8 Best Beaches in Santorini Greece, and How to Reach Each One
The short answer
The best beaches in Santorini for a swim are the black-sand ones on the east and south-east coast: Perissa, Perivolos and Kamari. All three flew a Blue Flag in 2026, had lifeguards on duty that summer and cost EUR 2.20 to EUR 2.70 from Fira by bus. Vlychada has the scenery, Monolithos the shallow water, and the Red and White beaches are best seen from a catamaran.
Santorini beaches at a glance
The beaches are on the outer coast, not under the caldera villages. From Oia or Fira, every one of them is a bus, a car or a boat away, so you are choosing a half-day rather than a quick dip.
| Beach | What it is | Blue Flag 2026 | Lifeguards, June to September | Bus from Fira | On a tour |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perissa | Black sand, fully organised | Yes | Yes | EUR 2.70 | Two hours, full-day tour |
| Perivolos | Black sand, bars, watersports | Yes | Yes | EUR 2.70 | One hour, cruise-day tours |
| Kamari | Black sand, resort front | Yes, two | Yes | EUR 2.20 | Independent visit |
| Vlychada | Black sand, pale cliffs | Yes | Yes, about 400 m | EUR 2.80 | Horse rides, catamaran marina |
| Monolithos | Shallow water, family beach | Yes | Not listed | EUR 2.20 | Independent visit |
| Red Beach | Red cliff, closed on foot | No | No | None to the sand | Catamaran stop, 20-30 minutes |
| White Beach | White cliffs, no road | No | No | None | Ninety minutes by sunset catamaran |
| Mesa Pigadia | Small cove at Akrotiri | No | No | None listed | Catamaran swim stop |
Why is the sand black, and which coast has the beaches?
The municipality describes the eastern shores as lined with beaches of black volcanic sand. Basalt, the hard black rock of solidified lava, is where that sand comes from. The caldera side is cliff, which is why you swim on the other side of the island. One beach is red instead, and the highlights page tells you why.
The black-sand beaches: Perissa, Perivolos and Kamari
These are the three you go to for a swim. In 2026 lifeguards were on duty on all three from the start of June to the end of September, 10:00 to 18:00 daily.
1. Perissa
The municipality calls Perissa a sprawling, fully organised beach of black sand, with facilities for families, sports and water activities. It flew a Blue Flag in 2026, and the bus from Fira costs you EUR 2.70. The full-day small-group tour gives you two hours here. The nine-hour coach day stops here for lunch, which you buy yourself.
2. Perivolos
Perivolos is the same strip of sand further along: the first beach you reach coming down from Emporio, with restaurants, bars and watersports. Perivolos and neighbouring Agios Georgios each held a Blue Flag in 2026. You take the same EUR 2.70 bus. From a ship, the cruise-day tours give you an hour on the sand here, and the five-hour minibus tour starts at the top of the Fira cable car.
3. Kamari
Kamari is a stretch of black volcanic sand on the waterfront of Kamari village, not far from Ancient Thera on Mesa Vouno. It flew two Blue Flags in 2026, listed as Kamari 1 and Kamari 2. At EUR 2.20 it shares the lowest beach fare from Fira. None of the guided days stops here, so you visit Kamari on your own.
Two hours on the black sand, with the driving done
The full-day small-group tour collects you from your hotel and gives you two hours at Perissa before the Oia sunset. From $106 per person.
The quieter two: Vlychada and Monolithos
4. Vlychada
Vlychada is the one you photograph. The municipality calls it a spectacular moonscape of wild pale cliffs over black sand. It flew a Blue Flag in 2026, and lifeguards covered a stretch of about 400 metres by the Tomato Industrial Museum. The bus from Fira costs EUR 2.80. The horse rides start from the stables here, and some of the catamarans sail from Vlychada Marina.
5. Monolithos
Monolithos is on the east coast, with shallow water and sports facilities, and the municipality calls it the perfect family destination. It flew a Blue Flag in 2026. The bus from Fira costs EUR 2.20, and no guided day stops here either.
The coloured beaches: Red, White and Mesa Pigadia
You see these three best from a boat. The Red and White beaches are what a Santorini caldera tour by catamaran passes on its way out.
6. Red Beach
The port fund calls it the most famous beach on the island and the only one of its colour, under a crimson rock at Akrotiri. The catamarans anchor off it for 20 to 30 minutes, so you look up at the cliff from the water.
7. White Beach
No road reaches the White Beach, so a boat is your only way in. The luxury sunset catamaran gives you ninety minutes there, after half an hour at the Red Beach. The half-day catamaran passes it close in. It was not on the 2026 lifeguarded list.
8. Mesa Pigadia
The municipality calls Mesa Pigadia a picturesque gem. It is the swim stop on the classic catamaran cruise, the most-booked of the catamarans. Like the White Beach, it had no lifeguard cover in 2026.
See the Red and White beaches from a catamaran
The luxury sunset catamaran gives you half an hour at the Red Beach and ninety minutes at the White Beach, with a barbecue and drinks in the fare. From $153 per person.
How do you get to the beaches without a car?
You take the bus from Fira. These are the one-way fares on the bus company's price list of 19 May 2026:
- Kamari: EUR 2.20
- Monolithos: EUR 2.20
- Perissa and Perivolos: EUR 2.70
- Vlychada: EUR 2.80
- Night buses, 00:30 to 05:00: 25% more, so EUR 2.80 to Kamari and EUR 3.40 to Perissa
Every line starts in Fira, and the visitor information page has the island's other fares. If you arrive by ship, the hour at Perivolos on one of the Santorini Greece shore excursions is your realistic beach time. To string two beaches into one day you need a driver, and the Santorini Greece private tours go where you ask. The map page shows you where each coast sits.
Which beach suits which day?
- Sunbeds, tavernas and water sports: Perissa or Perivolos.
- The lowest bus fare from Fira: Kamari.
- Small children and shallow water: Monolithos.
- Photographs and a horse ride: Vlychada.
- Red and white cliffs: a catamaran.
Check the wind before you choose. The meltemi blows from the north on three July days in four, and your captain's route can change with it. Three Days in Santorini Greece shows you where a beach half-day fits, and Santorini Greece Boat Tours Compared helps you choose the boat.
Santorini beaches: questions people ask
Which is the best beach in Santorini?
Can you swim at the Red Beach in Santorini?
Is Kamari or Perissa better?
Which Santorini beaches have a Blue Flag?
If you want the black sand without a sunbed, the horse ride at Vlychada takes you along it in an hour and a half, with six riders at most. Every other bookable day is on the Santorini Greece Tours home page.
Pick one black beach for the swim and leave the red one to the boat. That is a beach day on this island that works.
