Kimolos, Greece: Island Guide, Beaches, Chora & Hotels

Kimolos is a small, quiet island in the western Cyclades, 38 square kilometres in size with about 800 inhabitants, lying just northeast of Milos and taking its name from the chalk (kimolia) that was once mined here. The north-east of the island is marked by that mining, but the south coast is friendly, with sandy beaches such as Aliki, Kalamitsi and Bonatsa. Ferries land at the port of Psathi on the east coast, and the capital Chora, with its four-century-old Kastro, stands about one and a half kilometres inland at the foot of Mount Xaplovouni. Kimolos suits travellers who want a traditional, unspoiled island away from the crowds.

Sea

Aegean (Cyclades)

Size

38 km²

Population

≈800

Highest

Paliokastro 355 m

Chora and the villages

Kimolos keeps almost all of its life in the capital Chora, set inland at the foot of Mount Xaplovouni, and at the port of Psathi on the east coast where the ferries arrive. The cove of Goupa lies a short distance from Psathi, Prassa sits on the north-east coast near a mine, and Aliki is the bathing resort on the south coast. There is no public bus service outside the high season, when a mini-bus runs between Psathi, Chora and some of the beaches.

Chora and the Kastro

Chora, the capital, stands about one and a half kilometres inland from Psathi at the foot of Mount Xaplovouni, an easy walk from the port. The village is unspoilt and authentic, with whitewashed houses, small squares, striking flowers and a twentieth-century cathedral. It is best known for its Kastro, a group of houses built like a fortress against pirate raids: the Kastro is more than four centuries old, one of its gates carries the date 1556, and parts reuse an even older thirteenth-century reinforcement. Similar kastros stand on Folegandros and Antiparos, but the one on Kimolos is regarded as the finest, and much of it is still unrestored and in its original state.

Psathi, the port

Psathi is the port of Kimolos, on the south-east of the island, where all the ferries arrive. It has a pebble beach and a handful of tavernas and a coffee bar, and it makes a quiet first impression. About 90% of the island's population lives in nearby Chora, and behind Psathi the hills begin, dotted here and there with a windmill.

Goupa

Goupa lies a short distance from Psathi in a cove, with a beautiful beach and a couple of tavernas. It keeps the same quiet character as the port.

Prassa

Prassa is the northern village and beach, reached by a road from Chora. It sits on the north-east coast near a mine, with sandy, rustic beaches that are among the best on the island.

Aliki

Aliki is the bathing resort on the south coast, at the southern end of the road from Chora, where a medicinal sulphur spring can be found. It has cafeterias and a sandy beach, and several rooms and studios stand nearby.

The beaches of Kimolos

Nearly all the beaches of Kimolos lie on the south and south-east coast, where they are sheltered from the wind and easily reached on foot from Psathi. The sand is often white or red: Aliki, Bonatsa and Kalamitsi have large beaches of golden sand, while Agios Georgios has white sand, and Livadaki, Klima, Rema and Psathi (the port) fill out the south and east. Prassa lies in the north-east near a mine, and Ellinika in the west is a quiet, unofficial naturist beach over the sunken ancient capital. See the full guide to the beaches of Kimolos.

Sights of Kimolos

The main sights of Kimolos are the Kastro of Chora, the ruined Venetian castle of Paliokastro built by Marco Sanudo on the island's highest point at 355 metres, and the sunken ancient capital at Ellinika, whose remains lie partly in the sea and date from the eighth century BC. Chora holds a small Archaeological Museum with finds from Ellinika, along with the churches of Evangelistia (1608), Taxiarhis (1670) and Chrisostomos (1680). Off the south-east coast lies Polyaigos, an uninhabited 18-square-kilometre island of the municipality of Kimolos and home to the protected Mediterranean monk seal. These are gathered in the Kimolos sights guide.

Where to eat

For such a small, non-touristy island the food on Kimolos is a happy surprise. The Echinoussa taverna sits on the beach in the harbour of Psathi, run by Panagiotis with Fotis the cook, and the coffee bar a little further along the port serves good coffee and large glasses of metaxa. Where to eat by area is set out in the Kimolos restaurants guide.