Culture
Walk through the Tunnel of Eupalinos
Choose the short route or the longer tour deep into the mountain. The passages are narrow, so skip it if you're claustrophobic.
Pythagorion
Samos · Things to do
Things to do in Samos
Beaches, trails, festivals, food and wine: the experiences that make this island its own.
Experiences
Our favourite things to do
Ideas for every kind of day, from a lazy swim to a full-day hike.
Beach
Swim at Lemonakia & Tsamadou
Two of the island's prettiest bays, framed by pines, with clear green water. Tsamadou is quieter at its far end.
West of Kokkari
Hike
Hike the Valley of the Nightingales
A shaded path climbs from the coast through plane and oak forest, full of birdsong in spring, to lunch in Manolates.
Platanakia to Manolates
Nature
Cool off at the Potami waterfalls
Wade and swim up a narrow gorge to reach the first waterfall, then climb on to the second through the forest.
Potami, near Karlovasi
Food & wine
Taste Muscat in the wine villages
Sip sweet Muscat at the Wine Museum in Malagari, then head up to Vourliotes, whose terraces grow some of the island's best grapes.
Vourliotes & the Samos Wine Museum
Culture
Visit the Heraion at golden hour
Walk among the foundations of the great temple, then swim at the beach of Ireon village a few minutes away.
Ireon, west of Pythagorion
Only in Samos
What makes Samos different
Why Samos stands out among the islands of the eastern Aegean.
A tunnel through a mountain, 2,500 years ago
In the 6th century BC the engineer Eupalinos dug an aqueduct more than a kilometre through Mt Kastro, with two teams starting from opposite ends and meeting in the middle.
The Temple of Hera
Hera was said to have been born here, and her sanctuary was among the largest temples in the Greek world. One column still stands among the foundations.
Muscat of Samos
The island's sweet white Muscat has been prized for centuries and is made from grapes grown on high mountain terraces. Taste it at the Samos Wine Museum or in the villages.
Birthplace of great minds
Pythagoras, the philosopher Epicurus and the astronomer Aristarchus, who first proposed that the Earth goes around the Sun, were all born on Samos.