×
GreekEnglish

×
  • Politics
  • Diaspora
  • World
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Cooking
Monday
19
Jan 2026
weather symbol
Athens 5°C
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • World
  • Diaspora
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Mediterranean Cooking
  • Weather
Contact follow Protothema:
Powered by Cloudevo
> Travel

CNN Travel lauds beauty of Samothrace: Greece’s secret green ‘virgin island’

The Greek island of Samothrace is a vision in green

Newsroom January 31 05:23

CNN Travel features a special piece on the Greek island of Samothrace in the north pointing out that the Greek island is a hidden oasis of green recommending different dishes and places worth trying for travellers.

From CNN

The Greek island of Samothrace is a vision in green. The craggy rocks of Mount Saos, the island’s highest mountain at 5,285 feet (1,611 meters), give way to gentle slopes covered in oddly shaped plane trees, oak woodlands and majestic cedars.
Fed by the clear waters of three rivers, rare and endemic plants flourish. Vegetables thrive in fields around the port of Kamariotissa near the island’s western tip, while olive trees and solar panels line terraces carved out along the southern coastline.
Located in the Aegean Sea near Greece’s northeastern border with Turkey — the island is a short ferry ride from Alexandroupoli on the mainland — Samothrace was once known across the ancient world for its religious sanctuary. Today it’s a magnet for ecotourists. Here are some of its highlights.
An island of ‘young feet’
Therma on the north coast, is a good base for exploring the island. Most of the accommodation here is simple, focusing on engaging with the environment as much as possible. Who needs luxury when there’s a creek playing a symphony outside your window?
Nature is what it’s all about, according to Kaliopi Parselias, owner of Parselias Studios for more than 30 years. “Samothrace is a different island,” she says. “You have green forests, rivers, waterfalls and people come to walk up the mountain and some people love the sea. It is a virgin island.”
Parselias has run the B&B for more than 30 years, and initially their guests were mainly Greek families with a few Germans. “But now we have people from all over Europe,” she says. With just one caveat: “Young people, because Samothrace needs young feet for walking.”
Many of them choose to stay at Camping Varades, right next to the sea, named after “varades,” a kind of beehive inside hollow trees, explains manager Anastasios Vavouras. Bees work as a cooperative, of course, and the campsite is collectively owned by seven people. Their aim, he says, is to offer visitors “an alternative way of spending their holidays here… focused on mountain activities, in a quiet, more free environment.”
The majority of campers are Greeks in their 20s and 30s, like Giannis Tsakiltsidis, a student from the mainland on his first visit to the island. “You can spot campers of all ages, here to experience a more undisturbed and more undiluted view of Greece,” he says.
Tsakiltsidis has come here to hike. Ancient paths crisscross the mountains and the hikes range from being suitable for beginners through to more serious trekkers.

Ask me anything

Explore related questions

#CNN#feature article#travel
> More Travel

Follow en.protothema.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news

See all the latest News from Greece and the World, the moment they happen, at en.protothema.gr

> Latest Stories

Erfan Soltani confirmed alive by Iranian Human Rights Group after days of uncertainty

January 18, 2026

Rescue operation underway for eight hikers on Mount Taygetus; four injured

January 18, 2026

Piers Morgan recovering in hospital after serious fall in London

January 18, 2026

Prime Minister Mitsotakis’ agenda: From talks with farmers’ representatives to Davos for investment outreach

January 18, 2026

Iraq veterans report long-term health concerns after a lack of medical screening for toxic exposure

January 18, 2026

Skirtsos: ‘After years of efforts, the first results on maritime safety are starting to become visible’

January 18, 2026

Politico: Europe for the first time considers tough response to Trump on Greenland tariffs, what is the Anti-Brexit Act

January 18, 2026

The backstory behind Trump’s decision not to attack Iran: The camps in the White House, the SMS from Tehran, and the calls from Arab allies

January 18, 2026
All News

> World

Erfan Soltani confirmed alive by Iranian Human Rights Group after days of uncertainty

The statement follows days of uncertainty and conflicting reports about the fate of the detained protester

January 18, 2026

Piers Morgan recovering in hospital after serious fall in London

January 18, 2026

Iraq veterans report long-term health concerns after a lack of medical screening for toxic exposure

January 18, 2026

Politico: Europe for the first time considers tough response to Trump on Greenland tariffs, what is the Anti-Brexit Act

January 18, 2026

The backstory behind Trump’s decision not to attack Iran: The camps in the White House, the SMS from Tehran, and the calls from Arab allies

January 18, 2026
Homepage
PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY COOKIES POLICY TERM OF USE
Powered by Cloudevo
Copyright © 2026 Πρώτο Θέμα