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Kos Town

Discover Kos Town

Why Book Your Kos Town Holiday with GotoBeach?

Kos Town is the beating heart of the island — a palm-lined harbour crowned by the Castle of the Knights of St John, with Roman ruins, an ancient agora and the famous plane tree of Hippocrates scattered through streets full of tavernas, cafes and bicycle-hire shops. This is a place you explore on two wheels: the land is flat, the cycle paths run right along the seafront, and you can pedal from your hotel to a harbourside dinner in minutes. You fly into Kos Island International Airport (KGS) in the middle of the island, and the transfer to Kos Town is a gentle 25 minutes or so, which means you can land at lunch and be watching the fishing boats come in by early evening. If you want history, a lively centre and a beach all within walking distance, the island capital delivers the lot.

Every Kos Town package we sell carries full ATOL financial protection under licence #11211, and your ATOL Certificate arrives the moment you book — you can read how your ATOL financial protection works before you commit a penny. Both hotels on this page have been hand-picked and inspected in person against our 22-point criteria, not chosen from a brochure, so you are booking a resort someone from our team has actually walked through and slept in.

"Kos Town is where I send people who want a proper Greek town rather than a resort bubble," says Eleni Trachalakis, our Greece Operations Manager, who looked after British holidaymakers across the Dodecanese during her years as a resort representative before Thomas Cook. "You can walk out of your hotel into two thousand years of history, hire a bike for a few euros, and still be on a sunbed within ten minutes. I love that the ruins are just there, open to the street, and that the harbour comes alive every evening." Eleni still re-checks the Kos Town hotels each season, timing the cycle to the beach and tasting the buffets on quiet weeknights, so the pair on this page are ones she would happily book for her own family.

 

Photos of Kos Town

Hand Picked Deals

Top Hotels in Kos Town

Kosta Palace
Kosta Palace

Kos Town / Greece

Bed&Breakfast

£ 876.68

Saint Consantine Hotel
Saint Consantine Hotel

Kos Town / Greece

Room Only

£ 738.43

Kos City Sunstone Hotel
Kos City Sunstone Hotel

Kos Town / Greece

Bed&Breakfast

£ 820.25

See more

Discover Kos Town

Top hotels in Kos Town

Inspected in person · 22-point criteria

Kos Town is a place you stay in for the setting, so our programme here is deliberately small — two hotels that put you within a stroll or a short cycle of the harbour, the ruins and the beach, rather than a long list padded out for the sake of it. One is an adults-only suites retreat; the other is a family-friendly all-suites hotel a few steps from the water.

Kos Town, Kos

D'Andrea Lagoon All Suites

Adults-Only Suites
★★★★

A grown-up, adults-only suites hotel built around a generous lagoon-style pool a short ride from the centre of Kos Town, with spacious suites, a spa, and a calm, couples-first atmosphere. The pick for two travellers who want the town's history and dining within easy reach but a quiet, polished base to come back to.

🏖 Short ride to the town beach · 25 min from KGS

View D'Andrea Lagoon All Suites

Kos Town, Kos

Kosta Palace

Family & Central
★★★

A friendly all-suites hotel right on the seafront at the edge of Kos Town, with a rooftop pool looking out over the water, family rooms with kitchenettes and the harbour, ruins and tavernas an easy walk away. The choice for families who want to be able to stroll or cycle straight into the heart of the island capital.

🏖 Seafront, steps from the town beach · 25 min from KGS

View Kosta Palace in Kos Town

Two hotels is the honest answer for a town this compact and this well-supplied with alternatives close by. If you want a wider choice — and many of our guests do — the big resort-and-spa complexes sit just along the coast at the Psalidi resorts east of town, while the beach suburb of Lambi gives you a longer sandy strip within cycling distance of the same harbour. For the family-focused all-inclusive style, browse our child-friendly hotels collection, and couples after something special can see our adults-only hotels. It all sits under one straightforward Kos island package.

Discover Kos Town

What gives Kos Town its character is the way the ancient and the everyday sit side by side. You can be sipping a frappé on the harbour, then walk two minutes to the Roman agora, the western excavations with their mosaics and columns, or the shady plane tree where, legend has it, Hippocrates taught his students. The Castle of the Knights of St John guards the harbour mouth, a reminder that this was a Crusader stronghold, and the whole town is small and flat enough to see on foot or by bike in a day. It is a real working town too — university students, market stalls and Greek families — so it never feels like a stage set.

That history does not come at the expense of a beach holiday. The town has its own strip of sand and imported beach clubs along the seafront, and the long sands of Lambi begin just to the north. Because everything is close and the terrain is flat, Kos Town suits couples who want culture with their sunbathing, families who want a proper town to explore, and anyone who would rather cycle to dinner than drive. If you are still choosing your base, our specialist's guide to a Kos holiday walks through the resorts and beaches, and the wider Kos island overview sets the town in context.

Kos Town beach & seafront

The town's own beach runs along the seafront just east and north of the harbour — a mix of sand and fine shingle with sunbeds, parasols and beach bars, shelving gently into clear, calm water that is reassuring for paddling. It is not the widest beach on the island, but the appeal is location: you can swim, then walk to lunch in the old town in a few minutes. Head a little north and the sands broaden out towards Lambi, where the strip is longer and the beach bars livelier, all reachable on the flat seafront cycle path.

The seafront itself is one of the nicest parts of a Kos Town stay. A wide promenade runs the length of the harbour and along the shore, lined with cafes, tavernas and moored yachts, and it comes into its own in the evening when the whole town takes a stroll before dinner. Sunset over the water, with the castle silhouetted and the fishing boats bobbing, is the classic end to a Kos Town day — drink in hand, no car required.

Things to do around Kos Town

Start with what is on the doorstep. The Castle of the Knights, the Roman agora, the western archaeological site and the plane tree of Hippocrates are all within a short walk, ideally tackled in the cooler morning. Above the town, a short ride or taxi brings you to the Asklepion, the ancient healing sanctuary dedicated to the god of medicine, terraced up a pine-clad hillside with sweeping views to the Turkish coast — the single most rewarding excursion on the island. Hire a bike and follow the coast, or wander the market and the little Archaeological Museum on the main square.

The harbour is your springboard for days on the water. Ferries cross to Bodrum in Turkey in well under an hour for a day trip, boat excursions run to the volcanic island of Nisyros and the sponge-divers' island of Kalymnos, and glass-bottom cruises potter along the coast to quiet swimming coves. Inland, the flat terrain makes cycling to the thermal springs at Therma or up towards the hill village of Zia for a sunset dinner genuinely easy. For more ideas beyond the harbour, our specialist's Kos holiday guide and the Rhodes versus Kos comparison are the natural next reads, and history lovers can weigh a day trip over to the resorts of Rhodes with its own medieval old town.

When to go to Kos Town

Kos has a long, reliable summer cooled by the meltemi breeze, and the town is at its best when you can sightsee in comfort — here is how the months actually feel, and when our specialist would book.

WhenAirSeaOur take
April–May20–25°C18–20°CGreen, flowery and quiet; the sea is still cool but the ruins and cycling are at their best — lovely value before the crowds.
June28–29°C23°CWarm, dry and sunny with a sea that's finally inviting, and the harbour lively but not heaving. A real sweet spot.
July–August31–32°C25–26°CPeak heat and buzz, tempered by the meltemi breeze — ideal for a warm sea and lively evenings if you're tied to the holidays.
September28–29°C25°COur pick: warm sea, softer heat and thinner crowds once schools go back. The best all-round month for the town.
October23–24°C23°CA gentle wind-down — still swimmable and sunny, perfect for couples, cyclists and a calmer week of sightseeing.

If you can pick your week freely, June and September give you the best balance of warm water, comfortable heat for exploring the ruins, and sensible prices. Families tied to the summer break get the hottest, liveliest version of Kos Town — the meltemi keeps it bearable, but book early, because the central hotels fill fastest in July and August.

The practical parts

Getting there

You fly into Kos Island International Airport (KGS), which sits centrally on the island, and the transfer to Kos Town takes roughly 25 minutes by road. A good number of UK airports run direct summer services to Kos, and every GoToBeach package includes your flights and your airport-to-hotel transfer at both ends.

Passports & entry

Greece is in the EU and the Schengen area, so British passport holders can visit for up to 90 days in any 180 without a visa. Your passport must have been issued within the last 10 years and be valid for at least three months after your planned departure. The EU's new EES and ETIAS systems are being phased in, so entry rules can change at short notice — always recheck the official guidance before you travel.

Money

The currency is the euro. Cards work fine in hotels, larger tavernas and shops, but carry some cash for the market, beach bars, bike hire and taxis. Tipping isn't obligatory but is appreciated — rounding up the bill or leaving a euro or two for good service is the local norm.

Health & insurance

A free UK GHIC card covers state medical care in Greece on the same terms as locals, but it's not a substitute for travel insurance — you'll still want comprehensive cover for repatriation, private treatment and cancellations. We can point you towards arranging suitable travel insurance when you book. The summer sun is strong, so pack high-factor sun care.

Getting around

Kos Town is made for bikes — it's flat, with dedicated cycle paths along the seafront, and most hotels hire or lend them, so you can leave the car behind entirely. Frequent buses link the town with the other resorts, and taxis are easy to find at the harbour. You'll only want a hire car if you plan to chase the south-western beaches and hill villages under your own steam.

Food & eating out

Kos Town eats well — fresh fish straight off the boats at the harbour, grilled meats, Greek salads heavy with island tomatoes and the local pitaridia pasta, best enjoyed at a backstreet taverna away from the seafront tourist row. The market is worth a browse for local honey, cheese and olives. For where the island's in-house dining genuinely delivers, see our look at the Mitsis hotels on Kos.

Map of Kos Town

Frequently Asked Questions About Kos Town

Common questions and answers for planning your Kos Town holiday.

Handpicked packages featuring the best destinations across the Kos Town

Further reading from our specialists

Deeper diver from the team, all based on recent resort visits.

Where to Eat, Swim and Stay in Kos

Where the best tables are worth finding.

Kos Holiday

Where easy days meet ancient stories.

Rhodes vs Kos

Two Greek islands, two very different holidays

Official guidance & sources

Entry and health rules for Greece can change at short notice, especially as the EU rolls out its new EES and ETIAS systems, so always check the official advice when you book and again shortly before you fly. These are the sources we trust.