Samos

Lying close to the Turkish coast in the North Aegean, Samos is one of Greece's greenest and most fertile islands, a place of pine-forested mountains, terraced vineyards and quiet coves. It carries an outsized cultural legacy as the birthplace of the mathematician Pythagoras and the astronomer Aristarchus, and yet it remains far less crowded than the Cyclades, rewarding travellers who like history and nature in equal measure.

The capital, Vathy (Samos Town), curls around a deep bay with neoclassical mansions climbing the hillside and a fine archaeological museum. On the south coast, the pretty harbour town of Pythagoreio, named for the island's famous son, sits atop the ancient city and makes an atmospheric base of waterfront tavernas and yachts. Nearby lies one of antiquity's great feats of engineering, the Tunnel of Eupalinos, a 1,000-metre aqueduct dug through a mountain from both ends in the 6th century BC and open to visitors.

Samos is also famous for its sweet Muscat wine, produced on steep mountain vineyards around villages such as Manolates and Vourliotes, where the wine museum and cooperative cellars welcome tastings. Add the ancient Heraion, a sanctuary of the goddess Hera that shares UNESCO World Heritage status with Pythagoreio, and beaches like Tsamadou, Lemonakia and the dramatic Seitani coves, and you have an island of unusual variety.

The best months run from May to early October. Spring cloaks the hills in green and wildflowers, June and September pair warm seas with gentler crowds, and midsummer is lively but rarely overwhelming. The mountain villages stay cool and shaded even in the height of August, making them a fine retreat from the beaches below.

Getting to Samos is straightforward. The island's airport near Pythagoreio handles domestic and seasonal international flights, while ferries link the ports of Vathy and Karlovasi with Piraeus and neighbouring islands such as Patmos, Ikaria and Chios. Frequent short crossings to Kuşadası in Turkey also make Samos a natural bridge between two coasts and cultures.