Dodecanese · Chronicles of gods, silk and wine
Kos
Kos is the third largest island of the Dodecanese, known for its historical sites and long sandy beaches, with a wine tradition in quiet revival. Its Asklepion was the most renowned healing sanctuary of the ancient world.
The most famous legend of Kos goes back to the island’s genesis. When the Olympian gods rose against the Titans, Poseidon chased the giant Polyvotis across the Aegean, broke off a piece of Kos with his trident and hurled it upon him. The fragment became the neighbouring island of Nisyros, with the giant pinned beneath it; the ancient geographer Strabo records the tale, adding that some said the giant lay under Kos itself. If you feel no rumble underfoot here, take the day trip to Nisyros and walk the rim of the Stefanos crater to check on him.
Silk, wine and watermelons
Long ago Kos was famous for silk and wine. The silk is history now, but the wine has returned, with several wineries working the volcanic land again, and the island’s watermelons are a point of local pride you will meet at roadside stalls all summer.
Explore Kos
The Asklepion
The island’s star attraction: the sanctuary of Asclepius, god of medicine, the most renowned healing centre of antiquity, and believed to be where the medical school of Hippocrates, the father of medicine, did its teaching. What set it apart was the approach: treatment here leaned on observation and method rather than divine intervention alone.
Therma
Thirteen kilometres southeast of Kos Town, a natural hot-spring beach where the sea itself warms. Go early in the morning or late at night for privacy; local legend adds that with the right guide, at night, sulphur from the springs makes the water’s surface appear dusted with gold.
The water
Almost every beach carries a watersports centre, from windsurfing, kitesurfing and SUP to parasailing and kayaking. Experienced wind riders gather at Psalidi and Marmari; beginners do better at Mastichari on the west.
Pairing Kos
Kos anchors the northern half of a Dodecanese route well, pairing naturally with Patmos to the north and Rhodes to the south.
Known first-hand
Our best picks on Kos
- Best Bar Mylos Beach Bar
Built around an old windmill on the beach at Lambi, just north of Kos Town. A beautiful place to be idle in the daytime, with good food brought to your sun lounger, and a livelier register after dark.
- Best Local Specialty Watermelon & possa
Eons of volcanic soil make the island's organically grown watermelons a genuine specialty, sold at the roadside in the villages. Follow them with possa, the local cheese aged five months in wine, from Yiannou's Dairy in Pyli.
- Best Wine Triantafyllopoulos & Hatziemmanouil
Of the island's revived wineries, two welcome visitors, at Ziprai and Linopoti. Both produce award-winning wines you can sample on the spot.
- Best Sight The Mosque of the Loggia, Kos Town
Kos Town keeps its centuries within a few streets of each other, and the Ottoman mosque is the one that catches the eye first: a slim stone minaret over a low dome, the arcade that gives it its name below, plane trees closing in around it. Give the old square an unhurried half hour before the afternoon heat.
- Best After Dark Orfeas Open Air Cinema
A wonderfully Greek way to spend an evening: tickets at the door, a proper picture and sound, and a good bar at the back serving drinks and snacks under the night sky.
Its own international airport and ferry links across the Dodecanese; Nisyros is an easy day trip by boat.
Design
Design your experience
Tell us the occasion, the season and who is coming. One of our Epicureans will come back with a first sketch of Kos, and will tell you if another island suits your dates better.