Samos Sun Resort

Sightseeing

Nearby beaches / Distances

The crystal clear waters of the Aegean lie just a short distance from the Samos Sun Resort Hotel. A small pebbly beach with some sand, around 100 m long, is located inside the bay of Pythagorio. It has excellent on-beach amenities, offering deck chairs, umbrellas and showers. Heading 4 km west, is one of the most popular beaches on the island: the long sandy beach of Potokaki.

Heading 5 km east, you’ll find the small beach of Glykoriza with on-beach services; it combines sand with pebbles and is ideal for young children. Mykali beach (white pebbles, on-beach services and a view of the Asia Minor coastline) and Psili Ammos beach (a small beach with very fine-grained sand, very shallow and clean waters, very well protected from the winds) are located some 10 km and 12.4 km away, southwest of Samos Sun Resort.

Points of interest

The verdant island of Samos, located near the north-eastern edge of the Aegean, is an exceptionally popular holiday destination, combining a rich historical heritage, enchanting landscapes and infinite activities allowing you to savour the great outdoors. Must sees on your holiday include important archaeological treasures, such as the Tunnel of Eupalinos, the archaeological site of the Heraion, and the 6,430 m long Polycrates Wall (dating from the 6th century BC), the Ancient Theatre (dating from the 4th century BC), the Roman Baths (dating from the 2nd century AD), as well as the Byzantine castle at Pythagorio (dating from the 7th century AD).

In addition to the streets packed with history and culture, it is worth detouring to visit one of Samos’ wineries as the island is renowned for its outstanding white muscat wine. You can also pop into the Samos Wine Museum, one of a few wine museums in Greece. It’s located near Vathy.

Beaches

Samos’ coastline is dotted with amazing beaches, some large with on-beach services; others small and isolated. In the north-east of Samos you’ll find the small pebbled beaches of Gagou, Kerveli, Agia Paraskevi and the beautiful Livadaki, a small exotic beach with light-coloured sand. Continuing along the northern side of the island, a series of magical beaches unfolds before you. Kokkari and Lemonakia beaches with pebbles and deep, crystal clean waters, the famed Tsamadou beach, Avlakia and Tsambou beaches, and of course the pebbled small beach at Mikro Seitani with its deep, crystal clean waters set against the backdrop of a wild and enchanting landscape and its sister beach, Megalo Seitani, with coarse sand and quite deep, crystal clean waters. Megalo Seitani is the beach where the protected seal species Monachus monachus comes ashore and has been declared a Special Protection Area.

Equally, the southern side of the island lacks nothing when it comes to pebbly or sandy beaches. In the southeast, if you like pebbly beaches, choose Posidonio or Mullah Ibrahim, Klima, or the long white sandy Mykali beach with its on-beach services or Tsopela, Pythagorio, Potokaki, Glykoriza and Heraion beaches, all of which have a mix of sand and pebble. For absolutely magical sands head to Psili Ammos beach. In the southwest you’ll find Balos beach with pebbles, Kambos Marathokambou with sand and small pebbles and two of the island’s most beautiful beaches, Psili Ammos (also known as Chrysi Ammos) and Limnionas with coarse sand and small pebbles as well as deep, crystal clear waters

Churches

Dozens are the chapels and churches that adorn the island of Samos. However, two historical monasteries located just a few kilometres from Samos Sun Resort are particularly important.

The historical Megali Panagia Monastery (near Koumaradei village), some 9.9 km away, is the most important of all the churches of Samos, with a truly pious atmosphere. It was built in 1586 by the monks Neilos and Dionysus from Mt. Latros, near Ancient Miletus. It stands at an altitude of 250 m. You'll be impressed by the carved marble bell tower, the large wooden door of the narthex, the wooden carved iconostasis and wall paintings featuring themes from the Bible and the life of Christ.

The monk Neilos later founded the small chapel of Timios Stavros in 1592. On that site in 1838, Timios Stavros Monastery (near the village of Mavratzei) was built. It can be found at a distance of around 5.9 km from Samos Sun Resort and stands at an altitude of 200 m. The gilded carved pulpit [1843], the bishop’s throne [1844] and the impressive iconostasis [1854] with icons painted by the brothers Vezyropoulos from Kydonies (present-day Ayvalik in Turkey) during the 1870s.

Hiking

260 km of trails / 40 mapped hiking paths at all levels of difficulty will offer hiking lovers unique images of enchanting forests, deserted beaches and picturesque villages. You can choose an organized walk to the Cave of Pythagoras, or an easy 3.5 km trail that connects Potami with Mikro Seitani and Megalo Seitani beaches, or a slightly more difficult one, trekking from the village of Kosmadei to Panagia Monastery and Kakoperato Cave. Some popular hiking routes are:

Potami - Mikro Seitani - Megalo Seitani [3.8 km]
Karlovasi - Paleo Karlovasi - Agios Antonios Cave - Potami [2.8 km]
Potami - Waterfalls - Tsourlei - Potami [4.0 km]
Potami - Plaka Hill - Tsourlei - Potami [8.3 km]
Drakei - Megalo Seitani [4.2 km]
Lekka - Kastania - Kosmadei - Nikoloudes - Lekka [11.3 km]
Panagia Makrini - Vigla Peak [2.6 km]
Kosmadei - Kakoperato Cave [3.2 km]
Agios Konstantinos - Ambelos - Waterfalls [3.4 km]

For more information, please contact the Greek Mountaineering & Hiking Association of Samos.

Tunnel of Eupalinos

Just 1.5 km from the hotel, one of the most important examples worldwide of the construction abilities of ancient Greek engineers can be found. The Tunnel of Eupalinos is without doubt one of Greece's most exciting archaeological destinations. This tunnel measuring some 1,036 m in length and with average dimensions of 1.80 x 1.80 m was carved with hammer and chisel from the hard limestone rock of the hill which dominates the picturesque village of Pythagorio, work having started at the same time on the northern and southern sides of the hill.

Achieving a very precise routing through the ground, the great engineer of antiquity, Eupalinos, who came from Megara in Attica, began the project in 550 BC on the orders of Polycrates and completed it approximately 10 years later. This miracle of ancient Greek engineering has been recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992.

You can visit it over 3 different lengths: 185 m, 424 m and 1,036 m.

Pythagoras Cave

Situated some 320 m above sea level on Mt. Kerkis, around 35 km from the hotel, lies one of Greece’s most famous caves; the cave of ancient Greek mathematician Pythagoras (also known locally as Sarandaskaliotissa cave).

There are various stories about how the Samiot philosopher used it: as a school, as a home and as a hiding place when he was being persecuted by the tyrant Polycrates. The cave is accessible but great care is recommended due to its slippery surfaces.

Pythagorio Archaeological Museum

The history of the ancient city from the 4th millennium BC to the 7th century AD is recounted through 3,000 exhibits (including a Byzantine treasure trove comprised of 300 coins, gold jewellery, a compass, sarcophagus, funerary stelae, statues) at the Pythagorio Archaeological Museum, which lies just 2.1 km from the hotel in the centre of the ancient city of Samos. [Tel.: +30 22730 62 813]