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Home / Recreation and Leisure / Travel / Destinations
The Hidden Jewel of the Greek Islands
By:Martin Kleis
This small egg shaped Island of Samothraki is one of the most beautiful and diverse Islands in Greece, but is still not on the beaten tourist route. It is
relatively hard to get to and there is no package holiday resorts on the Island.
Greek Tourists have known about the Island for a while and there is a fair smattering of visitors during the peak season of July and August and due to the small amount of Hotels, it can get heavily booked.
The fact that it is not that easy to visit is what has probably kept Samothraki in its current state, with its towering Mount Fengari, ancient valleys and the imposing Sanctuary of the Great Gods.
This is widely considered to be the most well kept of the Greek Islands and even the Hotels that have been built are sensitive to the environment, which is always a good thing!
The Capital of the Island is the Town of Hora which is hidden beneath a fold in the mountains and is a beautiful and picturesque Village. The steep cobbled streets of the Capital are a wonder to explore and are not motor vehicle friendly, which is why the Town
has kept its traditional and authentic feel.
At the top of the Town is the ruin of its former Castle, which has magnificent panoramas over the Port Village of Kamariotissa and the coast.
The Sanctuary of the Great Gods is one of the most evocative of the Classical sites in the whole of Greece and the vagueness of the religion worshipped here and its initiation rites adds to the mysterious sense of exploring it.
The signs to the ruins are in both Greek and English which is always helpful to us Anglophiles and help explain what little is known about these extensive ruins. The site is in a great condition and you will not come across many like it in Greece or maybe even in the whole of Europe!
It really is in a fabulous condition. The Sanctuary of the Great Gods is easily visited as a day trip from Hora. 15 kilometres east from the Port Village of Kamariotissa is the little Village of Therma which seems to be the closest Samothraki has to a resort, with many domatias (local bed and breakfasts).
Many of the visitors stay here as it is a convenient base from which to explore the Island. It is set a few minutes walk inland from the coast with plenty of greenery to brighten up the settlement. The Thermal baths here (from which the Village gets its name)
are said to be very good for those who suffer from Arthritis.
The only sandy beach on the Island is on the South coast and can be reached by regular boats from Kamariotissa. The beach stretches for eight hundred metres and around the headland is the superb Vatos beach which is mainly used by Nudists. There are some domatias here, but they fill up quickly.
There is no Airport on Samothraki and the only way to reach the Island is by Ferry. Ferries link Samothraki with Kavala on the northern Greek Mainland, where there are regular buses from Thessaloniki.
There are a number of airlines that fly to Thessaloniki from all over Europe and Greece.
The currency of Greece is the Euro which is divided up into 100 Cents.
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