Frommer’s Athens and the Greek Islands, 2nd Edition

Hugging the coast of Asia Minor, the Dodecanese islands lie at the crossroads of East and West. Over the ages, these outposts have been conquered and settled time and again—by Romans, medieval knights, Ottomans, Venetians, and early-20th-century Italians—who left behind them marvelous landmarks the ruins of the Askepleion on Kos, a stunning medieval quarter and Italianate art deco palaces in Rhodes, a Byzantine castle on Leros, the transporting Monastery of St. John and Cave of the Apocalypse on Patmos. These days it’s the beaches, however—among the most spectacular in Greece—that draw hordes of invading sun worshippers.

Although the name means the Twelve Islands, the archipelago actually consists of 32 islands, each with its own character. Patmos and Symi are dry and arid in summer, while the interiors of Rhodes and Kos are fertile and forested. Patmos, Symi, and Leros, are relatively quiet, relaxed getaways, while Rhodes and Kos are, for better or worse, among Europe’s most popular island destinations. Getting around the islands is fairly easy—Rhodes and Kos each have airports, and boats dash from island to island—so island-hoppers can take in an extraordinary wealth of natural and human-wrought beauty and still get away from it all, too.

Selecting a divine patron was serious business for the ancients. Most Greek cities played it safe and chose a mainstream god or goddess, a ranking Olympian—someone such as Athena or Apollo or Artemis, or Zeus himself. It’s revealing that the people of Rhodes chose Helios, the sun, as their signature god.

The islanders made a wise choice, and Helios continues to bestow good fortune on the island. More than two millennia later, this island that receives on average more than 300 days of sunshine a year can still attribute its good fortune to sun-starved travelers from colder, darker, wetter lands around the globe, especially northern Europeans. Rhodes is also beautiful, though the modern era has not been gentle with much of the coastal strip. With a selective eye you can still see an island ringed with clean golden beaches, rising across fertile plains to a mountainous interior.

Rhodes is also rich in historic landmarks. Floating between Europe, Asia Minor, and North Africa, over the centuries Rhodes has drawn Persians, Hellenistic Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Crusader Knights, Venetians, Ottomans, and Italians, all of whom left behind some fascinating remnants of their presence.

ARRIVING Rhodes’ Diagoras Airport (

22410/88700) is in Paradisi, 13km (8 miles) southwest of the city. Bus service from the airport runs from 6am to 10:30pm; fare to the city center (Plateia Rimini) is 6€. A taxi costs 22€. Olympic Airways offers year-round service between Rhodes and Athens and Thessaloniki, and summer service between Rhodes and Iraklion (Crete) and Karpathos. Sky Express runs service between Rhodes and some of the other islands, including Crete (Iraklion), Samos, Kos, and Karpathos. Aegean Airlines connects Rhodes with Frankfurt and other European cities, as do EasyJet, Ryanair, Norwegian, and many other airlines, with service geared to summertime tourists and severely curtailed in the offseason. Flights to and from Athens are popular, since the alternative is a 13-hour boat trip, so book as early in advance as possible.

Rhodes is a major port with sea links to Athens, Crete, and the islands of the Aegean, as well as to Cyprus, Turkey, and Israel. Blue Star Ferries (www.bluestarferries.com;

210/891-9800) operates the most service to and from Pireaus, with at least one sailing a day; the trip takes 13 to 15 hours, depending on the number of stops. Dodekanisos Seaways (www.12ne.gr) offers the most service to other islands in the eastern Aegean: Kos, Kalimnos, Kastellorizo, Leros, Nissiros, Patmos, Samos, Symi, and Tilos. Service and schedules are always changing; check with the tourist office or a travel agency for the latest information. Ferry schedules can also be found on-line at the Greek Travel Pages (www.gtp.gr) and Ferry Hopper (www.ferryhopper.com).

Visitor Information During the summer high season only, you’ll find a helpful Rhodes Municipal Tourist Office at Plateia Rimini, facing the port taxi stand (

22410/35-945), open daily usually 9am to 8pm. A branch at the foot of the Street of the Knights inside the Old Town is open year-round, Monday through Friday from about 7am to 3pm. Offices dispense maps and information on local excursions, buses, ferries, and accommodations. An excellent online resource, with bus schedules and other handy information, is the Rhodes Travel Guide (www.rhodestravelguide.gr).

Getting Around Walking is the easiest way of getting around Rhodes Town, and in most of the Old Town it’s the only way—taxis are not allowed within the walls unless you have luggage and are checking in or out of a hotel. (Even then, you might have to ask your hotel to send someone to meet you at one of the gates and escort you down the narrow lanes.) The largest of many taxi stands is on the harbor front in Plateia Rimini. Set fares for one-way trips throughout the island are clearly posted. (A sample fare to Lindos is 60€ one way; add at least another 20€ if the taxi waits for you.)

The island is well served by bus, with routes connecting Rhodes Town with many beaches, mountain towns, and Lindos and the other main sights. KTEL buses (www.ktelrodou.gr) serve the eastern side of the island, including Faliraki and Lindos, and Rodos buses (www.sindikatodesroda.gr) serve the west, with service to Diagoras Airport; the tourist office can give you a schedule of routes, or you can find them online at www.ando.gr/eng. Buses leave from Averof Street behind the New Market, in general with buses to the east leaving from the south end, closest to the Old Town walls, and buses to the west leaving from the other end; the staff at the manned ticket booths will direct you to the right spot and sell you a ticket. At other stops around the island you may buy a ticket on the bus.

You may want to rent a car for a day or two to explore some of the remote beaches and inland villages. Prices begin at about 35€ per day, depending on the season and demand. Keep in mind that some of the more remote roads on Rhodes require all-terrain vehicles, and Rhodian rental-car companies often stipulate that their vehicles be driven only on fully paved roads.

tours Several operators lead nature, archaeology, shopping, and beach tours around the island. Triton Holidays (tritondmc.gr;

22410/21690) offers day and evening cruises, hiking jaunts, and full-day guided tours to Lindos and small villages, churches, and monasteries. Along Mandraki Harbor, you can find excursion boats that leave for Lindos at 9am and return around 6pm, with beach stops for swimming, costing about 50€; these are essentially party boats, so if your goal is simply to enjoy Lindos, it’s better to make the trip by bus, taxi, or car. Other day trips take you over to Symi for 25€ round-trip, with companies that include the reliable Half Price Tours (www.halfpricetours.gr). The price includes free transfer from your hotel to the port, and tours add a stop on Symi at St. George Bay or at the monastery of Taxiarchis Mihailis Panormitis before docking in Yialos for about 3 hours, which gives you plenty of time to explore. Many companies also run day trips for around 35€ to nearby Turkey, but they usually only visit Marmaris, which has little to offer beyond a highly touristic bazaar. Half Price Tours offers more satisfying Turkey trips (beginning at 40€), visiting Fethiye, with Lycian tombs dug into the hillside, and nearby Levissi, once home to 10,000 people but rendered a ghost town in 1923 with the Greek-Turkish population exchanges.

The lanes of Old Town are lined with atmospheric places to stay. Many can be reached only on foot; hosts usually arrange to meet guests at the gates and escort them to the hotel. While you’ll forgo a beachfront, it’s hard to imagine more evocative surroundings than this history-soaked enclave. Many new hotels are clustered in New Town, but aside from easy access to the beaches, there’s not much to draw you here.

Kokkini Porta Rossa

Rhodes’ long tradition of extending hospitality to travelers comes to the fore in this beautifully restored mansion just inside the St. John Gate (aka Porta Rossa). Fireplaces, enclosed wooden balconies, high wooden ceilings, and treasure-filled nooks and crannies are the legacy of a long succession of Turkish and Greek families, whose former quarters still exude the aura of a private home. Tasteful modern design enhances the rough stone walls and old wood and tile floors, while modern bathrooms are large and sumptuous, and a beautiful garden lies just beyond gracious guest lounges.

Kokkini Porta. www.kokkiniporta.com.

22410/75114. 5 units. 245€–445€ double. Rates include buffet breakfast. Amenities: Bar; garden; room service; Wi-Fi (free).

Spirit of the Knights

Five luxurious suites and a cozily medieval chamber are tucked away in a beautifully restored Ottoman house in the quietest part of the Old Town. Hand-painted ceilings, original beams, Ottoman stained glass, marble baths, rich carpets and textiles, and other exquisite details embellish the meticulously maintained surroundings. A courtyard is cooled by a fountain where you’re quite welcome to soak your cobble-weary feet. The family members who lovingly created this intimate retreat are just as devoted to making their guests feel welcome. Rates vary a lot with season and availability and can be a very good value.

14 Alexandridou. www.spiritoftheknights.com.

22410/39765. 6 units. 95€–320€ double. Rates include buffet breakfast. Amenities: Bar; garden; Jacuzzi; room service; Wi-Fi (free).

Athineon Hotel

Resortlike amenities come with convenience at these modern suites surrounding a swimming pool just outside the Old Town gates. Spacious, plain-but-comfortable quarters all have kitchens, one or two bedrooms, and large balconies, some with sea views and others overlooking the circuit of greenery around the city walls, and an open-air bar and lounges adjoin an appealing pool terrace. Space, good value longer-stay rates, excellent service, and the child-friendly pool are a big draw for families, and with the modern port just around the corner, this is also a good choice for island-hoppers who want to indulge in some modest luxury.

Vironos 17. athineon.rhodesislandhotels.com.

22410/26112. 70 units. 80€–120€ double. Rates include buffet breakfast. Free parking. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; pool; sauna; gym; Wi-Fi (free).

Marco Polo Mansion

A 15th-century Ottoman mansion set in a lush garden is now a positively transcending hotel. Each room is distinctive—one was a harem, another a hamam, another is lined with kilims; smaller garden rooms are nestled amid fragrant greenery. All are decorated in deep hues that look like they’ve been squeezed from a tube, and furnished with low-lying couches and stunning antiques—little wonder style and fashion magazines love to photograph this exotically beautiful place. Excellent meals are served in the garden, where non-guests are welcome to share in one of the island’s nicest dining experiences.

Aghiou Fanouriou 40–42. www.marcopolomansion.gr.

22410/25562. 17 units. 110€–180€ double. Rates include buffet breakfast. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; garden; Wi-Fi (free). Closed Nov–Apr.

S. Nikolis Hotel and Apartments

You’d be hard-pressed to find a better place to soak in the medieval ambiance of Old Town than this charming and atmospheric cluster of houses from 1300 that surround a flower-filled courtyard. Proprietors Sotiris Nikolis and his family have lovingly restored the original structures down to the last stone and beam, unearthing such treasures as a 2nd-century marble pediment lodged beneath the medieval foundations. They’ve filled rooms with antiques and personal flair, and embellished some with sleeping lofts, kitchenettes, balconies, and Jacuzzis. A roof terrace overlooks the Old Town, and a pleasant bar is tucked into the rear of the garden.

61 Ippodamou. www.s-nikolis.gr.

22410/34561. 16 units. 90€–180€ double. Rates include breakfast. Amenities: Restaurant (rooftop); bar; garden; Wi-Fi (free). Closed sometimes for short periods Nov–Mar.

Attiki

You can’t sleep any closer to the Street of the Knights than you will at this quirky, eclectic, charmingly furnished little guesthouse. You’ll be immersed in medieval ambiance in its stone-walled, wood-beamed rooms softened by lots of soothing greenery and a lush garden. Bathrooms are basic and luxuries are few, though a few rooms have private terraces and others share a rooftop and other attractive outdoor space.

Theofiliskous 2 and Harritos. www.hotelattiki.com.

22410/36596. 6 units. 50€–90€ double. Rates include breakfast. Amenities: Refrigerators; garden; Wi-Fi (free).

Medieval Inn

No medieval gloom and doom here: this whitewashed old house surrounding a shady courtyard is full of bright colors and enhanced with the warmth of hosts Manis and Lily. Rooms are small and fairly basic, and in some the bathrooms are private but not en suite. Still, they’re an excellent value given the comfort and ambiance. A courtyard and sunny roof terrace invite long hours of lounging, while the sights of Old Town are just beyond the front gate.

8 Timachida St. www.medievalinn.com.

22410/22469. 12 units. 55€–85€ double. Rates include breakfast. Amenities: Bar; garden; Wi-Fi (free). Closed Nov–Mar.

Sofia Pension

At this old-fashioned family home on the back lanes in Old Town, a flowery garden, sunny roof terrace, and a warm welcome from the multigenerational hosts compensate for a lack of frills and any hint of designer luxury. The quirky guest quarters, some with mantels, brick walls, and other architectural elements, seem like rooms in a relative’s home, with old bedsteads and mismatched bureaus and other family pieces. All have fridges and updated bathrooms, and an excellent breakfast is served in the garden.

Aristofanous 27. www.sofia-pension.gr. 9 units.

22410/36181. 60€–80€ double. Breakfast 7€. Amenities: Refrigerators; garden; Wi-Fi (free). Closed briefly in winter.

Melenos Lindos Hotel

This authentically Lindian-style villa is a work of art, where hand-painted tiles, local antiques, handcrafted lamps, and weavings provide the backdrop for an almost otherworldly experience on a pine-scented hillside at the edge of the Old Town. Huge Lydian beds are multilevel affairs that make anyone feel like a reclining pasha, while all rooms open to large, nicely furnished terraces embellished with statuary and architectural fragments, plus views out to the sea that washes against the shores of an adjacent cove. This distinctive retreat is the work of Michalis Melenos, who is on hand to ensure his guests are well-cared for. His hospitality extends to excellent Mediterranean-influenced dinners served on a roof terrace, and, most helpfully, sending a staff member to meet you at the entrance to town and escort you to his gate.

Lindos Town. www.melenoslindos.com.

22440/32222. 12 units. 250€–350€ double. Rates include buffet breakfast. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; room service; Wi-Fi (free).

Testimony to the island’s Italian heritage, the popular Gelato Artigianale Italiano, Averof 6 (www.gelatoartigianaleitaliano.com;

22410/26465) offers two dozen or so flavors; the shop is open daily from 11am to 1am.

Alexis 4 Seasons

GREEK/SEAFOOD The Karapanos family is a Rhodes legend, famed beyond the island for the seafood creations they’ve served at Alexis Taverna for more than 75 years. Now a younger generation continues the tradition, offering a slightly less formal, less expensive, but no less memorable experience in a multilevel rose-and-bougainvillea-scented garden, with a stone-walled parlor for colder weather. The emphasis here is still on seafood, from flavorful shrimp risotto to sea bass and other fish plucked from local seas and chargrilled to perfection. Salads and vegetables come from the restaurant’s own garden. Any meal should end over an after-dinner drink on the roof terrace, with harbor lights and a canopy of stars adding to the enchantment.

33 Aristoltelous. www.alexis4seasons.com.

22410/70522. Main courses 14€–22€. Daily noon–midnight.

Manolis Dinoris Fish Taverna

GREEK/SEAFOOD The former stables of the 13th-century Knights of St. John’s provides an atmospheric backdrop to some of the island’s best seafood creations. Psarokeftedaka (fish balls), made from the kitchen’s secret recipe, can be followed by the house’s sea urchin salad, one of many shrimp and mussel dishes, or grilled prawns and fresh fish. Meals are served in a quiet side garden in summer and a handsome stone-and-wood room in winter, next to a blazing fire. Well-priced set menus are available, as is a very reasonable lunch buffet.

14A Museum Sq. www.dinoris.com.

22410/25824. Main courses 20€–65€. Daily noon–midnight.

4 Rodies

GREEK In a residential neighborhood just outside the city walls, a neoclassic house set in a pretty garden shaded by namesake rodies (pomegranate trees) specializes in mezes, small dishes that here are many notches above the standards you may have eaten in other tavernas. Broad beans paired with chorizo, warm feta dressed with honey and sesame, chicken legs stuffed with olives—you can select from a several innovative takes on Greek/Mediterranean staples, or let the chef select three, four, or five dishes to show off the kitchen’s flair. A complimentary sweet and liqueur usually follow a meal.

Kerasma

MODERN GREEK Reason enough to venture into the New Town, this popular restaurant’s innovative creations bring together the best flavors of Greek cuisine, served in stylishly contemporary surroundings. Octopus, the old taverna staple, is served in a sauce of vinegar and honey, while salmon is marinated in raki, the potent liquor made in many households. Reservations are highly recommended.

George Leontos 4-6.

2241/302410. Main courses 10€–25€. Mon–Sat noon–11:30pm, Sun 6–11:30pm.

Marco Polo Mansion

GREEK The danger of dining here is that afterward, few other places will seem as exotic and welcoming. Hosts Efi and Spiros encourage their guests, most of whom have dined here many, many times, to settle back and enjoy a meal beneath banana trees and hibiscus trellises in the garden of a 16th-century Ottoman official’s home. The kitchen comes up with a few special dishes each evening—grilled lamb, roasted pork fillet, a bounty of seafood—made with the freshest ingredients and accompanied by excellent mezes and salads.

Aghiou Fanouriou 40–42. www.marcopolomansion.gr.

22410/25562. Main courses 10€–18€. Daily 7:30–11pm. Closed Nov–Apr.

Pita Fan

GREEK/FAST FOOD A surprisingly atmospheric spot for a quick lunch or snack—or for that matter, a submission to a late-night craving—is this busy corner with outdoor tables near the Jewish Quarter. From the grill and spit come delicious gyros and souvlaki, served with cold draft beer. These fast-food standards taste all the better when the surroundings are atmospheric Turkish houses with wooden balconies and a splashing seahorse fountain.

Socratous Garden

GREEK/MEDITERRANEAN Grand zero in the touristic center of Old Town doesn’t seem like it would be a relaxing spot, but step out of the fray into this genuinely transporting hideaway shaded by luxuriant foliage and cooled by gurgling fountains. Don’t expect fine dining, but snacks, light meals, coffee, cocktails, and some traditional Greek fare are served from early morning into the wee hours. This is a choice spot to take a breather while making the sightseeing rounds, or to enjoy a drink before or after dinner.

Taverna Kostas

GREEK This long-standing Old Town favorite stands the test of time, with grandfather still in vigilant attendance over a friendly and attentive wait staff. In a handsome dining room and bright, lively conservatory they serve taverna favorites, with well-executed mezes and excellent grills, along with fresh seafood dishes.

Manos Mastrosavvas Traditional Café Restaurant

GREEK The little town of Siana, on the slopes of Mount Akramitis, is famous for honey fragrant with rosemary, thyme, and other wild mountain herbs and also for souma, a potent alcoholic beverage made from the grapes of highland wineries. For more than a century the Mastrosavvas family has been offering these local products on their breezy terraces and cozy dining rooms, alongside meals of farm sausages, homegrown vegetables, and their takes on mousaka and other Greek staples—including yogurt with honey that surpasses any version you’ve ever had before. You can also buy their products to take home with you.

Sianna Village. www.manos-siana.com.

22460/61209. Main courses 7€–12€. Daily 9am–11pm.

Mavrikos

GREEK/FRENCH For 70 years, this Rhodes favorite has been a draw for the rich and famous as well as legions of travelers famished after the climb to the Acropolis in Lindos. Brothers Michalis and Dimitri Mavrikos carry on the family legacy on a rustic, sea-facing terrace off the main square. It seems like other homey Greek tavernas—until the Greek and French dishes start coming out of the kitchen: oven-baked lamb, beef in a casserole with bergamot, tuna with fenugreek, and perfectly grilled beef filets or seasoned fresh red snapper. The brothers Mavrikos also run an ice-cream parlor Gelo Blu (

22440/31560), serving homemade frozen concoctions and cakes. It’s in the Old Town, near the church, and is open daily in season from 9am to 1am.

Lindos Town, main square.

22440/31232. Main courses 10€–30€. Daily noon–midnight.

Stegna Kozas

SEAFOOD Fish can practically jump right out of the sea onto the dining terrace, so it’s little wonder that every dish served in this family-run institution on Archangelos beach is famously fresh. And not just the sea creatures—hand-kneaded bread baked in a wood oven, locally harvested sea salt, wild capers, and homegrown vegetables enhance such dishes as lobster spaghetti and shrimp from Symi. The wine list is extensive, and the beach out front is an inviting place for an after-meal stroll.

30km (19 mi) S of Rhodes Town and 18km (11 mi) N of Lindos. www.stegnakozas.gr.

22440/22632. Main courses 9€–22€. Daily noon–11pm.

Rhodes Town, a sprawling metropolis that’s home to about two-thirds of the island’s 120,000 inhabitants, is a town divided—between the walled Old Town, a remarkable evocation of the Middle Ages, and the New Town that spreads outside those massive walls.

When you approach the walls of Old Town, you are about to enter what is arguably the most impressive continuously inhabited medieval town in Europe, much of it protected as a UNESO World Heritage site. It’s a remarkable and evocative place, making even a brief stopover in Rhodes essential on any Greek itinerary. Of the 11 gates, the best way to enter is through Eleftheria (Liberty) Gate into Plateia Symi. Ruins of the Temple of Venus, which date from the 3rd century b.c., are somewhat diminished by the adjacent parking lot, but the few stones and columns still standing are reminders of the great Greek and Roman city that once stood here, with a population as large as that of the island today.

The Street of the Knights and Palace of the Grandmasters (see p. 211) somberly evoke the island’s medieval power elite, but the main streets of the Old Town resemble a raucous Turkish bazaar. Many of the Old Town’s 6,000 current residents are of Turkish descent, from families that have been in Rhodes since the Ottomans took control of the island in the 16th century (in Greece they’re known as “Greeks of the Muslim Faith”). Orffeos, Socratous, and Aristotelous streets are chockablock with outdoor stalls hawking leather goods and trinkets; the stream of tourists seem so inured to the appeal of these wares, it’s a wonder any of the shops stay in business for long. Rising above the maze are mosques, the ruins of the 14th-century church of Our Lady of the Bourgo, the Turkish baths of Yeni Hamam on Arionos Square, the clock tower of Fethi Pasha (Orfeos 1; entrance to top 5€, May–Oct 9am–midnight), and the spikey minarets and fanciful Ottoman towers of the Suleymaniye Mosque. Just steps away from the fray are the quiet cobblestone lanes of the old Jewish and Turkish quarters around the Kahal Shalom Synagogue, where oleander cascades over garden walls and latticed porches hang over the streets. Old Town is a maze, and many lanes have no names; it’s best just to wander. Whenever you feel the need to find your bearings, ask for Ippokratous Square, the center of the Old Town.

The so-called New Town is not new at all, settled in the 16th century alongside Mandraki Harbor, the port where ancient Rhodians and medieval knights moored their fleets. Historians with a flair for the dramatic claim that the Colossus—a statue 33 meters (108 feet) tall and one of the Wonders of the Ancient World—straddled the entrance to the harbor. A colossal statue of Helos, the sun god, did rise above the ancient town, probably from what is now the Garden of the Palace of the Grand Masters, from 280 b.c. until it toppled in an earthquake in 226 b.c. Rising above the harbor now are statues of two deer, elafonisi, a tribute to the animals imported in antiquity to control a snake population so prolific that Rhodes was once known as “Snake Island” (later, more poetically, it was renamed “Island of the Sun”).

The Italians put their stamp on the island’s multicultural mix when they laid claim to Rhodes in 1912 after the defeat of the Ottomans. They erected a showplace along what they called Foro Italico, now the Platea Eleftherias, a palm-shaded avenue skirting the harbor, lined with the distinctive arcaded New Market and other Renaissance Revival (also known as Rationalist) landmarks, neoclassical with slight art deco overtones. Especially notable along this stretch are the Bank of Greece, the Municipal Theater, the arcaded Venetian-Gothic-style Prefecture (formerly the Palazzo del Governo), and the Post Office. The noted Italian colonial architect and diplomat Florestano di Fausto, who oversaw designs of this model city, also built the neo-Gothic Evangelismos Church, on the seaward side of the avenue, to assert a Roman Catholic presence over a population that was mostly Greek Orthodox and Muslim after centuries of Ottoman rule.

The Knights of St. John

The great walls of Rhodes Town’s Old Town and its impressive medieval landmarks are the work of the Knights of the Order of St. John (a.k.a. Hospitallers), a mixed lot of western European Catholic crusaders who functioned as occupation army and charity foundation wherever they settled. Forced by the Muslims to abandon the Holy Land in 1309, they retreated to Rhodes, where they built castles and fortifications using the forced labor of native Rhodians. The knights, a firm Christian presence in the increasingly Muslim southern Mediterranean, remained on Rhodes until 1522, when, after a 6-month siege, the Muslims forced them to retreat to Malta.

Archaeological Museum

MUSEUM The stone halls where the knights once fed the poor and tended to the infirm now display finds from around the island. The most acclaimed presence is Aphrodite of Rhodes, fashioned 2,000 years ago in creamy marble from the island of Paros; the plump beauty pushes her long tresses back as she prepares to step into her bath. Underfoot in the courtyard are some paving stones of the ancient road that led to the harbor, and some touching Roman-era tombstones (steles) line the walls, including one honoring Ploutos, aged 3, who died “loosening the support of a cart which had upon it a heavy load of stakes.”

Museum Sq. odysseus.culture.gr.

22410/31048 or 25500. Admission 8€. April–Oct daily 8am–8pm; Nov–Mar Tues–Sun 8am–3pm.

City Walls

LANDMARK Among the knights’ most formidable achievements was the circuit of walls that still enclose the Old Town with 4km (21⁄2 miles) of masonry, up to 40 feet thick in places. With fortified gates, bastions, and such innovations as curvatures to deflect cannon balls, the walls repelled attacks by Egyptians and Ottomans and were compromised only when an earthquake rocked the island in 1481. Even so, in 1523 the walls kept the besieging Ottoman Turks at bay; they lost 50,000 men in their efforts to take the island. (They eventually succeeded, but only after guaranteeing safe passage to the knights and Christian citizens who wished to leave.) You can walk around the walls in their entirety by following a path in the dry moat between the inner and outer walls, or by walking the ramparts that top part of the circuit, entered through the Palace of the Grand Masters.

Hospice of St. Catherine

HISTORIC SITE At the eastern end of the main street of the Jewish Quarter (see below), this inn was built in the late 14th century by the Knights of St. John to house and entertain guests, much like the inns on the Street of the Knights (p. 211). One such guest, the traveler Niccole de Martoni, described the hospice in the 1390s as “beautiful and splendid, with many handsome rooms, containing many and good beds.” The description still fits, though only one “good bed” remains amid the magnificent sea-pebble and mosaic floors, carved and intricately painted wooden ceilings, grand hall, lavish bedchamber, and engaging exhibits.

Plateia ton Martiron Evreon. Free admission. May–Sept, Sat–Sun 12:30pm–3:30pm.

Jewish Quarter

HISTORIC QUARTER The Old Town’s Jewish community first settled here in the days of the ancient Greeks. Little survives today other than a few homes with Hebrew inscriptions, a Jewish cemetery, and the Plateia ton Martiron Evreon (Square of the Jewish Martyrs), embellished with a seahorse fountain and dedicated to the 1,604 Rhodian Jews who were rounded up here and sent to their deaths at Auschwitz. On Dosiadou, leading off Simiou just below the square, the Kahal Shalom Synagogue (www.jewishrhodes.org) holds services on Friday nights; the synagogue and a small museum are usually open Sunday through Friday from 2:30pm to 3:30pm; admission is free. A walking tour of the Jewish Quarter is sometimes available, depending on interest; the cost varies.

Monte Smith

NATURAL LANDMARK The ancient Greeks, ever mindful of a great location, chose this 100m (328-ft.) hill to build their Acropolis and a 3rd-century-b.c. Temple of Apollo. A few columns remain, along with the ruins of an Odeon and some other temples, next to a little theater that the Italians restored a century ago. The summit, named for a British admiral who fought Napoleon and American revolutionaries, is best known for its far-reaching views over the island and sea; the admiral built his observatory up here to keep an eye on Napoleon’s fleet cruising the seas below.

Street of the Knights

HISTORIC SITE One of the best-preserved and most evocative medieval relics in the world is this 600m-long (1,968 ft.) stretch of cobbles, following an ancient pathway that once led from the Acropolis of Rhodes to the port. By the early 16th century the street was the address of the inns of knights of various nations who belonged to the Order of St. John. The inns were eating clubs and temporary residences for visiting dignitaries, and their facades reflect the architectural styles of their respective countries. Most of the inns now house offices or private residences, but the most ornate of them all, the Inn of France (built in 1492) is open to the public Monday to Friday 8am to noon. The ground floor houses the Institut Français, but you can step in to see the garden. At the top of the street stands the massive Palace of the Grand Masters

(also known as Palace of the Knights; odysseus.culture.gr;

2413/65270). Amid all its turrets and crenellations, it’s easy to imagine knights in armor and maidens in cone-shaped hats passing through; however, it’s actually a 1930s fantasy built to flatter Mussolini on a state visit. (The original palace was destroyed in 1856 when a nearby ammunition storehouse accidentally exploded.) The vast halls house mosaics stolen from Kos by the Italian military as well as a collection of antique furniture. Admission to the galleries is 6€ (open Apr–Oct, daily 8am–8pm; Nov–Mar, Tues–Sun 8am–3pm).

The most picturesque town on the island outside of Rhodes Old Town is a collection of white-stucco houses tucked between the sea and a towering ancient acropolis. Those glistening white ruins exert an almost irresistible pull—and you need only follow the signs (and the crowds) to reach them. Should a steep climb in the summer heat seem like too much, you’ll pass a stand where, for 8€, you can climb aboard a donkey (also known as a “Lindian taxi”) for a slow plod all the way to the top.

ARRIVING Be warned that Lindos is often deluged with tourists, and your first visit may be unforgettable for the wrong reasons. Public buses leave for Lindos from Plateia Rimini in Rhodes Town frequently (fare 5.50€ each way); a taxi will cost 60€ one-way. In the busy square near the entrance to Lindos town, you’ll find a Tourist Information Kiosk (

22440/31-900; Apr–Oct daily 9am–10pm).

As you climb through town toward the acropolis, you’ll notice that the lanes are strewn with embroidery and lace for sale, some of which may be the handiwork of local women (beware, though—much of what’s sold in Lindos today is from Asia). Embroidery from Rhodes was highly coveted in the ancient world; it’s claimed Alexander the Great wore a grand Rhodian robe into battle. In Renaissance Europe, French ladies used to yearn for a bit of Lindos lace.

Acropolis of Lindos

ANCIENT SITE Before you start the final ascent up a flight of stone steps to the acropolis, stop to inspect the relief carving of a Lindian ship, dating from the 2nd century b.c. The path then passes a medieval castle built by the Knights of St. John; the ruins of a Roman temple; and finally, an upper terrace planned by the ancient Greeks in the 4th century b.c. Upon this airy balcony stand the remains of a great assembly hall, a stoa, with a grand portico once supported by 42 columns. The glorious views from this perch now extend over medieval Lindos to the sea. To the south you can see the beach at St. Paul’s Bay—legend claims the ever-wandering saint put ashore here. To the southwest rises Mount Krana, where caves are thought to have sheltered cults to Athena well into the Christian period. At the very top of the Acropolis, a small temple to Athena, fronted by four columns, is still a statement of elegant grace.

odysseus.culture.gr.

22440/31258. Admission 12€. Mid-Apr–Oct daily 8am–8pm; Nov–Mar Tues–Sun 8am–3pm.

Where to Spend Time out of the sun

As befits an island with such a rich heritage, Rhodes is home to some quirky and fascinating museums. The Rhodes Aquarium (rhodes-aquarium.hcmr.gr; 22410/27308), housed next to Mandraki Harbor in an art deco-style Italian marine research center from the 1930s, is home to many exotic Mediterranean species; its most popular denizen is Cleopatra, a Caretta caretta sea turtle that staffers rescued and nursed back to health (admission 5.50€, 3.50€ ages 5–18, kids under 5 free; open daily 9am–8:30pm, until 4:30pm Nov–Mar). Rhodes is famous for honey, and the Bee Museum in Pastida, 11km (7 mi SW of Rhodes Town (beemuseum.gr; 22410/48200) provides the buzz on everything about how these busy insects live, work, and are cultivated, while flowers and plants that depend on bee pollination thrive in an adjacent garden (admission 3€ adults, 1.50€ ages 13–18, kids 12 and under free; open Mon–Sat 8:30am–5pm, also Sun June–Sept, 9am–1pm). In a little house set amid olive groves outside the town of the Archipoli, 35km (21 mi) SW of Rhodes Town, the Toy Museum (www.toymuseum.gr; 69857/02210) is filled with wind-up toys and battery operated cars and trucks from the 1930s and 1960s; visitors can also feed coins into arcade games in the cellar (free admission; open early Apr–Oct, daily 11am–4pm). The Museum of Mineralogy and Paleontology Stamatiadis (www.geomuseum.gr; 22410/90201), just 8km (5 mi) SW of Rhodes Town at 33 Heraklidon in Lalysos, puts a new spin on Greek antiquities, with fossilized sea creatures from 230 million years ago and even a 5-million-year-old pineapple. There’s lead and silver mined in Greece over the millennia, along with exquisite dark-green quartz and other rock stars (free admission; open daily 9am–1pm and 6–8pm).

Church of the Panagia

CHURCH More than 200 frescoes, covering every inch of the walls and arched ceilings here, are the work of an 18th-century master, Gregory of Symi. With a close look, you can pick out scenes of the Creation, the Nativity, and the Last Judgment. To soothe your stiff neck, look down at the extraordinary floor made of sea pebbles.

Ruins and beaches lure visitors out of Rhodes Town. The best beaches are along the island’s east coast, while the heavily forested west coast is littered with crusader castles and ancient ruins.

Ancient Kamiros

ANCIENT RUINS Much of this once extensive hillside Greek city has yet to be unearthed (the Italians began excavations in 1928) but enough has been brought to light to suggest what life was like here more than 2,000 years ago. In a small valley are ruins of houses and shops along gridlike streets, as well as the foundations of a large temple. On a slope above are the remains of two aqueducts, assuring residents of a year-round supply of water. Bring a bathing suit, because across from the site is a good stretch of sandy beach, one of the best on the west coast of Rhodes, with an airy and friendly beach taverna, the Porto Antico (portoantico.gr;

22410/40001).

Kamiros, 34km (21 mi) SW of Rhodes Town, with regular bus service.

22410/40037. Admission 4€. Apr–Oct Mon 1–7pm, Tues–Sun 8am–7:30pm; Nov–Mar Tues–Sun 8:30am–2:40pm.

Epta Piges (Seven Springs)

NATURAL LANDSCAPE Coming out to this wooded glen from Rhodes Town, you won’t be getting away from it all—the resident peacocks put on a show for an almost steady stream of visitors. Even so, the seven springs of the name surface quite charmingly as bubbling streams that feed a small lake. Shaded walks and a swim in the cool water can be a refreshing break from more sun-parched parts of the island. A waterside tavern, established by a far-sighted farmer 70 years ago, does a brisk business throughout the day.

Filerimos and Ancient Ialyssos

ANCIENT RUIN One of the island’s three founding city-states, Ialyssos was once home to the Phoenicians, whom the Dorians ousted in the 10th century b.c. An oracle had predicted that white ravens and fish swimming in wine would be the final signs before the Phoenicians were annihilated—so the cunning Dorians went to work whitewashing birds and throwing fish into wine jugs, and the Phoenicians left without raising their arms. When the Knights of St. John invaded the island, they, too, made their first base at Ialisos. Their small, whitewashed church, decorated with frescoes of Jesus and heroic knights, was built right into the hillside above the ruins of a 3rd-century b.c. Dorian temple to Athena and Zeus Polios. Nearby the knights later established the Monastery of Filerimos to house an icon of the Virgin, believed to have been painted by St. Luke and brought to Rhodes from Jerusalem around the year 1000. The knights attributed the icon with the miraculous power of repelling the Turks during a 15th-century attack. Later, however, the icon did not prevent Suleiman the Magnificent from overrunning the island with his army of 100,000 men. Basing themselves in Ialisos, they destroyed the monastery. It was reconstructed, with beautiful cloisters, by the Italians in the 1920s, while the icon eventually found its way to Italy, then Russia (it’s now in Montenegro).

14km (81⁄2 mi) SW of Rhodes Town; 6km (31⁄2 mi) inland from Trianda, on the island’s NW coast. Admission 3€. Apr–Oct daily 8am–8pm; Tues–Sun 8:30am–3pm.

Petaloudes

NATURAL WONDER The Valley of the Butterflies is one of the world’s few natural habitats for resin-seeking Jersey Tiger moths (panaxia quadripunctaria). The moths overtake this verdant valley in July and August to reproduce, drawn by the scent of storax plants and Europe’s only natural forest of Oriental sweet gum trees. They feed at night, by day resting quietly on plants or leaves, so well-camouflaged that you may not notice at first that an entire branch is filled with the sleeping creatures. Resist the urge to clap and awaken them—that interrupts their natural cycles and depletes their energy supplies. Guardians are said to bind offending visitors’ hands together with duct tape (not really, but noise-making does elicit a strong reprimand). The parklike setting, with its many ponds, bamboo bridges, and rock displays, along with the presence of these fragile creatures, creates a serene and soothing escape on this busy island.

25km (16 mi) S of Rhodes Town and inland. Admission 5€ mid-June–late Sept, 3€ other times. Daily 8:30am–6:30pm. Closed Nov–Apr.

A Driving Tour of Rhodes’ west coast

The west coast of Rhodes is particularly scenic, with deep green forests rising from the rugged coast toward mountain peaks. Above the coast 2.5km (11⁄2 miles) southwest of Kamiros (p. 213) is the late 15th-century knights’ castle of Kastellos (Kritinia Castle), a romantic ruin perched high above the sea that usually attracts a sunset-viewing crowd. It’s a 50km (30-mile) trip out from Rhodes Town; visitors are free to wander around this open site.

From there a winding road leads inland 13km (8 miles) up the stony flanks of the island’s highest mountain, Attaviros (1,196m/3,923 ft.) to Embonas, the wine capital of Rhodes. Winemaking on the island goes back to the Phoenicians, and the bucolic village is surrounded by vineyards. The esteemed Emery Winery ( 22410/29111) and other shops sell such local varieties as Mandilaria and Athiri, and tavernas welcome tour groups with meat-heavy barbecues accompanied by live music and folklore performances. A 15km (9-mile) drive southwest takes you to another picturesque village, Siana, nestled on the mountain’s southern slopes. Stands along the road sell the village’s famously fragrant honey and a sweet but potent wine that goes down all too easily—if you’re doing the driving, sample the wares gingerly.

Drive southwest another 6.6km (4 miles) to Monolithos, a spectacularly sited crusader castle perched atop a rocky outcropping on a coastal mountain. A steep path leads up to the stony ruins, where the ramparts provide an eagle’s-eye view of the coast. At the foot of the mountain (5km/3 miles southeast), you can end your drive by relaxing on a nice beach at Fourni.

Thermes Kallithea

HISTORIC SITE Praised for their therapeutic qualities by Hippocrates, the curative springs at Thermi Kallithea attracted visitors through the Middle Ages. The place was then forgotten and abandoned until the 1920s, when the Italians restored it as a classic curative spa, erecting an exotic complex of buildings in what is best described as an Arabic/Art Deco style. After World War II Kallithea was once again abandoned until the late 1990s, when work began on a complete restoration of its beautiful structures. You can’t soak these days, but a small bay alongside the complex is ideal for swimming and snorkeling, and you can stroll along garden paths and through the airy seaside pavilions, contemplating the history of such an unexpected place. Another, quieter beach is nestled amid the rocks just south of the entrance.

Off Kallithea Ave., 9km (6 mi) SE of Rhodes Town; 5km (3 mi) NE of Faliraki. www.kallitheasprings.gr.

22410/65691. Admission 3€. May–Oct 8am–8pm; Nov–Apr 8am–5pm.

The east coast beaches south of Lindos, from Lardos Bay to Plimmiri (26km/16 miles in all), are the best on Rhodes, especially the long line of sand between Lahania and Plimmiri. Some stretches at Lahania

are relatively deserted and backed by dunes. Plimmiri

is especially picturesque, with soft sands skirting a bay that’s ideal for swimming. At the southernmost tip of the island, off-the-beaten-track Prasonisi (Green Island)

, connected to the main island by a narrow sandy isthmus, has waves and world-class windsurfing on one side and calm waters on the other.

In Rhodes Town, the place for a dip is Elli beach

, where the waves almost lap up against the walls surrounding the Old Town. The shoreline is pebbly and almost always crowded, but that doesn’t deter hordes of beachgoers, eager to get into the sea so close to town. The island’s most popular and developed beach resort, Faliraki beach

, 9km (6 miles) south of Rhodes Town with frequent bus service, offers every vacation distraction imaginable, from bungee jumping to laser clay shooting. For families with kids in tow, there is a water park and a Disneyland-type amusement park, the Magic Castle. The southern end of the beach is less crowded and frequented by nude bathers.

To the south are a number of sandy, sheltered beaches with relatively little development, including Anthony Quinn Bay

, 4km (21⁄2 miles) south of Faliraki, named for the American actor who bought up a large part of this coastline when he filmed The Guns of Navaronne on Rhodes in 1961. The clear, emerald green bay, surrounded by rock formations, is much visited, with bus service from Rhodes, and especially popular with snorkelers.

In Old Town, Sokratous was once the Turkish bazaar, and it still seems to be one, with many shops selling Turkish leather goods. (Note: Most of these shops close in late November and don’t reopen until March.) Antiquity buffs should drop by the Ministry of Culture Museum Reproduction Shop, on Plateia Simi, which has an enticing selection of well-made reproductions of ancient sculptures, friezes, and tiles. True antiques—furniture, carpets, porcelain, and paintings—can be found at Kalogirou Art, 30 Panetiou, in a wonderful old building with a pebble-mosaic floor and an exotic banana-tree garden, opposite the entrance to the Palace of the Grand Masters.

Rhodian wine has a fine reputation, and, on weekdays, you can visit two distinguished island wineries: C.A.I.R., 20km (12 miles) outside of Rhodes Town, on the way to Lindos at 20 Chlom Leoforos, Rodu Lindou (www.cair.gr;

22410/68770); and Emery (

22410/29111) in the village of Embonas (see p. 214). Another distinctive product of Rhodes is a rare honey, made by bees who feed exclusively on thimati (an herb like oregano); a prime place to buy this is the village of Siana (see p. 214), where it’s sold out of private homes and at roadside stands. Rhodes is also famed for handmade carpets and kilims, a legacy of centuries of Ottoman occupation. Some 40 women around the island still make carpets in their homes; some monasteries are also involved. In the Old Town, Rhodian handmade carpets and kilims are sold at Royal Carpet, at 33 Apellou.

Many cafes and bars stay open late, or even all night. In the Old Town, bars are clustered around Arionos Square; in the New Town, check out Orfanidou Street. It’s hard for even non-gamblers to resist stepping inside Casino Rodos, in the Grande Albergo Delle Rose Hotel on Papanikolaou Street (www.casinorodos.gr;

22410/97500), a plush gaming space housed in an Arab-Byzantine fantasy palace built by the Italians in the early 20th century. Games include American roulette, blackjack, casino stud poker, and, of course, slot machines. The casino is open around the clock, and admission is free. Patrons must be 21 years old and sport respectable daywear until 7pm, smart casual attire after that time.

Tiny, rugged Symi is often called “the jewel of the Dodecanese.” Many other places are called “jewels” of this or that, yet as you sail into beautiful Yialos harbor, the claim really does seem to apply. Pastel-colored houses and gracious mansions line the broad horseshoe-shaped harbor, reminders of the island’s shipbuilding and sponge-fishing heydays.

Outside of this picturesque port, and the similarly scenic old capital of Horio on a ridge above, this small island has very little settlement. There’s a welcome absence of any buildings that aren’t traditional (most are neoclassical), and a near-dearth of car traffic on the island; a tiny road network means the only way to get around is by boat or on foot. Sights are few and far between, too—aside from churches, that is. Amid rugged landscapes where sparkling blue waters wash against a rocky coast backed by pine forests, you’ll find so many little chapels and remote monasteries, including the famous one at Panormitis, that islanders claim you can worship in a different sanctuary every day of the year.

Escape to halki

When Rhodes seems a bit too cosmopolitan, make the short ferry crossing to little Halki island, off the west coast. Just 6 miles long and 2 miles wide, Halki has just one settlement, Nimporio, a colorful collection of houses and a few cafes strung alongside a harbor full of fishing boats, bobbing in the shadow of a church bell tower. In Nimporio you’ll probably notice racks of homemade pasta drying in the sun; don’t leave the island without trying this local specialty, makarounes, served with feta and caramelized onions (you’ll find it most days at waterfront Lefkosia, 0698/83202997). The sandy beach at Pondamos is only a 10-minute stroll from town; for a little more seclusion, you can trek a mile or so to the beach at Kania. Ancient mule paths lead to the island’s few sights: The ruins of Horio, onetime capital, huddles beneath a castle built by the knights of St. John, and some little chapels and the monastery of Agios Ionnis sit in lonely splendor amid the arid landscape. Local ferries operate several times a day in season from Kamiros Scala on the west coast of Rhodes; the 75-minute crossing costs about 15€ each way. (Buses from Rhodes Town to Kamiros Skala run two or three times a day; it’s a half-hour taxi ride, costing about 35€.) Dodekanisos Seaways (www.12ne.gr) also runs a Halki–Rhodes Town route twice a week in summer, and ferries operated by Anek (www.anek.gr) sometimes call at Halki on trips between Piraeus and Rhodes.

It’s a credit to the island’s allure that many descendants of Symoites who once emigrated have returned, and the island’s picture-perfect houses have become cherished retreats for Athenians and other Europeans. Symi provides a welcome tonic from the crowds on Rhodes—it’s a favorite spot for travelers who want to get away from it all without leaving all the sophisticated comforts behind.

ARRIVING A car ferry runs daily in season to Symi from Athens’ port, Piraeus. However, many (if not most) visitors to Symi arrive on an hourlong boat ride from Rhodes, most operated by Dodekanisos Seaways (www.12ne.gr). Symi is a popular spot for daytrip excursions from Mandraki Harbor (see p. 209).

VISITOR INFORMATION Symi does not have an official tourist office, but long-established Kalodoukas Holidays (www.kalodoukas.gr;

22410/71077) can help with everything from booking accommodations to chartering a boat. Its office, at the base of the stairway to Horio, is open Monday through Saturday 9am to 1pm and 5 to 9pm. The agency offers many excursions during the summer.

How the Locals Beat the Heat

Visitors should be aware that Symi has no natural source of water and is dependent on a small desalination plant. Conservation is key. Symi is also one of the hottest places in Greece during the summer—come prepared with a hat, sunscreen, and a willingness to settle into a long siesta in the heat of the day. Symi’s distinctive houses are designed to accommodate this heat and lack of water, built with high walls atop a cistern and roofed with ceramic tiles. Pipes from the roof channel water to the cistern during rainy periods; cool air from the pool is then channeled through vents between the floors that allow hot air to rise up and out of the roof.

GETTING AROUND Symi’s main, and just about only, road leads to Pedi, a beach village one cove east of Yialos, and up to Horio, the old capital. In season, buses leave hourly from Yilaos for Pedi from 8am until 11pm, stopping at Horio en route (fare 1€). Taxis at the harborfront charge 10€ to Horio and 12€ to Pedi. Mopeds are available, but due to the limited roads, you’ll do better relying on public transportation and your own two feet. Many of the island’s 4,000 daily visitors rely on excursion boats that stop at Panormitis Monastery or at Pedi beach. Caiques (converted fishing boats) shuttle people to various beaches, with prices ranging from 10€ to 20€, depending on distance.

Hotel Aliki

A grand Italianate sea captain’s mansion from 1895 whisks guests back to Symi’s heyday, with high-ceilinged lounges and homey guest rooms where antiques sit on slightly creaky but highly polished floors. The waters of the port practically wash up against the front door, and many of the charming rooms and suites have sea views—as does a terrace above the rooftop garden. The Aliki is a popular overnight getaway from Rhodes; reservations are a must.

Akti Gennimata, Yialos. www.symi-hotel-aliki.gr.

22460/71665. 15 units. 100€–150€ double. Rates include buffet breakfast. Amenities: Bar; restaurant; Wi-Fi (free). Closed mid-Nov–Mar.

Hotel Nireus

A shaded cafe terrace, sunning dock, and swimming area compensate for pleasant but blandly contemporary-style rooms behind a Symiot-style facade on the waterfront. If you get one of the sea-facing rooms, especially one with a balcony, you can set your sights on island life unfolding along the harbor and you won’t care about the décor anyway. A prime location and many amenities make this a favorite for vacationing Greeks, so reserve well in advance.

Akti Gennimata, Yialos. www.nireus-hotel.gr.

22460/72-400. 35 units. 90€–130€ double. Rates include buffet breakfast. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; Wi-Fi (free). Closed Nov–Easter.

Hotel Nirides

For a bit of tranquil seclusion with many conveniences, this small cluster of apartments, surrounded by pine trees and flowers on a rise overlooking Nimborios Bay, is a perfect spot. Commodious apartments have kitchenettes and separate bedrooms and surround a pleasant terrace where drinks and informal meals are served; most units have their own terrace or balcony. The one-taverna village of Nimborios, with a pristine beach, is just down the road, and it’s a 20-minute walk along the coast to Yialos (with many swimming coves below), with bikes also available at the hotel for the trip. Keep in mind, though, that many taxi drivers on the island refuse to drive on the rough road to Nimborios; if you arrive at the port and need a lift, one of the staff will pick you up, but this is not a good choice for travelers who can’t get around without a car.

Nimborios Bay. www.niriideshotel.com.

22460/71784. 11 units. 100€–165€ double. Rates include breakfast. Amenities: Cafe/bar; bikes; Wi-Fi (free). Closed Nov–Mar.

The Old Markets

Symi’s 19th-century sponge-trading halls and a captain’s mansion across the road provide some of the island’s most comfortable and atmospheric lodgings. Stone walls, arches, mosaic floors, and handsome woodwork show off the landmark’s provenance, while modern touches include sumptuous bathrooms and a small swimming pool. Drinks, and meals on request, are served on the waterside terrace overlooking the harbor.

Yialos harbor. www.theoldmarkets.com.

22460/71440. 10 units. 200€–495€ double. Rates include buffet breakfast. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; pool; Wi-Fi (free). Closed late Oct–Apr.

The island serves a bounty of seafood, including the local specialty, Symiako Garidaki: baby shrimp simmered for just a few seconds in olive oil and garlic, eaten whole with skins on and a squeeze of lemon.

Giorgios and Maria Taverna

GREEK A simple whitewashed room opening to a vine-shaded terrace is the mainstay of social life in Horio, Meals are as traditional as the surroundings, often accompanied by impromptu music provided by one of the villagers. A big selection of mezedes can furnish a meal in themselves, though fresh fish and delicious kebabs come off the grill.

Horio.

22460/71984. Main courses 8€–15€. Daily 12:30–3pm and 6:30–midnight.

Tholos

GREEK/SEAFOOD Stuffed vine leaves and simply grilled sea bream and other fresh seafood taste all the better in this perfect setting—on a promontory at the far end of the harbor, with the open sea spreading out to one side and the colorful town to the other. These waterside tables (some so close to water’s edge that it’s probably wise to limit your alcohol intake) are at a premium during the summer season, so reserve well in advance to ensure you get one.

Yialos harbor.

22460/72033. Main courses 8€–15€. Daily noon–3:30pm and 6:30pm–12:30am.

Live Like a Monk

The spartan accommodations at Taxiarchis Mihail Panormitis Monastery (p. 221) are especially popular with Athenians and other urbanites looking to spend a few days with nothing to do but swim and take long walks. Some basic units share outdoor toilets, while others have indoor plumbing and kitchenettes. Prices range from 20€ to 75€. Call the guest office ( 22410/72-414) to book accommodations; it’s open daily 9am to 2:30pm from April to October, when the guest houses are often fully booked. In winter, the office is irregularly tended, but you can usually find a room if you just show up, except during the popular Feast of Archangel Mihaili (November 8).

Vasilis

GREEK/MEDITERRANEAN Think that Greek island fare is predictable? Spend time on this lively terrace just off the town square in Yialos. Fresh Symi shrimps are served in many different ways (best when broiled with tomatoes, feta, and herbs), and fresh fish is simply grilled or paired with other seafood in pastas. Vasilis disproves the rule that a kitchen can’t master both seafood and meat; anything that comes off the grill here (even vegetables) is delicious.

Yialos.

22460/71753. Main courses 9€–18€. Daily 10am–2am. Closed Nov–Apr.

In Yialos, the ground floors of colorful waterside mansions are occupied by cafes, with shady terraces for lazy lingering watching boats bob in the harbor. Just behind the quay, 375 or so wide stone steps—known as the Kali Strata (the Good Steps)—ascend to whitewashed Horio, the old town and erstwhile island capital. (One recent innovation is a paved road, along which taxis, cars, motorbikes, and a bus chug up to Horio, much to the relief of villagers who have counted those stone steps one too many times.) By the late 19th century, Horio had been eclipsed by the port below, but day-to-day business on little lanes and shady squares still goes on as it has for centuries, providing a glimpse of island life that is long departed in other parts of Greece. Old women sweep the stone paths outside their homes, and occasionally a young boy or very old man can be seen retouching the neon-blue trim over doorways and shutters. At the top, donkey is still the means of transport for carting goods around the village.

Archaeological and Folklore Museum

MUSEUM Two neoclassical houses on the narrow lanes of Horio are the repository for some fairly routine ancient sculpture that doesn’t do justice to the island’s ancient distinction. (Even Homer talks about Symi, home to beautiful King Nireus—the second-most handsome Greek man after Achilles—who sailed from Symi with three ships to join the Greeks in the Trojan War.) Most engaging are island weavings and other handicrafts, and a replica of an old Symiot house, its living and kitchen arrangements still typical of the surrounding dwellings. The English-speaking staff is usually eager to share the history of the island, which as recently as a century ago had up to 20,000 inhabitants, compared to about 2,500 today.

Taxiarchis Mihail Panormitis Monastery

MONASTERY Tucked away on Symi’s hilly, green southwestern corner is this unexpectedly grand white-washed compound dedicated to the patron saint of seafaring Greeks. The monastery, with a tall bell tower visible from miles away at sea, is still popular with Greeks as a place of pilgrimage and a refuge from modern life. A storied past of providing solace for sailors comes to light in the charming museum, where wooden ship models line the shelves next to centuries-old glass bottles stuffed with bank notes, all left to beseech the patron for deliverance from the perils of the sea. Legend has it that many of the bottles miraculously washed up on the beach at the foot of the monastery, just as the faithful intended. Opening off a courtyard paved in black-and-white pebbles, a heavily frescoed church and chapels are filled with icons, including one of Michael and the archangel Gabriel adorned in silver and jewels. Entrance fees support the almshouse in the surrounding settlement, which provides shelter for the elderly. A tiny settlement of houses, a few shops, and a tavern just outside the monastery gates comes alive during the November 8 Feast of Archangel Mihaili. Panormitis is a popular summer destination; visitors arrive by excursion boat, twice-a-day buses from Yialos and Horio, or a fairly strenuous 6-hour hike across the countryside. If you walk, time your excursion to avoid the heat of the day and follow it up with a refreshing swim in Panormitis Bay.

Panormitis. www.imsymis.org.

22460/71581. Admission 2€. Monastery: daily 7am–8pm. Museum: Apr–Oct daily 8:30am–1pm and 3–4pm.

Beaches are not the main draw on Symi, yet there are many good places to get into the water. Closest to Yialos are Nos

, a 15m-long (50-ft.) rocky stretch, and Nimborios

, a 20-minute walk along the shoreline. A bus to Pedi, followed by a short walk, takes you to St. Nikolaos beach

, with shady trees, or to St. Marina

, a small beach with little shade but turquoise waters. In season, boat taxis leave Yialos hourly for several beaches, returning in the evening. Boat is the only way to reach the beautiful isolated beaches at Nanou Bay

, Marathounda

, and St. George’s Bay

, a stop on some day excursions from Rhodes

Given Symi’s long tradition of sponge diving, you probably won’t want to leave without a natural sponge. Venerable waterfront shops Dinos (

22460/71940) and the Aegean Sponge Centre (

22460/71620) sell wares for daily use as well as some that are just too beautiful to use for anything other than to decorate the bathroom. Aegean also gives fascinating presentations on sponge diving.

In many ways, Kos is paradise. Miles and miles of golden sand ring the coastline. Oleander and scented pines carpet landscapes that climb from a fertile plain into rugged mountains. A formidable 14th-century knight’s castle overlooks the pretty waterfront capital, where ancient ruins seem to be laid out at your feet wherever you stroll. The most evocative ancient remnants are those outside town at the Asklepieion, the great healing center of antiquity that carried on the tradition of Hippocrates, who was born on Kos in the 5th century b.c. and taught here.

None of this history and beauty, of course, has gone unnoticed. While Kos is rich in sights, fine beaches, and sea-and-mountain scenery, the coastal plain has been zealously overbuilt as the island has wholeheartedly embraced package tourism, providing northern Europeans with all-inclusive weeks in the sun. You won’t find much authentic Greek island life on Kos, unless you go off the beaten path into the mountains, but the islanders are warm and welcoming, and justifiably proud of the natural beauty that surrounds them.

ARRIVING Hippocrates International Airport (www.kosairportguide.com;

22420/51229) is served by Aegean Airlines (www.aegeanair.com), Olympic Airways (www.olympicairlines.com), and Sky Express (www.skyexpress.gr), with several flights a day to and from Athens in season, as well as seasonal service to and from Rhodes, Crete, and other islands. In summer Air Berlin, British Airways, EasyJet, Ryanair, and many other European carriers fly in and out of Kos from cities across the Continent. From outside the airport entrance, a public bus will take you the 26km (16 miles) to Kos Town for 8€, or you can take a taxi for about 25€; bus service also connects the airport with the resort towns of Kardamina, Kefalos, and Mastichari.

Ferries link Kos with Piraeus and Rhodes, as well Bodrum, Turkey, with most boats operated by Blue Star Ferries (bluestarferries.gr;

210/8919800). Kos is also linked to other islands in the Dodecanese by high-speed boats, with fairly frequent service in the summer season; the major operator is Dodekanisos Seaways (www.12ne.gr).

VISITOR INFORMATION Kos harbor is strewn with travel agents, who can assist you with boat and plane tickets and provide information about sights and excursions. An excellent online reference is www.kosinfo.gr. The tourist police (

22420/22-444), across from the castle, are available 24 hours to address any outstanding need or emergency, even trouble in finding a room.

GETTING AROUND KTEL buses (www.ktel-kos.gr) travel between Kos Town and Antimachia, Kardamina, Kefalos, Marmari, Mastichari, Pili, Tigaki, and Zia; fares range between 2.10€ one-way to Tigaki and 4.80€ to Kefalos. The island bus station is at 7 Kleopatras (

22420/22-292). Open-air tourist trains loop around town, leaving from the harbor, for a fairly steep fare of 7€; most everything on the routes can just as easily be seen on a leisurely walk, but it may be worth the fare to take the 15-minute trip out to the Asklepeion, saving you the walk in the heat. During the summer season, trains leave from the harbor Tuesday through Sunday, every 15 minutes between 9am and 6pm.

This is a congenial island for cyclists. Much of the coastal plain of Kos is quite flat, and aside from the main road from Kos town to Kefalos, roads are generally lightly traveled and well-suited to safe cycling. Bike paths wind through Kos Town and its surroundings. Rentals are available throughout Kos Town and can usually be arranged through hotels, which also often offer bikes for free. Prices range from 10€ to 15€ per day. Escape, V. Georgiou 12 (

22420/29620), rents bicycles and scooters.

It’s easy to rent a car, motorbike, or all-terrain vehicle through your hotel or any of several agencies around the harbor. Car rentals cost about 40€ a day in high season, and rentals for motorbikes and all-terrain vehicles range from 25€ to 40€. Autoway (www.autowaykos.gr;

22420/25326) is a reliable source for cars; the main office is at the airport but they will deliver a car anywhere on the island.

For a taxi, drop by or call the harbor taxi stand beneath the minaret and across from the castle (

22420/23-333 or 22420/27-777). All Kos drivers are required to know English.

tours Dozens of tour boats moored along Kos Town’s inner harbor offer sunset cruises and all manner of other day trips. Tours aboard the jaunty wooden boats Christina and Katerina are especially popular. Most rewarding are the cruises visiting the three islands Kalymnos, Pserimos, and Plati: Itineraries usually include stops for swimming on tiny Pserimos and Plati and some shore time in Pothia, the colorful capital of Kalymnos. From the deck you’ll also catch a glimpse of the cliffs and gorges that make Kalymnos popular with rock climbers. Trips depart between 9am and 10am and return around 6pm; they usually include lunch so are a very good value at about 25€. Book by walking along the waterfront and talking to the eager crews; it’s best to secure a space the evening before the trip.

Kos is littered with hundreds of purpose-built resort hotels, offering varying degrees of comfort. Some are extremely luxurious and loaded with amenities; many cater to tourists on all-inclusive packages that include airfare, hotel accommodation, and meals, though most of these properties also welcome independent travelers if rooms are available. Rooms will appear on booking.com and other booking engines. Be aware, however, of what you’re getting into before you commit to a stay. At many of these properties, you will be surrounded by often-boisterous partiers more interested in fun and sun than in sightseeing and local culture. These hotels are often located outside town centers, so you’ll need a car or motorbike to get anywhere, and despite the word “beach” in many of their names, they’re often quite far from the water, often in a field alongside a back road—check location and transport options carefully. Since many were hastily built, attention to good design, including soundproofing, might be minimal.

Aqua Blu

On Lambi Beach just outside Kos Town, the best hotel on Kos combines chic contemporary design with comfort, intimacy, and elegance. A sensational pool terrace merges seamlessly with handsome lounges, while guest rooms are design statements set up to pamper guests with sea views and terraces. You’ll find fireplaces and private pools in some, and a wealth of built-ins and sleek bathrooms in all. Yet somehow the glossy surroundings don’t dampen the staff’s down-to-earth hospitality and close eye to detail. Amenities include a hedonistic spa and a strip of private beach across the road.

Lambi Beach. www.aquabluhotel.gr.

22420/22440. 51 units. 175€–350€ double. Amenities: 2 restaurants; 2 bars; pool; spa; bikes; Wi-Fi (free). Closed mid-Oct–late Apr.

Grecotel Kos Imperial Thalasso

Kos has many all-inclusive resorts, geared mostly to visitors who fly in from Northern Europe, plunk themselves down in a beach chair, and never leave the grounds. This sprawling, attractive resort on a garden-filled hillside above Psalidi Beach just east of Kos Town is the island’s best-equipped hideaway, with a long list of amenities that includes dozens of swimming pools and artificial lagoons laced around the grounds; for good measure, some of the waters are said to be therapeutic. Guest rooms are large and gracious, and most have indoor/outdoor living rooms that open to shady lawns. When swimming and lounging aren’t enough, the beach is a launching pad for waterskiing, snorkeling, jet-skiing, and every other watersport imaginable.

Psalidi. www.kosimperial.com.

22420/58000. 330 units. 200€–250€ double. Rates include buffet breakfast; rates with all meals also available. Amenities: 3 restaurants; 2 bars; room service; swimming pools; spa; beach; watersports; Wi-Fi (free). Closed mid-Oct–late Apr.

Kos Aktis Art Hotel

A pool is one of very few amenities lacking at this chic harborside spot at the edge of Old Town, though that doesn’t mean you’ll be aquatically deprived. Sea views fill each of the chic, contemporary rooms that hang over the water with glass-fronted balconies; even the bathrooms seem to float in the blue Aegean, as sliding panels open to minimalist bedrooms enlivened with sea murals that mimic the blue waters beyond. If you can’t resist diving in, a nice pebble beach fronts the property. The sleek restaurant downstairs is built around a reflecting pool and appropriately named H2O.

Vas. Georgiou 7. www.kosaktis.gr.

22420/47200. 42 units. 140€–195€ double. Rates include buffet breakfast. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; beach; use of nearby spa and fitness center; Wi-Fi (free).

Hotel Afendoulis

Nowhere in Kos do you receive so much for so little as you do in these sparkling, bright rooms nestled in a gracious residential neighborhood, a few hundred yards from the water and less than 10 minutes on foot from the center of Kos Town. Rooms are of the old-fashioned Greek pension variety, with simple, traditional furnishings and cramped bathrooms, but most have private balconies, many have views of the sea, and downstairs is a jasmine-scented garden shaded by arbors. If you are coming to Kos to bask in luxury, go elsewhere, but that would mean missing out on the hospitality of Alexis Zikas and his family, whose friendly attention turns a stay into a memorable experience. Beer, wine, and soft drinks are available at an honor bar in the welcoming lobby, and an excellent breakfast, including the family’s homemade jams, is available for a small fee and not to be missed.

Evrepilou 1, Kos Town.

22420/25321. 23 units. 30€–50€ double, breakfast extra. Amenities: Bar; laundry; Wi-Fi (free). Closed mid-Oct–mid-Apr.

Sonia City Hotel

This former family home across from the Roman agora has been converted to a pension in crisp, contemporary style, and while the old house has lost a lot of its parquet-rich character, the clean-lined, neutral-toned furnishings are soothing and bathrooms are sparkling. Most of the airy, high-ceilinged rooms open to a veranda and share an attractive garden in the rear, and many look across the old town toward the port and Castle of the Knights.

Irodotou 9, Kos Town. www.hotelsonia.gr.

22420/28798. 12 units. 60€–80€ double. Rates include breakfast. Amenities: Garden; refrigerators; Wi-Fi (free).

Petrino

GREEK A longtime Kos favorite, this 150-year-old, two-story stone (petrino) house serves food worthy of its reputation, plus gracious and friendly service extended by three brothers and their well-trained staff. Summertime visitors sit outside on a three-level terrace filled with extravagant plantings and statuary, overlooking the ancient agora; in winter, service moves inside to cozy parlors. Many diners see no need to go beyond the huge menu of mezes—stuffed peppers and figs, grilled octopus, shrimps in ouzo, beki meze (marinated pork), and other favorites—but venture further and you’ll be treated to moussaka and other Greek taverna specialties, as well as what’s said to be the island’s best filet mignon. More than 50 carefully selected wines, all Greek, line the cellar—the dry red kalliga from Kefalonia is exceptional.

Plateia Theologou 1 (abutting east end of agora). www.petrino-kos.gr.

22420/27251. Main courses 10€–55€. Daily noon–midnight.

O Makis

SEAFOOD Several seafood tavernas surround the port in Mastichari, but this shady terrace just off the seafront is such an institution that islanders refer to it simply as the “place to go for fish.” Several generations have been selecting the fresh catch and seafood right off the boats for decades, and they serve the bounty simply grilled and in a few simple preparations, including a shrimp saganaki that’s a house specialty (with fresh feta and tomatoes) accompanied by fresh vegetables from the garden. A platter of fresh squid and octopus, washed down with local white wine from vineyards on the nearby hillsides, might be your most memorable meal on the island.

Taverna Ampavris

GREEK One of the best tavernas on Kos is on the southern fringes of the bustling town center, in a 130-year-old house down a quiet lane. The rustic courtyard is the setting for meals based on local dishes from Kos and the surrounding islands. The salamura, from Kefalos, is mouthwatering pork stewed with onions and coriander; the lahano dolmades (stuffed cabbage with rice, minced meat, and herbs) is delicate, light, and not at all oily; and the faskebab (veal stew on rice) is tender and lean. Fresh-from-the garden vegetable dishes, such as the broad string beans cooked and served cold in garlic and olive-oil dressing, are out of this world.

Ampavris. www.ampavris.gr.

22420/25696. Main courses 8€–18€. Daily 5:30pm–1am. Closed Nov–Mar.

Taverna Mavromatis

GREEK In the Mavromati brothers’ 40-year-old vine- and geranium-covered beachside taverna on the beachfront east of the center of Kos Town, you may eat the sort of meal that probably brought you to Greece: melt-in-your-mouth saganaki (grilled halloumi cheese), mint- and garlic-spiced sousoutakia (meatballs in red sauce), tender grilled lamb chops, moist beef souvlaki, and perfectly grilled fresh fish. The setting is as satisfying as the food—in summer seating spills out to the beach, where you’ll sit only a few feet from the water, watching the sunset and gazing at the nearby Turkish coast. A dinner here can be quite magical, something locals know very well, so arrive early or reserve to ensure a spot by the water. It’s a 20-minute walk or easy bike ride southeast of the ferry port, or you can get there on the local Psalidi Beach bus.

Vasileos Georgiou V, Psalidi beach. www.mavromatisrestaurant.gr.

22420/22433. Main courses 6€–20€. Daily 9am–11pm.

Taverna Olympia

GREEK Sprawling terraces, roof gardens, and balconies perched at the edge of Zia look poised to reel in the tourist trade, but this decades-old island favorite is a top choice for family celebrations or just a leisurely meal in the mountain air. The scent of pine, cool breezes, and views across the coastal plain far below to the Aegean are backdrops for an extensive menu that ranges through excellent salads, mixed grills, and hearty stews, served with warmth that enhances a festive mood.

Zia. www.olympia-zia.gr.

22420/69254. Main courses 7€–20€. Daily 10am–11:15pm.

Ampeli

GREEK Like many Kos seaside towns, Tigaki has a hastily built and scrappy look, though many of its hotels and tavernas front a beautiful sandy beach. To the east, however, seaside orchards and fields take over, and tucked among them is this hideaway down a garden path in a vineyard. The house wine, not surprisingly, is good, vegetables are right out of the garden, and you can taste the freshness even in the moussaka, stews, and other dishes. Take note, though, that the staff seems to fall under the relaxed mood of the place; service can be slow.

Tigaki, off the beach road east of town. www.ampelirestaurant.gr.

22420/69682. Main courses 8€–15€. Daily noon–midnight.

Arap

GREEK/TURKISH South of Kos Town on the road to the Asklepion, Platinos has many Greek-Turkish residents, and several tavernas here specialize in a delicious and spicy fusion cuisine. The menu served on this airy terrace is a fine introduction to the tradition, right down to the Greek-Turkish music on the sound system. Dolmadakia (stuffed vine leaves), bourekakia (little pies stuffed with meat and cheeses), grilled kebabs, and other small plates are meals in themselves, followed up with a long list of daily specials, often Pasha’s spaghetti, a spicy concoction of minced meat, tomatoes, and herbs. This is a prime spot for lunch combined with a visit to the Asklepion. Cash only.

Platinos square, Platinos.

22420/28442. Small plates 5€–8€. Daily 11am–midnight.

Pote Tin Kyriaki

GREEK The name means “Never on Sunday,” as in the Melina Mercouri classic film, and true to the word, that’s the only evening this busy little neighborhood favorite doesn’t do a brisk business well into the wee hours. A mezes-only (small plates) menu includes dolmades and all the other standards, so well done you’ll wish you were dining with a large crowd so you could sample everything that comes out of the kitchen. Though the little lane is just south of the center it can be hard to find; keep your eye on the nearby Eski Cami mosque tower.

Looming over the harbor, the Castle of the Knights was constructed by the Knights of St. John (see p. 209) in the 15th century and fell to the Turks in 1522. What you see today, however, is merely a hollow shell—it’s best just to stand back and admire from a distance this massive reminder of the vigilance that has been a part of life in Kos from prehistory to the present.

hippocrates Under the Plane Tree

Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, was born on Kos to a physician around 460 b.c., Inducted into the cult or teachings of the Asclepiads (physicians) at an early age, he also studied philosophy, rhetoric, and the sciences and learned the theories of Pythagoras. He traveled to Asia Minor, Egypt, Libya, Thrace, and Macedonia in pursuit of knowledge, and became renowned when he is said to have delivered Athens from a cholera epidemic. An ardent teacher and practitioner, he attracted the ill and infirm to Kos from throughout the ancient world. Under the shade of a plane tree in Platanou Square he allegedly expounded upon the arts of empirical medicine and its attending moral responsibilities. (Among his prolific writings is the Hippocratic oath, still a code of conduct for doctors today.) Little matter that the tree that grows today is at best a few centuries old, and that Hippocrates—who allegedly lived to the ripe old age of 104—is recorded as teaching not here but at ancient Astypalatia on the far western end of the island. This legendary tree presents a romance-infused scene, as does the adjacent Ottoman-era Loggia Mosque of Hassan Pasha.

Kos town is strewn with archaeological sites, scattered amid the streets. Intermittently, steps lead into the excavations, where the curious can wander freely (and for free) amid scattered columns and building blocks. The ruins of the ancient Greek agora and some section of the walls of the classical city lie across a bridge from Platanou Square. To the southwest, in the so-called West Excavations, an ancient road leads past some 3rd-century-a.d. mosaics, including a depiction of Jupiter raping Europa, and columns marking the portico of a 2nd-century-b.c, gymnasium. The senate met in the nearby Odeon, a small 2nd-century-a.d. theater, with 18 remaining rows of seats. It was once thought that the Nymphaion was a sanctuary to the nymphs, though its elaborate arches enclose what now appears to have been a public lavatory.

Asklepeion

ANCIENT SITE The mecca of modern Western medicine occupies an elevated site with grand views of Kos town, the sea, and the Turkish coastline. This first medical school of the western world—named for Asclepius, the Greek god of healing—was established here shortly after the death of Hippocrates (see box, p. 227); healing continued here until the end of the Roman Empire. Temples to Asclepius stand on the middle and topmost of the three terraces, while an allegedly curative spring still gushes forth on the lower terrace below. A grand central staircase ascends from the lower terrace, also the venue for the Asklepieion Festivals, where games, dancing, and sacrifices paid homage to the god. Clearly, physicians were consulted and higher powers invoked in equal measure. About half a mile down the road from the ruins, the International Hippocratic Foundation (www.ihfk.gr;

22420/22131) has planted a medicinal herb garden containing 158 of the 254 healing species cited by Hippocrates; open the door into the front garden and follow the signs. It’s usually open Monday through Friday from 10am to 1pm and admission is 3€.

Located 4km (21⁄2 mi) SW of Kos Town.

22420/28763. Admission 8€ adults, free for ages 16 and under. Apr–Oct daily 8am–8pm, Nov–Mar daily 8am–3pm. Tourist trains from Kos Town harbor run Tues–Sun 9am–6pm (every 15 min.); round-trip fare 7€.

Casa Romana

ANCIENT SITE The largest Roman villa in Greece, with 37 rooms surrounding three atria, was built and rebuilt over the centuries. What you see today is from the 3rd century a.d. Enough lavish mosaics, frescoes, marble paving, and fountains remain to suggest the high-flying lifestyle of the elite of the time in this city where the arts, science, and commerce flourished for centuries.

Leoforos Grigoriou. odysseus.culture.gr.

22420/23234. Admission 6€. Tues–Sun 8am–8pm (until 3pm in winter).

Kos Archaeological Museum

MUSEUM The Italians established this collection of Greek and Roman sculptures and mosaics in the 1930s to display their finds from around the island. The 1935 fascist-era surroundings are as much an attraction as the ancient bits and pieces, the most intriguing of which are from the Asklepeion (p. 228). Among these is a 3rd-century Roman mosaic showing Hippocrates and Pan welcoming Asclepius, the god of healing, to Kos, the birthplace of Western medicine.

Plateia Eleftherias (across from municipal market). odysseus.culture.gr.

22420/24776. Admission 6€ adults, 3€ students, ages 16 and under free. Wed–Mon 8am–8pm.

Though you won’t be aware of it from the poolsides of resort hotels, much of Kos is agricultural, with fields and orchards carpeting the fertile coastal plains. The island is known for almonds and figs, and cows graze everywhere—it’s not unusual to see a herd munching on grasses next to a modern hotel complex—while verdant, aromatic upland forests and mountains stretch almost the entire island’s length. To enjoy this rural scenery, you’ll need to get off the main road that bisects the island, connecting Kos Town with the airport and Kefalos in the southwest. Consider following the back roads through farms along the coast between Kos Town and Tigaki, or drop down through the mountains from Pili to Kardamaina on the southern coast.

The highest point on the island is Mount Dikeos, reaching nearly 900m (3,000 ft.). From Zipari, 9km (5 miles) southwest of Kos Town, the road climbs through stands of cypress and pines to several white-washed mountain villages on the forested flanks of Dikeos. The most appealing and animated, albeit buried in tourist shops, is Zia

, with farm stands selling honey and embroidery and wide-ranging views across the fertile coastal plains to the sea. Narrow mountain roads lead from Zia to the town of Pili, passing Palio Pili (Old Pili)

, a ruined mountainside settlement topped by a 9th- to 11th-century castle that grows so organically out of the rock, you might miss it. Wear sturdy shoes, since the walk up to the ruins is on rough stone paths, and if you want to continue up to the castle you’ll have to scramble across rocks like a mountain goat. If you don’t have a car, you can take a bus from Kos to Zia, make the walk from Zia to Pili (about 5km/3 miles), then return from Pili to Kos Town by bus.

From Pili, the road twists and turns another 10km (6 miles) south to the Castle of Antimachia

, a well-preserved 14th-century fortress that was another stronghold of the Knights of St. John (see p. 209). Not much remains within the thick walls, though the sight of the formidable castle against a backdrop of stark mountains and the views across Kos to the sea and Turkey are transporting.

Most of Kos’ 290km (180 miles) of mostly sandy coastline has been plotted and claimed, though with a little effort you may find a quiet spot. The beaches 3–5km (2–3 miles) east of Kos town are among the least congested, probably because they’re pebbled rather than sandy.

One of the island’s most relaxing beach experiences can be had at Bros Therma

, at the eastern tip of the island, 12km (71⁄2 miles) southeast of Kos Town on the coast west of Agios Fokas. Sulfurous water bubbles to the surface of a natural, boulder-enclosed pool on the beach. You can soak up therapeutic benefits—treatment of rheumatism and arthritis, among other ailments—then plunge into the cooler sea.

On the north coast, a long strip of sandy beach begins at Tigaki

, 13km (8 miles) west of Kos Town. The 10km (6 miles) of sand extends into adjacent Marmari

, and behind them are dunes, scrubby pines, and, at the south end of Tigaki, extensive salt marshes that attract migrating flamingos and other birds. If you walk beyond the resorts and umbrellas, you’ll find some relatively open patches. This north side of the island is popular for windsurfing and kitesurfing; operators along the beaches in Tigaki and Marmara rent everything you need.

The island’s most acclaimed beaches are on the southwest coast, where long rows of sunbeds and concessions face calm seas at many spots between Kardamena

and Kefalos

. Lots of watersports outfitters provide gear for those beachgoers who don’t just want to lie in the sun; Kardamena Watersports Center, at the port in Kardamena (www.koswatersports.gr;

22420/91444), is especially well equipped. Amid all the fray you can still find some quieter coves—below Agios Theologos, for example, the Vavithis family (including some repatriated from North America) operates Sunset Wave Beach

concession and restaurant, a most enjoyable place to relax and enjoy a meal. Northeast of Kefalos, a swim at Agios Stefanos

comes with water-level views of two early Christian basilicas, and Poulemi

, 10km (6 miles) north of Kefalos, is backed by dunes and miraculously undeveloped—perhaps that’s why it’s also called Magic Beach.

Tiny Patmos—only 12km (7 miles) north to south—is where St. John the Divine (a.k.a. the Theologian) spent several years in exile, dwelling in a cave and composing the Book of Revelation. From that time on, the island has been regarded as hallowed ground, and a place of pilgrimage. A magnificent monastery was established in 1088, and the island has more than 300 churches, one for every 10 residents.

Not that the people of Patmos necessarily spend their days in prayer, or expect you to. The rocky, rugged island is also a retreat for Athenians and many European visitors, who enjoy the island’s relaxed yet sophisticated atmosphere. Most Patmians live in Skala, a pleasant port town halfway up the east coast.

ARRIVING Patmos, the northernmost of the Dodecanese Islands, is well connected to other islands in the archipelago with boats operated by Dodekanisos Seaways (www.12ne.gr) and other smaller lines. The island is on the ferry line operated by Blue Star Line (www.bluestarferries.com) from Piraeus to Rhodes, but boats do not run daily; on days when boats aren’t running, you may be able to get a transfer through Kos (about a 2 hr. trip, depending on the number of stops). A.N.E. Kalymnou lines (www.anekalymnou.gr) connects Patmos with Pythagorio, on Samos (see p. 319). The island has no airport; many visitors fly to Kos and take the boat to Patmos from there.

Visitor Information Facing the main harbor square in Skala, the tourism office (

22470/31-666; open June–Aug daily 9am–10pm) shares the Italianate “municipal palace” with the post office and the tourist police (

22470/31-303), who take over when the tourism office is closed. The port police (

22470/31-231), in the first building on your left on the ferry pier, are very helpful for boat schedules. Also on the harborfront, Apollon Travel (www.travelling.gr;

22470/31-724), can book excursion boats and arrange lodging in hotels, rental houses, and apartments throughout the island. If you book your ferry tickets online, this is where you’ll pick them up. It’s open year-round from 8am to noon and 4 to 6pm, with extended summer hours.

GETTING AROUND Mopeds are definitely the vehicle of choice on Patmos. At shops lining the harbor, 1-day rentals start at around 25€ and go up to 50€. Daily car rentals in high season start about 50€, but be aware that the island has few gas stations; watch your gas tank gauge. As the island is quite small, hiring a taxi is often a cheaper option; the island’s main taxi stand is on the pier in Skala Harbor. Bus service runs between Skala, Hora, Grikos, and Kambos, with trips roughly every 2 hours (fare 1.80€; buy tickets on the bus). There’s a current schedule online at wwww.patmosbus.gr, but to be sure, check with the tourist office or find postings at bus stops around the island.

Blue Bay

A cliffside perch at the southern edge of Skala puts you within easy walking distance of ferry and bus connections, while still being far enough removed from the fray to ensure a good night’s sleep. The sense of escape is enhanced all the more by soothing views of the sea and port. Tile-floored, plainly furnished quarters are short in pizazz, but open to vista-filled verandas and share many flower-bedecked common spaces, including a breezy breakfast terrace and open-air bar.

Skala. www.bluebaypatmos.gr.

22470/31165. 27 units. 60€–90€ double. Rates include breakfast. Amenities: bar; refrigerators; Wi-Fi (free). Closed Nov–Apr.

Patmos Garden

Even on quiet Patmos you might appreciate getting away from it all in this flowery garden at the far inland edge of Skala. Handsome, well-furnished tile-floored bungalows, most with one or two bedrooms and all equipped with kitchens and comfortable outdoor spaces, are grouped around a large swimming pool. You’ll give up sea views, but most units have memorable outlooks up to Hora, which looks from here like a swash of white huddled beneath the fortresslike gray monastery. Town is a 10-minute walk away, as is the Cave of the Apocalypse, and the friendly proprietors offer transfer to and from the port. Do not confuse this place with the unaffiliated Patmos Garden Sea.

Skala.

22470/32895. 15 units. 60€–140€ double. Amenities: kitchens; bikes for rent; pool; Wi-Fi (free). Pool closed mid-Oct–late-Apr.

Petra Hotel and Apartments

The Stergiou family has created a luxurious haven on a hillside above Grikos Bay, lavishing personal attention on their guests in spacious, beautifully appointed rooms and one- and two-bedroom suites that exude island style. Most quarters have balconies or open to terraces furnished with pillowed divans for some Greek-island-style lounging. The main veranda is another gracious living space, where snacks and excellent, causal meals are served. A pool sparkles off to one side, while sandy Grikos beach is just at the bottom of the lane. The Stergious are devoted to making sure their guests enjoy the best of the island and also offer a four-bedroom villa in Horio.

Grikos. www.petrahotel-patmos.com.

22470/34-020. 13 units. 175€–275€ double. Rates include buffet breakfast. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; room service; pool; Wi-Fi (free). Closed Oct–May.

Porto Scoutari

Elina Scoutari has created her version of paradise on a hillside above the sea just outside Skala, where she attentively hosts guests in spacious, sparkling white, tile-floored accommodations embellished with nautical prints and antiques. Guest rooms, a beautifully furnished lounge filled with fine art and bibelots, and a casual dining area all face the large, deep swimming pool, surrounded by well-tended grounds. There’s also a gym and small spa, as well as a wedding chapel, in keeping with the romantic aura of this choice spot.

Outside Skala center. www.portoscoutari.com.

22470/33123. 30 units. 140€–240€ double. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; pool; spa; Wi-Fi (free). Closed Nov–Apr.

On the main square in Skala, Koumanis Bakery (

22470/32894) is the island’s favorite stop for bread, cookies, and cakes, serving cheese pies that are ideal as a light lunch.

Benetos Restaurant

MEDITERRANEAN Benetos Matthaiou and his American wife, Susan, make it their business to deliver one of the island’s nicest dining experiences, on the terrace of a Tuscan-style villa at the edge of the sea, between Skala and Grikos. Fresh ingredients come from gardens on the property and nearby waters, and show up in such dishes as shrimp in phyllo, fresh fish baked in a citrus sauce, or a simple arugula salad with shaved Parmesan. The couple spends winters in Miami, so a bit of international flair infuses the menu as well—the filet mignon, a rarity on a Greek island, is delicious. Carefully chosen wines accompany the meals, served at just 12 tables, so reservations are a must in summer season. Benetos also has a casual café in Hora (

22470/34537), serving drinks and light fare Tuesday through Sunday from 9am to midnight, from June through September.

Sapsila. benetosrestaurant.com.

22470/33089. Main courses 9€–26€. June–Sept Tues–Sun 7:30pm–midnight.

To Chiliomodi

SEAFOOD A fish shop that expands into a couple of plain taverna rooms is the island’s top spot for seafood, which in good weather adds tables crowding a back lane or on a breezy rooftop terrace. You’ll be invited to step inside to see the cook/fisherman’s morning catch, accompanied by a nice selection of mezes and salads brimming with bounty from the island gardens.

Behind the port, Skala.

22470/34179. Main courses 10€–18€. Daily 11:30am–midnight, shorter hours in winter.

Tzivaeri

GREEK One of Skala’s most popular evening spots accommodates diners on a summertime sea-view balcony and in a cozy interior room. A large selection of small plates will delight vegetarians—dolmades, red peppers stuffed with feta, boiled greens, leek pie, fried eggplant, and huge salads—with moussaka, grilled lamb chops, and other taverna favorites also on tap. Live music (the name comes from a popular Greek folk song) is performed most summer evenings.

Skala.

22470/31170. Small plates from 5€. Daily 6pm–2am. Weekends only in winter.

The island’s two most extraordinary sights are perched on a hillside above Skala: the Cave of the Apocalypse and the Monastery of St. John. Surrounding the monastery, medieval Hora is a labyrinthine maze of whitewashed stone homes, shops, and churches, in which getting lost is the whole point.

Off season, the opening days and times for the cave and the monastery are unpredictable. It’s best to consult the tourist office or a travel agency for the open hours on the day of your visit (the times given below are for the peak season, May–Aug). Appropriate attire is required: Women must have covered shoulders and might be turned away in shorts that are considered too revealing.

Cave of the Apocalypse

RELIGIOUS SITE Through a cleft in an overhang in this small cave, St. John the Divine (see box, p. 233) is said to have received divine visions, hearing “a great voice, as of a trumpet.” He dictated what he heard to his disciple Prochoros, who wrote the messages down using a slope of the cave wall as his desk. These words have come down to us as the Book of the Apocalypse, or Revelation, the last book of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The cave is now encased within a sanctuary, which, in turn, is encircled by chapels and a 17th-century monastic school. You can take a seat on a stool in the cave and, surrounded by numerous icons and the very stone that served as John’s pillow, drink in the site’s spiritual aura. An excellent way to prepare for the experience is to bone up on the Book of Revelation.

On the road to Hora.

22470/31-234. Admission 3€. Sun 8am–1pm and 4–6pm; Mon–Sat 8am–1:30pm, also 4–7pm Tues and Sat.

The star saint of Patmos

St. John the Divine, also known as John the Apostle or John the Evangelist, is said to have been sent to Patmos in 95 a.d, when he was nearly 90, exiled for preaching Christianity. For 2 years he made his home in a small cave, now known as the Cave of the Apocalypse (see above). His life on the island was not entirely hermitlike—he sometimes walked around the countryside, preaching and talking with those he met. John, who lived to the ripe old age of 94—outliving his brother, the apostle James, by 50 years—is the only one of the 12 apostles who did not die a violent death (Judas committed suicide and the other 10 were martyred). While some scholars question whether the John who lived on Patmos was indeed the same man as John the Apostle, John is still a powerful presence on the island and continues to attract the faithful by the boatload. Over the centuries, he and his mystical revelations have inspired masterpiece paintings by artists as diverse as Hieronymus Bosch, Titian, and Nicolas Poussin.

Monastery of St. John the Theologian

MONASTERY Towering over the southern part of the island, this formidable medieval monastery, bristling with towers and buttresses, looks far more like a fortress than a house of prayer. Its monks have lived within the thick walls for a millennium, surviving successive waves of occupiers—Normans, Franks, Knights of St. John, Venetians, Turks, Italians, all the way to the Germans during World War II. Built to withstand pirate attacks, the complex seems up to the task of deterring any touristic onslaught—especially since the monastery owns much of the south end of the island. In 1088, with a hand-signed land grant from Byzantine emperor Alexis I Comnenus, Blessed Hostos Christodoulos arrived on Patmos to establish what would become an independent monastic state and a great center of learning through many dark centuries. The monastery soon had a fleet of trading ships and vast holdings as far away as Crete and Asia Minor. The skull of Christodoulos rests in a silver case in the main church, while the adjoining Chapel of the Theotokos is covered with 12th-century frescoes, some of the monastery’s earliest artworks. The treasury displays only a few of the monastery’s exquisite Byzantine icons, including one said to be by El Greco, alongside vestments and rare books.

One of the many footpaths that crisscross Patmos connects the monastery with the Cave of the Apocalypse. The downhill walk from the monastery to the cave is easy and rewarding, with sea views and fresh island air fragrant with herbs. The stones are rough, so wear thick-soled shoes.

Hora.

22470/31-234. Free admission to monastery; 4€ to treasury. Sun 8am–1pm and 4–6pm; Mon–Sat 8am–1:30pm, also 4–7pm Tues and Sat.

In the north, the nicest beaches lie along the eastern coastline. Meloï

, just 2km (1 mile) north of Skala, and Kambos Bay

, about 6km (4 miles) north of Skala, offer a much-desired commodity—shade—along with umbrellas and other amenities. At Livada

, 8km (5 miles) northeast of Skala, it’s possible to swim or sometimes to walk across to Ayiou Yioryiou Isle; be sure to bring shoes or sandals, or the rocks will do a number on your feet.

The island’s south end has two beaches. Grikou Bay

, only 4km (21⁄2 miles) south from Skala, is the busiest beach on Patmos, while on the southwest end of the island, Psili Ammos

is another story: an isolated fine-sand cove bordered by cliffs. It’s possible to walk to Psili Ammos from the little settlement of Diakofti, about a 30-minute trek on goat paths (wear real shoes). Most people arrive by one of the caiques leaving Skala harbor in the morning and returning around 4 to 5pm. Round-trip fare is about 30€, one-way fare 20€.

Just behind the main square in Skala, Parousia (

22470/32549) is the best single stop for hand-painted icons and a wide range of books on Byzantine subjects. The proprietor, Mr. Alafakis, is quite learned in the history and craft of icon painting and can tell you a great deal about the icons in his shop and the diverse traditions they represent.

Across from the port authority office, the fascinating shop Selene (

22470/31742) sells a highly selective array of Greek handmade art and crafts, from ceramics to hand-painted Russian and Greek icons to marionettes, some as tall as 1m (3 ft.). The 1835 building is also a work of art, once a storage space for sails and later a boat-building workshop. Admire the shop’s extraordinary floor made of handmade stamped and scored bricks, a traditional art on Patmos.

Little Leros might be the perfect getaway isle, with good beaches, colorful villages, delightful seaside cafes, even a medieval hilltop castle and some early 20th-century Italian architecture. You can walk just about anywhere, from one pretty village or sandy beach to the other. There’s not much in the way of night life, fancy shopping, or luxurious resorts—but that’s ideal if you’re in search of quiet, relaxed, unspoiled island Greek life.

Arriving Dodekanisos Seaways (www.12ne.gr) and other smaller companies, including the Patmos Star (www.patmos-star.com), link Leros to Patmos and the other Dodecanese islands, with five or six departures and arrivals a day in summer. Boats arrive at Agia Marina on the east coast or Lakki on the west; Agia Marina is probably preferable, as it’s closer to most of the hotels and places where you’ll want to spend time. Blue Star Ferries (www.bluestarferries.com) make the run between Leros and Piraeus several times a week in summer, sailing in and out of the deep water port at Lakki.

Leros is also a popular daytrip destination for excursion boats from Patmos. Trips leave from Skala harbor around 10am and return around 6pm, and often include a stop for a swim on Lipsi. Fares are about 25€; you can make arrangements simply by walking along the harbor front. These trips are pleasant but will give you only about 2 hours on Leros, not enough time to see much. You’re better off making the trip on your own, booking tickets on a scheduled morning ferry and, if you only have a day to spend, returning that evening.

GETTING AROUND If you’re a walker, it’s a fairly easy stroll to just about anywhere you want to go on Leros—Agia Marina is only 4km (21⁄2 miles) from Lakki. A bus makes the rounds of the villages, but operates only about 5 times a day in summer and less frequently off-season; check www.leros.gr for schedules. A taxi from Alinda or Agia Marina to Lakki costs about 8€. Several agencies rent cars and motorbikes, if you find you need motorized transport.

The island’s top spot for pastry is Sweet Leros 1897, in Panteli (

698/415-7024), serving such favorites as galaktoboureko sweet custard in phylo, and loukoumades (fried doughnuts garnished with honey and sesame), along with coffees and homemade liqueurs. The shop is open daily 9am to 11:30pm.

El Greco

SEAFOOD/GREEK A dining room that extends from a thatch-roofed terrace right onto Panteli Beach is the setting for a wide range of traditional Greek island classics done with many innovative twists—steamed mussels in garlic sauce, grilled octopus, fresh sardines, or maybe sea bass carpaccio, all accompanied by delicious fresh salads and vegetables.

Maison des Coleurs

The restored 1907 mansion of the Tsaliki family, islanders who made their fortune in Egyptian cotton, is richly and eccentrically decorated, providing a design-worthy perch in Platanos. Sea and castle views and a garden are the backdrop for suites decorated with bright colors and flair. You’ll find wood-plank floors, wooden chests, carved armoires, even antique ceiling fans in some, and a cool, tastefully simple island style in others. Furnishings include orthopedic mattresses and, in several suites, deep soaking tubs. A rich breakfast with a daily-changing menu is served in the garden.

Agia Marina, Platanos. maisondescouleurs.com.

22470/23341. 5 units. 80€–150€ double. Rates include breakfast. 4-night min. stay mid-July–mid-Sept. Amenities: Garden; Wi-Fi (free). Closed Oct–May.

Mylos

SEAFOOD/GREEK It’s hard to resist the pull of this inviting, decades-old fish taverna, tucked onto a seaside ledge with terrace and glassed-in dining room beside a windmill at the far end of Agia Marina harbor. The tables almost seem to float on the sea, which spreads out in every direction below. The seafood served is noteworthy too, including such especially fresh preparations as tuna tartare, octopus carpaccio, and rich pastas laden with shrimp and lobster.

Agia Marina. www.mylosexperience.gr.

22470/24894. Daily 1pm–midnight; shorter hours in winter.

Utopia

The name might be a bit of oversell, but these basic-but-comfortable studios midway between Alinda and Agia Marina provide an inviting base for your time on the island. Traditionally appointed, stone-floored units have kitchens and dining areas, and some have separate bedrooms. All open to patios or balconies facing a flower-filled garden that’s so pleasant, you might not mind not overlooking the sea, and Krithoni Beach is just at the end of the lane.

Agia Marina.

694/451-4883. 16 units. 60€–85€ double. Amenities: Garden; kitchens; Wi-Fi (free).

Small and out-of-the-way as Leros is, the island was a military hotspot during the fierce 1943 Battle of Leros, when Germans took the island after heavy bombing and shelling; the action inspired the novel and film Guns of Navaronne. Earlier in the 20th century, Italians used the deep natural harbor at Lakki as the base of their naval operations in the Eastern Mediterranean, and Mussolini ordered the construction of broad avenues lined with rationalist (a pared-down version of art deco) villas and housing blocks that still lend Lakki an almost surreal, Fellini-esque aura. Some of the military barracks later became a prison for political opponents and a mental asylum.

The island’s dominating show of might is the magnificent 11th-century Castle of Panagia, which crowns a stark hilltop on the northeast side of the island. On a ridge just below the high walls are a line of windmills, many quite picturesquely turned into residences. The northeast is where most visitors spend their time. Alinda is the closest Leros comes to having a resort, with a long line of sand backed by low-key hotels and beachfront tavernas, but the nearby villages are more atmospheric and more authentically Greek. Appealing Agia Marina, about 1.5km (about a mile) east along the coast from Alinda, is the port of call for many of the boats that connect the islands of the Dodecanese, and its waterfront is lined with shady cafes. Just up the hillside, white-washed houses merge into Platanos, the island capital, where some grand neoclassical edifices surround a lively square. From here the streets, many of them just flights of stairs, drop down to the appealing beach front at Panteli.

If you have more than a few hours on the island, you’ll probably want to venture farther south and west to see sleepy Lakki with its Italian 20th-century landmarks, including the sleek curved façade of the beautifully restored Cine Leros. Above the quiet coves on the bay southwest of Lakki, you can still see World War II military tunnels dug into the cliffs. One is now the War Museum Tunnel, filled with trucks, artillery, and other artifacts. A path from there leads uphill to the remains of an acoustic mirror—an early form of radar that reflected sound waves to detect approaching aircraft (curiously, it was believed that vision-impaired people were especially adept at reading these sound waves). The museum is open daily from 9:30am to 1:30pm; admission is 3€. The seabed around Leros is still littered with World War II shipwrecks and crashed aircraft, which divers can explore with Hydrovius Diving Center (www.hydrovius.gr;

22470/26025) at Krithoni, between Agia Marina and Alinda.