Chora (Samothraki Town)

Chora is Samothraki's capital, built into the slopes of Mount Saos rather than on the coast — a deliberate choice historically, to stay out of sight of pirates. Narrow cobbled alleys and two-storey stone houses with tiled roofs climb the hillside beneath a medieval castle.

The Gateluzzi Castle above the village dates its first fortifications to the late 10th century, and later served as a stronghold through the Byzantine and Venetian periods. What remains — a circular southeastern tower, a vaulted cistern in the northwestern tower — is still worth the climb for the views over the village and the Aegean alone.

It's a different register entirely from Therma or the beaches — Chora is where you go for the quiet, the view, and a sense of the island's older life away from the coast.