BY FERRY BOAT: The island of Samos has two ports: Vathy and Karlovasi. There is a daily connection with the ports of Ikaria, Cyclades and Piraeus either with conventional or power ships. Furthermore, once the week there is a connection with the islands of North Aegean and Dodecanese islands. In addition, Samos is daily connected with Kousantasi of Turkey
BY AIRPLANE: Samos has daily connections with Athens and weekly with Thessaloniki, Rhodes, Chios, and Lesvos islands. There are also daily connections, during the tourist period through charter flights with England, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland and all the Scandinavian countries.
USEFUL PHONE NUMBERS
Port Authority of Vathy Samos + 30 22730 27318, 22730 27890
Port Authority of Karlovasi Samos + 30 22730 32343, 22730 30888
Port Authority of Pythagorion Samos + 30 22730 61225
Olympic Airways of Samos + 30 22730 28451
Airport of Samos + 30 22730 87800, 22730 61222
International Athens Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos” + 30 210 3530000
Buses Station KTEL Samos + 30 22730 27262
Hospital of Samos + 30 22730 83100
Health center- First Aids Dept. of Samos + 30 22730 22222
Communications center OTE Samos + 30 22730 28599
Samos Archaeological Museum +30 22730 27649
Pythagorion Archaeological Collection + 30 22730 61400
Natural History Museum of the Aegean + 30 22730 52055
Karlovassi Folklore Museum + 30 22730 32265
N. Dimitriou Folklore Museum + 30 22730 62286, 2273088383
Samos is a verdant island full of olives, pine trees and vines that produces the excellent Samian wine.
It lies in the east part of the Aegean, very close to the Turkish coast with an area of 476 square kilometers and 159 kilometers of coastline. The straits of Samos separating the island from the mainland are a mere 18 nautical miles across.
Its fertile terrain is dominated by the Mount Kerki, the highest mountain on the Aegean islands, with a height of 1440 meters, and other lower peaks.
The morphology of the island exhibits great variety with small plains alternating with semi-mountainous regions.
The island was first inhabited by Karians and its ancient name was Parthenia. It enjoyed great power and prosperity under the tyrant Polykrates (54o BC).
During the Persian Wars it was conquered by the Persians, and later became a member of the First Athenian Confederacy, from which it seceded in 440 BC. Pericles sent a strong force and captured the island after a long siege.
In 129 BC, it became part of the Roman province and during Byzantine times it was part of the province of the Cyclades. It was captured by the Franks (1204) and, after the Fall of Constantinople to the Turks (1453), it was abandoned, its Greek inhabitants seeking refuge in nearby Chios. The islanders of Samos took an active part in the Greek War of Independence of 1821. The island was united with free Greece on 11 November 1912.
Samos is one of the most beautiful and visited islands of the North-Eastern Aegean.
The evergreen island, the birthplace of the world famous mathematician Pythagoras and the goddess Hera, with its large sandy beaches and crystal waters, its natural beauties, its traditional villages, its important archaeological sights, will offer you unforgettable holidays.
Samos has a good tourist infrastructure, offers many facilities for entertainment and sports and disposes a good road network and local transport system.
At the head of the bay of Samos lies the harbor of VATHY and the genteel capital of the island also called SAMOS, spreading out next to it with its fine neoclassical buildings.
The town has a fine Archaeological Museum (tel. 22730 24769), containing finds from the Heraion, pottery, Hellenistic sculpture, etc. There is also an art gallery, a municipal library, an Ecclesiastical and Byzantine Museum in the Archbishopric (tel. 22730 27312) and a Folklore Museum.
Just outside the town are the Byzantine monasteries of Zoodochos Pighi and Agia Zoni, and the little church of Ai-Giannaki at Ano Vathy is an example of post-Byzantine architecture.
PYTHAGORIO , called Tigani by the locals on the account of its shape, is built on the ruins of ancient Samos, 13 kilometers south of the town, on the south coast of the island. The Archaeological Museum, housed in the Community Offices building (tel. 22730 61400), has fine exhibits from the excavations in the area – sculptures, architectural members, etc. – . Pythagorion was encircled by the fortifications of Polykrates (circuit 6.222 meters), remains of which survive, with towers and gates.
It is worth visiting the tower of Logothetis, a two-storey building of 1824 designed like a fortress, the ancient theater, the Roman bath-house and the tunnel of Eupalinos, a major technical feat of the ancient world, completed in 524 BC under Polykrates.
Pythagorio has a beautiful beach with sand, pebbles and clear waters.
In the area you will find a lot of restaurants, taverns, coffee shops and bars which offer some of the traditional hospitality.
A short distance away, near Myli, is the tower and church of the Sarkinis (1560).
HERAION, a sanctuary at which the goddess Hera was worshipped, of which only a single column survives. Hellenistic and Roman buildings and an Early Christian Basilica have been found in the area of the sanctuary.
AGIOS KONSTANTINOS is a village located 20 kilometers north-west of the capital, on the street to Karlovasi. It is built on a unique location, drowned in the green. In the village you will see mainly rural residences and hotels of various categories.
The second largest town and harbor on the island is KARLOVASI (32 kilometers north-west of Samos town), which has imposing mansions, impressive churches, a shipyard in the harbor, a tannery and pottery workshops, attesting to its commercial flowering in the 19th c.
The town is divided into five sections: Old, New and Middle Karlovasi, the bay and the harbor. It has great natural beauty and many sights worth seeing.
The Historical & Folklore Museum of Karlovasi (tel. 22730 32265) houses some interesting exhibits like agricultural tools, textiles, decorative objects, carved mirrors, etc.
Below the remains of the Byzantine castle at Potami is the church of the Metamorphosis (11th c.) and in the town itself some of the 19th c. mansions are impressive: the Porphyrias School, the Hatzigiannis Mathematics School, the Governor’s Residence.
Other villages of interest on Samos are: VOURLIOTES, nestling in a verdant setting with vines and a superb view over the sea. MYTILINII is a verdant mountain head-village in the heart of the island, with fine houses and churches. In the Palaeontological Museum here (tel. 22730 51205) are displayed the fossils of animals that lived 8 – 10 million years ago, which came to light during excavations in the region.
MARATHOKAMPOS is a traditional inland village with narrow streets, arches, old churches and caves. The beach of Ormos Marathokampou attracts many visitors with its fine sand and its crystal waters.
KOKKARI is a picturesque coastal settlement located 10 kilometers north-west of the capital. During the last years, Kokkari has been developed into a cosmopolitan resort. Here the visitor can find hotels, bungalows, apartments, rooms to let and many restaurants, taverns, cafes and bars.
BEACHES
The island has many beautiful and idyllic beaches all with crystal clear waters.
Near the city of Samos you will find GAGOU beach.
There is a beach bar and restaurants nearby, sun beds and umbrellas are available for hire. AGIA PARASKEVI is located 6 km. from the capital.
In the region of KOKKARI you will find Tsamadou a nice pebbled beach and Lemonakia with thin sand, pebbles and crystal blue waters. A part of the beach is organized with sun beds, umbrellas. You will find a beach bar and tavern.
Also near the port of KARLOVASI, MEGALO SEITANI 5 km. from Karlovasi is a protected area of the Monachus-Monachus seal, and POTAMI a long pebble beach with clear waters. MIKRO SEITANI is a unique small beach with pebbles and surrounded by rocks between Megalo Seitani and Potami beach.
POSEIDONIO is a small sea side settlement with a fishing port and a small quiet sandy beach with crystal blue waters. In the area you will find taverns serving fresh fish. PSILI AMMOS is a fine sandy beach 7 km to the south of Samos between Mykali and Klima a very nice quiet beach with deep blue waters, located at the south east part of Samos, between Psili Ammos and Poseidonio beach at a distance of about 5 km from Vathi. MYKALI is a white pebbled beach.
KERVELI is a very quiet beach located on the east coast of the island with tamarisk trees, calm and warm waters ideal for families with children. POTOKAKI is a long beach with fine sand and pebbles west of Pythagorio.
The beach of HERAION is located near the homonym archaeological site and has several large trees for shade. There are a couple of smaller beaches nearer the resort, most notably PAPA BEACH which is a small cove of shingle and stone. Sun beds and showers are available.
Also LIMNONAKI, VARSAMO a small bay at the west part of the island and KAMPOS a nice sandy beach. In the area you can find many isolated bays and beautiful sea-caves. PLAKA is a small seaside settlement with a small rocky beach at the west part of Samos. MOURTIA is a beautiful beach located at the east part of Samos next to Agia Zoni monastery. TSAMBOU beach is located just outside Avlakia. It is magic with crystal clear waters and pebbles. Sun beds and umbrellas are available. VOTSALAKIA is a very large beach with pebbles and sand located on southern Samos.
NEARBY ISLANDS
Opposite the south coast of Samos lies the small island of SAMIOPOULA, which has just one settlement and a few rooms for rent. It can be visited by boat from Pythagorion daily, the trip from Pythagorio to Samiopoula takes about one hour with a small boat. The beaches on Samiopoula are of the best that you will find on Samos, with fine sand and crystal clear waters.
TRADITION – EVENTS
There are cultural events and various churches hold traditional festivals, with eating, drinking, dancing and music. On the 6th August the victory against the Turks is celebrated, at the wine celebration that takes place at Pythagorio. Celebrations take place on the 8th September at the Monastery of the Virgin Mary.
LOCAL PRODUCTS
The Samian products that you have to taste are: the olive oil, the famous Muscat wine, known since antiquity and exported all over the world, the ouzo produced in Vathy and Karlovasi and the honey of fine quality.
You can find fresh fish daily at the fishing ports in Karlovasi, Marathokampos, Vathy, and Pythagorio.
Souma is an alcoholic beverage produced from the stems of the grapes which are left over crushing.
The products of handcrafted artistic is a heritage on Samos since antiquity. In the area of Karlovassi you can find craftsmen and their amazing creations.
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