The East and North Aegean - The Rough Guide to Greece - page 595

deposits in the straits between the islands and Anatolia. The Turks have also persistently
demanded that Límnos, astride the sea lanes to the Dardanelles, be demilitarized, and
in the last decade Greece has finally complied, with garrisons also much reduced on
Sámos and Lésvos, as part of the increasing détente between the traditional enemies.

9

Sámos
Lush, seductive and shaped like a pregnant guppy, SÁMOS seems to swim away from
Asia Minor, to which the island was joined until Ice Age cataclysms sundered it from
Mount Mykáli (Mycale) on the Turkish mainland. The resulting 2.5km strait provides
the narrowest maritime distance between Greece and Turkey, except at Kastellórizo. In
its variety of mountainous terrain, beaches and vegetation, Sámos has the feel of a
much larger island, and despite recent development and wildfires taking their toll, it
remains indisputably among the most beautiful in the Aegean.

Brief history
Sámos was during the Archaic era among the wealthiest islands in the Aegean and, under
the patronage of tyrant Polykrates, home to a thriving intellectual community that
included Epicurus, Pythagoras, Aristarcus and Aesop. Decline set in when Classical Athens
rose, though Sámos's status improved in Byzantine times when it formed its own imperial
administrative district. Late in the fifteenth century, the ruling Genoese abandoned the
island to the mercies of pirates and Sámos remained almost uninhabited until 1562, when
it was repopulated with Greek Orthodox settlers from various corners of the empire.
The new Samians fought fiercely for independence during the 1820s , but despite notable
land and sea victories against the Turks, the Great Powers handed the island back to the
Ottomans in 1830, with the consoling proviso that it be semi-autonomous, ruled by an
appointed Christian prince. This period, known as the Iyimonía (Hegemony), was marked
by a renaissance in fortunes, courtesy of the hemp, leather-tanning and (especially) tobacco
trades. However, union with Greece in 1912, an influx of refugees from Asia Minor in
1923 and the ravages of a bitter World War II occupation followed by mass emigration
effectively reversed this recovery until tourism took over during the 1980s.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE SÁMOS

By plane Sámos's airport lies 14km southwest of Vathý
and 3km west of Pythagório. There is no airport bus; taxi
fares to all points are posted on placards, and in summer
taxis to the airport or ferry docks must be booked in
advance. There are flights on Olympic Airlines, Aegean or
Sky Express to the following destinations (frequencies are
for June-Oct):
Destinations Athens (3-4 daily; 50min-1hr 20min);
Iráklio, Crete (2 weekly; 1hr); Lésvos (2 weekly; 40min-1hr
20min); Límnos (2 weekly; 1hr 40min-2hr 20min); Rhodes
(2 weekly; 45min); Thessaloníki (4 weekly; 1hr 10min).
By ferry/hydrofoil There are three ferry ports: Karlóvassi in
the west, plus Vathý and Pythagório in the east, making the
island a major travel hub. All ferries between Pireás and
Sámos call at both Karlóvassi and Vathý, while those from the
northeast Aegean call at one or both. Small boats to Kușadası
in Turkey depart mostly from Vathý, while Karlóvassi has a
small ferry to Foúrni and Ikaría. Pythagório offers ferry and
hydrofoil connections to the Dodecanese islands. Here is a
summary of destinations and summer frequencies:

Karlóvassi to: Áyios Kírykos, Ikaría (8 weekly; 2hr);
Évdhilos, Ikaría (3 weekly; 2hr 30min); Foúrni (8 weekly;
1hr 30min-2hr 30min); Híos (1 weekly; 4hr); Kavála (1
weekly; 18hr 30min-19hr 30min); Lésvos (1 weekly; 6hr
30min); Límnos (1 weekly; 12-13hr); Mýkonos (6 weekly;
5hr-5hr 30min); Pireás (6 weekly; 11-12hr); Sýros (6
weekly; 6hr-6hr 30min).
Pythagório to: Agathónissi (4 weekly; 4hr); Lipsí (1-2
daily; 1hr 40min-4hr 30min); Pátmos (1-2 daily; 1hr-3hr
30min); Léros (1-2 daily; 2hr 15min-5hr 30min);
Kálymnos (1-2 daily; 3hr 10min-6hr 45min); Kos (1 daily;
3hr 45min); Kuşadası, Turkey (2 weekly; 2hr).
Vathý to: Áyios Kírykos, Ikaría (8 weekly; 3hr); Évdhilos,
Ikaría (3 weekly; 2hr 30min); Foúrni (3 weekly; 1hr 30min);
Híos (2 weekly; 3hr 30min); Kavála (1 weekly; 18-19hr);
Kuşadası, Turkey (1-2 daily; 1hr 30min); Lésvos (2 weekly;
6hr); Límnos (1 weekly; 11hr 30min-12hr 30min);
Mýkonos (6 weekly; 5hr-5hr 30min); Pireás (6 weekly;
11-12hr); Sýros (6 weekly; 6hr-6hr 30min); Thessaloníki
(1 weekly; 24hr).