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Kos sight seeing guide

Kos has a wealth of great attractions including tons of historical sites, a couple of water parks that are great for keeping youngsters entertained and a few museums too.

Our Kos sight seeing guide is designed to help visitors decide which of the islands sights and attractions they want to visit whilst on the island.

Historical sites in Kos

As mentioned, Kos has some amazing historical sites including the Asclepeion where it’s believed Hippocrates taught medicine. The ancient agora and the ancient gymnasium in the capital as well as the Roman Odeon. You can read more about all of these using the links below.

There’s a couple of castles including Neratzia in the centre of Kos town and Palio Pili in Antimachia.

There truly is plenty of cultural options for history buffs when visiting Kos.

Kids attractions in Kos

Kos has a couple of water parks that are ideal for kids, the Lido water park is well established and very popular. Aquatica is newer and has slightly more choice of rides but both are great options.

Kids will also enjoy the Antimachia windmill as the family that owns it makes a visit very entertaining for youngsters.

Top 23 Kos Sights

Agios Ioannis Thymianos Monastery

Agios Ioannis Thymianos Monastery is found in the south west of the island. It's quite small but inside you'll find some incredible wall and ceiling art, wood carvings and other religious items. Outside there's a traditional bell tower, a small cafe and seating area.

Altar of Dionysus

The Altar of Dionysus is a small historical site that dates back to the 2nd century B.C. so roughly 2200 years old and consisted of a stone built temple and altar. There’s a number of columns scattered around the altar and some foundation stones.

Ancient Agora

The ancient agora dates back to the 3rd century BC and was a market and meeting place for the ancient Greeks who lived in Kos. The site is free to enter and wander around, on the north side you’ll find the ruins of a temple dedicated to Hercules.

Ancient Gymnasium

The ancient Gymnasium of Kos, also known as Xisto dates back nearly 2500 years. It's located in the capital Kos town and covers around 6000 square meters. It contains some fantastic historical elements including columns, archways, buildings and mosaics.

Antimachia Castle

Antimachia castle is a huge fortress located close to the middle of Kos island it covers an area of around 40,000m2. The views from inside the castle are spectacular, on a clear day you can see all the way out to sea and even over to neighbouring islands.

Antimachia Windmill

The Antimachia windmill is in the centre of Antimachia village. The windmill has been lovingly restored back to it’s fully working best. It’s also decorated with traditional fabrics, oil lamps and other traditional items making it a lovely place to have a look round.

Aquatica Water Park

The Aquatica water park is located on the south coast of Kos just outside Kardamena. It's a fairly small water park but it still packs in a good amount of rides, there’s 6 slides including a fast Kamikaze one, a 4 lane racing slide and a rubber ring one too.

Archaeological Museum

The Archaeological museum of Kos is found in Eleftherias Square in the heart of Kos Town. The museum is relatively small but is still home to some of the best artefacts that were discovered from the various archaeological sites around the island.

Asclepeion

The Asclepeion is a place of healing linked to Hippocrates that dates back over 2000 years. It’s found just inland from the capital Kos Town. It’s a vast site with ancient ruins of buildings, arches and pillars as well as steps to each of the three raised levels.

Aspri Petra

Aspri Petra, otherwise known as the white stone cave is found on mount Zini right down in the south of Kos island. Once there you’ll see a small entrance to the cave and some stones that you’ll have to climb over, getting into the cave can be a little tricky.

Basilica of Saint Stefanos

The Basilica of Saint Stefanos is located right next to the beach of the same name towards the south of Kos island. The basilica isn’t particularly big, just 1500 square metres and consists of some walls, lots of column pieces and a mosaic floor piece.

Casa Romana

Casa Romana is a traditional Roman villa that’s been partially restored. The house is believed to have belonged to a wealthy family and dates back to around the 2nd or 3rd centuries. Entrance is 6 euros and includes an informative audio tour.

Eleftherias Square

Eleftherias square is one of the busiest meeting places in Kos town and sits just off the main road that runs along the side of the harbour. Eleftherias square is a nice area to sit and have a drink or a meal and is also home to the Archaeological Museum.

Hippocrates Garden

Hippocrates Garden is a cultural centre and reconstruction of a traditional 2 story villa built as a replica of the types of houses that would have existed in the 5th century B.C. There’s also a philosopher’s arcade a stone built theatre and gorgeous gardens.

Hippocrates Tree

The Hippocrates tree is a large Plane tree found in Kos Town. Legend has it that Hippocrates taught medicine to his students under the shade of this great old tree. Today the tree looks a little sad as it’s split in half and is held up by scaffolding.

Kastri Islet

Kastri is a tiny rocky islet 180m off the coast of Kos and close to Agios Stefanos beach. It measures just over 150m north to south and just under 150m east to west. If you're a strong swimmer it's possible to swim over to Kastri to have a look round.

Lido Water Park

Lido Water Park is close to the village of Mastichari on the north coast of Kos. It has slides, rubber ring slides, a space bowl, lazy river, kids area and more. It's easy to get to with Buses from neighbouring resorts and a 500 space car park on site.

Marmari Go Karts

The Marmari go karting track is roughly 500m long with a mix of fast straights and tight corners, it's also wide enough to allow plenty of overtaking without being dangerous. There's an outdoor spectators area and an indoor area with snacks and drinks.

Neratzia Castle

Neratzia castle, sometimes simply known as Kos Castle or the castle of Kos is a large fortification overlooking the harbour in Kos town. Entrance to the castle is 4€ per person, there's not much info inside but you can spend as long as you want inside.

Paleo Pili

Paleo Pili is the ruins of a Byzantine castle close to the middle of Kos island. Around the site you’ll find a couple of different walking paths, one leads up to the castle itself and passes by an old church. The other heads down to the cafe.

Roman Odeon

The Roman Odeon is found just outside the centre of Kos Town. The original Odeon dates back to around the first or second centuries AD. It consists of 14 rows of seats, 9 of which were restored in the 1990s with only the top 5 rows left as they were.

Salt Lake

The Alikes Salt lake is a vast wet land on the north coast of Kos between Tigaki and Marmari. The salt lake is huge, in total it covers an area of around 800,000 m² and is home to a lot of wildlife including flamingos and other migratory birds.

Traditional House of Antimachia

The traditional house of Antimachia was built in the 1980s but is a recreation of the islands traditional houses from the early 20th century. It’s made entirely of stone and consists of a single story building with a walled courtyard that’s filled with potted plants.

Kos Sight Seeing Map

Where Next

Kardamena Kos

Kos Resorts

Go to the Kos resort guide to find out about the great towns and villages on the island.

Camel Beach Kos

Kos Beaches

Go to the Kos beach guide to find out about some of the best beaches on the island.

Asclepeion Kos

Kos Sights

Find something to keep you entertained whilst in Kos with our Kos sight seeing guide.

Kos Town

Kos

Go back to the main Kos guide to find out more about this lovely Dodecanese island and what it has to offer.

The Greek Islands

Find info on another Greek island, whether that’s to hop from Kos on a day trip or to research an alternative destination.

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