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Places · Kamari

Kamari: an easy black-sand base on the east coast

Flatter, cheaper and more relaxed than the caldera rim — with one of the island's best organised beaches.

4 min read Places & villages

Kamari sits on the east coast beneath the dramatic cliff of Mesa Vouno, and is one of Santorini's two main black-sand beach resorts (the other being Perissa, on the mountain's other side). It's a straightforward, family-friendly base — flat streets, a long promenade of tavernas and shops, and none of the caldera-village crowding.

The beach

Kamari's black-sand beach is long, well organised, and backed by a paved promenade with cafés and restaurants — easy to spend a full day here without planning much. The sand gets hot underfoot by midday in summer, so sandals are worth carrying even for a short walk to the water.

Why base yourself here

Kamari is close to the airport and to Ancient Thera — the ruins of a later Greek and Roman-era city on the ridge above the beach, distinct from the Bronze-Age site at Akrotiri — and is well connected by bus to Fira. It's a sensible choice if easy beach access matters more to you than a caldera view, or if you're travelling with young kids and want flat, walkable streets.

Good to knowKamari is one of the more developed beach towns, with a livelier evening scene than Perissa — if you want something quieter, Perissa or Perivolos, just over the mountain, are worth comparing.

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