Samos is one of the most visited Greek islands, and it is the island that is closest to Turkey. The capital of this Aegean Sea Island is Vathy, which especially amongst the Greeks is also known as Samos. If you want to come to Samos for a visit, you can do it in the following ways:

BY PLANE

If you want to come to Samos by plane, you can climb onboard the Olympic Air and Aegean Airlines flights to Samos from Athens airport which last about 55 minutes. There are also Astra Airlines flights available from Thessaloniki airport, with flight time of about 65 minutes. Apart from Athens and Thessaloniki, you can fly to Samos from other Greek islands such as Rhodes, Crete, Santorini and Chios with Sky Express. In addition, many airports in Europe, such as those in Germany, Belgium, the UK, the Netherlands and Austria – mainly just during the period from May to October – offer direct charter flights to Samos. All these flights with Samos as their destination land to the airport near Pythagorion.

BY BOAT

If you want to come to Samos by boat, you should know that there are three ports on Samos: Vathy, Karlovassi and Pythagorion, with the main one being Vathy. From the main port of Athens – Piraeus – there is a ferry connection to Samos 3-4 times a week. The journey takes between 12 and 15 hours, depending on the boat and the specific route. If you arrive by ferry from Piraeus or the Cyclades, it will probably leave you in Vathy or Karlovassi. Alternatively, you can embark on the ‘Nisos Mykonos’ ferry that departs daily from various other ports and will then take you to Samos. This ferry sails to Samos from Syros, Mykonos and Ikaria. Samos is generally associated with almost all the other islands of North Aegean. During the summer, you also have the occasional ferry that goes from Kavala to Samos. If you are coming to Samos from Turkey, you will get to the island by a boat which departs from the port of Kusadasi, which is very well connected with the port of Samos. Boat ride from Kusadasi to Samos takes about two hours, and a one-way ticket costs about 35 Euros. Ferries from Kusadasi depart at 8:30 AM and 5:30 PM during the high season, while during off-season, the ferry departs at 8:30 am.

TRANSPORTION ON SAMOS

When you get to the island, you definitely have to visit some of its most famous and most beautiful sights. You can do this by bus which has a service every day, except for the national holidays such as 1 May. If you decide to use other means of transportation to go around the island, you can find many car rental agencies near the airport, and rent yourself a scooter, bike, car or motorcycle. Please note that if you decide to go around the island on a vehicle with just two wheels, you should bear in mind that the hills and mountains can pose a real challenge. Because all the above mentioned rental agencies work almost all day long, usually even late in the evening, you can get some wheels for yourself from 9 o’clock in the morning.  A motorbike rental costs around 10 Euros per day. If you prefer to enjoy a pleasant ride by taxi from the port of Samos to Pythagorion you can do it for approximately 18 Euros. When you find yourself in Pythagorion, make sure you to go to the Eupalinian Aqueduct located at a distance of 10-15 minute walk from the city center.

The capital of the island, Vathy or Samos, can be explored quite nicely even if you do it on foot. At the foot of the hill there are some steep roads, but it shouldn’t give you any major problem. When you come to Samos, do not forget to visit the famous Temple of Hera located 6 km southwest of the old town. From Samos you can go onwards to Pythagorion, which is located about 12 km from there (i.e. about 20 minute drive), and stop at one of the restaurants that you will encounter along the way.