Kos overview
Close to the Turkish coast, and one of the most popular of the Greek Islands, Kos is relatively flat with one mountain range, Dikeos, rising to 846m. Kos boasts picturesque traditional villages, ancient sites, popular resorts and is most famous for its excellent beaches and warm Aegean waters.
Of the 12 Dodecanese islands, Kos is the third largest in size after Rhodes and Karpathos, and the second largest population-wise. Close to Turkey’s coast and fringed by beaches, it boasts picturesque villages, ancient sites, popular resorts and lively nightlife. One of the most popular of the Greek islands, Kos enjoys Mediterranean sunshine, warm Aegean waters and fabulous beaches ranging from the long golden sandy beach in Kamari, the bustling beach at Kos Town lined by restaurants and bars, to the tranquil black volcanic beach with a few tavernas at Agios Fokas, and the family friendly gently shelving beach at Mastihari. Cosmopolitan Kos Town combines ancient and modern worlds with historic sites, great shopping and exciting nightlife.
Kos Town
Built around a bustling harbour and dominated by the impressive medieval Castle of the Knights, cosmopolitan Kos Town offers a plethora of restaurants, cafes and bars, together with great shopping and vibrant nightlife. It combines ancient, medieval and modern architecture and wide tree-lined streets and sophisticated shopping comprises the new town whilst the old quarter boasts historical ruins, a maze of pedestrianised cobbled streets, local markets and charming squares.
The extensive beach with its promenade of bars and tavernas tends to get busy close to town in the height of summer, although the beaches of Lambi, Marmara and Tingaki along the coast provide quieter alternatives.
Lambi Beach
One of the island’s best beaches, Lambi Beach is a 20 minute stroll from Kos Town centre, with a glorious 1km long sand and shingle beach extending north from Kos Town harbour to Lambi.
The beach shelves gently into the sea and is ideal for families with waterports, good snorkelling around the headland, and an array of beachfront tavernas, restaurant, cafes and bars. There are boat trips to neighbouring islands of Pserimos, Nisyros and Kalymnos and inland there are scenic walks and traditional villages for those in search of authentic Greek life.
Mastihari
The traditional fishing village of Mastihari is located a 30 minute drive from Kos Town and is an ideal family resort with a wide stretch of white sandy beach gently shelving into safe shallow waters, and numerous secluded coves just along the coast. Typical tavernas and restaurants line the waterfront, and the bustling port ensures the easily availability of fresh fish.
Nightlife is relaxed comprising an excellent meal following a stroll around the waterfront and popular recreational pursuits include watersports, specifically windsurfing and sailing, and leisurely cycle rides along the flat coastal terrain. There’s the Lido Waterpark, and boat trips to neighbouring Kalymnos, famous for its sponge diving, and the sandy beaches and delightful local tavernas on the tiny island of Pserimos.
Agios Fokas
Located 8km to the south east of Kos Town with views across to the volcanic island of Nisyros, the tranquil resort of Agios Fokas offers a secluded atmosphere with a smattering of tavernas and bars. Life here revolves around the beach with its unusual combination of volcanic black and white sand-and-pebbles and its deep warm waters where, due to hot springs, temperatures range between 40-47 degrees in natural swimming pool areas in the sea.
Map
Climate
Kos has long, hot dry summers and mild winters. Autumn and spring are cooler and mean that you will avoid the crowds of July and August.
Did you know?
Kos is such a fine island on which to spend a holiday that no lesser a deity than Heracles ‘chose’ to stay there after completing his Twelve Labours. Although ‘chose’ is perhaps stretching the point; it was the most convenient island to which he could swim after his boat sunk. Nowadays one is certain of a warmer welcome than Heracles, who was met by the angry shepherd Andagoras, whom he fought for many hours before taking refuge in the mountains, where he fathered a child, Thessalos, with the king’s daughter, Chalkiope.