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I first became acquainted with the island of Samos after my Swedish father bought a small traditional house in Ano Vathi, the old part of the island’s main town Vathi, with some of his friends. The first time I traveled to Samos with him to see the house and the island was in August 2007. Since then I have been there a number of times and each time I have discovered something new. That’s also why I love Samos so much. No matter how many times you go there, the island always has something new to offer you.

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Samos is one of the Greek islands located in the eastern Aegean sea closest to Turkey, so it is a long journey of 8 full hours if you want to get there by boat, which I usually do as I prefer to have my car with me. Then there is always the option of taking the plane and which most people always think is the most smooth way to get to Samos. The flight from Athens takes only 45 minutes and there are daily flights departing from Athens airport to the island. There are also many charter companies that have regular flights to Samos from Sweden or other european countries during the peak tourist season so you have many opportunities to plan a trip out to Samos. Believe me, this island is worth not just one but several visits!

Now let me share my Samos experience with you and my reasons for why I think Samos is one of Greece’s most amazing islands!

Samos is one of Greece’s largest and most fertile islands and has around 45.000 inhabitants. The island consists predominantly of mountains and has large differences in levels, and is at its most mountainous in its center, where the Kerkis mountain extends for a total of 1,434 meters above sea level. As a result, Samos offers fantastic viewpoints, incredibly beautiful mountain villages and wonderful green and fertile scenery that you do not often see on other Greek islands. The island even has waterfalls that you can hike to and swim in.

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The coastal zone alternates between cliffs and sandy beaches so when at Samos you have the choice of beach depending on what you like the best. Sand, rocks or pebbles. And the best part is that the island is so big that the beaches are never really full of people. Here are pictures of two of my absolute favorite beaches!

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The major towns of Samos:

Vathi is Samos’ capital and is located on the north side of the island. Vathi is a big city with everything you could need. There are numerous shops, taverns, restaurants, bars, but also many hotels, museums and the island’s large hospital. The city is divided into Ano Vathi (“higher Vathi”), which is scattered over a hillside and is the old, traditional part with the small and narrow colorful houses, and the part Kato Vathi (“lower Vathi”) which is the newly built part of the city . Here you will find the island’s largest harbor and on the promenade that surrounds Vathi everyone living around this area gather during the evening hours for a walk or a snack.

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Karlovassi is the town where most of the ferries that come to the island from Piraeus, end up in. It is a smaller town which, however, played an important role in the island’s economy and history, as you can see in the old stately buildings found here. Prior to World War II, Karlovassi exported leather goods and was an industrial city. These buildings that served as leather industries still remain on the city’s coast but now stand as abandoned and empty ghost buildings just to remind people of Samos’ greatness back in time. Near Karlovassi you can find the Potami waterfalls in which you can swim as well as a large and nice pebble beach with many beach bars.

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In fact, in Karlovassi, the Aegean University is represented with three scientific departments: mathematics, information and communication systems technology, and statistical and insurance financial mathematics. The university has about 2,000 students, so the city is full of life even during the winter.

Pythagorion, which got its name from Pythagoras who was born and lived here, is located on the southeastern part of the island, and is perhaps one of Samos’ most touristy places. Pythagorion is a typical port town with many bars, restaurants, desert shops and shops with clothes and accessories. The town also houses the Castle of Logothetis, an important building during the liberation war in the 1820s.

Kokkari is located along the northern coast, 10 kilometers west of Vathi, and is located in a semi-circle around the city’s harbor. It is this small and very beautiful town you usually see on postcards or pictures from Samos as the water by the harbor is framed by surrounding heights. Here you can find many hotels and many charter trips are actually coming to Kokkari so I can tell you with certainty that here you will always find most tourists on the island.

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The unforgettable mountain villages:

On the mountain heights in the central parts of the island there are several smaller and incredibly beautiful mountain villages. Up here on the heights there is also a tradition of working with ceramics, so here you can find fine and unique handmade pots and bowls to bring back home.

Vourliotes is one of them and lies 320 meters up on a 1,025 meter high mountain, Prophet Elias’s mountain. The village’s oldest monastery was built in the village in the middle of the 16th century.

Manolates is my favorite village and is situated 350 meters above sea level a bit from Vourliotes. From here you have one of the most beautiful views of the island and nice little streets lined with family taverns with incredible food and small shops with handmade items that are worth a visit. However, always bring a cardigan or lighter jacket if you are going up here in the evening as it can be much cooler than down by the coast.

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If you are interested in seeing more than “just” beautiful small towns and beaches then the island also has many other attractions to choose from.

The Eupalino’s tunnel is located on the mountain slopes of Kastri, near Pythagorion. The tunnel was built in the 530s BC and was built to supply Pythagorion with water. The tunnel is a total of 1,026 meters long, and was connected by the mountain with the Aghiades source in the Mytilene Mountains. The first bit is very narrow as it expands to larger caves. You can walk through it if you dare!

Heraion on Samos is a temple dedicated to the Greek goddess Hera. According to Greek mythology, Hera, who was born on Samos, met her husband, the famous Zeus, on the river Imvrassos, where the temple was erected. The ancient temple was among the largest in Greece, and was 100 meters long, 54 meters wide and 25 meters high. There were 133 pillars, of which one huge one remains today. It was replaced in the 7th century BC by a new temple that was the first to have double rows of columns on the front of the temple and later they began to build an even larger temple. This temple was 45 meters wide and 80 meters long with at least 100 columns. It’s defenitely worth a visit!

Right next to the temple site is also a small cosy village sharing the same name, ie Heraion, where you can enjoy really good fish on one of the many fishing taverns or a drink with friends!

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In addition to being very beautiful, Samos is also very lush, and most people know that the island grows grapes and produces incredible wines and dessert wines but also olives, figs, cotton and tobacco. I promise you that you will eat and drink like kings if you decide to visit the island! The food on Samos is influenced by the different people who have inhabited the island throughout history and you can taste these traditional recipes around the island. Gemista is a typical specialty from Samos, which consists of baked stuffed vegetables such as bell peppers, with a rice filling with or without minced meat in it. To get a really special dining experience, I highly recommend the family-owned tavern “To Scholeio” which is located in Ano Vathi next to the old school. There they always serve traditional recipes made with lots of love and with the food you always get a carafe of tasty locally produced wine.

The wine grown on Samos bears the same name as the island and is one of Greece’s most famous wines. It is a sweet white wine that you can find everywhere in the world.

All that I have written above are just a few reasons why I personally like Samos as much as I do and if I have not succeeded in luring you to the island with my words then maybe some pictures can help!

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