| About Kos
A pastoral island with
lovely beaches and rows of white houses, Kos
is smaller than its Dodecanese neighbor, Rhodes,
and in some ways more appealing in its simplicity.
Bicycles are a common sight. The ancient temple
of Aslepios (the god of healing) was constructed
to honor Kos's famous son Hippocrates, the
father of modern medicine who lived and taught
on Kos in the 6th century.
Kos lies in the South
Eastern of the Aegean Sea. It is the third
largest of the Dodecanese islands (290,29
km2 ) after Rhodes and Karpathos. With a population
of about 30.000 inhabitants according to the
last sensus, it is a verdant and fertile island
and this justifies the ancient saying "If
Kos couldn't provide, neither could Egypt".
Main sights
Castle of the Knights of St. John, The Ancient
Agora, Altar of Dionysios, Town Museum, Mosque
of the Loggia, Roman Odeon.
Its richness in historic
finds, its luxuriant vegetation and clear
water, its endless sandy beaches, its picturesque
mountain communities and its hospitable citizens
astonish every visitor. Struck by the island
and its people, the poet Irondas (3rd Century
B.C.) wrote "Kos the sweet, Kos the serene
and well-watered". So returning to his
country, a today's visitor cannot stop repeating
Dante's verse "I am coming from the place
where I want to return".
Kos is a combination
of the traditional and the modern. Today's
visitors are not interested only in the past,
of course. They also care about the present,
which can assure them of all the amenities
they need and offers them the natural beauty
to enjoy ; the sun, the clean sea, the lovely
sandy beaches, the panorama.
One can join the colourful,
carefree and noisy throng of visitors from
all over the world or retire to secluded spots
in the mountains or by the sea, at crowded
beaches or empty ones. One can live the simple
and traditional life of the island, in the
company of warm and hospitable locals or follow
the modern style of entertainment that Kos
can very richly offer.
Charters from almost
all European countries land in Kos every week
of the summer period.
Olympic Airlines has three every days flights
from / to Athens. These flights become four
in the summer season.
Big ferryboat liners assure the daily connection
of Kos with Piraeus and other Dodecanese Islands
(Rhodes, Kalymnos, Leros and Patmos). In the
summer season Kos has a connection with Samos,
Chios, Lesbos and Thessaloniki by ferryboat
once a week.
Daily excursions to the islands Rhodes, Nissyros,
Kalymnos - Pserimos, Leros, Patmos, are programmed
every day and to Alicarnassos (Bodrum) of
the Turkish coast as well.
The New Marina of Kos (2001) welcomes to Kos
the yachts and other boats sailing in the
waters of Dodecanese and Turkey.
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