Things to do in Kos, Greece
Kos is located in the Dodecanese Island chain in the Aegean Sea, just west of the Turkish coastline. It’s accessible through various ferry routes across Greece, but there are also some select flights in the high season from major European hubs like London and Frankfurt. During my visit, I stayed in the Gaia Garden Hotel, which offered both à la carte service and all-inclusive packages.
Beach Clubs
Beach clubs in Kos are much more affordable than those on other islands in Greece, like Mykonos. If you walk along Lambi Beach, just a 10-15 minute walk north of the town centre, there are plenty of restaurants with beachside service.
We went to Artemis Beach Haven Bar, and had a great experience. For €50, we could use the luxury beach lounge beds for the day. They even provided us with towels if we wanted to take a dip in the sea. The minimum spend was even less than €50 if you just wanted a simple lounge chair. The beaches are sandy, but the closer you get to the water, the rockier it gets. Enjoy a view of the Mediterranean and the Turkish coastline in the distance, watching ferry boats and catamarans come and go.
Day trip to Bodrum
If you stroll along the boardwalk, many tour providers offer boat trips to nearby islands and Bodrum, Turkey. Our day trip to Bodrum was one of the highlights of our trip, and I would highly recommend a visit.
Bodrum is a town in the Turkish Riviera, otherwise known as the Turquoise Coast, which makes sense given the colour of the water. You are also able to book a tour in advance online. We took the Greek tourist boat that goes from the old port in Kos to the old port in Bodrum. There are faster boats that depart from the new port, but it is a little way outside of town. The Turkish tourist catamaran boat is also allegedly faster than the Greek one.
Once you get through Turkish customs, check out Bodrum Castle. Crusaders constructed the castle with stones from the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
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Sailing Trip to Smaller Islands
As we cleared EU customs flying into Kos Airport, the security sternly told us to visit Kalymnos. At that point, I didn’t know where that was and was worried I was being sent to some sort of Greek prison. Little did we know, he was promoting his home island.
We did the Eva Boat Tour and had an incredible time. They have exclusive access to a private beach on Kalymnos, where we were able to jump off the boat, swim in the crystal clear water, and enjoy a lunch of grilled chicken, fish, tzatziki, and Greek salad. There are cheaper boat cruises, but they tend to be more party boats. We also visited Pserimos, a small fishing island with a sandy beach (a rarity on Greek Islands!), some tourist shops, and cafes. The boat ride itself was very enjoyable, we were able to sit back with a glass of white wine, and we even saw a few pods of dolphins.
Bike Rentals
Bike rentals are readily available all over the island, and there’s an incredible network on bike paths. The ones along the waterfront are quite flat, but they do even have e-bikes available if you want a more relaxed ride. You can bike by beaches, olive orchards full of sheep, and even vineyards.
We rented our bikes from Moto Holidays and paid €10 each to rent a full-charged e-bike for the day. The folks at Moto Bikes were great – they have a few locations around the island and even drove us to one of their other shops when they had run out of e-bikes. They do close in the peak of the afternoon, but a daily rental is for 24 hours so you just have to make sure you pick up or drop off your bike in the morning or evening. The bikes are self-locking, so you can take breaks and go into restaurants and shops while leaving your bike unattended. Many of the bike rental shops also offer ATV rentals, which would be great for going up into the hills. If you are going to do ATVing, I recommend checking your insurance to ensure you are covered for this activity.
I used Safety Wing as my insurance provider on my trip to Kos, as I have on many previous trips before. They are fantastic when you are travelling for longer periods of time, and the average 2-3 weeks provided by your credit card just won’t cut it. Although I’ve never had to make any claims (luckily!), I have heard fantastic things from some of those in my network who are travelling full-time. *affiliate link.
Winery Visit
Kos has a thriving wine scene, and I would recommend looking out for some of the local wine when dining out at restaurants. Kos produces Cabernet, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, Merlot, Malagouzia varietals.
We biked out to the countryside, and visited an amazing little tavern called Ampeli Wine Yard. The restaurant is definitely worth a visit. They serve traditional Greek dishes on their rustic patio, overlooking the vineyards. This is a great spot for lunch when you can enjoy the scenery in the light of day.
Exploring Ruins
There are plenty of historic ruins to see on the Island of Kos. Most are free, and you can wander around the structures on foot. You can visit the Kos town castle, Asklepion, the Roman Odeon, and the ancient Agora.
Hippocrates, the famous Greek physician who inspired the Hippocratic Oath, was from Kos. There is a 500-year-old tree called the Hippocrates Tree, where legend has it Hippocrates taught his pupils under the shade of the branches. Although, the timing of this legend is misaligned by about 1,500 years. Supposedly, the present tree is a descendant of the original tree from Hippocrates’ time.
Salt Lakes
There are some salt lakes located 12 km from the centre of town. Depending on the time of year, the lakes might be full, and home to flocks of local birds, or completely dried up. The biking route to the lake is very pleasant, passing by beaches, farmland and vineyards. The lakes are quite bikeable from the centre of town.
Sunset in Zia
Zia is a quaint little town up in the mountains in the centre of the island. Zia is one of the best places to views the sunset on the entire island. You can book a tour to drive you up from the town centre to enjoy dinner and drinks from Zia. There are places to rent ATVs all over the island, and Zia would be a great place to head to at all times of the day. If you are on a standard bike or ebike, it will likely be too far to reach comfortably, about 14km uphill. One of the best restaurants to view the sunset is Oromedon.
If you’re looking for more bucket list ideas for your visit to Greece, check out my Greek Bucket List on my 1000+ bucket list ideas.
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