Kokkini Paralia

Drop anchor off Red Beach, one of Santorini's most striking stretches of coastline, where towering volcanic cliffs in deep crimson and rust loom over black and red sand — a landscape that looks almost Martian. You swim ashore to explore the beach up close, backed by those dramatic lava rock formations that make it unlike anywhere else in the Aegean. It draws a crowd for good reason, so arriving by water gives you a head start before the day-trippers make the trek down from Akrotiri.