Kos Holidays 2026/2027

Best Places to Visit in Kos 

Kos offers a mix of lively towns and quieter coastal areas, making it suitable for different types of travellers. 

• Kos Town: The capital wraps a working harbour around the Castle of the Knights — the Neratzia fortress raised by the Knights of St John — with the ancient Agora, Roman villa mosaics and the old plane tree linked to Hippocrates all within a short walk. It makes a strong base for holidays in Kos built around culture as much as beach. 

• Psalidi: Just east of Kos Town and linked to it by a flat shoreline cycle path, Psalidi lines a long pebble beach with large all-inclusive hotels, clear water for snorkelling, and windsurf hire on the sand. It tends to be among the best value for cheap holidays to Kos, with the capital’s nightlife a 20-minute walk away and the hot springs a short drive south. 

• Kardamena: On the south coast near the airport, Kardamena blends family-friendly sand with the island’s liveliest bar strip and the main quay for Nisyros day boats. It suits anyone wanting a holiday to Kos that runs from buckets-and-spades by day to late nights by choice. 

• Kefalos Peninsula: The south-western tip, about 40 minutes from Kos Town, holds the most scenic bays — Kamari, Agios Stefanos and the Kastri islet — at a slower, greener pace. These coves keep their appeal on cheap Kos holidays because the drive deters the crowds. 

Things to Do in Kos 

Anyone asking is Kos worth visiting beyond the sun lounger gets a quick answer here — the island stacks ruins, a volcano, hot springs and a proper mountain hike within a short drive. 

• The Asklepion: The ancient healing sanctuary sits on three terraces about 4 km from Kos Town, reached by the little tourist train or a flat cycle. It honoured Asklepios, god of medicine, and is bound up with Hippocrates, whose oath still shapes Western medicine. Go early or late to dodge the midday sun, since the terraces give very little shade. 

• Kos Town on foot: The Castle of the Knights guards the harbour mouth, with the Roman Odeon, the Casa Romana villa and the Plane Tree of Hippocrates close by — a single morning covers most of it. Much of the old quarter is free to wander, and the harbour-front cafés make an easy finish. 

• Nisyros volcano day trip: Boats cross to the volcanic island where you descend into the Stefanos crater on foot, the ground hissing sulphur underfoot. Most trips pause at Pserimos for a swim on the way back. The whitewashed village of Mandraki on the rim is worth an hour for its monastery and lava-stone lanes. 

• Mount Dikeos & Zia: The Dikeos ridge tops out near 846 m above the village of Zia, whose west-facing tavernas draw a crowd for sunset. The marked path from Zia to the Christos summit takes a couple of hours each way. Start the climb before mid-morning in summer, because the upper slopes are exposed and hot by noon. 

• Lido Water Park: Near Mastichari and ranked among the largest in Greece, it runs multi-lane racers, the Kamikaze and Black Hole drops, a lazy river and a separate toddler zone, with transfers easy to arrange from most resorts. Tickets usually include the bus, and the park has its own cafés and shaded seating for a full day out.