The athens mykonos samos tour links Athens with two Aegean islands by ferry from Piraeus. If another route suits you better, see the other tours in Greece on the home page.
This page covers the six days, Mykonos, the night ferry, Samos, the ferry back to Piraeus, Athens and the questions travellers ask.
What is the athens mykonos samos tour, and how does the route run?
The athens mykonos samos tour is a six-day loop from Athens to two Aegean islands and back. A ferry from Piraeus takes you to Mykonos. An overnight ferry carries you on to Samos, and a third crossing brings you back to Piraeus and Athens. A free day in Athens ends the plan.
Every day of the plan has one job. Days 1, 3 and 5 move you by sea, and Days 2, 4 and 6 stay in one place. That rhythm turns the athens mykonos samos tour into a slow trip with three ports and three free days. The list below shows the six days in order.
- Day 1: ferry from Piraeus to Mykonos
- Day 2: a free day on Mykonos
- Day 3: Mykonos port, night ferry to Samos
- Day 4: arrival on Samos, a free day
- Day 5: Samos port, ferry to Piraeus, Athens
- Day 6: a free day in Athens, check-out
The Cyclades group holds Mykonos, an island about 150 kilometres east of Athens that sits mid-Aegean. Seen on a map, Mykonos stretches 12 to 15 kilometres in length with a width of 10. Wikipedia counts the island in the administrative region of South Aegean. That small size suits the athens mykonos samos tour, which gives Mykonos Days 1 to 3.
Samos is a Greek island of the eastern Aegean. Chios is its northern neighbour and Patmos its southern one. The island belongs to the North Aegean region, and Wikivoyage files it under the East Aegean Islands. So the second island of the athens mykonos samos tour is no Cyclades island but part of a different group.
Travel between the islands goes by boat, and Wikivoyage adds that ferries reach every island. From Mykonos the route runs east to Samos, so the plan crosses from one island group into the other. Routes and frequencies vary with the season, so the athens mykonos samos tour treats its times as a reference.
The sea leg from Mykonos to Samos fills the night of Day 3. You spend the day at leisure on Mykonos until the ferry, and Day 4 begins at the port of Samos. This lets the athens mykonos samos tour give Samos a whole day. The night on the ferry takes the place of a hotel bed.
What does Mykonos add to the athens mykonos samos tour?
Mykonos adds the first island stop to the athens mykonos samos tour. It brings a whitewashed town, a row of windmills, a sea-front quarter and a small island next door. Days 1 to 3 hold the ferry arrival, one free day and spare time before the next ferry.
On Day 1 the athens mykonos samos tour sails from Piraeus, the chief harbour of Greece. Fast catamarans take half the time of a conventional ferry, says Wikivoyage. Two harbours serve Mykonos. The older harbour lies in the town itself, and the newer one lies about 2 km north, at Tourlos. Check which one your boat uses.
Day 2 of the athens mykonos samos tour leaves time for Mykonos Town. It is also called Chora, Greek for town, and is the island’s largest town. Windmills named Kato Mili, the lower mills, stand in a row above the sea. The upper windmills, Ano Myloi, rise above the town, and one of them holds old farm tools.
On the athens mykonos samos tour, Little Venice is the sea-front quarter of the town. Rich merchants and captains owned the first of its houses, raised in the mid-eighteenth century. Close by, the church of Panagia Paraportiani groups four chapels at ground level under a fifth above. Builders needed about 200 years to finish it.
The athens mykonos samos tour leaves Day 2 open, and the beaches suit it. The south side of the island is sheltered from the prevailing northern wind, says Wikivoyage. Megali Ammos lies one kilometre from town, Ornos three, Psarou five and Platys Gialos six. Small converted fishing boats link Platys Gialos with the other southern beaches.
Delos is a small island, about two kilometres from Mykonos. Mount Cynthus there carries a name older than Greek, and a sanctuary of Zeus stands on its summit. A decree banned burials and births on the island because of its sacred importance. Day 3 of the athens mykonos samos tour keeps free time before the transfer to the port of Mykonos.
How does the night ferry from Mykonos to Samos work on the athens mykonos samos tour?
The night ferry joins Mykonos and Samos at the end of day three of the athens mykonos samos tour. Wikivoyage lists a daily overnight ferry to Vathy and Karlovassi from Mykonos and other ports. You sleep on board, and the boat arrives at Samos on the morning of day four.
Day three starts with breakfast and free time on Mykonos. A transfer then carries you to the port of Mykonos from your hotel. Wikivoyage lists a SeaBus that links the new port and the town every half hour in 12 minutes. The athens mykonos samos tour spares you the 45-minute walk beside a busy road.
Wikipedia places the Icarian Sea east of the Eastern Cyclades and west of Anatolia, with Samos among its islands. It adds that the Iliad compares the Greek army to great waves on this sea. Herodotus names it when he writes about Persian troop movements. The athens mykonos samos tour finishes the night run in these waters.
Wikivoyage Samos lists a daily overnight ferry to Vathy and Karlovassi. It serves them from Athens, Syros, Mykonos and Ikaria. Wikipedia puts Vathy in the northeast of Samos and Karlovassi in the northwest. Check the official timetable for the stop your sailing makes. The athens mykonos samos tour then continues from that harbour.
Restaurants and bars sit aboard overnight ships, says the Wikivoyage article on Mediterranean ferries. It calls the cabins cramped but clean. Wikivoyage Cyclades notes calmer seas after dark. That suits sailings late in the evening and early in the morning. So day three of the athens mykonos samos tour ends with a meal and a night at sea.
The athens mykonos samos tour lists its times as a reference, because the ferry schedule sets the real hours. Wikivoyage Greece finds no one complete list of ferry schedules. Ticket offices in the departure ports post the schedules, the page adds. For your date, read the official page of the ferry line before you travel.
What does Samos add to the athens mykonos samos tour?
Samos adds a mountain island, an ancient harbour town and the birthplace of Pythagoras to the athens mykonos samos tour. Wikipedia locates the island in the eastern Aegean, close to the western Turkish coast. Day four is a day at leisure on Samos, so you pick the places yourself.
Wikipedia gives Samos a length of 43 km and a width of 13 km. Two mountains shape the island, and Kerkis is the taller one. Its summit, at 1,434 metres, is the highest point. A great portion of the land is vineyard, which makes Muscat wine. The athens mykonos samos tour thus meets a wine island.
Maps and road signs show the capital as Samos, but islanders still say Vathy, Wikivoyage explains. Use Vathy when you ask the way. Beaches, both sandy and shingle, lie all around the coast. Gagkou, a small pebbly beach, lies 15 minutes on foot from the ferry port. A free morning on the athens mykonos samos tour can start there.
The archaeological site of ancient Samos town lies beside modern Pythagoreio. Wikipedia dates its walls to the fifth and fourth centuries BC. Excavations uncovered the street plan and a sewage system. The Roman period left town houses, a stadium, public baths and an agora. Free hours on the athens mykonos samos tour suit a slow walk through this site.
Wikivoyage says two teams dug the Tunnel of Eupalinos from opposite sides of the hill. They met under the hilltop with a negligible deviation. Wikipedia adds that the aqueduct served for eleven centuries before it silted up. In the seventh century AD, its south end served as a defensive refuge. The athens mykonos samos tour can include it.
The Heraion sits 6 km southwest of Pythagoreio, beside the Imbrasos river, on ground that is low and marshy. Its Great Temple covered 55.2 by 108.6 metres. After Byzantine quarrying, a single column shaft and the foundations remained. Pythagoras studied first on Samos, then in Miletus, Phoenicia, Egypt and Babylon, before he returned and set up a school.
How does the ferry from Samos back to Piraeus work on the athens mykonos samos tour?
The fifth day sends the athens mykonos samos tour home by sea. After breakfast at the island hotel, a transfer leads to the port of Samos. The ferry then crosses the Aegean to Piraeus. On arrival, the traveller reaches the Athens hotel alone, because the plan carries no transfer there.
The athens mykonos samos tour reaches the quay by planned transfer, not by island bus. Wikivoyage Samos calls the island buses infrequent and adds that no bus runs on Sundays or on certain public holidays. It names Vathi, also called Samos, as the principal port. Karlovassi and Pythagorion are the two other ports of the island.
The Saronic Gulf has a second name, Gulf of Aegina, and Wikipedia places it between Attica and Argolis. Piraeus lies on its northeastern edge. The Attic mainland shelters the gulf partly from the summer meltemi wind, the article adds. So the athens mykonos samos tour ends its sea leg inside a gulf that holds Aegina, Salamis and Poros.
From the quay, Wikivoyage Piraeus calls the Metro very convenient between Piraeus and central Athens. Wikipedia adds the Suburban Railway, the Athens Tram, buses and trolleybuses to the choices. One bus or Metro ticket allows unlimited changes for ninety minutes, the Wikivoyage page says. The athens mykonos samos tour leaves the choice to the traveller.
Trolleybus number twenty offers a slower way, says Wikivoyage Piraeus. From the port the route heads to Passalimani, circles Kastella hill and ends at Faliro Metro station. Wikipedia adds that the hill carries neo-classical mansions and looks out across the Athens basin and over the Saronic Gulf. A short ride adds a first look at the capital.
Aegean weather can turn very rough from January to March, says Wikivoyage Greece. It adds that ferries in August fill up around the national holiday on the fifteenth. Wikivoyage Samos notes swell at Vathi and Karlovassi when north winds blow. The times of the athens mykonos samos tour are a reference, so check the official page.
What does Athens add to the athens mykonos samos tour?
Athens adds a free city stay to the athens mykonos samos tour on days five and six. Wikipedia places the city in the Attica Basin, a plain ringed by four large mountains: Aigaleo, Parnitha, Pentelicus and Hymettus. Day five brings the arrival from Piraeus, and day six ends with check-out.
Wikipedia says Parnitha National Park holds caves, gorges, springs and torrents, linked by well-marked paths. Residents hike and mountain-bike in all four mountains of the basin. Inside the city, pines cover the Pnyx and Ardettos hill, as well as Lycabettus and Philopappos hill. Wikipedia says these hills feel like a small forest. A free day can hold a green hour.
Wikivoyage calls the Acropolis a plateaued rock perched above the modern city. Wikipedia says strict height laws leave the rock in view across Athens. Wikivoyage allows a minimum of one hour for the visit, and two for anyone with a passion for history. One free morning on the athens mykonos samos tour holds it.
Plaka has no sharp edges, Wikivoyage admits. Mitropoleos Street and Amalias Avenue mark its limits. They feel modern and fairly plain, so the page keeps them outside the district. The page lists restored nineteenth-century neoclassical homes and pedestrian streets inside it. Anafiotika forms its northernmost part. The athens mykonos samos tour fits an evening here.
Wikivoyage says the Acropolis Museum replaces an older museum on the rock that was far too small. Archaeologists found Roman ruins there, so the museum stands raised above them. A path left of the main entrance plaza leads down to the ruins, and the museum ticket opens them. The athens mykonos samos tour can add that stop.
Lycabettus Hill suits the last free day. Wikivoyage says the summit shows the whole city and the port of Piraeus. On a clear day, Aegina and the Peloponnese appear too. Check-out then ends the athens mykonos samos tour. Wikipedia puts the airport 35 kilometres east of the centre. Wikivoyage lists the Metro, with a change at Monastiraki.
What else do travellers ask about the athens mykonos samos tour?
How can I plan around the ferry timetable of the athens mykonos samos tour?
Start with the season. Winter brings fewer boats than late spring, according to the Mediterranean ferries article on Wikivoyage. Wikivoyage Greece adds that certain island ferries then run once, maybe twice a week. It also warns against assuming a daily link between any two islands. Check the night leg first, since the athens mykonos samos tour hangs on it.
Next, look at the ticket. Wikivoyage Mykonos warns that an online booking can still need a visit to a travel agency in Greece. There you collect the ticket. Near the pier, the Wikivoyage article on ferries adds, an office swaps an online voucher for a boarding pass. Ask where that swap happens for each of the three crossings.
Weather can close a sailing. The Mediterranean ferries article says rough seas cancel hydrofoils sooner than slower conventional ships, which sail all year. Wikivoyage lists daily flights from Athens to both islands, 35 minutes to Mykonos and 55 to Samos. No flight belongs to the athens mykonos samos tour, so a flight means a new booking.
How does luggage travel between the hotel, the port and the ferry?
The plan includes the transfers between hotel and port on both islands, so the bags ride along with you there. It includes no transfer in Athens. After the ferry reaches Piraeus, you carry your own bags to the hotel. That is the one stretch of the athens mykonos samos tour where the bags are fully your own task.
The Wikivoyage article on ferries lists a secure room, coin-operated lockers and open racks for bags, depending on the ship. Baggage rules differ by carrier, so read the terms on your ticket before you pack. Keep tickets and papers in a small bag that stays with you.
Ports differ as much as ships. Wikivoyage says a ferry port ranges from a terminal with seats and toilets to little more than a bus shelter. For the night crossing of the athens mykonos samos tour, pack a warm layer for the deck, water and snacks. That page notes that longer passages have restaurants.
Which places fill an extra night on Mykonos or Samos?
Ano Mera suits an extra night of the athens mykonos samos tour on Mykonos. Wikivoyage lists it 7 km from Mykonos Town, at the island’s centre. Its large square has tavernas on three sides. Founded in the sixteenth century, Panagia Tourliani monastery is the main sight. Buses to it leave from the northern station.
On Samos, Kokkari lies about 9.5 km west of Vathy. Wikivoyage describes a pebble beach with deep, clear water, where northern winds raise high waves. It calls the village a very popular windsurfing destination. Kokkari and Pythagoreio, the page adds, keep their architectural tradition in full, because that tradition is protected.
Near Karlovassi, on the north coast, lie the Potami waterfalls. Wikivoyage says the first waterfall is easy to reach, the big one is a challenge, and the locals can advise. The beach of Potami lies 2 km beyond the port of Karlovassi, which the overnight ferry serves. Check the timetable for the port your athens mykonos samos tour sailing uses.
Why is the one-night version of the athens mykonos samos tour shorter?
Each island then gets a single night, so fewer days remain to fill. The six-day plan holds a day at leisure on Mykonos, one on Samos and one in Athens. In the one-night version of the athens mykonos samos tour, the island stay shrinks, and the days shrink with it.
Both islands can take extra nights, as far as the ferry connections allow. Each added night pushes every later sailing back a day. A new day works only when a boat runs on it. Boats to popular islands fill up in peak season and at holiday weekends, Wikivoyage Greece warns. Keep the athens mykonos samos tour dates flexible.
Nights in Athens fit before or after the island days. A night after the islands gives a margin at the end. Wikivoyage Greece suggests landing in Athens a day or more ahead of your flight, since ferries can run late. The plan reaches Athens on Day 5, a day before check-out.