The water around Pefkos is clear and becomes relatively deep quite quickly in some places. The seabed alternates between pebbles, stones, rocks and small sandy stretches. These varied features give the bay its distinctive coastal character.
Clear water and paths around the bay
When the sea is calm, the clear water and rocky areas around the bay offer opportunities to observe the seabed with a mask. Calm seas are essential for this.
A walk can begin in the small settlement, follow the beach and end among the rocky areas around the bay. Unlike looking beneath the water, this walk focuses on the sequence of settlement, beach and rocks. Both options offer different perspectives on the coastal landscape: one from the water, the other on foot along the bay.
Getting there
The road to Pefkos is paved. As road surfaces can change, it is worth checking the current conditions before setting out.
Former port function and goods traffic
Pefkos once served as the coastal port for Skoureika and the surrounding agricultural area. Former warehouses on the coast of Pefkos were used to collect agricultural produce from Skoureika, neighbouring villages and parts of central Samos. From there, the goods were carried by traditional sailing boats to other parts of the island and to Fournoi, Ikaria, Patmos and Lipsi.
This sequence illustrates the port’s former function: produce from inland was gathered on the coast and then transported onwards by sea. Pefkos’s historic role thus connected Skoureika and the agricultural area with island routes extending beyond Samos. A walk around the bay is one way to explore the area; the warehouses were once used to collect agricultural produce, and Pefkos was then a coastal port. The same coastline therefore brings together a walking route and the history of goods transported by sea.
Cultural history in the wider destination of Samos
In the wider destination of Samos, Pythagoreion offers a different historical perspective. The remains of an ancient fortified harbour, Greek and Roman monuments, and an impressive tunnel aqueduct have been preserved there. The sixth-century BC Eupalinos Tunnel runs 1,036 metres through the mountainside to supply the ancient city with water; it was built by Eupalinos of Megara, son of Naustrophus.
Comparing Pefkos and Pythagoreion reveals the different historic functions of ports and coastlines: in Pefkos, the focus was once on collecting and shipping agricultural goods, while in Pythagoreion, the fortified harbour and the ancient city’s water supply take centre stage.
The Archaeological Museum of Pythagoreion is housed in a newly built building in the centre of modern Pythagoreion, on the site of the ancient city of Samos. It contains more than 3,000 objects documenting the cultural development of the ancient city and its rural surroundings, from the fourth millennium BC to the seventh century AD. The collection broadens the perspective from buildings to evidence of cultural development over a long period.
Discover more destinations: Kamara, Avlakia, Potokaki, Mesokampos, Psili Ammos, Pythagorio, Koumeika, Karlovasi.
Back to the main travel overview: Samos.
