Samos International Airport to Votsalakia
About 50 km west; a taxi runs €50–65 and public transport means a change in Vathy and then a village service.
A long shingle beach on the south-west coast below Mount Kerkis, backed by a low-key strip of rooms and tavernas — the quietest of the island's developed beaches and the base for climbing the mountain.
Every way to get there
Our verdict: for Votsalakia, a private transfer is the easiest door-to-door option (from €62). Travelling light on a budget? The bus is cheapest (from €8) but slower, with a change in the city.
What it costs for your group
The bus is charged per person, while a taxi or private transfer is one price for the whole car — so the more of you there are, the better door-to-door value looks.
| Group | Bus (per person) | Private transfer | Best value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo · 1 traveller | €8 | €62 | Bus |
| Couple · 2 travellers | €16 | €62 | Bus |
| Family of 4 · 4 travellers | €32 | €62 | Bus |
Which option should you choose?
| If your priority is… | Our pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest price | Bus | From €8, though slower with a change in the city. |
| Speed & comfort | Private transfer | Door-to-door, fixed price, a driver waiting for you. |
| A group of 3–4 | Transfer or taxi | One flat fare splits cheaper than several bus tickets. |
| A late-night arrival | Transfer or taxi | Both run 24/7 when buses and the tram have stopped. |
By transport mode
Taxi
Agree the fare before setting off on a run this long. Votsalakia and neighbouring Marathokampos are often used interchangeably in listings but sit a couple of kilometres apart — name the accommodation.
Where to catch it: An hour across the island on the southern route, with the last stretch running below Kerkis.
Best for small groups in a hurryPrivate transfer
Book both legs. This end of Samos is genuinely remote by island standards, and arranging an early-morning departure at short notice is difficult.
Where to catch it: The south-west corner has almost no passing taxi trade, so a booked car is the reliable way in and — more importantly — out again.
Best for families, groups & late arrivalsBus / shuttle
Ten euros and up to two and a half hours. Only worth attempting on a morning arrival with light bags and a flexible plan.
Where to catch it: Airport bus to Vathy, then a Marathokampos service — a village route running once or twice a day rather than a resort shuttle.
Best for solo & budget travellersCar rental
Effectively required. The tavernas and rooms are strung along several kilometres of shore, the nearest real shops are in Marathokampos village up the hill, and the Kerkis trailheads are a drive from the beach.
Where to catch it: An hour on winding but quiet roads; parking is unrestricted along the beach.
Best for travellers who want to exploreVotsalakia & Samos in photos
Buying tickets in Samos
Samos has no rail. KTEL Samou runs one airport route: terminal → Pythagorio → Mytilinioi → Vathy, at €2–4 depending on distance, a few times a day Monday to Saturday and thinner on Sundays. Everywhere else — Kokkari, Karlovasi, the west — means changing at the KTEL station in Vathy, which is where all island routes begin. Pay the driver in cash. Because the timetable is built around islanders rather than flights, check the board on your way out of arrivals: if the next departure is three hours off, the taxi rank is a few steps away and fares here are modest by Greek island standards. Pythagorio's harbour also runs the 90-minute crossing to Kusadasi in Turkey, which is how a large share of visitors actually arrive.
Taxi scams & safety in Samos
Samos is a low-risk airport and fares are reasonable — roughly €12 to Pythagorio, €20–30 to Vathy, €26–33 to Kokkari, with a night rate on top. The practical risk is not overcharging but availability: this island handles few flights and the taxi fleet is sized to match, so one full arrival can clear the rank and leave you waiting. If you land on the last flight of the day, or have a same-day ferry to Kusadasi or an overnight boat to Piraeus, book ahead rather than assuming. For car hire, reserve before you fly — the island fleet is small and August genuinely sells out, which is a more common problem here than any dispute over a fare.
Getting from SMI to Votsalakia
Fifty kilometres, an hour, and the south-west corner of Samos. Votsalakia is a long shingle beach below Mount Kerkis, backed by a low strip of rooms and tavernas that runs for a couple of kilometres and then stops. It is the quietest of the island's developed beaches, and reaching it is the second-longest journey Samos offers.
Fifty to sixty-five euros, agreed at the rank
A taxi takes an hour on the southern route, with the final stretch running below the mountain. Settle the fare before setting off — Samos drivers are straightforward but this is a long run and the number should be said out loud. One point of confusion: Votsalakia and Marathokampos appear interchangeably in accommodation listings and are not the same place. Marathokampos village sits up the hill; Votsalakia is the beach strip below and a couple of kilometres west. Name the property.
The bus needs two changes and a village timetable
Public transport means the airport service to Vathy, then a Marathokampos bus from the KTEL station there — a village route running once or twice a day rather than a resort shuttle. Around ten euros total and up to two and a half hours, with a connection that only works on a morning arrival. It is a genuine option for unhurried travellers with small bags, and a bad idea for anyone else.
Kerkis is the reason serious walkers come
The mountain behind the beach rises to 1,433 metres, the highest point in the eastern Aegean, and the ascent from the Evangelistria monastery takes most of a day. It is a proper hike rather than a stroll — steep, exposed above the treeline, and unmarked in sections — but the summit view runs from Patmos to the Turkish mainland. Most of the trailheads are a drive from the beach, which is one more entry on the case for a car.
No passing trade, in either direction
This is the practical warning for the south-west. There is no taxi rank at Votsalakia and very little traffic, so a car that has dropped you off is gone. Pre-booked transfers at €62 to €82 are the reliable way in, and arranging the return at the same time matters more here than almost anywhere on Samos — an early flight means leaving at dawn from a beach an hour from the terminal, and organising that at short notice is difficult.
What the strip actually offers
Set expectations. Votsalakia has perhaps a dozen tavernas, a few small markets, rooms and studios rather than hotels, and sunbeds along part of the shingle. There is no nightlife to speak of, no cash machine worth relying on, and the nearest real shops are up in Marathokampos village. The water is clear and the beach is long enough that it never feels full. People who want that find it ideal; people who expected a resort do not.
Psili Ammos and the beaches beyond
West of Votsalakia the road continues past Limnionas to a series of smaller coves, and the sand improves as the development thins. Psili Ammos — not to be confused with the beach of the same name on the east coast — is among the better ones. None of them has a bus, and some of the access tracks are rough enough that a small hire car is a better idea than a large one.
Hiring is effectively required
€25 to €45 a day. Given the distance from the airport, the absence of taxis, the spread of the tavernas and the location of the beaches and trailheads, staying out here without a car means a fairly constrained week. Book before you fly — this is the corner of Samos where discovering on arrival that nothing is available creates a real problem rather than an inconvenience.
In short: €50–65 in a taxi or €62–82 booked both ways, and a hire car for the week. The ten-euro bus route is real but takes two and a half hours and runs on a village timetable.
