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Lakoma and Profit Ilias are simple, beautifully situated mountain villages with good tavernas, where you can enjoy particularly good goat dishes with a view of the south coast.
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Above the beach of Pachia Ammos is the chapel "Panagia Krimniotisa" that should be visited for its magnificent views. The turnoff to the dirt road to the church is signposted and is located on the hill before it goes downhill to the beach. A simple restaurant at the foot of the church offers local food specialities and is highly recommended for lunch time. On the shaded terrace of the restaurant you have a wonderful view over the south coast and the beach. Usually a cooling breeze blows and makes the stay particularly pleasant in the hot summer. It is a "must see" location on Samothrace!
Samotraki
The capital of the island is Chora (Samothrace), about 5 km east of Kamariotissa. Worth seeing are the small and tightly packed houses. Chora is located at the foot of a hill, almost invisible from the sea. It was built hidden to be protected from pirate attacks from the sea in the Middle Ages. The village with its narrow, winding streets and its Genoese fortress (the original was Byzantine) is the most beautiful village of the island. From the large, central square, where you will find a few taverns, there is a beautiful view over the sea. Somewhat further down the village is Palaiopoli with its characteristic three towers from the 15th century.
The best beach on the island of Samothrace is the "Pachia Ammos Beach". This beach is located in the south of the island, about 15 km from Kamariotissa and is accessible by bus too. Pachia Ammos is located between two rocks, and is about 800 m long. It's a sandy beach, or rather fine gravel beach. During high season there is a tavern and a beach bar and there are rental chairs and umbrellas. Eastwards of Pachia Ammos there are three more beautiful secluded bays, used primarily as nudist beaches, but are difficult to reach. At the Pachia Ammo beach you meet most times fishermen with their boats. On request you can hire them to take you to one of the secluded bays. It is important to take the mobile numbers of the fishermen so that they can pick you up again. Camping supplies, food, water, garbage bags, etc. you have to take with you since these are lonely bays. For naked campers, Vatos Beach, with its dry river valley, is specially popular. You can also reach the beach by foot along a marked path in 1-2 hours from above the Pachia Amos beach.
Beautiful beach with sand and pebbles at the mouth of the Vatos gorge. There is no road connection. You can reach the beach either by boat or on foot after a difficult path through rocks. It's an excellent nudist beach, as are the bays to the east of Vatos Beach which are difficult to reach too.
Kamariotissa, where the ferries arrive, is located on the west side of the island and is surrounded by hills with grass and some trees and with the high barren mountain Fengari (1660 m) as background. Kamariotissa is pretty green and there are several restaurants, coffee shops, banks, post office, supermarket, bakery, greengrocer, pharmacy, a ticket booth for the ferries. Directly at the promenade there are 2 rental companies for motor scooters and cars. The only gas station of the island is on the road from Kamariotissa to Chora. In the small waterfront park is the bus station. It's also the center of “nightlife” in low season.
Ιερό των Μεγάλων Θεών, Ieró ton Megalón Theón
Major archaeological site of the centre of a mystery cult that rivaled Delphi, dating back to the pre-Greek period (Bronze Age). Numerous famous ancient people were initiates, including the historian Herodotus – one of very few authors to have left behind a few clues to the nature of the mysteries - the Spartan leader Lysander, and numerous Athenians. The original Sanctuary had suffered from earthquakes and pirate attacks. It was rebuilt several times and only abandoned after the Romans introduced Christianity as the official religion. In modern times, one can see remains from all eras, including the Hellenistic and Roman. There is also a small, excellent museum, with a plaster cast of the famous 'Winged Victory of Samothrace' statue, a consolation that the original was looted from the site on 1863 and is now at the Louvre in Paris. Much of the "Sanctuary of the Great Gods", at Paleopoli is forfeited, but the location in a wooded gorge is spectacular. There are also remains of a Byzantine fortress, which was built with the old stones of the sanctuary. The round building that once stood here, the Arsinoeion, was built 285 on behalf of Queen Arsinoe of Thrace. It was the biggest round building that was ever built in ancient Greece and was a place held at the victims. The so-called Hieron is the most striking ruin on the site, because of the columns that were built back in 1956.