- Updated on: 2024-04-17
For those who have already visited us in Santorini, the word Kamari represents endless black beach and endless fun. But Kamari is also a very cozy little town that has literally grown up along the beautiful black coast.
If you think back to history, the town of Kamari in Santorini was founded only in the early of 19th century. Like many other villages on our island, it was also affected by the earthquake of 1956, but this event suddenly… started the development of the place! The fact is that the neighboring village of Mesa Gonia (Μεσα Γωνια in Greek) was almost completely destroyed and its inhabitants moved here. The population density increased, the development became more active, and so a new and rather large settlement appeared. Welcome to the town of Kamari!
From an architectural point of view, Kamari can boast neither Venetian nor Turkish buildings – everything here is new. However, thanks to the beautiful seashore and the development of tourism in this part of our island there are quite a few modern buildings, some of which were built in the Cycladic architectural style.
In general, the village of Kamari consists of very small apartments, hotels and coastal cafes. The local population here is very small – officially only about 1300 inhabitants, so in some winters the village is almost empty. Overall, the town looks very nice, aesthetic and cozy. Reviews about Kamari are always very good!
However, there are some disadvantages: Kamari is very close to our airport, so it can sometimes be very noisy. Basically, this only applies to the northern part of the village, which is closest to the runway. While vacationing here, you can see planes from all over the world landing low over the water every day, but the noise during this spectacle will be… appropriate 🙂
What to see in Kamari: sights, churches and beaches
In terms of attractions Kamari has a lot to boast, including from the archaeological point of view.
Not far from the village at the bottom of the sea are the ruins of an ancient city, which was partially submerged after the volcanic eruption. The famous Ancient Thira (Αρχαια Θηρα in Greek) is situated on the hill of Mesa Vouno (Μεσα Βουνο in Greek) towards the neighboring village of Perissa (Περισσα in Greek). This town was founded as early as the ninth century B.C., and in Minoan times ancient Thira was the capital of the island and the city of Oia served as a sea port. Archaeologists have found here sanctuaries, a market square (αγορα in Greek) and private houses. All this is a classic architectural connection of the Minoan era: a city on a mountain and a port city on the shore.
The main attraction of Kamari, of course, is the five-kilometre long black beach with a good coastal infrastructure. The beach has a beautiful black sand and pebbles and the clearest water, which is why visitors come here from almost all over Santorini. In some ways it is one of the best beaches on the island:
Some tourists initially choose this village as their main destination: it is much cheaper when compared to the west coast, has a great beach and is not so far from the airport!
The long street with stores, restaurants, cafeterias and souvenir shops runs parallel to the sea. This is the main street, from which the smaller streets branch off. Here you can take a pleasant walk, and do some shopping, eat in one of the cafes or taverns, etc.
The restaurants offer the most varied menu. Of course, there are traditional Greek dishes, but you can also find European and even Asian cuisine. The main street doesn’t get quiet until late at night, it’s quiet only in the early morning. This photo of Kamari we took in May around 11 am, for the shot thanks to Sergey Kolyer (Santorinika Travel Agency):
All the streets of the village lead to the sea and to a large promenade that stretches along the volcanic beach. There are restaurants and cafes, as well as sun loungers and umbrellas:
Early in the morning or vice versa in the evening you can sit outdoors, looking at the beach and listening to the sound of the sea. All the cafes and restaurants on the first line have a sea view, so even on a very hot day you can have a lunch, sitting in the relative coolness and pleasant shade with a beautiful view:
Prices here are quite adequate in contrast to the capital of our island:
By the way, from Kamari you can take a special “boat taxi” to the neighboring beach of Perissa – just for fun, because the beaches are very similar to each other.
Religious people should definitely take a walk deep into the village of Kamari, where there is a very beautiful Monastery of Panagia Mirtidiotissa (Παναγιας Μυρτιδιωτισσας in Greek). The coordinates of the monastery for GPS are: 36.377337, 25.479948.
Hotels in Kamari
Kamari compares favorably with the most famous cities of Fira and Oia, not only because of its proximity to the airport, the excellent beach and the opportunity to watch the beautiful sunrise every morning, but also because it has much lower prices for accommodation and all services.
In the village there is a variety of hotels – from the simplest apartments or mini-hotels with a few rooms to very beautiful complexes with several dozen rooms. In short, you can choose according to any financial possibilities and personal wishes.
Most hotel owners try to keep their buildings in the typical cycladic style: simple lines, white and sky-blue colours and so on. Look how great Hotel Sigalas, which is located right on Kamari Beach, looks! Maybe it’s the right one for your vacation on our island?
Hotel Sigalas is located on the first line directly on the black sand and has direct access to the black beach of Kamari. A little step away from the snow-white buildings of the hotel, we get straight to the black volcanic beach:
Fresh water (and water in general) is a great value on our island, so few hotels can afford swimming pools:
You can find more information on the hotel’s official page.
Where is Kamari located?
The village of Kamari is located about ten kilometers east of the island’s capital, literally in the center of the east coast of Santorini. The easiest way to find your way around is the location of the airport, which is marked on all (even the most sketchy) maps. The city of Kamari on a map of Santorini:
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Kamari village, GPS coordinates: 36.37696, 25.480584
How to get to Kamari
Since the town of Kamari is located in close proximity to Santorini Airport, there will be no problems with roads and transportation.
Getting to Kamari from the airport is easy: in fact, you can even do it on foot if you are traveling light. If you have heavy luggage, you can book a taxi (read more about taxi in Santorini) or order a transfer in advance in our agency.
You can reach Kamari by rented car (read more about car rentals on the island) rather quickly from anywhere on the island – there is a good asphalt road to the village. Just drive to the center of the island, follow the main road, follow the signs and don’t worry about parking: there is always a place to leave your car in the city.
We should separately mention the option of buses. The fact is that buses to Kamari depart only from the central stop in the island’s capital city of Fira (more: public buses in Santorini, bus schedule from Fira to Kamari). In the case of free roads all the way (about 10 kilometers) will require no more than 15-20 minutes.
When choosing where to stay and what to see in Santorini, you must remember that Kamari is a very nice place in general, but above all it is suitable for a beach holiday. Do you want to see the most famous towns, stroll the snow-white streets and enjoy the best sunsets? Consider the towns of Fira and Oia on the west coast of Santorini.
