Karlovassi Samos

holiday report and Samos map

Karlovassi Samos

The second largest city on Samos, KARLOVASSI is somewhat off the main tourist map. For one thing it is in the far north-west of the island about 33km from Samos Town. For another much of the city is plain and uninteresting and neither does it have much in the way of a beach.
Karlovassi is strung out along the coast at the end of a wide, lush valley. It is several small towns grown into one and many of the locals refer to it in the plural Karovasia.
Karlovassi is also spread over a very wide area and falls into five districts - the old, the new, the middle, the bay and the harbour, although the bay and harbour can really be considered as one.
Karlovassi once was a major commercial and industrial leather processing centre, with a large volume of exports and much attendant wealth which has resulted in any number of grandiose churches and imposing mansions as well as several abandoned and derelict tanneries.
Karlovassi has a small scruffy beach of sand and shingle hemmed in between breakwaters and next to the harbour road. There is a small beach taverna and a few sunbeds where you can watch the ships go in and out of the harbour - probably the most interesting thing about the beach.
There is a notable carnival in Karlovassi at the end of February/early March and in summer there is a festival around the Greek musician Manolis Kalomoiris Three local religious feasts also take place at Karlovassi - Profitis Ilias on July 20, Metamorfosis on August 6 and the Assumption a week later.
There are regular daily buses from Karlovassi to Samos Town and plenty of cars and bikes to rent. As Karlovassi is also a sizeable port there are plenty of connections to other islands and mainland Greece.