Samos (SMI): Pythagorio is 3 km, everything else needs a change
The airport is right beside Pythagorio. For anywhere else the KTEL bus runs only a few times a day, usually via Samos Town, and the last departures are early.
- Pythagorio is about 3 km away, a 5 to 7 minute drive. It is the closest town by a long way.
- Samos Town (Vathy) is about 15 km and 20 to 25 minutes.
- Kokkari is about 20 km and 25 minutes; Karlovasi about 35 km and 40 minutes.
- There is a public bus stop in front of the terminal building.
- The bus runs to the city of Samos via Pythagoreion, or via Mytilinioi to other destinations.
- Tickets are bought from the driver.
- But the service is thin. Buses call at the airport only a few times a day, mostly via Samos Town, so most destinations need a change.
- The last departures are early in the day. An afternoon or evening arrival will very likely find nothing.
- The taxi stand is outside the terminal building.
- For a first arrival, plan a taxi or a hire car unless your flight lands in the morning and you have checked the timetable.
- The island is mountainous with scattered villages, which is why a car is the local default.
- Fraport publishes the bus timetable, and it is worth reading before you land rather than after.
The geography
| Destination | Distance | Drive |
|---|---|---|
| Pythagorio | about 3 km | 5 to 7 min |
| Vathy (Samos Town) | about 15 km | 20 to 25 min |
| Kokkari | about 20 km | about 25 min |
| Karlovasi | about 35 km | about 40 min |
- Pythagorio is essentially next door. If that is where you are staying, this is one of the shortest airport transfers in the Aegean.
The bus, and its limits
- There is a public bus stop in front of the terminal building.
- The route runs to the city of Samos via Pythagoreion, or via Mytilinioi to other destinations.
- Tickets are bought from the driver.
- The service is built around island life, not flights. Buses reach the airport only a few times a day, mostly by way of Samos Town, and the final departures are early in the day.
- Most destinations therefore need a change in Samos Town.
- Read the timetable before you fly. Fraport publishes it, and on a route this thin the difference between a 20 minute wait and no bus at all is the departure you did not check.
Taxi and car
- The taxi stand is outside the terminal building.
- For anything beyond Pythagorio, and for any arrival that is not in the morning, a taxi or a hire car is the realistic answer.
- Samos is mountainous with villages scattered across it, and everywhere on the island is within about 45 minutes by road.
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