SAMOS TRAVEL GUIDE

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Samos is a greek island in the Eastern Aegean, very close to the Turkish Coast. It is a popular summer tourist destination with a rich history and stunning coastline.

This guide will tell and also show you with photos everything you need to know about planning your trip to Samos, the best places to visit and things to do and also provide detailed maps and itinerary.

Why shall you visit Samos?

Samos is one of the greenest islands of the Aegean with stunning beaches and beautiful mountainous and coastal scenery.

An ideal destination for a relaxed holiday in the sun, but also for people looking for something more adventurous or cultural, as it combines beach activities with hiking opportunities, archaeological sights (such as the remains of the large Temple of Hera & the Tunnel of Eupalinos) with picturesque seaside villages, like Kokkari and Pythagorio.

Samos has been famous since antiquity as a centre of culture and trade and also as a naval power during the 6th century BC. Many famous people were born on the island, like the philosopher & mathematician Pythagoras, the astronomer Aristarchus and the philosopher Epicurus. It’s also the mythical birthplace of the goddess Hera.

The capital and main port of Samos is Vathy (or Samos town) and the second port is Karlovasi.

The tourist season starts from May to October.

For a beach holiday, the best time to visit the island of Samos is between June and mid-September. It’s dry, sunny and hot, although in September there is a chance of a shower. Also, most of the tourist amenities will only be open during these months.

However, I would avoid the very high season: mid-July to late August, especially the first 3 weeks of August, as the island tends to get very crowded with most Greeks taking their holidays then and prices tend to be higher. Weather can also get very hot, with temperatures over 30°C.

May can be a bit cold to swim in the sea and sunbathe, but it is usually dry and sunny. October is still sunny but with considerably more clouds and potential rain.

Off-season there are fewer ferries and flights and some shops, hotels, and restaurants, especially in the tourist resorts close in October and do not open until May.

For me, the best time to visit will be mid-June or early September with more acceptable temperatures, fewer crowds and lower prices but still possible to swim in the sea.

Samos is a big island (about 480sqkm), so I would recommend staying on the island at least for a full week if you would like to explore it at a more relaxed pace.

We only stayed there for 5 days, so exploring the island was quite hectic with long drives. Travelling from one side to another can be tiring.

The most popular places to stay in Samos are Pythagorio, Kokkari & Kampos Marathokampou (3 main tourist resorts on the island) and to a less extent Ireo and the towns of Vathy and Karlovasi.

There are also other less popular places to stay in various parts of the island like Mpalos, Limnionas, Posidonio & Kerveli.

I will avoid Vathy at the moment since the refugee camp has been placed at the top of the hill by the port and many Greeks avoid staying there. As a result, the town is not as popular anymore as a tourist destination; however, you can find some good deals.

For me, Pythagorio or Kokkari are the best places to stay with a lot of tourist amenities and both are well located to explore the rest of the island.

My recommendation is to stay in Kokkari as it’s a picturesque seaside village with a beautiful beach, a nice little harbour and lots of bars and restaurants. There are a lot of hotels and rooms to rent by the beach at affordable prices. It’s also the best base to explore the island.

Best hotels in Kokkari

• Lemos Hotel: Very central hotel between the beach and the harbour of Kokkari with nice views from the balconies.
• Kalidon Hotel: Small but nice central hotel in Kokkari. Good value for money
• Sunrise Beach: Beautiful hotel situated to the east of the harbour overlooking a smaller bay. 5min walk into town
• Kalidon Panorama Hotel: For something more luxurious, situated outside of Kokkari with beautiful views and a pool

My second choice will be Pythagorio, another picturesque seaside village with lots of cafes and restaurants. It’s also very close to the airport. The only disadvantage is that the main beach (Pythagorio beach) is about 15min walking distance.

Best hotels in Pythagorio

• Samaina Hotel: Small but nice central hotel in Pythagorio with nice views of the port from the balconies
• Lithos Hotel: In the outskirts of the town with nice views towards Pythagorio. 5min walk from the port.
• Kouros Seasight Hotel: More expensive choice by Pythagorio Beach and next to the airport with a 20min walk into town
• Naftilos: Best value for a more luxurious hotel with a pool and nice views overlooking the coast. 2 miles away from town and the beach.
• Hotel Glicorisa Beach: Built on a hill overlooking Glykorisa Beach. With a pool and good restaurant but 2 miles away from town
• Sunrise Hotel: Located in nearby Ireo. Good value for money and a good base close to Pythagorio

Click here to check and compare prices on accommodation for the whole island.

By Plane

Samos International Airport is connected to Athens and Thessaloniki all year round and also to some other greek islands during summer. There are flights from Athens (55min) with Olympic Air or Sky Express, and from Thessaloniki (65min). During summer, the airport receives charter flights from many European countries.

If you are travelling from Athens, taking a flight can be a bit more expensive than taking the ferry, especially in high season. However, it is much more convenient and definitely recommended if you have limited time in Greece.

For the best website to book your flights, check the link below. Always check prices in advance for the best deals.

Getting from/to the airport

The airport is located about 4km away from Pythagorio. Upon your arrival, you can rent a car (highly recommended) in one of the rental offices at the airport. The airport is the best place to book if you haven’t done it before you arrive.

There is a metered taxi service outside the terminal building. The journey to Vathy is about 20 to 30min and costs €30 euros, while the trip to Pythagorio is only 5min and costs €10. A taxi ride to Kokkari costs around €45 and €50 to Kampos Marathokampou.

There is also a limited bus service during the day (until 17.00) but only from Monday to Saturday. More information about the bus service can be found here.

It is also worth checking with your hotel as most of them offer airport transfers at an extra charge.

By Ferry

There are ferries from the port of Piraeus in Athens, usually 4 times per week during high season. It’s a 9 to 11-hour long trip usually arriving in Samos in the early hours of the morning (2-4 am). It can be very tiring if you don’t have any cabins booked, which can be expensive, so it’s better avoided if you have limited time in Greece. If you still want to go by ferry without a cabin, it’s advisable to book in advance an airplane-type seat, especially in high season. The ferry from Piraeus usually stops at both ports of Karlovasi and Vathy, but it’s better to check beforehand. The price is usually around €90 return without a cabin.

Samos is also connected with some other islands, including Syros, Mykonos, Paros, Ikaria, Fourni, Chios, Lesvos and Dodecanese islands.

There are also frequent ferry services from Kusadasi to Vathy, so you can easily visit the island from Turkey or go for a day trip. Ferries depart daily at 9:30 AM and 6:30 PM in high season. The trip takes one hour and costs €35 one-way.

For the cheapest site to book your ferry ticket in Greece, check the link below.

By Car

I would definitely recommend hiring a car if you would like to explore the island.

I always try and rent a car whenever I travel as it just gives you the freedom to plan your trip as you like it and stop wherever you like, as I usually do with too many photo stops along the way.

Car rental for a day is usually 40 euros in high season. Better to book in advance before your travel for the best deals. Also at high season, there might be low availability and the prices can be much higher if you leave it until you arrive. Check the link below to book and compare car rental prices.

There are car rental offices at the airport and ferry ports of the island.

By Scooter/Motorbike/Quadbike

A cheaper alternative to the car is renting a scooter or motorbike if you are comfortable with it, but you need to be more cautious on the road.

Quadbikes can be limited and they are not much cheaper than renting a car, but they can be quite fun.

By Taxi

There are taxi stands in most towns but taxis can be a bit expensive if you plan to go further distances.

Indicative fares of taxi routes:

• Kokkari to Vathi: €15
• Kokkari to Pythagorio: €30
• Kokkari to Karlovasi: €30
• Kokkari to Kampos Marathokampou: €50

By Bus

Although public transport is cheap, bus services are not that frequent and can be unreliable. It only connects the main resorts and villages with usually no services at weekends. Therefore, it is not really recommended if you want to explore the island. For more information visit the KTEL Samos on Facebook.

The best places to go for a meal are Pythagorio and Kokkari harbour for the best choices in a beautiful setting. For good restaurants by the sea, you can also visit Ireo and Ormos Marthokampou. There are also nice restaurants in Vathy and Karlovasi and in most of the smaller villages. Below you can find a list of some of the best restaurants in Samos. For more information and reviews of restaurants on the island, you can check TripAdvisor.

Best restaurants in Samos

• Knife & Fork Restaurant: One of the best restaurants in Pythagorio harbour
• Trata Fish Tavern: Tables in the sand overlooking Pythagorio harbour and good food
• Elia Taverna: Another good restaurant in Pythagorio harbour
• To Kyma: Best restaurant in Ireo by the sea
• Akrogiali Restaurant: Another great restaurant in Ireo by the sea
• To magazaki pou legame: The best restaurant in the central square of Mitilinii village
• Orizontas: Great restaurant near Platanos village; only accessible by car
• Trata Samos Restaurant: Best restaurant in Ormos Marathokampou
• Zakore BBQ: Best grilled meat in Kokkari harbour.
• Kalamies Seaside Restaurant: Good seafood restaurant in Kokkari harbour
• La Bussola: Another good restaurant in Kokkari harbour
• Meltemi Restaurant: Great seafood restaurant by Kokkari beach
• Teleion plus: Best souvlaki in Vathy
• Pera Vrehi: One of the best restaurants in Vathy
• The Steps: Good restaurant overlooking Vathy harbour
• CorTo.: Spanish Tapas with the best views of Vathy
• Rendezvous 2000: Good restaurant at Karlovasi harbour

You can check the location of these restaurants on this map.

Local Specialities

• Local Muscat Wine is quite famous and worth trying
• More information about the best greek dishes you can find here.

Boat trip to Samiopoula Island

Samiopoula is a little island in the south of Samos with a very beautiful beach with fine sand and clear waters. There are full-day daily excursions from Pythagorio in high season that usually include food within the price; the journey takes about 1 hour. You can see the boat advertising the tour at the harbour of Pythagorio and usually you can book it the day before.

Ferry trip to Kusadasi

If you have plenty of time on the island, you can take the ferry to Kusadasi (1h) in neighbouring Turkey and enjoy this beautiful coastal resort. You can also combine it with an added tour of Ephesus. Be prepared for long queues at the customs entering Greece and Turkey.

Trip to Ikaria or Fournoi

Difficult to be done as a day trip, but it’s worth visiting the other two islands for a longer stay. This will need to be planned carefully according to the ferry connections as there are no daily ferries.

More information about excursions & tours in Samos can be found here.

1. Rent a car and explore the island
2. Swim and relax on one of the amazing beaches
3. Visit the seaside villages of Pythagorio, Kokkari & Vathy
4. Hike to Potami Waterfalls
5. Admire the Tunnel of Eupalinos
6. Visit the Heraion
7. Climb to the Cave of Pythagoras
8. Visit the Monastery of Panagia Spiliani
9. Try one of the hiking trails
10. Walk around the Castle of Lykourgos Logothetis
11. Experience the famous Samian Muscat Wine
12. Visit the Archaeological Museum of Vathy

1. Kokkari
2. Pythagorio
3. Vathi (or Samos Town)
4. Karlovasi
5. Marathokampos
6. Ireo (or Heraion)
7. Manolates
8. Mitilinii
9. Drakei & Agios Isidoros
10. Posidonio
11. Agios Konstantinos
12. Mavratzei

Samos has some amazing beaches with crystal clear water. Most of them are with white pebbles and only a few with fine sand. Some of the most popular beaches in Samos are Tsamadou, Tsabou & Lemonakia on the north coast, Potami beach near Karlovasi and Chrysi & Psili Ammos with fine sand on the south coast.
If it is a windy day, avoid the beaches on the north coast and visit the ones in the south.

Below is a list of the 22 best beaches on the island.

1. Tsamadou Beach
2. Psili (or Chrysi) Ammos Beach
3. Potami Beach
4. Tsabou Beach
5. Psili Ammos
6. Lemonakia
7. Kampos Marathokampou & Votsalakia Beach
8. Limnionas Beach
9. Kokkari Beach
10. Kerveli Beach
11. Livadaki Beach
12. Pythagorio & Potokaki Beach
13. Mykali Beach
14. Mikro & Megalo Seitani
15. Balos Beach
16. Posidonio Beach
17. Kedros Beach
18. Ireo beach
19. Kasonisi
20. Papa Beach
21. Glykoriza Beach
22. Gagou Beach

You can click on the map below for the location of the best attractions, restaurants & hotels, as well as the best villages and beaches to visit in Samos.

It is worth staying on the island for a week if you want to explore it. The following itinerary includes things to do for 7 days on the island, but if you have less time to spend, e.g. a weekend, you can follow the itinerary for Days 1 & 2 only etc. I have taken Kokkari as a base & overnight stay for the duration of the holiday; this itinerary might work slightly differently if you stay in Pythagorio or other parts of the island.

Day 1

• Visit Potami Waterfalls (30min drive & 1.5h for the hike)
• A quick stop for a coffee at Karlovasi harbour
• Visit Agia Triada Church for a great view of Karlovasi town & coast
• Quick photo stop of Tsabou beach
• Swim at Tsamadou beach
• Have a coffee or a snack at Snack Bar Tsamadou for the best view of Lemonakia
• Evening stroll at beautiful Kokkari harbour and beach
• Total drive time: 1.5h

Day 2

• Visit Heraion (30min drive & 40min for visit – if you have more than 5 days on the island i will leave Heraion for Day 5)
• Visit Eupalinos Tunnel (1h for visit) & Monastery of Panagia Spiliani
• Take a stroll at Pythagorio harbour and walk around the Castle of Lykourgos Logothetis
• Swim at Psili Ammos beach
• Vathy harbour for an evening stroll or back to Kokkari
• Total drive time: 1.5h

Day 3

• Visit Samos Wine Museum
• Visit the Archaeological Museum and walk around Vathy
• Quick photo stop at Gaggou beach
• Drive to Livadaki beach for a swim via the scenic route (some nice photo stops on the way)
• Visit Zoodohos Pigi Monastery for a great view of the west coast
• Kasonisi for an evening swim or Kerveli beach
• A quick stop at Posidonio harbour
• Back to Kokkari or Vathy for an evening meal
• Total drive time: 2.5h

Day 4

• Take the alternative route to Marathokampos village while enjoying the views of the south coast (1h)
• Visit Pythagoras cave before it’s too hot (30min for visit)
• Drive to Drakei village while enjoying the views (1h drive)
• Photo stop at Limnionas beach
• Psili (or Chrysi) Ammos beach for a swim
• Photo stop at Kampos/Votsalakia beach
• Stop at Ormos Marathokampou for an evening meal
• Take the fastest route back to Kokkari
• Total drive time: 4h

Day 5

• A quick visit to the village of Mitilinii
• Visit Heraion (40min)
• Stop for a coffee at Ireo village
• Photo stop of Pappa beach
• Take the southern route via Spatharei for the best views of Samiopoula
• Swim at Balos beach
• Evening stroll at Karlovasi town
• Back to Kokkari
• Total drive time: 2.5h

Day 6

• Visit the traditional village of Manolates
• A quick stop at the seaside village of Ag. Konstantinos
• Stop at Saint Nicholas church for the best view of Potami beach
• Drive west to the end of the road for the start of the hike to M.Seitani beach
• First stop at Mikro Seitani (40min hike)
• Swim & relax at Megalo Seitani (another 40min hike)
• Tsabou beach for last swim
• Back to Kokkari
• Total drive time: 1.5h

Day 7

• Take a day trip to Samiopoula or Kusadasi

You can find the routes for the above itinerary on the flowing clickable map.

You can check the best photographs from the island of Samos here.

Here is a list of the best viewpoint locations on the island where you enjoy great views.

1. Agia Triada Church in Karlovasi
2. Saint Nicholas Church in Potami
3. Zoodohos Pigi Monastery & Monument of Ierolochiton
4. Viewpoint of Samos Town
5. Kokkari Rock
6. Panagia Spiliani Church
7. Cafe Snack Bar Tsamadou
8. Marathokampos Village

You can check these viewpoints locations and the best photo spots on the island in the following map.

There are a few centres for watersports and other activities on the island for the more adventurous.

Windsurfing

Kokkari is one of the best places to enjoy windsurfing due to the strong northern winds during summer. Other windsurfing spots are Agios Konstantinos, Kedros and Tsamadou on the north coast of the island.

There is a windsurf centre in Kokkari. The centre provides windsurfing lessons for beginners and equipment rental.

Waterports

There is a water sports centre at Pythagorio beach where you can try jet-ski, water-ski or wake-board. You can also rent a boat, kayak or pedal boat.

There is another water sports centre in Potokaki beach that offer various water sport activities.

Diving

There are 3 dive centres on the island that offer diving and snorkelling trips:

• Samos Dive Centre in Pythagorio
• Kerveli Dive Centre
• Samos Sub Dive Centre in Kokkari

Check the following video slideshow to get further inspiration to visit Samos 🙂

The best destination for souvenir shopping is either Kokkari or Pythagorio with all the usual greek souvenir shops, as well as jewellery and pottery shops. For the best ceramics and handmade crafts you can visit the village of Manolates. Mavratzei is another village famous for its pottery craft.

A unique souvenir to buy is the famous Samian Muscat Wine.

Check also check my post on the best things to buy from Greece

You can check the following posts:

• Samos Beaches
• Town & Villages of Samos
• Best things to see and do in Samos

Other useful websites for more information about Samos:

• Samos Island Explorer: The most detailed website about Samos
• Greeka.com: One of the best travel websites about Greece with lots of information and travel guides for all the greek islands, including Samos.
• This blog offers some more personal information and advice about Samos with lots of photos.
• This website also offers some good information about the island, although it is a bit slow to use.

Some good travel guides to buy before your visit Samos:

• Samos – Blue Guide Chapter (from Blue Guide Greece the Aegean Islands) Kindle Edition: Only Kindle version with good information about the history of the island.
• Lonely Planet Greek Islands (Travel Guide): This comprehensive guide also includes information about Samos. Only worth it if you are planning to visit other islands in Greece.

• Flights: I always use Skyscanner as my first choice as it’s so easy to use and you can search best deals by month. Momondo is another very good search engine as well as Google Flights.
• Accommodation: I always use Booking.com as my first choice, as it offers a great choice of accommodation at affordable prices and it’s so easy to use. TripAdvisor and Kayak are the best search engines to check deals from different websites; however not as good for checking the actual properties & rooms. Airbnb is a great alternative for finding homes and apartments to rent by real homeowners.
• Ferries: Ferryhopper is one of the best websites to check ferry schedules and buy the cheapest ferry tickets while in Greece.
• Car Rental: I always check Skyscanner for the cheapest car rental options.
• Public Transport: There is no booking site to check bus timetables and book buses online in Samos.
• Day Trips & Tours: Viator provides the most comprehensive list of day trips and you can book directly with them. TripAdvisor is also a great place to search for tours & activities to do.
• Travel Insurance: SafetyWing is a great choice for long-term travellers and digital nomads. Alternatively, you can use one of the price comparison websites for cheaper quotes.

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