Kos is the third largest island in the Dodecanese chain after the islands of Rhodes and Karpathos.
It is about 40km long by 8km wide, although this drops to 2km at the island's narrowest point. Kos has a coastline of about 112km and the island lies about 4km off the coast of Bodrum, Turkey.
Kos island is mostly flat and low-lying, with two low mountains, Dikaio and Simpatro, in a chain of hills that run along the south coast.
Kos has a population of about 31,000 and, apart from tourism, the main occupation is farming with much of the fertile plains in the north laid down to olives, grapes, almonds, figs and tomatoes. Cos lettuce is also grown here but the name has nothing to do with the island of Kos.
Beyond Platani and 4km to the southeast of Kos Town stands the island's most famous and interesting ancient site, the ASKLEPION or AESKULAPIUM.
Kos' native son Hippocrates is rightly remembered with street names, statues, a medical centre and even a tree but he is most completely celebrated at this ancient sanatorium, founded in 444BC not long after his death and now a major tourist attraction.
It was both a temple to the Asklepios, the god of healing, and a renowned Hellenic medical centre that functioned for about 1,000 years before falling into disrepair.
The setting is magnificent, elevated on hillside terraces that are connected by a monumental marble staircase. It sits above the village of ANATOLIA on four terraces linked by a marble staircase, with views across the sea to Turkey.
Little of the original centre remains, thanks in a large part to repeated earthquakes and to the use of the site as a quarry by the Crusaders. It was extensively excavated by Germans in 1902 and the Italians re-erected some Corinthian columns dating from the 2nd century. A Doric temple, built some 400 years earlier sits on the highest terrace.
Local guides love to elaborate on the Hippocratic connection but the famous healer's life story is elusive and his links to Kos are very tenuous. He was certainly born here in 460 BC and he also died here in 357 BC.
But he spent most of his life away from Kos, travelling throughout the Aegean and advocating his 'scientific' approach to medicine, gaining fame by halting plagues through the then novel practice of boiling drinking water and isolating the sick.
PSERIMOS is a small island about half way between Kos and Kalymnos. It would be an idyllic place but for the day trippers that descend in droves throughout the season. A few lucky visitors can find rooms to stay but not many as there are a mere 30 or so houses.
The main beach on the island is at Avlakia, a lovely stretch of golden sand, quickly covered in sunbedded bodies. Day trippers arrive like locusts and snap up all available sun beds.
They also pack the tavernas and generally make a noisy addition to what would otherwise be a peaceful islet. Even the ferries have been known to queue to tie up to the small quay. Those boats that can't find a berth head off to neighbouring PLATYS which has a similar, but smaller, sandy beach and far fewer trippers. There are a couple of other beaches, not as attractive but much quieter. One is at Vathy in the north, reached with a 30min walk along a well marked path to a cove of sand and pebbles. Another is at Marathounda to the west, a 45min walk to a pebble cove. The island is so small that nowhere is more than an hour's walk in any direction.
Day trippers make up almost all the visitors as there is so little accommodation on the islet. There are rooms to be had above the tavernas and one small store which gets stocked up by the daily boat that leaves Pothia on Kalymnos around 9am each day. Nearly all the other boats that pull in are on daily cruises between Kos and Kalymnos with a stop here and at Platys.
A boat trip to the island of NISYROS, NISSYROS or NISSIROS is very enjoyable. It has active volcanic fumeroles, steam vents, boiling mud and sulphur. The island also has a very pretty village with very narrow streets, bougainvillea and many other beautiful flowers.
Local travel agents charge much less than the big tour operators for trips to the island and smaller boats and tour parties can make for a more enjoyable trip.
The walk up the crater is a bit scary with very steep and unfenced drops and don't go in plastic flip-flops - they could melt off your feet.
Kos has an all-year average temperature of about 25°C. The summer season starts in May and runs to the end of October. The summer months on Kos are hot and dry and rainfall is pretty well non-existent. Many visitors prefer spring and autumn when the temperatures ranges between 16°C and 20°C.
The Kos summer season starts in May with temperatures a pleasant 21°C and around 25°C by June. In July and August the thermometer soars and rainfall is negligible. Highs of more than 30°C are not unknown and some days have seen the thermometer hit 36°C. Temperatures ease off in September but the Kos summer season stretches to October. August is the month of the meltemi, a northern wind that brings some relief from the heat.
By November the rain becomes more frequent. December has the highest rainfall although there are still plenty of days of sunshine. By April the rainfall levels have fallen sharply. Many tourists choose to visit Kos in May or October when it is still warm, sunny and the nights are relatively cool.
| JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC | Averages |
| 13 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 23 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 26 | 22 | 18 | 14 | °C |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 24 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 23 | 4 | 0 | 70°+ days |
| 152 | 105 | 91 | 30 | 21 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 72 | 112 | 164 | Rain (mm) |
| 30 | 26 | 21 | 13 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 27 | 29 | Rainy days |
‡ Banks open 8am-2pm Mon-Thur and close 1.30pm Fri.
‡ Many Kos petrol stations close early evening. Only those near Kos Town stay open at night
‡ City elders have erected web cams around Kos Town. Take a look here - Kos Web Cam.
‡ Beware of jellyfish later in the year, particularly September and October: the stings can be painful.
