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a distance of 10 km. from the capital Vathy lies
Kokkari. Kokkari is the most picturesque fishing
harbour of Samos, which has now developed into a large tourist center.
A small peninsula full of houses which climbs up to the top of the hill with
a small harbour on one side and a superb sand beach on the other. |
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Near Kokkari are several villages like Platanakia, Valeodates, Staurinides and many others, which are connected with streets or small paths. Travelling from one village to the other the visitor can enjoy the natural beauty of the island and the unique view that the height provides. In that area there are two of the most dazzling, small, lush coves on Samos with marvellous sand beaches, Lemonakia beach and Tsamadou bay. |
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second largest town and harbour of Samos is Karlovassi.
Karlovassi is an island town, unique in plan, as it is divided into five sections
Old, New and Middle Karlovassi, the bay and the harbour.
Formerly it was the commercial and industrial capital of the island and
before the last war had grown rich due to the leather trade.
A stroll around the town will provide ample evidence of its past glories, as you can see, mansions and large impressive churches. The whole area has kept many examples of traditional architecture and one of the most representative samples is the dazzling white church of the Holy Trinity which dominates the green hill of Old Karlovassi. Four km west of Karlovassi is Potami , one of the most beautiful beaches of Samos. The walk through the ravine that ends at the sea is very relaxing. At the end of Potami beach a rutted track will give you a distant of two enchanting sites , Mikro and Megalo Saitani. These untrammelled coastal spots are a refuge for the Mediterranean seal. |
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the slopes of Mt. Kerkis and in a distance of 13km from Karlovassi we find
Marathokambos, one of the largest villages of the island.
The port for Marathokambos is Ornos which attracts many tourists during the summer, drawn by it's long beaches. In the area near Ornos we shall find the fine beach known as Votsalakia and the marvellous sand beach of Psili Ammos. |
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ne of the most well-known villages of the island is Pythagorion which is a main tourist resort due to it's natural beauties and it's rich history. Pythagorion which used to be known as Tigani, is a picturesque tourist center with a harbour in exactly the same cove as the ancient one and it could be described as a quintessence of what a Greek island means. The Pythagorion museum is very interesting and contains finds from many periods such as Archaic statues and grave reliefs from the 6th century. On the summit of the hill above the town are remains of the fortification of ancient Astypalaia. |
| Photos and text taken from "Samos, Ikaria and Fournoi" (Toubis Editions) |  |
