Best beaches to visit on Santorini

Santorini is not known for it’s beaches. If you are in search of a good beach experience, go to other islands Mykonos, Paros, Crete,etc..

The two main beach villages are Kamari and Perissa. The "sand" there is actually black grit/pebbles/rock depending on where you are. In the heat of the summer months it's very difficult to walk in bare feet because it gets so hot there, but the beachfront bars and restaurants, of which there are very many, put out sun beds you can use for free as long as you buy food and/or drinks. Two less-populated beach areas are Monolithos and Vlychada. Vlychada also has a marina. Monolithos is very calm and shallow. The best swimming on the island isn't at one of the beaches. It's at the end of the seawall that begins on the wharf in Amoudi Bay below Oia on the north end of the island, about 1/4 mile walk, and you have to scramble over a rock pile to get there, but it's worth the effort. There's no beach but there's a man-made platform and large volcanic rocks for sunbathing. Also, you can swim across a narrow channel to a little rock island where there is another large platform for sunbathing and an upper level for jumping and diving into the beautiful blue water below. This is my favorite place to go for fun in the water. Look here: https://tinyurl.com/y2zdwk6m and here: https://tinyurl.com/y4alpc8y

Best beaches and beach bars...
Theros
Imba

My family went to Amoudi Bay while on Santorini. My twenty something sons in particular loved it. They kept jumping off the man made cliff. I am notmuch for the sensation of falling but enjoyed the water.

But if your goal is a day at the beach, there are much better places for that. We went to Naxos which has beautiful beaches.

Santorini beaches are composed of volcanic sand and pebbles. Very unique and beautiful to look at but not the best beaches in Greece. We took a day tour and stopped at Perissa (Black Beach). We had lunch at a beach restaurant that provided beach chairs and the opportunity to take a swim. We also went to Red Beach (near Akrotiri Archeological site). It was one of the most scenic and interesting beaches on the island.

As previously mentioned here, we also enjoyed our week in Naxos on St George Beach. Beautiful beach- shallow, warm and calm. Great walking beach and a multitude of great restaurants & bars.