Samos Things to Do

4 more images

When choosing the right resort in which to base yourself for 2 weeks which suits your families personal requirements, it is always difficult to decide just by reading the guide books & travel brochures (& VT of course!) We had no idea where to plump for when booking a Samos trip - we just knew we wanted to go there! Luckily we came home knowing without a doubt that Pythagorion had definitely been the right choice!

If you like fairly lively evenings eating & drinking around a pretty harbour, quiet walks in the daytime, easy access by car to the rest of the island, long pebble/shingle beaches, various watersports, quite a few tourist & local shops, an abundence of diverse restaurants, some archaeological interest........then don't hesitate to choose Pythagorion!

1 more image

Everyone has heard of this guy & here he is in Samos - well he was born & brought up right here around 580BC! He later died in Italy. He is known for being one of the most famous mathematicians ever! So great that they named a whole resort on Samos after him; 'Pythagorion'.

This monument depicts the mathematical theory discovered by Pythagoras & which he is ultimately famous for sharing with us all! I won't even begin to try & explain it - read all about it here!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagorean_theorem

2 more images

Samos seemed to me to have many sites of archaeological interest.

Some were mereley left open for anybody to wander in & look around. I found it strange that they were not protected by fencing in any form & that entry to the sites was not supervised. All were signposted in English as well as Greek.

Samiopoula is a very small island very near the south coast of Samos. It has 2 sandy beaches & a hotel, a few restaurants & some rooms to rent. It can be visited by boat from Pythagorion daily.

After chatting to a holidaying neighbour at our villa, we decided against a visit ourselves. He had spent the previous day on Samiopoula & warned us that unless you don't mind being bitten & harrassed constantly by large flies, DON'T go! Maybe this was a temporary thing due to the result of the spell of particularly hot weather, but it put us off!

We saw the whole island from above when we travelled through Samos by car. The elevated position made for a spectacular sight - it's the nearest I fancied getting to the 'fly' island!

Fresh oranges are squeezed daily & sold bottled in most supermarkets - also in some smaller shops too! Just 1.5 Euro for 500ml or 3 Euro for 1litre, it is sealed immediately after bottling & kept on ice until purchased.

Truly refreshing & such a bargain - it's a great way to enjoy your daily Vitamin C intake!

4 more images

Vourliotes is on of the oldest villages, built at the end of 16th or beginning of the 17th century. It’s named after its first inhabitants, who came from Vourla in Asia Minor.

It lies on an altitude of 340 metres above the Aegean Sea and is surrounded by lush pine forests, vineyards, olive trees and numerous wild flowers. I suppose the village has been built on this place because there is an abundance of water. At the entrance of the village along the main road you can see the old spring.
There are spectacular views of the mountainous scenery and to the sea.

The village looks like a labyrinth with its narrow and winding roads lined with whitewashed houses which have different coloured window and door frames. The church however is decorated in traditional white and blue.
Shops are very small and seemed to be very authentic; we found just one with the common touristy knick knacks.

All roads do lead to the picturesque square with a couple of cafés; a perfect spot for a rest while hiking around in the mountains of Samos. If you are not a hiker, at least make some shorts walks out of the village (towards the cemetery or into the direction of Pnaka) and enjoy the rich coloured wild flowers.

This has to be one of the most unusual landings there are in the world, presumably because of the surrounding hills and being so close to Turkey .
The planes approach the runway at an angle of well over 90 degrees very low and close to the surrounding hills, at the last minute the planes turn very sharply to the right and then your down.
We all thought it was a great experience, its probably not the best landing if you dont enjoy flying though.

4 more images

Also an old village in the mountains, named after ‘Manolas’, the surname of first family which settled here. The village lies on an altitude of about 380 metres. The views of the sea and the mainland of Turkey are stunning.

Due to cloudy and rainy (yes, even on Samos) we went by car through the Valley of the Nightingales with impressive trees, vineyards and a little stream. After a couple of serious hairpins we reached the car park, just outside the village.

We walked uphill along the ‘main’ road, which has some potteries, galleries and souvenir shops. It is obvious that Manolates attracts more (foreign) visitors than Vourliotes. It has the same old whitewashed houses often decorated with colourful flowers. Flowers are also painted on the streets.
There are some little squares with restaurants and cafés. We were rather early in the morning and just one of them was open for a cappuccino; made with warmth, but with a bad taste.

We heard and read about the ‘Lucas Taverna’, signposted and located above the village. It should have spectacular views, but we didn’t visit because of the increasing clouds; for sure something for our next visit.