Perissa
Perissa (Greek: Περίσσα) is a sea-side village on the eastern shore of Thira, the largest island in the Santorini archipelago. It has a long black sand beach, which stretches to the neighbouring municipalities Perivolos (Περίβολος) and Agios Georgios (Aγιος Γεώργιος) with a near-continuous line of bars, hotels, and restaurants parallel with the beach. The promenade runs along the entire length of the beach, occupying the entire south-eastern coastline of Thira. Perissa, together with nearby Kamari, is the focus of beach tourism in Santorini.
Get in
Taxi or bus from the Boat Stop or from Thira, Oia; mini-bus offered by the (funny) touts viz. hostel representatives when you stumble down from the ferry.
You can not easily walk over to Kamari, as there's quite a hill in between - water taxi, an endless bus ride or wiking it is! The taxi from the Port takes about 15 minutes and should cost no more than €15.
It has been reported that there is a water taxi to take travellers round the headland to the neighbouring town of Kamari, but as of Apr 2022 this service is no longer running.
Get around
Once in the town of Perissa, it is easy to rent a scooter, or take a taxi, although it is sometimes difficult to find a taxi because the town is small. Walking in Perissa is also difficult, as there are no sidewalks. Even on the coastal street, you have to walk at the side of a lane of traffic. Take care, especially during the evening, when there are lots of motorcycles and scooters.
ATVs and scooters are the most popular options of travel on the island. Tourists can be seen driving ATVs on the main roads, which are safe to drive. Local drivers are courteous and will pass tourists on ATVs without causing too much of a commotion. Even though the main roads are paved, they are not well lit, so it is safest to stop driving ATVs before sundown.
Local buses are available and are used by locals and tourists alike. Public buses are large, air-conditioned green tour buses. Public buses use Fira as a hub and spoke out to the smaller towns from there.
See
- 1 Perissa Beach. 24/7. Black sand and pebble beach, similar to Kamari but slightly less busy in winter. It's still very touristy though so expect a jungle of parasols and desk chairs during summer months. Free.
- 2 Agia Irini. 24/7. Ruins of an early Christian basilica. Free.
- 3 Timiou Stafrou. A Greek Orthodox church with characteristic blue roofed domes. This church is one of the largest on Thira. The first church was built between 1835-1840, but was destroyed by the earthquake of 1956 like most historic architecture on the island, and has since been restored. Free.
- 4 Panagia Katefiani. 24/7. Chapel built into the hillside above Perissa between 1537 and 1650 at an altitude of 200 m. This enabled the chapel to repel attacks of pirates and invaders, which allowed it to survive to the present day. There is a cave with a fountain behind the presbytery, which according to local legends has healing properties. Free.
- 5 Museum of Minerals and Fossils (Μουσείο ορυκτών και απολιθωμάτων Περίσσα Σαντορίνης). 10:00 - 14:00 daily. Founded in 2006 by the Thera Cultural Society, the museum has a collection of minerals and fossils from Santorini and other parts of Greece. The specimens in the collection are dating back 1.5 billion to 50,000 years. The most interesting exhibits in this facility are a 2 m long fossilised olive tree branch, plant fossils from the Santorini caldera dated 50,000 years old, and a range of geological specimens of scientific interest.
- 6 Ancient quarry. 24/7. Overgrown remains of a quarry that was used in antiquity to quarry the stones needed for the construction of Ancient Thera. Free.
Do
Buy
- 1 The Old Cellar Gift Shop, ☏ +302286081101. Traditional Greek dresses and souvenirs.
Eat
- 1 Creamerie Vienna, On the Black Beach (walk alongside the black beach towards the mountain until you see it on your leftBesides Pepi's). 08:00-23:00. Alexanderia, the owner, and her staff makes gelato fresh every morning. The only fresh gelato to be had on the Beach at Perissa. From €2.
- 2 Volcano, ☏ +302286081239. A luxurious restaurant that lies on the beachline.
- 3 Charlina's, ☏ +302286082813. Beach side restaurant.
- 4 Acropolis. Beach side restaurant - Top quality, excellent service.
- 5 Sea Side View. At the far end of the beach in Perivolos, this restaurant is very highly regarded by locals. It is moderately expensive (~€20 per dish).
- 6 Grandma's Recipes, ☏ +302286081014. Inexpensive restaurant, highly regarded by locals, and quite good. Take a right after the Mediterranean Dive Club, walk to the main road, and walk a block or two back towards Perissa Rock. It will be on your right.
- 7 God's Garden, ☏ +302286083027. On the road just past Mediterranean Dive Club. Above average, but not spectacular.
- 8 Margarita, ☏ +302286085116, margarita.perivolos@yahoo.com. 08:00 - 19:00 daily. Friendly family-run cafe and restaurant with beach view.
- 9 Terra Nera, ☏ +30 693 652 7049. Fastfood, grill, desserts.
- 10 Corner Foods & Drinks, ☏ +306976232273, sigalascorner@gmail.com. 08:30 - 23:30 daily. Mediterranean cuisine, from breakfast to late night drinks.
- 11 Ntomatini, ☏ +302286083015. 10:00 - midnight daily. Traditional Greek food.
Drink
- Bob's Bar (aka The News Bar) Outdoor bar, on the main street. Run by a Lebanese family. If you like pina colada, you must give Bob a go!
- 1 Meltemi, ☏ +30 2286 085233, n.trifonas@icloud.com. noon - midnight daily. Bar and cafe.
Sleep
- Katerina and John Hotel (Hotel Katerina and John), ☏ +30 2286083283. Extremely affordable budget hotel with amenities to spare. On site ATV rentals, Internet cafe (€1 per hour usage, 1/2 price if you bring your own laptop), a small on-site pool, clean sheets and towels. It's a short walk to the "Black Beach" that's lined with seafood tavernas. The 24-hour bakery across the street and cheap convenience store next door surely makes up for the lack of a shower curtain. Dorms and private rooms available. €6.
- 1 Hotel Perissa, ☏ +30 697 2119972. A B-category hotel with six separate buildings, breakfast room, bar, internet access, restaurant, swimming pool, parking places and playground. Each of the 57 spacy room of apartments has a bath, telephone, aircondition, fridge, TV, (some of them also have kitchen), safe box and private balcony overlooking the sea. The hotel also offers the service of rented cars, motorbikes and transport from the port and airport. €42.
- Villa Dima, ☏ +30 2286 082843. Views, kitchenettes, balconies, and breakfast. €31 per person.
- Smaragdi Hotel, Perivolos, ☏ +30 2286082701. Check-in: 12:00, check-out: 11:00. On the black beach of Perivolos in Santorini. It has a swimming pool, private parking, barbecue, breakfast lounge, playground, safe, Fax-service, Rent-a-car service, Exchange service. Wireless internet is available in public areas and is free of charge. 20 - €100 per person.
- Santa Irini Hotel, ☏ +30 698 272 8319. Medium sized (~15 rooms), family-run hotel, very clean service and premises (including the large swimming pool), rooms (with refrigirator and air-conditioning). Great omelets in the morning.
- villa the birds, ☏ +30 2286081177. Check-in: 13:00, check-out: 11:00. 20.
- Veggera Hotel, ☏ +30 22860 82060. Veggera is a 4-star hotel on Perissa bBach that offers rooms, apartment sand suites accommodation. €74-370.
- Glykeria Mini Suites. Beach hotel with small suites and family rooms & a bar-restaurant.