Greece · Dodecanese
Yacht Charter Kos
Where Hippocrates taught, under a plane tree that is still standing.
Hippocrates was born on Kos around 460 BC and taught here, and the island has been trading on it ever since — a plane tree in the town centre is said to be the one he taught under, and the Asklepieion four kilometres uphill was the healing sanctuary that made the island famous across the Greek world. The town is flat, walled by the Knights of St John, and laid out by Italian architects after the 1933 earthquake.
The town
Neratzia Castle guards the harbour mouth — a double-walled Knights' fortress you sail past to get in, built partly from stone taken off the ancient buildings. Beside it the plane tree sits on props, and whatever its real age it is one of the largest in Europe.
The 1933 earthquake flattened much of the town, and the Italian administration rebuilt it to a plan that left the newly exposed Roman ruins in place. The result is unusual: a modern grid with an agora, a stadium and mosaic floors sitting open inside it.
The island and what is near
The Asklepieion climbs three terraces above the plain with the sea and the Turkish coast behind it. Kefalos at the western end has the long beaches and the wind; the middle of the island is farmland, which on a Dodecanese island is rare.
Bodrum is forty-five minutes east across the strait, Nisyros with its live volcanic crater is a short sail south, and Rhodes is a day down the chain.
Practical notes
- Hippocrates was born here around 460 BC; the Asklepieion is four kilometres uphill from the town
- Neratzia Castle, a double-walled Knights' fortress, guards the harbour mouth
- The town was rebuilt on an Italian plan after the 1933 earthquake, with the Roman ruins left open inside it
- Bodrum is forty-five minutes east; Nisyros and its volcanic crater are a short sail south
Reached from: Rhodes, Bodrum and the Dodecanese
Where to dine
A table by the water
Elia
Kos TownIn a restored house off the main square, doing Dodecanese cooking with the vegetables the island actually grows.
Ambavris
AmbavrisA mile out of town in a garden, serving whatever came in that day as a single spread of small plates.
Limnionas
KefalosAt the far western end on its own bay, with the fish landed twenty metres away.
What to do
Anchorages & excursions
The Asklepieion
The healing sanctuary of the Greek world, on three terraces four kilometres above the town.
Neratzia Castle
A double-walled Knights' fortress at the harbour mouth, built partly from stone taken off the ancient buildings.
The Plane Tree of Hippocrates
Propped up in the middle of the town, and among the largest in Europe.
The Roman town
An agora, a stadium and mosaic floors left open inside the modern grid after the 1933 earthquake.
The fleet
Yachts available for Kos
Vessels that operate here, from flagship motor yachts to smaller crewed boats. Every rate is quoted on enquiry.
Good to know
Questions we are asked about Kos
- What is the Asklepieion?
- The healing sanctuary that made Kos famous across the Greek world, built on three terraces four kilometres above the town, with the sea and the Turkish coast behind it.
- Is the plane tree really Hippocrates' tree?
- Almost certainly not that one, but it is among the largest in Europe and it stands on the right spot, held up on props in the middle of the town.
- What does a yacht charter in Kos cost?
- It depends on the yacht, the season and the crew, so we quote on enquiry rather than publish a figure that would be wrong for most weeks.
Destinations
Nearby destinations
Charter here
Enquire about a charter on Kos
Tell us your dates and how many of you there are, and we will come back with the right yacht and a full quotation.