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Samos
island / Beaches
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With
a sunny climate most of the year and good roads to facilitate exploring,
Samos lends itself to holiday making in spring and fall as well as summer.
 The
closest decent beach to Vathi is Gagou, 2 kilometers north of the
pier. But the best beaches on Samos are found along the north coast, the
most beautiful and rugged part of the island. The busy seaside resort of
Kokkari,
10 kilometers west of Vathi, has several beaches in rock coves as well
as the crowded stretch of sand running parallel to the town's main road;
to find the smaller cove beaches, head seaward from the main square. Just
west of Kokkari is Tsamadou, a short walk down from the coast road,
which offers sufficient seclusion for nudism at one end. Continue west
past Karlovassi to find Potami, an excellent long pebble-and-sand
beach with road access.
 The
two best beaches on the island, * Micro Seitani and * Megalo
Seitani, are accessible only on foot or by boat; boat excursions depart
daily from the pier in Karlovassi. To get here on foot, continue past the
parking lot for the beach at Potami on a dirt road; the walking time to
the first beach is 45 minutes. After about 5 minutes of uphill walking,
the road splits--turn right, continuing to follow the coast. After another
5 minutes of walking, there are three obvious paths turning off to the
right in close succession. Take the third, marked by a cairn, and follow
the well-worn path another half hour to Micro Seitani, a glorious pebble-and-cobble
beach in a rocky cove. On the far side of the beach a ladder scales the
cliff, leading to the continuation of the trail which will take you after
an additional 30 minutes of walking to Megalo Seitani, as incredible a
stretch of sea sand as any in the Aegean. At the far end of Megalo Seitani
are a few houses and a taverna; the near end, at the outlet of a magnificent
cliff-walled gorge, is completely undeveloped
 In
Pithagorio, the local beach stretches from Logotheti Castle at the
west side of town several kilometers to Potokaki and the airport.
Expect this beach to be packed throughout the summer. Excursion boats depart
daily in the summer for Psili Ammos, 5 kilometers to the east. Boat
excursions leave daily from Pithagorio for Samiopoula, an island
off the south coast with two good beaches.
 On
the south coast of the island, the most popular beaches are on Marathokambos
Bay , its rock-and-pebble beach is long and narrow, with windsurfing
an option. A couple of kilometers further west of Ormos Marathokambos is
Votsalakia,
a somewhat nicer beach. |
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