Reaching Samos

Samos is accessible either by plane or boat.

Samos is connected by daily flights with Athens and Thessaloniki. In addition, the island is also connected by air with Mytilene, Chios, Rhodes and Heraklion, Crete. Samos International Airport “Aristarchos” is lying 4 km west of the village of Pythagorion, with daily connections to a number of countries. However, the easiest way to reach Samos by air is to fly first into Athens and then catch a connecting flight to Samos. Daily flights are linking the island with Athens and with the town of Thessaloniki (in northern Greece). The flights to Samos time take aprox. 1 hour. 

Samos Airport “Aristarchos” - Tel: (+30) 22730 87800

Athens – Samos – Athens:
Olympic Air Tel: (+30) 210 3550500
Web: www.olympicair.com
Astra Airlines Tel: (+30) 2310 489390,
Web: www.astra-airlines.gr

Thessaloniki – Samos – Thessaloniki:
Astra Airlines Tel: (+30) 2310 489390,
Web: www.astra-airlines.gr

Heraklion – Rhodes – Samos – Chios – Mytilene – Limnos:
Sky Express Tel: 801 11 28 28 88, (+30) 2810 223800 Daily
Web: www.skyexpress.gr

By boat the island is connected with Piraeus, Chios, Mytilene, Limnos, Kavala, as well as with Ikaria, Fournoi, Syros, Mykonos and Naxos. The island has three major ferry ports: Pithagorion, Karlosvassi and Vathi. Samos is easily reached by ferry from Pireaus. The trip is about 8 to 14 hours (depending boat) and ferries usually stop at both Karlovassi and Vathi. There are less frequent connections to Chios, Lesvos, and the islands of the Dodecanesos which you can reach on frequent high-speed in the summer months. There are daily boats to Kusadasi, Turkey where you can visit the ancient Greek city of Ephesus, one of the world’s most incredible archaeological sites.

Hellenic Seaways Tel: (+30) 210 4199000
Web: www.hellenicseaways.gr

BUSES:
The local KTEL busses carry out transportation within the island. They have a quite good schedule and they connect the many villages and cities of the island in a satisfactory manner.
The island of Samos has a good bus service which serves various villages and beaches until 8 pm. From the capital of Samos 13 daily buses are going to Kokkari and Pythagorio, 8 to Agios Konstantinos and Agios Dimitrios, 7 to Karlovassi, 6 to the Hereon, 5 to Mytilini and 2 to Ormos Marathokampou, Avlakia and Votsalakia. 6 daily buses are departing to Pythagorio for the Hereon and 2 to Mytilini and Karlovassi.

From Karlovassi daily buses are going to Agioi Theodori, Pirgos, Koumandarei, Vathy, Pythagorio, Hora, Ormos Marathokampou, Votsalakia, Agia Kyriaki and Drakei.
During summer, daily buses are leaving from the capital of Samos for the beaches of Tsamadou, Psili Ammos and Hereon.

Samos has a very good bus system but the best way to see the island is by car or moped.

SAMOS ISLAND
                                                                                                                                                                
The Samos island lies in the heart of Central Aegean, 1200 meters from the shore of Asia Minor. It s the 8th in size Greek island and its area is 477,395 km2. It s geographically located between the parallels 37.49 and 37.37 to the North and the meridians 26.33 and 27.04 to the East. It is shaped like a peninsula, and according to the geologists who have studied its rock formation, among the other things, their conclusion is that the various geological upheavals which occurred in the course of the centuries cut off this piece of what had been the Asia Minor coast. The population of the island is 33814 inhabitants (2001 census), it is comprised of 4 municipalities, Vathi, Karlovasi, Pythagoreio and Marathokampos and its capital is Samos Town. You can reach Samos by plane from Athens and by ferry boat from Piraeus, Kavala, Icaria, the Dodecanese, Crete and other islands.

Samos is an island with unique natural beauties which combines history and tradition with it. On the northeast side of the island of Samos, the island s capital. Built amphitheatrically along the perimeter of a large bay, next to the harbour, it pleasantly predisposes the visitor with its Aegean colour, its neoclassical coastal zone and the beautiful beaches that surround it. Although small in size, Samos island is known throughout the world for its wine. The island is remarkably fertile. It is an island with green mountains, endless vineyards, which produce the famous samiotiko wine, and lacy shores.

Samos island economy depends mainly on the tourist industry which has been growing steadily since the early 1980s. The main agricultural products include honey, grapes, olive oil, olives, dried figs, citrus fruit, almonds and flowers. The Muscat Grape is the main crop used for wine production. Samian wine, known primarily though the sweet Muscat type, is also exported in several other appellations. Samian wines have won prestigious international and domestic awards. Samos is also known for its folk art and produces beautiful pottery, ceramics, rugs, bags made of goat wool and woven fabrics with beautiful designs and colours and which are made on local looms.

You can also find nowhere else in the Aegean with higher mountains than Samos. It is a hilly island. It has two mountains, the wild and rocky Mount Kerki of 1443m height and the verdant Mount Ambelos or Mount Karvouni of 1160m height. Mount Kerkis in Samos is ideal for climbing, and so this somewhat limits the number of those who are able to enjoy its wild beauty, while Mount Karvounis, which is more accessible, can be visited by everyone young and old alike. In the summer of 2000 a fire burned about 30% of the island’s forests.

The lovely coastal village of Pythagorio, is full of whitewashed houses with blue shutters and doors. In Vathy, Venetian houses are mixed to neoclassical ones and all the buildings have red-tiled roofs and some have their walls painted in bright colours. A small picturesque road links the present day port to Vathi, the old traditional settlement. Perched on gente slopes behind the bay, its timeworm houses with their narrow windows and wooden balconies evoke memories of a by-gone era. The island does not have a specific traditional architecture, mostly because of the heterogeneous descent of the population of the island. It is a blend of neoclassical mansions, Venetian buildings, whitewashed houses and Byzantine churches. The narrow stairs and streets are also painted in blue and white and the walls of some houses are decorated with naive paintings. Graphic narrow streets are winding around all those types of buildings, adding a cosy and warm touch to the whole scenery. And in the church of Ai-Yiannis, you will see marvellous rare frescoes.

We can say in all seriously that Samos is truly an ideal place for holidays. In Samos everywhere provides an invitation to visitor because what ever their interests are, they will be catered for. For that reason, without wishing to be accused of excessive local patriotism. Samos is the birthplace of great mathematician and philosopher Pythagoras. The astronomer Aristarchos and philosopher Epikouros also came from this Aegean island. In ancient times a major culture developed on the island and it was the home of distinguished figures in the world of the arts, literature, philosophy.