Things to do in Kos
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Kos
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best overall. Warm sea, everything open, manageable crowds and good hiking weather.
Peak. Hottest, windiest in the north, most crowded and expensive. Book ahead.
Shoulder bargain. Warm sea into October, quiet sites, some places opening or closing.
Winter. Kos Town lives, resorts largely close, best for a quiet town based stay.
What's on
- Hippocratia Festival June to October, peak July to August
Flagship cultural season of concerts, theatre, dance and the Hippocratic Oath re enactment.
- Honey Festival Antimachia late August, traditionally 24 August
Village honey festival with traditional music, dancing and honey sweets in the square.
- Wine Festival Mastichari August
Small local food first village wine festival in the Mastichari harbour area.
- Fish Festival Kefalos August
Small local fish festival in Kefalos during peak summer.
- Feast of the Assumption 15 August
Biggest religious feast of the Greek summer, with processions and full tavernas island wide.
- Kos Carnival February to March, dates move with Lent
Carnival parades centred on Pyli and Antimachia, the main winter event.
Best things to do in Kos
Asclepieion of Kos
Kos essential ancient healing sanctuary linked to Hippocrates, terraced and shaded with sea views.
Casa Romana
Restored Roman villa with mosaics and atria that shows how a wealthy household actually lived.
Roman Odeon of Kos
Small restored Roman theatre in town that still hosts summer festival performances.
Western Excavations
Free open air Roman ruins with gymnasium and Europa mosaics, easy to pair with Casa Romana.
Neratzia Castle
Knights castle at the harbour mouth, best for walls and harbour views rather than interpretation.
Tree of Hippocrates
Vast supported plane tree tied by tradition to Hippocrates teaching, a quick free folklore stop.
Tigaki Beach
Long pale sand with very shallow entry, the most reliable first family beach on Kos.
Alikes Salt Lake
Protected wetland by Tigaki where flamingos appear in cooler months, best walked at sunset.
Where to stay in Kos
Kos Town
first trip, all-round base
History, harbour, best restaurants, buses and boats all walkable, with Lambi and Psalidi nearby.
Tigaki and Marmari
families and classic beach week
Long shallow pale sand, low rise resorts and salt lake walks, breezy and purpose built in places.
Mastichari
quiet village base and budget value
Working fishing port with harbour tavernas, Kalymnos ferries and village life after visitors leave.
Kardamena
nightlife and south coast beaches
Second town with a contained Bar Street, smarter harbourfront and Nisyros boats from its harbour.
Kefalos and Kamari Bay
best beaches and quiet escape
Best swimming coast on Kos and sunset views, quiet and car dependent at the far southwest.
Think twice about
- Bar Street, Kos Town and Kardamena
Loud and late in June to August. Sleep one block back and ask which street the room faces.
- Mandraki harbour front cafe row, Kos Town
View premium for lesser food. Live two blocks inland and walk to the harbour for the view.
- Isolated all inclusive resorts without a car
Every meal, sunset and boat becomes a taxi trip. Budget for a rental car from day one.
- Kefalos without a car
Beautiful but marooned. Buses are too infrequent for spontaneous evenings out.
Best restaurants in Kos
H2O Restaurant
Kos Town special occasion deck over the water for fish, seafood and local Assyrtiko at sunset.
Avanti Restaurant
Established Italian fallback near H2O that guides describe as reliably full of locals.
Elia Restaurant
Most reviewed serious restaurant in Kos Town for shared modern Greek meze and lamb dishes.
Broadway Restaurant
High volume crowd pleaser mixing Greek classics and international dishes, ideal for mixed groups.
Oromedon Traditional Tastes
Sunset taverna in Zia for slow lamb and local pies, praised even by critics of Zia itself.
Barbouni Restaurant
heart of the legitimate Kos Town fish strip, fresh fish by weight away from port touts.
Nick the Fisherman
Long running side street fish taverna for the morning catch, including feta stuffed calamari.
Ampavris Taverna
Courtyard insider taverna near Casa Romana for a slow spread of mezedes from the Greek menu.
Outdoor things to do in Kos
Stefanos Crater
Walk inside a live volcano crater on hot sulphur ground, the best day trip from Kos.
Panagia Spiliani Monastery
Cave monastery above Mandraki harbour, the cultural stop that completes a Nisyros day.
Bodrum Castle
Knights castle and underwater archaeology museum in Turkey, a second country for a day trip.
Mount Dikeos
Kos highest peak and best hike, a clear trail from Zia to a summit chapel panorama.
Hot Bikes
Well rated Psalidi bike rental for the flat coastal cycle paths that make Kos easy by bike.
Anemos Windsurf & Watersports Club Kos
Top rated Psalidi watersports centre for windsurf lessons, SUP, parasailing and boat rental.
Big Blue Surf Center
Psalidi surf and kite centre in steady side shore Meltemi wind, good for improvers and advanced.
Marmari Windsurfing Center
Windsurf and SUP centre on wide Marmari beach, a good base for a sailing focused day.
Best hotels in Kos
Albergo Gelsomino
Restored 1930s seafront landmark in Kos Town, small and elegant with a serious restaurant.
Aqua Blu Boutique Hotel & Spa
Adults only design hotel on Lambi beach, a short cycle from Kos Town with a hammam spa.
Grecotel Kos Imperial
Large garden and pools luxury resort with private beach inside the Kos Town orbit.
Kos Aktis Art Hotel
Minimalist harbourfront hotel with balconies over the water and a strong breakfast reputation.
Astir Odysseus Kos Resort & Spa
Large well run resort between town and Tigaki, a family compromise with beach and pools.
Phaethon Hotel
Simple central budget hotel with a pool, the named cheap pick in Kos Town stay guides.
Leonidas Hotel & Studios
Budget studios with pool and parking that suit self drivers staying in Kos Town.
Caravia Beach Hotel & Aqua Park
Perennial family favourite in Marmari with large grounds and direct beach access.
Is Kos expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €70 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €140 a person |
| Splurge | €320 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Zia: a few days ahead
- Stefanos Crater: a few days ahead
- Bodrum Castle: a few days ahead
- Kos Divers: a few days ahead
- Hatziemmanouil Winery: a few days ahead
- Ktima Akrani: a few days ahead
- Artemis Hamam & Spa: a few days ahead
- H2O Restaurant: a few days ahead
- Oromedon and Zia sunset tables days ahead in July and August.
- Ikos Aria and design hotels months ahead for school holiday dates.
- Nisyros and Bodrum boats two to three days ahead in August.
Is Kos safe?
- Scooters and quads are the main injury risk. Wear a helmet and do not ride unlicensed.
- Carry water and shade on the Dikeos trail and Nisyros crater. There is none on either.
- Obey beach flags on the Meltemi exposed north coast. Emergency number is 112.
Kos travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Mandraki port front cafes charge a view premium for lesser food.
- Restaurants with a tout waving a menu. Good tavernas do not need touts.
- Fish without a confirmed per kilo price. See the fish and agree before grilling.
Getting around Kos: public transport and more
- KTEL buses link Kos Town with Tigaki, Mastichari, Kardamena and Kefalos for a few euros.
- Cycle the flat north coast. Rent a car for two intensive days for Kefalos, Therma and villages.
- Airport is mid island. Agree taxi fares before riding and photograph bus timetables on day one.
Who Kos suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Kos your trip
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