”The Ancients called Samos the ‘Isle of the Blessed’. With its tiny terracotta-roofed villages, pretty scenery and fine beaches it’s easy to see why.”

Samos is simply charming. Sugar-cube villages hug
the coastline and a verdant interior awaits the keen
walker while sheltered coves and long golden beaches grace the shore. Add a rich cultural heritage and you have a Greek island paradise. Barely a stone’s throw from Turkey, Samos has rugged mountain slopes which rise up from fertile valleys that are green with olive groves, fig trees and vineyards.

Samos Town is the place to go for designer goods. If you are on a tighter budget there are plenty of shops selling good local produce. Look out for excellent pottery, especially from Mavratzei where you can find delightful ceramics - in particular the quirky Pythagorean cup.

Encircled by a coastline that varies from sand and
pebble beaches to secluded bays enclosed by cliffs,
Samos is worthy of comparison with any of the other Greek islands. In the west, near Kambos, silver sands softly shelve into balmy, glass-like seas, ideal for children to play in the shallows. In the southeast, Psili Ammos is a long, shady golden beach laced with friendly tavernas. Beneath Mount Ambelos and its luscious valley of olivegroves, the pebble beaches of Kokkari are popular with windsurfers and with some parts of the rocky north coast barely accessible, you’re sure to find your own secluded cove, which will be well worth the walk.