The 1611 metre high Mount Fengari (Φεγγάρι, Moon Mountain) dominates the island of Samothraki and spreads itself wide to occupy most of its area. According to Homer, the sea god Poseidon sat on top of this mountain in order to get a good view of the Trojan War.

The main port of Kamariotissa (Καμαριώτισσα) lies low on the northwestern tip of a wide plain on the west of the island, and thinner coastal strips along the north and east allow roads to connect it with the other small villages. On the south side the mountain plummets into the sea, leaving a little room at its foot for a few isolated homes.

Chora (Χώρα, literally "village"), the capital, perches high on a steep hill around 8 km inland, east of the port, beneath the steep sides of one of the mountain's lower flanks.

The island sits near the western end of the Dardanelles, the sea channel which leads from the Thracian Sea in the North Aegean, through to the Sea of Marmara and on to the Bosphorus Strait at Istanbul and the Black Sea. This has been an important route for traders, colonizers, armies and pirates since prehistory. However, because of the island's terrain and the fact that it has no natural harbour against the often rough winds on the Thracian Main, it never became a large strategic military base like many of its neighbours.

Its isolation in modern times has meant that it has remained relatively unspoiled by "progress", and it has much to offer nature lovers and hikers in the way of beautiful wooded paths, small rivers, waterfalls, uncrowded beaches and marvellous views over the Aegean.

To people in ancient times, this remoteness and the huge brooding mountain rising dramatically from the sea made it seem mysterious, perhaps even forbidding, and the perfect place for the home of the enigmatic Cabeiri (Κάβειροι, Kabeiroi), otherwise known as "the Great Gods".

The worship of these archaic deities at the Pan-Hellenic Sanctuary of the Great Gods survived the predominance of the Olympian gods into Classical, Hellenistic and Roman times. Their secretive cult even grew in poularity, partly due to its democratic character - it permitted initiates from all classes, including slaves - but also drew the wealthy and rulers, including King Philip of Macedon and his wife Olympia (the parents of Alexander the Great who first met here) and Roman emperors.

The fascinating archaeological site of the Sanctuary of the Great Gods and the adjoining small museum, at Paleopolis on the north coast 6 kilometres east of Kamariotissa, are the island's most popular attractions for tourists, the majority of whom are Greek.

The small island has a very limited choice of accommodation and restaurants, and in summer they tend to get booked out very quickly.