Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
beaches,
Agios Dimitrios
, 5km south, and
Ftelio
, 8km south, are best reached by local
boat, jeep or motorbike. Enquire with Mr Aris at
Taverna Artemonas
(
22540 93333;
9am to midnight)
, near Agios Nikolas church.
Most travellers book rooms for Agios Efstratios when they purchase ferry tickets. In
Limnos, contact
Myrina Travel
( 22540 22460)
, or else find domatia upon arrival; try
Rooms-to-Let
(Rooms Kakali; 6973061585; s/d €30/35)
. The island is popular in sum-
mer, though all 50 rooms seldom fill up at once. The island's single
kafeneio
and two
tavernas offer inexpensive and fresh seafood.
A small ferry, the
Aeolis
, runs between Limnos and little Agios Efstratios six times per
week (Monday to Saturday, two hours, €7 each way). Buy tickets at Myrina Travel in
Myrina on Limnos, and plan to stay overnight; the ferry leaves Limnos at 3pm, and re-
turns from Agios Efstratios at 6.30am. Day trips are not available.
There are also four ferries (NEL lines) per week from both mainland Lavrio (eight
hours, €25), and Kavala (seven hours, €21). Day trips are seldom available.
SAMOTHRAKI ΣΑΜΟΘΡΑΚΗ
POP 2860 / AREA 176 SQ KM
Lush Samothraki sits alone in the northeastern Aegean, halfway between the mainland
port of Alexandroupoli and Limnos to the south. This thickly forested island is rarely vis-
ited out of high season, but it boasts one of the most important archaeological sites in
Greece: the ancient Thracian Sanctuary of the Great Gods. Also here stands the Aegean's
loftiest peak, Mt Fengari (1611m), from where Homer recounts that Poseidon, god of the
sea, watched the Trojan War unfold.
Samothraki's mountainous interior is bursting with massive gnarled oak and plane
trees, making it ideal for hiking and mountain biking. And the island's waterfalls, which
plunge into deep, glassy pools, provide cool relief on hot summer days. Remote south-
eastern beaches are pristine, while the west offers hot baths at Loutra (Therma). Inland
from the main fishing port of sleepy Kamariotissa lies the former capital, Hora, bursting
with flowers and handsome homes, all overlooking the distant sea.
The island's remoteness and poor public transport mean that it's often forgotten by
island-hoppers, but devotees of ancient archaeology, or those pursuing hiking and
canyoning will find it worth the effort it takes to get here. (Hikers should look for the
Terrain Map,
Samothrace
; and Anavasi Maps' booklet,
Canyoning in Samothraki
).
