Things To Do in Kos Town

The aroma of herbs greets you at this little market on Eleftherias Square, where locals come for fruit and veg. It’s also a great place to find gifts – like handmade olive oil soaps, honey, and glyko tomataki – candied tomato sweets. The souvenir shops on the beachfront stock boxes of the island wine, Koios Oenos. Or, you can buy it fresh from the barrels at the nearby Oinampelos Winery.

A line of restaurants runs from Eleftherias Square down to and along the harbour front. Menus here come from as far as India, but there are plenty of places serving up local cuisine in the form of meze, rabbit stifado and moussaka. Seafood lovers can order net-fresh lobster and swordfish by the kilo. And if you’ve got a sweet tooth, try the baklava, a honey-soaked Greek favourite.

Kos isn’t one for early nights. For a lively evening head for the affectionately known Bar Street, which is actually 2 streets – Diakon and Nafklirou – near Dolphin Roundabout. Here, cosmopolitan bars sit alongside places doing shots and slammers and all-night dancing. There are also a couple of bigger clubs on the outskirts of town – and as they’re on the international DJ circuit, you might find a famous name at the decks.

See how ruling Romans lived in luxury with a visit to the restored 3^rd-century villa, Casa Romana. Set around 3 courtyards, there are 36 beautifully decorated rooms filled with mosaics, frescoes, sculptures and paintings. It costs under 3 euros to look around, and the villa is open every day except Monday.

The big wooden door and stone interior here aren’t just a design quirk – this place used to be an old Turkish steam bath. Now this popular bar is a real chillout spot with comfy sofas and scatter cushions. Order a glass of cold Alpha beer and relax to the sounds of jazz, funk and Greek opera. Post-midnight, local DJs take over and keep everyone dancing ’til 3am.

Lambi Beach, about 10 minutes out of town, is a kilometre-long stretch of sand with a bit of shingle. It’s a bit of a sports fanatic. You get jet-skiing, windsurfing and paragliding here, plus pedalos if you like things less full-on. Some parts of the beach are just for the hotels, so you’ll need to pay a few euros to get onto them – but you usually get a free sunlounger and bar service.

This stylish restaurant is housed in a renovated Italian officers’ club. It comes in a great setting, with views of the Hippocrates plane tree from the candlelit balcony. Menu wise, the food is simply prepared with fresh produce – try the chicken stuffed with dates. There’s nightly live music covering jazz, Latin, bossa nova and Greek ballads. The place is popular, so booking is advised.

One of Kos Town’s best-kept secrets, Something Else hides out in a residential area just 5 minutes’ walk from the harbour. The menu deals in hearty Greek classics like moussaka and pastitsio – a sort of lasagne – but the real fun is trying the meze-sized dishes. The fried cheese, feta-filled red peppers and lachano dolmades – cabbage rolls filled with rice and mince – all go down very nicely.

This festival to honour Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, doesn’t do things by halves. It includes a packed programme of classical concerts, plays, sculpture, photo exhibitions, poetry, traditional music and dance, plus – for reasons that aren’t entirely clear – yacht racing. And, of course, a reading of the Hippocratic Oath is a given.

Kos Town comes alive at night. The place is packed with pubs, bars and clubs, but Diakon and Nafklirou streets are 2 particularly lively spots. Here, you’ve got happy hours, tequila shots, and dancing on the bar, with most places staying open ’til 5 or 6am. There are also more sophisticated venues, like Hammam Bar – a former Turkish bath that’s now all scatter cushions and DJs.

This place comes with a long bar where you can pull up a stool while you’re waiting for your mojito to be mixed. If you’ve been in before and owner Georgio sees you, he’ll probably throw in a few free nibbles. Elsewhere here, you’ve got high tables to sit at and photos of famous musicians to spot.

Local speciality Symi shrimp pops up a lot round these parts – these prawns are so tender you eat them shell and all. Speaking of seafood, you can order the catch of the day by the kilo at the swanky waterfront restaurants. Or if you want cheaper Greek eats, head for the traditional cafés and tavernas in the old town, where souvlaki – skewered meat – is a staple.

Head past the harbour and you’ll get to Lambi Beach. There’s over a kilometre of sand at this popular spot and plenty of sunloungers and umbrellas for hire. You’re in the right place for pedalos, jet-skiing, windsurfing and parasailing, too, while cafés and bars sort out the snacks and ice-creams.

A 10-minute walk from the harbour gets you to the restored 3rd-century Casa Romana. What you’ve got here is an impressive Roman-style mansion packed with mosaics, frescoes and statues. There are 36 rooms to get round so the 2-euro sentrance fee is well worth the money. It’s open every day except Mondays.

This festival to honour Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, doesn’t do things by halves. It includes a packed programme of classical concerts, plays, sculpture, photo exhibitions, poetry, traditional music and dance, plus – for reasons that aren’t entirely clear – yacht racing. And, of course, a reading of the Hippocratic Oath is a given.