Your Visit
GETTING TO SAMOTHRAKI
COVID - you will need to be vaccinated or have a recent covid test to be able to get on the ferry in either direction. Check the Zante Ferries webpage for more details. (Information August 2021)
ARRIVAL IN ALEXANDROUPOLIS
Alexandroupolis can be reached by bus, train and air.
AIR TRAVEL
1. Many travelers arrive in Athens, and then take a connecting flight to Alexandroupolis. There is a local bus (Line 5) that travels into the town centre from the airport. The trip takes around 25 - 30 minutes.
TICKETS: At the airport, you can buy a bus ticket at the small cafe/shop inside the terminal, or directly from the bus driver. In Alexandroupoli, some of the street kiosks sell bus tickets.
Other routes are:
2. Fly to Saloniki or Kavala, and take a connecting bus (see below).
3. Fly to Plovdiv in Bulgaria and take a connecting bus (see below) or (more complicated) train.
4. Fly to Istanbul, and take a connecting bus (see below).
BUS TRAVEL
The bus station is located centrally, but is scheduled to move to the outskirts of the town:
KTEL Evrou Alexandroupoli, Venizelou 33
The Salonica - Alexandropoulis Bus Timetable. (Approx 5 hours travel time)
The Kavala - Alexandropoulis Bus Timetable
The Istanbul - Alexandroupolis Bus Timetable
Plovdiv - Alexandroupolis with Ardatour This bus stops a few times for welcome rest breaks. This bus departs from the KTEL in Alexandroupolis, or the main bus terminus in Plovdiv.
RAIL TRAVEL
(Because of Coronavirus, check which border entry points are open for land crossing before making plans!)
1. The Salonica - Alexandropoulis Train Timetable (Express Train 5.5 hours. Normal Service 7.5 hours. The train often departs late!)
2. There is no longer a train service from Istanbul.
3. Plovdiv -Svilengrad - Taxi - Dikaia - Alexandroupolis
Plovdiv - Svilengrad Train (up to 4 trains a day, please check the time table)
There is no public transport from Plovdiv Airport. A taxi from Plovdiv Airport into the town (railway station or bus station) costs around 20 lev (10 Euro - make sure you get into a taxi that has a meter!).
The train no longer crosses the border into Greece. You will need to take a taxi or hitch-hike from Svilengrad (in Bulgaria) to Dikaia on the Greek side, a distance of 23km (17 minutes by car). Dikaia is the terminus of the Greek train line.
As there is sometimes a large time gap between arriving in Svilengrad and departing from Dikaia, it is worthwhile checking into a hotel if you arrive late at night. Svilengrad has a large number of cheap, new hotels, and a couple of glitzy Las Vegas Style casinos, as it is a major transit point for international truck drivers. A taxi can be arranged in advance to collect you from the station, and later again to collect you from your hotel, and take you to sleepy Dikaia.
Taxi from Svilengrad to Dikaia
Taxi Svilengrad Dikaia Taxi (1) Dikaia Taxi (2) Taxi Svilengrad can be booked via their Facebook Page if you message them through the app. As there is sometimes a lag of 6 hours between the train arriving in Svilengrad, and leaving from Dikaia, if overnight, it is worthwhile checking in to a local hotel in Svilengrad for a few hours of rest. Taxi Svilengrad (as of April 2018) charges 25 euro for a taxi from Svilengrad to Dikaia.
Dikaia to Alexandroupolis Train (2 trains a day, please check the time tables) This leg of the journey cannot be booked online.
If the train is cancelled, there is a bus to Alexandroupolis from Dikaia. (One change required at the KTEL Orestiada)
Alexandroupolis Railway Station Tel: +30 2551026395
CAREFUL PLANNING REQUIRED.
Because your ferry departure time may not coincide neatly with your arrival in Alexandroupolis, it is frequently the case that an overnight stay on the mainland will be required.
DELAYS NOT UNEXPECTED
You should also keep in mind that the ferry may be cancelled due to rough weather on the Thracian Sea.
For this reason, you should factor in an extra day for unforseen delays. You will need to make an allowance in your budget for extra unexpected hotel stays in the event of inclement weather conditions.
Remember: The remoteness of Samothraki is the main reason the island has been preserved in such a pristine condition.
THINGS TO DO IN ALEXANDROUPOLIS
There are several small museums of interest in the city, and a vibrant restaurant scene on the coastal promenade during the evenings. If you are in town during the day, you might enjoy a trip out to the beaches at the Red Cliffs (Kokkina Vrahia ) or the more commercial beach scene at nearby Nea Chili.
GETTING TO THE ISLAND
There is no airport on the island.
The only ferry service departs from the small city of Alexandroupolis (population 60,000).
The ferry travels twice daily from Alexandrouplois to Samothraki during the peak tourist season, and in the off season a handful of times a week.
NOTE: During rough winter weather the ferry is often confined to port.
Current Ferry Timetables
The ferry service is currently (August 2021 info) run by Zante Ferries.
Insamothraki has updates on the ferry.
Another useful resource to check for updates on sailings and cancellations due to bad weather is the blog called IRINEOSSAMOTHRAKI .
This blog functions as Samothraki's local newspaper. Due to the importance of the ferry service to life on the island, there are frequent posts and updates on the topic of ferry sailings.
FERRY TICKETS:
To purchase tickets for the ferry, you can pay at the kiosk at the harbour, (ZANTE FERRIES) or at the Travel Agency on 7 Kiprou .
To find the agency, stand with your back to the road leading down to the port, cross the main road, and Kiprou, a small cobbled street, is directly ahead.
If you walk up it a short distance you will reach a circular rose garden.
The Port Ferry Office is located a bit further down the street from here.
Other ticket agencies are listed in the website of Zante Ferries.
TO BUY A TICKET YOU NEED:
1. MONEY - prices vary with the day and time of year.
2. IDENTIFICATION DOCUMENTS - You may need your passport or EU ID or driver's license to purchase a ticket.
CASH MACHINE if you need cash:
If you keep walking north up Kiprou, (with your back to the sea) you will shortly reach the principal thoroughfare of the city, Demokratias.
You will find a bank with a cash machine here.
ARRIVAL ON THE ISLAND
The ferry trip takes around 1 hour and 45 minutes on the normal service.
NOTE: The ferry is likely to be cancelled due to rough weather if winds are above 6 Beaufort.
The ferry docks at the small harbour town of Kamariotissa (population 940 in 2013).
The total "permanent" population of the island is around 2800 (2011 figures), although in winter it drops to around 1,300.
Approximately 70,000 passenger trips were made to the island in 2015 - some 30,000 of these were from tourists.
WHEN TO VISIT?
THE DELIGHTS OF VISITING IN SPRING OR LATE SUMMER
The island is particularly beautiful during the spring, when wildflowers bloom across the island, and the old growth forests burst into leaf.
In autumn the leaves change colour, and Samothraki becomes a delight of golden hues, which contrast magnificently with the intense blue of the sea, which is still warm enough for swimming until late September.
OCTOBER
This time of year is wonderful for mountain walking, bathing in the hot springs, or taking a quick refreshing dip in the sea or an icy stream.
The weather is generally fine until early October, after which is becomes changeable; there are still many good days.
You get to feel Samothraki as it really is - a working, living island, which is only incidentally a tourist destination.
Photo Credit: This photograph was taken by the site author.
AUTUMN
In the secluded sheltered river valleys it is still hot enough to bask in the sun on the rocks near flowing crystal waters, undisturbed.
The beaches are empty, and at this time of year one frequently encounters naturists taking the sun on the beaches or swimming nude in the river valleys.
Walking up the mountainside, you are as likely to encounter a goat, as a naked Dionysus sitting nonchalantly on an isolated rock, playing the pan pipes and communing with nature.
Photo Credit: This photograph was taken by the site author.
ISOLATED WILDERNESS
In the period before the main tourist influx you experience nature on Samothraki #unfiltered. The sea is still warm, and you can wander the coast for miles, passing the occasional sunbather, or diver cooking a meal of freshly caught fish on a makeshift driftwood fire.
In the evening the bars and cafes are full of locals; with fewer visitors, you are more likely to be able to hitch around the island.
If you like the breath of nature, and silent spaces, either spring or autumn are the best time to visit this holy island.
Photo Credit: This photograph was taken by the site author.
HIGH SEASON
The island is particularly busy from July to August. Accommodation prices peak sharply at this time, as there is limited accommodation on the island. Many tourists stay in the official camp sites near Therma, or in rooms in private homes. There are few hotels.
During July and August day trippers arrive on the fast ferry from the mainland, and visit the island's bars and restaurants. There is less solitude to be had during this time.
A significant number of visitors engage in illegal free camping. If you are thinking of doing this, please think again! It might be good for you personally to have a 'wild' experience, but the pressures of free camping are damaging the pristine forests of the island, and causing many ecological problems.
WHO VISITS SAMOTHRAKI?
Most tourists to the island are Greek - the island, once the most famous island in the world, has fallen into obscurity, and few people outside Greece have heard of it. Many islanders speak English and German (there is a significant expatriate community of Samothrakians in Stuttgart, Germany). In recent years there has been an influx of visitors from Romania, Slovakia, and Poland. There are few visitors from the United Kingdom, where this island is still unknown, although it did feature in 'The Guardian' in 2003 (20 Paradise Islands), and again in 2015 (10 Best European Islands)
STATISTICS:
The key catchword on Samothraki these days is eco-tourism, and sustainable tourism.
The majority of visitors are young adventure seekers aged between 18-40, with a solid core of visitors aged 40 and over. Samothraki attracts loyal visitors, who return to the island year after year, decade after decade. Most non-Greek visitors (88%) are university educated. The Eastern Europeans that have recently started visiting are (90%) university educated. These visitors are not looking for the usual glitz to be found elsewhere, but actively seek out Samothraki for its wild grandeur spirituality, and isolation. International visitors tend to stay on the island for longer periods than Greek visitors, as do older tourists, and those who are returning after a previous visit.
The average length of stay is 5 to 6 nights. With the new fast ferry service, an increasing number (30% in 2015) of visitors are day trippers.
WHAT TO BRING?
If you are camping, you will need the usual camping gear.
Although free camping is illegal, if you do decide to damage the ecosystem on the island and free camp, please remember not to pitch your tent anywhere close to a stream, or in a stream bed.
It can rain heavily on the mountain, and flash floods are frequent.
Many tourists have been hurt, or worse, killed.
Others have simply lost all their possessions, swept away by an unexpected surge in the water level.
Photo Credit: This photograph was taken by the site author.
CASH RESERVES
You are advised to bring enough cash to the island to cover the expense of your accommodation and entertainment; there is usually enough cash in the cash machines, but if there is a spell of bad weather, and the ferry cannot sail for a few days (this happens from time to time) then cash can run out.
This is less likely to happen in summer.
There are two banks in Kamariotissa, in case of emergency.
Most restaurants and cafes only accept cash, although some now take cards, cash is preferred here.
Photo Credit: This photograph was taken by the site author.
HIKING EQUIPMENT
If you plan to go walking, you will need a sturdy pair of boots, and walking poles.
Even though it may be 30 Celsius on the beach, it can be bitterly cold up on the subalpine slopes of Mount Fengari - so you are strongly advised to not climb in the mountains unless you have a warm down jacket stowed in your backpack.
Photo Credit: This photograph was taken by the site author.