Kos, Dodecanese: Island Guide, Beaches & Hotels

Kos is the third-largest island of the Dodecanese in Greece, 45 kilometres long and about 8 kilometres wide, with sandy beaches, an international airport and the ancient Asklepieion. It lies off the Turkish coast, north-west of Rhodes and south-east of Samos, and its many ferry links make it a good base for island-hopping, its flat north good for cycling and its bars and beaches popular with younger visitors. Hire a car to reach the parts of Kos the buses miss, covered in our Kos car hire guide.

Sea

Aegean · Dodecanese

Length

~45 km

Width

~8 km

Rank

3rd in Dodecanese

Villages of Kos

The larger settlements of Kos are Kos Town, Kefalos, Kardamena, Tigaki, Antimachia, Mastichari and Marmari, with the mountain village of Zia among the smaller ones. They run from the busy capital on the north-east coast to the old capital Kefalos in the quiet south-west and the green villages inland.

Kos Town

Kos Town, on the north-east coast, is the capital and the tourist and cultural centre of the island, looking across to the Turkish mainland. A 14th-century castle of the Knights of St John stands by the port and the ancient agora sits in the centre. Much of the town was rebuilt in an Italian style after the 1933 earthquake, with wide boulevards, ruin-topped hills and a largely pedestrian centre.

Kardamena

Kardamena, in the south, is one of the island's biggest resorts, a mostly new, hotel-filled village with discos, tavernas, a crowded beach and a harbour of excursion boats. It is the liveliest of the villages and built for a beach-and-nightlife holiday.

Mastichari

Mastichari is the largest village on the north coast and quieter than Kardamena, with a good sandy beach and a harbour that runs boats to Kalymnos. It suits a calmer stay while keeping the island's ferries close at hand.

Tigaki

Tigaki (Tingaki), 11 kilometres north-west of Kos Town, sits behind one of the island's longest and most beautiful beaches, popular with windsurfers. The Alykes salt lake behind it is a protected wetland where birds breed and flamingos winter, and the flat land around is good for cycling.

Marmari

Marmari lies on the north-west coast, on the west side of Lake Alyki, with an organized beach of beach beds, restaurants and accommodation. It tends to catch the wind, which keeps it breezy through the summer.

Antimachia

Antimachia is one of the larger villages of Kos, set inland in the centre of the island, with a ruined fortress standing above it. Away from the coast, it keeps a quieter, more everyday feel than the beach resorts.

Pyli

Pyli is an inland village in the green interior of the island. Above it stand the deserted houses of Palio Pyli, the abandoned old village, left when the people moved down to the modern settlement. The ruins make a quiet, scenic stop away from the coast.

Kefalos

Kefalos, 45 kilometres from Kos Town, is the island's old capital, in the most fertile, quiet and relatively unspoilt part of Kos. The best beaches lie nearby, including the large beach at Kamari with its ancient agora, so it makes a calm base far from the resort crowds.

Zia

Zia is the best-known mountain village on Kos, on the green slopes inland among the island's smaller settlements. It draws visitors who want a change from the beach and a look at the higher, greener part of the island.

Beaches of Kos

Kardamena is one of the island's major resorts, a mostly modern place of hotels, tavernas and discos with a crowded beach and an excursion harbour; 3 kilometres west lies Tropical or Natural Beach, the island's only official nudist beach. Mastihari, the largest village on the north coast, has a good sand beach and is quieter, while Tigaki offers a very large beach popular with windsurfers. The best beaches lie near Kefalos, the ancient capital 45 kilometres from Kos Town, where the coast is quieter and more unspoilt: Kamari has the largest beach, and Magic (Polemi), Sunny (Psilos Gremos), Markos, Paradise and Camel beaches string along the road from the airport, several keeping room for naturists. For the full list see the Kos beaches guide.

History & the Asklepieion

Kos was first settled by the Karians and taken by the Dorians in the 11th century BC, later joining the Delian League; Kos Town was founded in 366 BC. In antiquity the island was famous for its Asklepieion, one of the greatest sanctuaries in Greece, set on a hillside 4 kilometres west of Kos Town and dedicated to Asklepios, god of healing. It was the leading medical sanctuary of the Greek world and a masterpiece of Hellenistic architecture. Hippocrates (460–357 BC), the "Father of Medicine", was born on Kos and ran his school here. Though an important centre, Kos was never large enough to stand alone and relied for protection on Egypt, Rome and Rhodes.