Crete may be the biggest (and the most visited) Greek island but there are over 200 other inhabited Greek islands many of which also have interesting things to see. Many can be easily reached by ferry or short flight and can be visited either on their own or for a short period as part of a “holiday on holiday” or as part of a tour of multiple islands. This is the first in a series of mini-guides to some other the other islands
Kos is one of the largest islands in the Dodecanese islands, a southern group near the Turkish coast. Kos has it’s own international airport which means it can be reached directly by flight from the UK and across the EU. Kos has been inhabited for thousands of years so offers plenty for those who like history.
The main town on Kos is Kos Town which is comfortably the biggest. There are 4 other tourist ‘towns’ around the coast: Kardamaina; Kefalos; Marmari; and Tigaki. Much of the northern coastline has gentle sandy beaches but the wind comes from the north so these can be windy and a bit wavy. Much of the south coast is inacessible but the accessible parts offer some interesting and sheltered beaches. Inland there are also a handful of large villages/small towns: antimachia; pyli; zia; and zipari. Most tourists stay around Kos town, Kefalos, or Kardamaina and all of these have plenty of places to eat and drink.
Kos is home to a number of wineries and craft ales are available so drinkers have lots of good options. We found many places charged around E4 for a small beer and as much as E11 for a cocktail but we also found places selling a large beer for E2.50. Food prices ranged from around E3.50 for a basic gyros wrap to around E30 for a decent restaurant main course which is fairly typical for Greece in 2023. In Crete and in mainland Greece we’ve usually managed to find more hidden cheaper venues serving mostly locals but with Kos being relatively small it seems that most places have been ‘discovered’. Overall we had good and very good food at a decent price. We found the people friendly and typically Greek and we found the roads relatively quiet and straight-forward to navigate. Below are very brief ‘reviews’ of the sites we visited.
Thermal springs
These are easy to get to if you have powered transport or a bike. Google navigation knows the correct route which is helpful. They were surprisingly hot — like a very hot bath — hotter than other thermal baths I’ve visited. We went 3 times and each time it was fairly busy but not silly. The beach is decent for swimming too.
Lake Avdellolimni on Sympetro ridge
The lake (more of a pond) was empty so there was no wildlife, although we expected it to be dry by October. The road up is only suitable for off-road vehicles not recommended in typical car. The road back down is paved but has a military no entry sign pfacing downhill part way down so I wouldn’t recommend driving up it and driving through the sign! There was no such sign on the road up so it isn’t clear where you can and can’t go. There are mountain biking trails, jumps etc so clearly some of it can be used / accessed. My advice would be enjoy the views, don’t take any pictures of anything that could be military and you should be ok.
Asclepion
This was impressive, well worth seeing. Don’t stand on the high walls as you get whistled at by staff. Google takes you to the staff / vehicle entrance which is a few hundred metres from the normal entrance so when you get near to it trust the signs. There isn’t much shade so it could be pretty intense in summer but it was fine in October. E8 entry, or get the E15 3‑in‑1 card which is good value as it also gets you into the Roman house and the Archaeological museum.
Castle of kefalos
Small and not a lot to see but the views are good. Worth visiting if you’re passing or in Kefalos already but don’t make a dedicated trip.
Ancient theatre
Very little of it to see but the views are good, as they are from the viewing point just a short distance further along the road so it’s worth a visit if you’ve got transport.
Basilica of St. Stefanos
This is worth seeing. It was easy to find and park and is free to explore. There was some nice floor mosaic remnants. The beach is sandy and the swim to Kastri islet is easy too. This is one of (possibly the best) beach on Kos for snorkelling as it is easy to get in and out and only a short swim to rocks and Kastri.
Antimachia castle
This was great — whilst there isn’t a lot of detail left it has a really impressive scale and great views. There are 2 churches, one of which (the smaller) is open and has some faded frescos on the wall.
Odeon
This is quite small compared to some but it’s worth seeing if you’re in Kos town.
Roman house
The Roman house is a nice place to explore expecially if you already have the 3‑in‑1 E15 ticket. Part of the site is left as ruins but the house itself was rebuilt and restored and now houses some artwork as well as the history.
Dikaios Mountain
The views are spectacular but this is not a casual walk. I am not a regular walker but I managed it although I did need to pause for a rest a couple of times. Young children and retiree aged people should probably only attempt this if they are already regular hikers. My travelling companion is much more of an outdoors type and he actually managed it in flipflops although for most people this wouldn’t be a good idea. For most people you need to park in the village of Zia and then walk about 2.4km along a dirt-road. The steep path to the top is then a further 1.8km to the very top and is well marked with arrows and dots painted on rocks. For those with an off-road suitable vehicle the 2.4km dirt road can be driven with care. I did drive this road in our regular car hire but it was challenging and I would not recommend it unless you have done a lot of mountain dirt road driving in Greece. There is a little church at the top which I believe is visited by locals on Sundays.
Agora
This was bigger than it first appeared and was interesting to explore. If you’re in Kos town it’s very easy to access as it’s in the middle and is surrounded by places to see, eat and drink. Note that last entry is 3pm in October.
Nerantzia Castle
This has quite impressive scale and is worth an exploration. Like the Agora last entry was 3pm in October. There are some decent views of Kos town from some of the higher parts although there is limited shade.
Archaeological Museum
This was a lovely little museum. It was nice that it wasn’t too big. I thought it was well worth the E6 price (which for us was effectively E1 as we had the E15 combined ticket). I thought it was nice to have info about the geography and mythology as well as the archaeology. And the air conditioning made it a lovely respite from the heat outside.
Agios theologos beach
This beach is on the far west coast and can be reached on properly paved road so is accessible to anyone with a vehicle. It appears to often be quite windy so it would be good for surfing and as it faces west it will also likely be good for sunsets. We enjoyed the views but didn’t swim due to the condition of the sea.
Camel beach
This was a lovely quiet beach not too far from Kefalos. The road down looks exciting but was actually no problem — there were plenty of other hire cars at the bottom, but you can park at the top and walk down if you prefer. The rocks out in the sea made for great snorkelling similar to other beaches on the south coast.
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