Despite the fact that it's one long 12km stretch of golden sand, Paradise Beach, the pearl of the island's beaches, is broken down into a number of smaller beaches, albeit by names only. They're backed by cliffs and greenery with little development and have stunning clear water. The further west, the busier it gets. For a more nature-based experience with fewer resources, Magic Beach is your best bet. Exotic Beach is for those who want to bare all.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
15.86 MILES
A visit to the caldera is like stepping into a science fiction movie, cows grazing amid strange coloured rocks in what resembles a lunar landscape.
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17.07 MILES
The island’s most important ancient site stands on a pine-covered hill 3km southwest of Kos Town, commanding lovely views across towards Turkey. A…
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12.66 MILES
This unorthodox collection is the life's work of a local Kalymnian man, Stavros Valsamidis, who for 48 years undertook private dives, and amassed items…
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12.77 MILES
This showpiece modern museum, on Mandraki’s main pedestrian street, displays a fascinating collection of Hellenistic and Roman pottery and sculpture, as…
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Dibeklihan Culture & Art Village
29.03 MILES
In the all-but abandoned village of Yakaköy just off the road between Yalıkavak and Ortakent, this complex contains an art gallery, shops, the Dibek…
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22.45 MILES
The ruins of Knidos (kuh-nee-dos), a once-prosperous Dorian port city dating to 400 BC, lies scattered across the western tip of the Datça Peninsula…
20.08 MILES
North of the Ancient Agora is the lovely cobblestone Plateia Platanou, where you can pay your respects to the Hippocrates' plane tree, under which…
20.1 MILES
Due to damage caused by an earthquake in 2017, Kos’ magnificent 15th-century castle is currently closed. Nevertheless, given its extraordinary location at…
Nearby Kos attractions
1.84 MILES
This beach is for those who want a nature-based experience on a remote strip and small dunes behind. It is also for people who don't mind wind. This is…
8.63 MILES
Fully serviced by the operators who rent out sunbed, brollies, wi-fi and more, the lovely sandy strip of Mastihari is great for families. It does get…
12.66 MILES
This unorthodox collection is the life's work of a local Kalymnian man, Stavros Valsamidis, who for 48 years undertook private dives, and amassed items…
12.77 MILES
Despite its name, this small museum, just up from the seafront below the monastery, is exclusively ecclesiastic. Besides its icons, vestments, votive…
12.77 MILES
This showpiece modern museum, on Mandraki’s main pedestrian street, displays a fascinating collection of Hellenistic and Roman pottery and sculpture, as…
12.78 MILES
This hillside medieval monastery, overlooking the sea below the castle, can be reached via a short staircase. Visitors can only access a small anteroom.
12.99 MILES
Best reached by a lovely 20-minute hike through the fields, along a trail that starts southwest of the monastery, this astonishing Mycenaean-era acropolis…
12.99 MILES
Dating from the 4th century BC, the ancient walls above Nisyros, accessed from the path behind the monastery and medieval castle, are one of the Aegean's…