rim.

Budget travellers. The saving against Imerovigli or Oia over a week runs to several hundred euro, before the cheaper food.

Divers. The island’s established base is here, with volcanic walls and wrecks offshore.

Anyone hiring a car. Parking, agencies in the village, and the middle of the road network.

Walkers. Ancient Thera above, the path over to Perissa, and the vineyards inland.

Late arrivals and early flights. The airport is five minutes away.

Less suited to honeymooners set on a caldera view; travellers looking for an unspoilt village, which Kamari Santorini has never claimed to be; and anyone visiting between November and March, when most of it is shut.

A Week in Kamari Santorini

How our guests who base themselves here tend to use the time.

Day one. The beach, the promenade and a late dinner. Recover from the flight.

Day two. Up to Ancient Thera at eight before the heat, back on the sand by ten, and the open-air cinema after dark.

Day three. The caldera: Fira in the morning for the museums, Oia in the evening for the sunset, home to Kamari Santorini for dinner at village prices.

Day four. Akrotiri and the southern beaches, or a boat to the volcano and the hot springs.

Day five. The wine country inland – Exo Gonia, Mesa Gonia, Pyrgos and two or three estates, with somebody else driving.

Day six. The path over Mesa Vouno to Perissa, or a day doing nothing at all on the sand.

Day seven. Megalochori and Emporio, the two most intact traditional villages, and a last dinner on the front.

Every one of those is inside half an hour of the hotel, which is the practical argument for staying at Kamari Santorini rather than on the rim.

A Final Word on Kamari Santorini

Santorini sells one photograph, and it is taken from the other side of the island. Kamari sells nothing. It is a modern village built by people who lost everything in 1956 and started again on flat ground by the sea, and it turned into the place most of this island’s visitors actually spend their days.

You get four kilometres of black sand under a cliff, a promenade with no cars on it, food at every price, a doctor and a supermarket within walking distance, an open-air cinema, a diving school, and a Hellenistic city on the ridge above your hotel that half the people on the beach have never heard of.

The caldera is twenty minutes away whenever you want it, and it will still be there after dinner.

Send us your dates and party size and we will build the days around wherever you are staying in Kamari Santorini.

Booking a Tour From Kamari Santorini

Pickup is included from any hotel in the village, at no extra charge and at whatever hour suits the itinerary. Prices are per vehicle rather than per person, so a family of four pays what a couple pays, and an 80€ deposit holds the date.

The two things worth booking a guide for from here are Ancient Thera, which has almost no signage and makes little sense without one, and the wine country inland, where somebody else drives between the estates.

Tell us your dates, your party size and which hotel you are in, and you will get a straight answer the same day about what fits and what does not.

Everywhere We Can Reach From Kamari Santorini

Any of these can be built into a private itinerary. Each has its own page with what to see and how long to allow.

Caldera villages: Fira · Firostefani · Imerovigli · Oia · Finikia · Baxedes

Inland villages: Pyrgos · Megalochori · Emporio · Mesaria · Karterados · Vothonas · Vourvoulos · Exo Gonia · Mesa Gonia · Pigadia

Beaches: Perissa · Perivolos · Vlychada · Monolithos · Red Beach · White Beach · Agios Georgios · Agia Paraskevi

Sites and landmarks: Akrotiri · Ancient Thira · Akrotiri Lighthouse · Nea Kameni · Palia Kameni · Thirasia · Athinios Port

All our tours: All Santorini tours · Full day tour · Sightseeing tour · Personalised tour · North part tour · Horse riding · South part tour · Sunset tour · Shore excursion · Caldera tour · Food experience · Wine tour · Historical tour · Small group tour

Planning and services: Famous sights tour · Private transfers · Transfers to Oia and Finikia · Transfers to other villages · Villages of Santorini · History of Santorini · Tours near you · Languages we guide in · Food and fun tours · Gay friendly tours · Our tour buses · Daily tours · Day tours · FAQ · Gallery · Tour photo gallery · About us · Contact · Blog