Things to do
A 6th-century tunnel that proves the ancients understood trigonometry. The largest Greek temple ever built. Beaches reachable only by boat. And an hour by ferry to Ephesus.
In the 6th century BC, the engineer Eupalinos of Megara built an aqueduct tunnel to carry water to Samos town. To save time he dug from both ends of Mount Kastro simultaneously — two teams working blind toward each other through solid rock, guided by instruments and mathematics. They met inside the mountain with a horizontal deviation of less than 60 centimetres and a vertical error of less than half a metre. Herodotus listed it as one of the three greatest engineering works in the Greek world. Rediscovered only in 1882, it is now walkable for its first 900 metres. Most visitors to Samos do not know it exists. Walk through it slowly and think about what it took.
UNESCO site details →Open daily except Monday in season. Check hours locally.
The sanctuary of Hera at Ireon on the southwestern coast of Samos was one of the largest temples in the Greek world. The final Polycratean version, begun under the tyrant Polycrates in the 6th century BC, measured 112 by 55 metres — larger than the Parthenon in Athens. An earthquake destroyed most of it in the Byzantine period. Today one column still stands; the foundations and the enormous stone field around it extend across several hectares of what was a sacred precinct for over a thousand years. UNESCO World Heritage since 1992. Visit at dawn or in the late afternoon when the light rakes across the stone. The site is never crowded.
Open daily except Monday. Combined ticket with Pythagorion available.
Two pebble coves on the western end of Samos, below the cliffs of Mount Kerkis, accessible only by boat from Karlovasi (30 minutes) or on foot along a coastal path (1.5–2 hours each way). The water is the clearest on the island — a combination of depth, pebble bottom, and the complete absence of vehicle access. No beach bars, no sunbed rentals, no facilities of any kind. Bring water, food, and snorkelling equipment. Megalo Seitani has a freshwater spring. The boat trip from Karlovasi is the easiest option; the walk is the most rewarding.
Boats from Karlovasi May–September. Walking trail year-round.
Two traditional Samian villages in the hills above Kokkari — connected by a walking path through terraced vineyards, chestnut forest, and orchards of the Muscat grape. Manolates is the larger and higher of the two, with a central square, a handful of tavernas, and the restaurant Allothi for an evening of lamb and live music. Vourliotes is smaller, older-feeling, with a vine-covered square and kafeneion where the older men of the village sit in the shade. The drive up from Kokkari takes fifteen minutes; the walk between the two villages takes forty. Do both.
The Samos Union of Winemaking Cooperatives — founded in 1934 and now representing over 3,000 Samian grape growers — offers winery tours and tastings at its main facility near Vathy. The Muscat Blanc à Petit Grains grape that produces Samos Muscat has been grown on the island’s terraced hillsides since the Venetian occupation; the cooperative’s sweet Muscat is exported across Europe. The tour explains the production process; the tasting covers the full range including the dry whites and the reserve sweet wines that are not available outside Greece.
samoswines.gr →Tours available May–October. Book in advance in high season.
Daily ferries run from Vathy port to Kušadasi in Turkey — a crossing of approximately one hour. From Kušadasi, the ruins of Ephesus are twenty minutes by taxi: the Library of Celsus, the Grand Theatre that seated 25,000 people, the marble-paved Curetes Street, the Temple of Artemis. One of the most impressive ancient sites in the world, and practicable as a day trip from Samos. Bring your passport. Turkish e-visas are available online in advance for most EU and UK passport holders. Allow a full day. The ferry timetable varies by season; check locally the day before.
Daily ferries May–October from Vathy. Check schedules locally.