Beaches in Santorini

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Kokkini (Red) beach

Red beach is an awesome and spectacular colorful beach. Its name is a tell-tale sign of what visitors encounter when approaching it. Towering red cliffs at the backdrop and reddish sand with black pebbles on the coast, make up a unique landscape and reveal the island's volcanic activity. The best views of the beach are when you approach and leave. From the top of the cliffside there is an amazing view to the beach and is a great place for photos.

The beach area itself is a fairly narrow strip, covered sometimes of rotting sea grass but the sea is lovely to swim in though. However, the sea is rocky and steep to get in and out. The small bay formed by the rocks is relatively calm, except when there are south winds blowing, but even then, waves do not prevent visitors from enjoying swimming. Parasols and sun lounges are available but also free space to lay down a towel. Due to its small size, it gets quite crowded.

Red beach is located in the southeastern part of the island near the archeological site of Akrotiri, 14 km from Fira and is easily accessible by car or bus. At the end of the road, there is a parking lot next to the quaint chapel of Agios Nikolas (St. Nicholas). The short hike down to the beach over the rocks from the parking lot is a bit tricky.  If you wanted to avoid the walk and climb to Red beach you could do a short boat trip from Akrotiri, Kamari or Perissa. A dip in the Red beach can be well combined with a visit to the archeological site of Akrotiri.

The access is a little difficult and is probably not suitable for anyone with mobility problems. There are signs saying the beach is dangerous because of falling rocks, and staying on the beach is at your own risk. Although Red beach is not one of the best beaches in Greece, it is worth the tricky walk down, have a dip, look back at the dramatic backdrop of the volcanic rock towering above you and take some great photos.