Potami Beach
ONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY THERE

Greece · Samos · #5 of Greece's ten by fame

Potami Beach

Lonely Planet's pick, and the locals' beach.

How we rated it: nothing lifts it and nothing sinks it. Photo: Samos@Wikipedia Project · CC BY-SA 4.0

The hang

In 2020 Lonely Planet named Potami one of the ten best beaches in Europe. On Samos it is mostly known as the beach people from Karlovasi go to. It is about 34 km west of Samos Town, a 45 to 50 minute drive, and you can also walk to it from Karlovasi port through Paleo Karlovasi. There is a beach bar with umbrellas and service. The way into the water is steep and the sea often has waves, which can make getting in hard on a rough day. We measured 685 metres of beach.

The real intel

Best months · warmest sea
August (26.1 °C), then July and September. Coldest: March (16.6 °C). One year of data, 2025.
Best months · emptiest
No crowd data by month. It is one of the most popular beaches on Samos.
Getting there
About 34 km west of Samos Town, a 45 to 50 minute drive via Karlovasi. There is also a hiking route from Karlovasi port through Paleo Karlovasi.
The catch nobody tells you
The entry to the water is steep and the sea often has waves, which can make getting in difficult in rough conditions.

The year at Potami

Warmest sea in August. Fewest wet days in June, July and August. Pick your fight.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Sea (°C)
18.1
16.7
16.6
17.3
19.2
21.5
24.5
26.1
23.9
22.3
21.3
20.2
Air (°C)
13.4
9.1
14.6
15.4
20.2
26.2
28.9
27.8
24.5
19
18
13
Sun (h/day)
7.7
8.8
9.9
11.5
12.7
14
13.8
12.9
11.7
9.3
8.9
7.9
Rain (days)
18
8
5
9
7
0
0
0
1
12
10
9

One year of data, 2025, from Open-Meteo at this beach's coordinates. A rain day is 1 mm or more. The red bar is the month to aim for in each row.

The neighbours

2 beaches within 6 km, as the gull flies.

  1. 2.1 kmMikro Seitani73 m of beach, measured. Not rated yet.
  2. 3.4 kmMegalo Seitani474 m of beach, measured. Not rated yet.

Straight-line distances from the mapped beach shapes (OpenStreetMap). Roads are longer, and in Bali they are much longer.

The crowd

One of the most popular beaches on Samos, frequented by locals from Karlovasi.

The receipts

A beach bar with umbrellas and service. Showers, toilets, changing rooms, restaurants and cafés nearby.

The facts · we measured

Length
685 m
Mean width
83 m
Area
56,840 m²
Warmest sea (2025)
26.1 °C in Aug
Coldest sea (2025)
16.6 °C in Mar
Sea by month, °C
Jan 18.1 · Feb 16.7 · Mar 16.6 · Apr 17.3 · May 19.2 · Jun 21.5 · Jul 24.5 · Aug 26.1 · Sep 23.9 · Oct 22.3 · Nov 21.3 · Dec 20.2

Questions people ask

Where is Potami Beach?

On Samos, about 34 km west of Samos Town, a 45 to 50 minute drive via Karlovasi.

Is Potami Beach good for swimming?

The entry to the water is steep and the sea often has waves, which can make getting in difficult when conditions are rough.

Sources

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