I will be in Kusadasi on Sept 15th (Sat) and want to be in Athens on Sept 17th (Mon). As I see it three options: Plane from Izmir to Athens, Ferry to Samos and fly to Athens or Ferry all the way to Athens. I wouldn't mind seeing Athens for an extra day or is Samos a good spot to see? Are any connections easier? How long does the ferry take? Any thoughts on the subject would be appreciated. TIA
Posted by
Chicago
2876 posts
Ferry from Kusadasi to Samos takes about 90 minutes. Ferry from Samos to Piraeus (Athens) takes about 11-12 hours. Unless you like long ferry rides (I don't), I'd opt for your option #1.
Posted by
OP
Tigard, OR, USA
1068 posts
Thanks for the input.
Posted by
Centennial, CO, US
2191 posts
Before you buy the plane ticket, verify that there will be a ferry from Kusadasi to Samos on that Saturday. Also, be aware that there are two ports in Samos, about 40 minutes apart by taxi. One is Vathy, the other Pythagorio. The airport is near Pythagorio. If you want to stay overnight on Samos, Vathy is a bigger town with a good archeological museum and some good restaurants. We stayed in Vathy for a few days, using it as a base to tour the island. Pythagorio is more touristy, but we enjoyed it for one night. It has streets of shops near the harbor that reminded me of a miniature Plaka. It has a good sized harbor lined with lots of restaurants where you can sip your wine (or ouzo) at sunset and watch the yachts dock. If you spend an entire day here, there are excursion boats from Pythagorio to Psili Ammos, a nice beach.
Posted by
OP
Tigard, OR, USA
1068 posts
I will have a couple of days in Athens. I often can take a lot of time looking at a site because I am a photographer. So, I realize this is a tough question...... spend Sat Eve and Sun in Samos or the extra day in Athens (assuming I could get a ferry on Sat and fly to Athens on Sun evening or Monday morning.) I've just started researching Samos so I appreciate opinions on it as a destination in itself. TIA