Kardamena Travel Guide: Travel and tourist information, things to do and see in Kardamena

Situated mid-way along the south coast of the Dodecanesian island of Kos, Kardamena is one of the most popular resorts in Greece, particularly with young Brits looking for a lively and entertaining holiday. Once a small fishing village, the town is now very commercialised with scores of English-style pubs and restaurants and tightly packed apartment blocks.

A wide variety of watersports can be organised from the long sandy beach and the resort is well placed for those who want to explore the island's fascinating interior.

Once a lovely fishing village, Kardamena has been overwhelmed by rampant resort expansion in recent years and little remains which could be called authentic, other than some narrow streets of old houses, the stone breakwaters of the harbour and any remaining colourful boats.

Approximately 2 mls long and ¾ ml wide, it is a lively, vibrant holiday destination with few concessions to taste or decorum and can be noisy, even positively rowdy at night. The main action is situated around the harbour front.

Locality:

Kardamnena is near the mid-point of the hotter, less breezy south coast (16 mls SW of Kos, 5 mls SE of the airport. It is on a flat strip of land backed by a steep, dry and scrubby range of hills.

Kardamena is packed with shops offering everything from designer clothes to tacky souvenirs. Most are located around the main square. Good buys include the local jewellery and sponge (from the Nisyros volcano). For those in self-catering apartments, there are some good supermarkets offering most of the well-known brands. The two largest, both called Louis, are situated in the main square and by the bridge at the top of Main Bar Street. There are also some interesting local markets, including one on Bodrum, across the water in Turkey (Tuesdays).

There is a wide choice of restaurants in Kardamena to suit all tastes, from Indian and traditional Greek to fast food joints and cafes offering full English breakfasts and Premiership football. Even those with a penchant for good home food should try the local fare, at least once. Good Greek restaurants include Andreas, Scala and El Greco, all on the seafront.

It's not quite Ibiza, but the nightlife in Kardamena is still fairly intense with dozens of bars and clubs catering for all musical tastes, from the latest Garage tracks in the Jolly Sailor to Indie classics in the aptly named Stone Roses Bar and cheesy pop in Cheeky Monkeys. The main nightclubs are Status, Starlight, Zoom and Downtown, which all stay open until 4am, and 6am at weekends.

The main beach in Kardamena is ideal for lazy days in the sun and for watersports - everything from pedalos to jet skiing and banana rides can be organised. Other beaches with watersports are Banana Beach and Sovereign Beach. There are fascinating historical sites scattered around the island, particularly in the capital Kos Town, 40 minutes away. Further afield, boat tours can be arranged to the spectacular volcanic island of Nisyros and to Rhodes (though be aware the journey takes almost three hours).

Visitors should be warned that all the bars on the main strip along the seafront have loads of touts working for them, trying to get tourists in, which can become annoying after a few nights. Drinks can be expensive, for Greece; it's best to stick to the local beers.

Suggest a change to the Kardamena Things to do section (click to dropdown)

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.

Once upon a time, the Olympic Games started here along with democracy and the foundation of philosophy, science and mathematics. Nowadays the country attracts its tourists with 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 wonders.

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.

In the S of the mainland, the capital Athens suffers from being overcrowded and polluted but nevertheless intrigues and delights visitors and is dominated by its major landmark, the Parthenon. In contrast, Thessaloniki in the N is vibrant and modern with a Byzantine flavour. The remains of Greece's past and wonders are mainly found on the Peloponnese Peninsula, S of Corinth.

	Day	Night
Fri	N/A	Partly Cloudy
Sat	Sunny	Mostly Clear
Sun	Sunny	Mostly Clear
Mon	Sunny	Mostly Clear
Tue	Partly Cloudy	Clear

Kardamena Travel Guide

Kardamena Suitability Profile