Samos

Introduction

Samos is an island in the North Aegean Sea, north of Patmos and south of Chios and close to the coastline of Turkey near Kusadasi.

Geography

Cities

• Vathi is the island's main city and lies on the northeast Samos. Here lives approximately 12,000 inhabitants. From the harbor depart small and large boats to other Greek islands and to Athens and Turkey.
• Karlovassi is the second largest city, it lies in a valley between Kerkis mountain in west and Karvouni mountain in the east. The area has approximately 6,000 inhabitants and is a lively commercial center where people from all over the island come for shopping.
• Pythagorion on the south coast near the airport, is an established resort town, which consists of many hotels, restaurants and bars. From the harbor boats are leaving to other nearby Greek islands and Turkey.

Sights and Activities

• nightingale valley - A lush oasis on the north side of Samos where the nightingale is said to sing early in the morning. Not only the nightingale, but also other small birds thrive here.
• St John Monastery - St Johns monastery sits like a crown up on the mountain and resembles a Byzantine castle. The monastery is situated above the town of Chora and was founded in 1088
• Cave of the Apocalypse - On the way up to St John's monastery lies the holy cave. It is said that St John lived here for two years when he was sent to the island in exile. Here he was to have heard God's voice and written the work Johannes apocalypse, the last book in the Bible, perhaps better known as Johannes Revelation.
• Mansion Simantiri - An old manor house built in 1625 by artisans from Smyrna, now used as a folklore museum. You will find furniture and paintings from the 1700s.
• Artemis Temple "Tavropolio" - Artemis temple was built in the sixth century BC It was built to honor the goddess Artemis, the hunting, forest and wild animal goddess. The pier below the Temple was an important staging post for travel on to minor Asia. Today you see only parts of the floor and pillars from the ancient temple.
• Drakano fortress - Drakano Fortress has one of the best preserved examples of Athenian military guard towers from the Hellenistic period. Drakano and its forts were built at Alexander the Great's time in the 300-BC The tower served as a vantage point for boat traffic in the Aegean Sea between Ikaria and Samos.

Events and Festivals

Weather

Samos has a Mediterranean climate with dry and warm summers, and mild but wet winters. Temperatures during summer are mostly around 30 °C with balmy nights. Winters see highs of around 15 °C. Most of the annual 750mm of rain falls from November to March.

Getting There

By Plane

Samos International Airport (SMI) offers a wide range of flights. Destinations are mainly served seasonal (April to October) and include Athens, Berlin, |Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart, Zürich, Vienna, Milan, Verona, Brussels, Rhodes, Thessaloniki, Heraklion, London, Manchester and Amsterdam. Only Greek destinations have year-round flights.

By Boat

Vathi is the main port and the other two ports are Karlovassi and Pithagorion. Ferries from Piraeus and and the Cyclades usually stop at both Vathi and Karlovassi. There's an overnight ferry, from Piraeus, Syros, Mykonos and Ikaria. Hydrofoils to the Dodecanese islands depart regularly from both Vathi and Pithagorion and there are also connections with all the islands of the North Aegean and the Dodecanese islands once a week through the shipping route from Alexandroupoli to Rhodes. Finally, there are also connections to Kusadasi in Turkey taking around 2 hours and costing € 35 one-way. Ferries depart at 8:30am and 5:30Ppm. During low season, there are fewer connections.

Getting Around

By Plane

By Train

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

Eat

Drink

Sleep

External Links

• Official Website
• Samos Travel Guide