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Samos
Villages
 Samos is a fertile place, with natural beauty and interesting archaeological remains. The land is mountainous, with small fertile valleys that reach the sea. It has tourist villages and beautiful quiet places and, with its large beaches and small gulfs, its clean sea and mild climate, is a beautiful place for vacations.
 On the island there are hardly any interventions of modern architecture. The villages have two- storied rectangular houses, the majority of which with regular series of windows, without balconies. Red tile roofs cover all constructions, houses and churches. In the capital and in several villages many beautiful old mansions are conserved, treasured remainders of the old architecture of the island.
Samos town, the island’s capital is located on its northern side and is amphitheatrically built on a hill, in a big gulf, making a very safe refuge for boats. It is rich in neoclassical buildings, old mansions, traditional houses and the impressive marble lion in Pythagoras Square. It is also referred to as Vathy, although the locals seem to reserve that name only for the ancient, hilltop section of the town build amphitheatrically around a large bay. It is a fusion of neoclassical buildings, beaches and Aegean colours.
 Pythagorion, built on the ruins of the homonymous ancient city of Samos, it condenses more than twenty-six centuries of Greek history. Such rich cultural heritage is in harmony with the natural beauty of the surrounding area. Here, tourists can see the remains of the classical period, the most important historical era of the island. Karlovasi is the second big city of Samos. It is situated at the northwest side of the island. Other towns are Marathocambos and Hereon.
 Around the middle of the 16th Century the island’s new protector – Kilitz Pasha (a Frenchman who became a Turkish Admiral, who was keen to repopulate the island after an earlier depopulation) brought settlers from the island of Mytilini (Lesvos), from Pyrgos in the Peloponnese and from Vourla in Asia Manor; these immigrants founded the villages of Mytilinoi, Pyrgos and Vourliotes. Newcomers from Kymi of Evia settled at Koumeika.
 The tiny hamlet of Kerveli, situated on the east coast with splendid views across the narrow straits to the Turkish mountains, is a delightfully sleepy backwater and perfectly placed for consummately idle seaside holidays without any 21st century distractions.
Marginally bigger the little north cost village of Agios Konstantinos stands
close to some of the greenest scenery and most delightful mountain villages on
the island and is thus an ideal base for keen walkers. Whilst offering more
comprehensive range of restaurants, shops and other facilities, the fledgling
resort of Votsalakia in the southwest of the island retains a decidedly laidback
and wonderfully unhurried atmosphere. Fringed by the islands longest beach - a
mixture of sand, shingle and pebbles - and backed by the towering hulk of Mount
Kerkis - the island's highest peak at 1,437m - it also offers easy access to the
dramatic mountain scenery of the wild west coast.
Whether you are sight seeing and exploring the ancient
cultural sights or relaxing on the beautiful beaches next to the crystal clear
waters then Samos will not disappoint.
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