Kokkari is one of the main tourist spots on Samos and it is a really special place. We have stayed there several times and always like to go back. It is on the north coast which makes it slightly more windy than other places. You will see the most windsurfers in this region i guess. Still the beach is good for swimming as well. Kokkari has two major areas, the harbour and the long village beach. You will find most hotels in the beach area obviously and many places are actually only a stone throw away from the water. There are basically two locations, right at the beach – which is more a bar and taverna area – and one row behind, which is where the main road is. Don’t worry though, the major road across the island is outside of the town, so it is pretty quiet.
The beach is a really cool thing about Kokkari, it is a funny mixture of sitting in a bar and being at the beach the same time. It offers an amazing view onto the mountains which change color during the day. You will also find more quiet areas as well with less professional infrastrucure as the beach stretches for about 2km. While I normally prefer a more quiet beach, this is not something that ever felt disturbing. A bit of a contradiction, I know. There are some bars which I can recommend located here, I will put up a seperate post for that. There are also 2-3 other beaches right outside of Kokkari which are very popular places. We have only been to one of them, though.
The harbour area is definately equally as nice as the beach side. Here you will find bars and tavernas condensed along the waterfront. I think there must be way over 50 tavernas in Kokkari of which there are probably 20 in this area. There are plenty of options and i can only recommend to check out the Gyros places as well as the restaurants. It is a nice stroll in the evening and afternoon alike. I think the places are pretty much open all day and we had a great time sitting in the shade wasting the day reading. They usually play lounge music in the bars, not too loud – very relaxing.
Shopping is alright in Kokkari for the average needs. If you are really into shopping, you should probably visit Samos town or Pythagorio instead. A must go from Kokkari are the mountain villages Manolates and Vourliotes. I think they are both equally famous while Manolates has some really nice local art shops.
All in all this is a great place for a holiday and my second favorite for Samos.
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