Things To Do in Karlovasi

A flock of trendy nightspots have set up shop on the seafront, so it’s easy pickings when it comes to late-night drinks. Most pull down the shutters before midnight, but a handful keep the evenings going into the early hours. If you’re after full-on nightclubs, book a taxi to Vathy – it’s around 45 minutes away.

In the tiny villages dotted across the Kerkis Mountain – a 1,433-metre-high extinct volcano which looms in the distance behind the town – you’ll find two traditional dishes to sample. Tiganites are Greek-style pancakes covered with grated cheese, and loukoumades are doughnuts served with honey. You can wash them down with a snifter of the local firewater. It’s a grappa-like drink called suma, but has a richer flavour thanks to Samos’ grapes.

Fancy flitting to the footprint-free island of Fourni? There’s a ferry for that. Or, how about paying a visit to a lively waterside café in the port village of Agios Kirykos’? There’s a ferry for that, too. Karlovasi’s bursting with daytrip options thanks to its busy port, which links the western side of Samos with the surrounding islands. You can even country-hop over to Turkey by catching a boat to Sigacik – a pretty town that sits directly north of Karlovasi.

The first Karlovasi Festival kicked off in 2017, hosting 15 Greek street artists who travelled to Samos to showcase their work. The festival’s set to become a regular in June, putting on graffiti workshops, concerts and even a powder paint party.