Black Beach, Red Beach Of Santorini

You'd be forgiven if you thought that the Greek Island of Santorini was all white-wash buildings and blue domes - because that is mostly the images you get as standard travel photos of this popular island.

Lots of the island is, of course, white buildings, blue church domes and church bells, bars and hotels, overlooking the caldera. But it is well worth the effort of heading to the other side of the island to check out the other gems of this volcanic rock. You will get away from some of the crowds, and it will also let you see everyday life going on by the little winding roads you need to take to trek across to see the other colours.

The black beach was the first of the two surprise colourations of sand I visited. Kamari was a feast for my eyes, after all the typical and expected colours of the rest of the island.

The volcanic pebble reminded me of walking on a beach in the UK - but these were hot! Of course, as black absorbs the sunlight!

This beach was a delight to visit, with the deckchairs all along the edge of the water, plus a promenade full of restaurants and shops, to allow you to make a day of it. There was also a regular boat that would take you around the mountain you could see, via the sea, to the other Black beach.

The other colour that is worth making the drive down to see is the Red Beach. Again, a force of the minerals of the island, the contrast of red cliffs and stones, and resultant beach, is pretty spectacular!

This one was not as easy to get to, and required a little bit of a hike up and down a slope to get in there once I found the right road and double checked that the nondescript carpark was indeed for the Red Beach.

This, of course, and the fact that it is toward the South-West tip of the island, means that there are even fewer people crowding your view and access to the water.

There is more to Santorini, if you go deeper afield on the island and look for it!



jouljet Notes
Serious Tip: Take the chance to see some more of Santorini, away from the tourist areas. This island has a thriving community away from the busy hospitality spots, and the people are seriously so friendly!
Time Taken: I spend most of an afternoon relaxing and taking in the Black Beach, but I also just stayed on that one beach - there is another one to explore if you want more black sand! Getting to the Red Beach from the car park took around 15 minutes on foot.
Cost: The bus from where I stayed in the centre of the island of Santorini to the Black Beach was less than 3 Euro. To get to the Red Beach I ended up hiring a car, due to timing on my last day - which was around 40 Euro, and allowed me to explore other spots in the area at a whim.
Quirky Tip: Down near the Red Beach on the island there is also an archaeological site, which was worth going into to see the relics.