Planning a trip to Samos

Getting There

Although ferries connect Piraeus to Samos, the trip is long. The best way to get here is to fly.

By Plane -- Both Olympic Air and Aegean Airlines offer several flights daily between Athens and Samos. Contact Olympic Air in Athens (tel. 210/966-6666; www.olympicair.com). Contact Aegean Airlines (tel. 801/112-0000; www.aegeanair.com). Athens Airways (www.athensairways.com) has also been listing some flights to Samos. The Samos airport is 3km (2 miles) from Pithagorio, on the road to Ireon; from the airport, you can take a taxi to Vathi (30€) or Pithagorio (20€).

By Boat -- The principal port of Samos is Vathi, also called Samos; the other two ports are Karlovasi and Pithagorio. Ferries from the Cyclades usually stop at both Vathi and Karlovasi: Take care not to get off at the wrong port! There are daily boats (sometimes two) from Piraeus to Karlovasi (11-14 hr.) and Vathi (8-14 hr.); in the opposite direction, ferries travel daily or nearly daily from Samos to Mykonos (5 1/2 hr.). Boats to Hios from Vathi via Karlovasi (5 hr.) travel three times per week; there is also a once-weekly Rhodes-Vathi-Lesvos-Alexandroupoli run. Boats (mostly hydrofoils) to the Dodecanese islands depart regularly from Vathi and Pithagorio. If you want to travel one-way to Turkey, Turkish ferries depart daily (Apr-Oct; less regular off-season); a visa is required for all American, Canadian, British, and Irish citizens who intend to stay for more than 1 day. Be sure to inquire in advance about current visa regulations with a local travel agency.