Therma - between the mountain and the sea

Therma is located in the north of the island of Samothraki, about 14 km east of Kamariotissa. It is a small village with about 70 inhabitants, though, during the season, the population may reach a few hundred.

Bordered by two rivers (Gria Vathra and Tsivdogiannis) that flow into waterfalls and vathres (natural pools), Therma is woven into the fabric of the forest with enormous plane trees, oaks and chestnuts shading its streets. The abundant wild vegetation is complemented by walnuts and other fruit trees from the gardens of the locals, but also by giant bushes of hydrangeas.

A paved road, about 700 m long, with a sidewalk on one side, connects it to the small fishing port. Next to it is Therma Beach, home to the best beach bar on the island.

Past and present

In the past, until the 1980s, many residents of Chora used to move to Therma during the hot season. They stayed in their gardens and orchards, typically from Easter to September. Because they moved together with their whole family, a primary school was built so that the children could continue their lessons during the few months left in the school year. The building, which is near the intersection between the road leading to the waterfalls and the road to Taverna To Feggari, still exists today. It is a beautiful, renovated stone house with a large courtyard, the headquarters of the Cultural Association of the Residents and Professionals of Therma Samothraki, and is often used to host events and exhibitions.

The transformation of the village into a tourist destination began in the 80s and was driven by the existence of the thermal springs. Tourists who came to the baths also needed accommodation, so rooms for rent also appeared.

Nowadays, Therma is the busiest of the island's settlements during the summer months. The tourists from the two nearby Samothraki campsites spend their evenings in Therma alongside those who lodge here. In front of the thermal pool, on both sides of the road, there are stalls with everything from clothes and handmade jewelry to old books, records and local products. Taverns and bars stay open late into the night and concerts or impromptu dance sessions break out often.

The thermal baths of Samothraki

The full name of Therma is Therma Loutra, which in Greek means "thermal baths". There are written records from the Byzantine period about sulfurous thermal springs in the area, but they may have been known and used for longer than that, since antiquity. The first structures around the baths were built in the 1920s, improved in the 1950s and later in the 1980s.

The small wellness center (Municipal Thermal Baths) is at the entrance to Therma, on the right side, near the bus stop. The building, erected in 1981, replaced the improvised thermal pool which used to be covered with a braid of branches. Inside are two pools (one for women and one for men) and 13 smaller separate tubs. The water is hot and, after coming out of the ground at almost 100 degrees Celsius, is cooled in purpose-built basins. It contains potassium, sodium, calcium, chlorine, bromine and boron and is prescribed (only for external use!) in rheumatic conditions, peripheral vascular diseases, bone, skin and gynecological diseases.

The Municipal Thermal Baths (tel. 0030 255 109 8401) are usually open in August (the opening hours change from year to year) and there's a small entrance fee.

The dirt road that goes up the right side of the treatment center, on the Psarotherma hill, takes you, after about 200m, to two more small pools with thermal water (with a lower temperature than the one at the treatment center). They are poorly maintained, but outdoors, on the mountain, and you don't have to pay any fees.

The first of them is slightly below road level, to the right. It was excavated in the 1950s when it also had a roof. In the meantime, the construction was demolished, but the pool with thermal water remained.

The second (with several pools) is a little higher up, before the road takes a left turn, and has a nice view of the port.

Hiking paths from Therma

Therma is the starting point for the path to the peak of Feggari. The new, more popular path goes past the thermal pools on the hill, while the older path climbs past the Orpheus Hotel and then passes a sheepfold. The paths intersect higher up. From the same trail to Feggari, you can also reach Kouriat, the area of the springs of Gria.

The most popular, however, are the hikes to the vathres and waterfalls of the two rivers that flow near Therma. From the bridge in front of Taverna To Gefyri, if you go to the right, you will reach the Tsivdogiannis River (better known by tourists as Paradisos), and if you keep left, you will arrive at the parking lot where the path to the lower course of the Gria Vathra River (Platia) begins. The trail to the first vathres and waterfalls is easy and accessible. But if you go there, expect to see lots of naked people – nudism is widely practiced in Samothraki!

Also from Therma, you can reach the Monastery of Christ on foot.

Taverns, cafes and supermarkets in Therma

Surrounded by plane trees, the traditional cafe Ta Therma is at the top of the main road climbing from the sea, the first one you see coming into Therma. It's a place loved both by tourists and by locals. Besides coffee and drinks, they also serve mezedes (see more in the article about food in Samothraki) here.

Another cafe is Falekas. They serve good coffee and delicious bougatsa pie, but also Greek desserts. You will also find desserts (and more) at the Rania Cafe. For pies and breakfast, you can also try To Spiti tis Pitas ("The house of pie").

There are about six taverns, some of them open only in the summer months: To Feggari ("The Moon"), which also servers breakfast, To Gefyri ("The Bridge"), Xenia, Gria Vathra, To Perivoli tou Ouranou ("The Garden of Sky") and Paradeisos ("Paradise").

For a quick meal, you have two fast food restaurants - Lihoudis ("Greedy") and Stoa ("Colonada").

A supermarket (Papanikolau) is a little further up from the cafe and a smaller shop (3 Amigos) is on the street to the left of the cafe. At the latter, you will find pasteli – sesame-based deserts prepared by the Zakatas family. For sweetening they don't use sugar, only honey and dried fruits.

For and against staying in Therma

Therma has only two hotels (Mariva Bungalows – popular with yoga groups and Hotel Orpheus) and several apartments and villas with rooms for rent (see a list of accommodations in Therma).

The village has a few clear advantages: it is close to the sea and to the beach (which has both organized and free sections), it is surrounded by lush vegetation, it is a starting point for hikes to the top of Mount Saos, it's in the proximity of the Gria Vathra and Tsivdogiannis rivers and close enough to Fonias River, and in the summer nights, it gets very lively.

Stay in Therma if you want a laid-back, boheme experience (during the summer, the atmosphere is as hippie as can be) and if you are not too fussy about the accommodation - it's mostly basic.

Maybe you shouldn't choose Therma if noise bothers you or you're into something more ... traditional.