Samothraki

ΑA mountain that happens to be an island

Samothraki is not a beach island and never pretends to be. It is the top of a mountain standing in the north-east Aegean, and almost all of it is steep: Mount Fengari, the Moon, reaches 1,611 m, the highest point in the northern Aegean, and from the summit on a clear day you can see much of the northern coast. Homer puts Poseidon on that peak, watching the fighting at Troy. Rain that falls on the granite comes back down as streams, and those streams are the reason people come — a cold, green, wet island in a sea of dry ones.

ΒThe Sanctuary of the Great Gods

At Palaiopoli, on the north coast, lie the remains of one of the strangest religious sites of the ancient world. The Sanctuary of the Great Gods ran a mystery cult open to anyone — free or enslaved, Greek or not — and initiates included Macedonian kings; Philip II is said to have met Olympias here. The ruins are spread across two ravines: the Hieron with its re-erected columns, the circular Rotunda of Arsinoe, the theatre and the terrace where, in 1863, the French consul Charles Champoiseau found the Winged Victory. The statue has been in the Louvre ever since; a cast stands in the island museum, which is the place to start.

ΓVathres: the real swimming

The island's signature is the vathres — rock pools carved by mountain torrents, usually with a waterfall at the head and a flat slab to lie on. The best known are on the Fonias river: from the bridge by the Fonias tower a marked path reaches the first waterfall in about forty minutes, and the pool below it is deep and extremely cold. Gria Vathra above Therma is easier and busier; Kleidosi and the Paradisos pools take more walking. Go in trainers you do not mind soaking, never after heavy rain, and do not try the upper Fonias waterfalls without a guide.

ΔBeaches, such as they are

The south coast has the sand. Pachia Ammos is the long one, reached by a rough road or by the small boat from Kamariotissa, with a taverna and no shade to speak of. Vatos, further east, is wilder and traditionally nudist. Kipos on the east coast is a huge grey-pebble shore under cliffs, an hour of dirt road away and worth it. The north coast is shingle: Therma and the pebble strip by the Fonias river mouth.

ΕWhere to stay and what to eat

Kamariotissa is the port and the only place with shops, a bank and the bus. Chora, hidden in a fold of the hills under its Genoese castle so pirates could not see it from the sea, is the prettiest base. Therma is the green one, full of plane trees, hot springs and campers in August. Eat goat — the island is overrun with free-ranging goats and every taverna roasts or stews them. Taverna Xenia in Therma and Sta Kala Kathoumena in the port are the reliable tables.

ΣΤGetting there from Romania

This is the practical argument for Samothraki. Drive to Alexandroupoli through Bulgaria — the Makaza–Nymfaia crossing is the short way, the same route people use for Thassos — and take the ferry from there to Kamariotissa; the crossing is roughly two hours and the boat carries cars. Check the timetable before you commit to a date: there are days with one sailing, and the ferry is cancelled in strong northerlies. See from Romania and ferries. On the island you need your own car or a scooter; the bus connects the port, Chora and Therma and little else.

ΖWho it is for

Walkers, campers, people who would rather swim in fresh water than lie on a sunbed, and anyone with an interest in the ancient world. Skip it if you want organised beaches, nightlife or a short transfer. August is crowded with Greek students and the island's free-camping scene; June and September are better.