Kos Town (Kos, Greece)

Kos Town Information

Overview

Things to do

Country Info (Greece)

Kos Town is a blend of ancient, medieval and modern architectural styles, flooded with greenery. Wide streets lined with trees are giving a relaxing and fine atmosphere to the town. The imposing Castle of the Knights of Saint John is standing on the eastern side of the harbour and is connected to the rest of the town by a bridge crossing the Palm Tree Avenue. The Municipality of Kos is preserving the historic centre, trying to transform it into a complete pedestrian district.

Various cafes, taverns, restaurants and shops can be found in Kos Town as well as a plethora of clubs and nightclubs, transforming the town into a hot spot during night time. Kos island offers along with its neighbouring Rhodes the liviest nighlife around the Dodekanese islands complex.

The visitor may find many bars concentrated around Kos town and the beach resort of Kardamena with its many brit style bars playing loud music until dawn. This area suits couples, families with older children and the younger market. There is a lively base offering a mixture of culture and nightlife.

The accommodation is a preponderance of small to medium hotels of modest standard, the 7 or 8 A-class establishments are just outside the town.

Locality:

Kos Town is on the north east coast, 17 mls across the water from Bodrum (Turkey), 15 mls NE of the airport. It is on the north coastal plain, clustered around the port in a roughly triangular shape, and backed by a range of steep hills which run the length of the island.

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Population: 10.668.400
Languages: Greek 99% (official), English, French
Currency: euro
Currency code: EUR
Local Times:
Greece - Athens

Country Dialling Code: +30
Voltage: 220V 50Hz
Electrical plugs:
2 Parallel circular prongs

2 parallel circular prongs with an earth connector

2 parallel circular prongs with a female earth connector

'Schuko' type with two earth connectors on the sides

Greece appeals to different types of tourist, and very few could fail to find somewhere to suit their taste. From bustling Athens to blindingly bright islands, ancient fragments abound - the belly button of the cosmos at Delphi, fallen columns galore on the sacred island of Delos, frescoed Minoan palaces on Crete and even, quite possibly, the remnants of Atlantis at Santorini. Greeks are fierce guardians of tradition, but that doesn't mean they don't know how to have fun. In addition, hot sun and limpid seas conspire to make Greece a perfect place to relax. Whether you're supping in a beachside taverna , sipping coffee in a shady plateia or disco-dancing till dawn.

The Olympic Games were spawned in ancient classical Greece, along with democracy and the fundamentals of philosophy, science and mathematics. Modern Greece is better known as a great place to vacation rather than a centre of learning and culture. Today the country attracts by offering simple pleasures: delicious food at reasonable prices, local wine, beautiful beaches, sunshine, quaint villages, a seemingly endless lacework of coastline and little islands full of scenic surprises.

The country exudes traditional charm, particularly on its ever-popular islands, which cling to their stereotypical architecture and way of life despite being often over-run by tourists. Black-clad women still deliver vegetables to island tavernas on panniered donkeys, while bronzed, lined fishermen sit in the sun, drink thick coffee, and play dominoes or dice. The tourist infrastructure has intruded in many respects, but the timeless aspect of whitewashed buildings clustered on hillsides around narrow pebbled alleys has been retained. The myriad islands in the Aegean Sea are easily accessible from Piraeus, the historic harbour of Greece's mainland capital, Athens, by ferry or hydrofoil, offering a unique chance for 'island-hopping'. Many of the larger islands also have airports with connections to Athens or seasonally with major European cities.

On the mainland the city of Athens in the south is sprawling, overcrowded and polluted but nevertheless enthralls visitors, while Thessaloniki in the north is vibrant and modern with a Byzantine flavour. Athens is dominated by its major landmark, the Parthenon: the remains of other wonders of the ancient Greek classical world are to be found mainly on the Peloponnese Peninsula, south of Corinth, the gateway to a veritable treasure trove of history.

Greece and Greeks welcome with open arms the thousands of visitors that flock to admire their national assets every year - no-one leaves without having been warmed, both by the sun and the hospitality.