On May 11^th 2022, I boarded the fast catamaran ferry boat at Bodrum harbour at 8.30am for departure at 9am, excited to be taking a day trip to Kos. It was in fact, only 2 weeks earlier that the crossing from Turkey to Greece had re-commenced after 2 years of the halt. Many people had been longing for the boarders to open up and allow the boats and ferries to get back to their past normal daily trips and routines.

Despite the journey being only 25 minutes, I still wanted a hot cup of coffee on the journey, which I bought for €1.50 from the ferry café. There was a variety of hot and cold drinks (soft drinks), beer, wine and sweet snacks, crisps and sandwich on offer at a reasonable price. I hadn’t had breakfast but wanted to eat at a restaurant or café once I arrived in Kos so no snacks for me! The ferry boat wasn’t full, about half I’d say, (though its capacity could hold up to 324 people), so it didn’t take too long to disembark and pass through passport control.

While eating breakfast, I noticed many people going by riding bicycles, some driving quads and some in colourful buggies to get around. I guessed that the majority of these people were holiday makers and day trippers so they would have rented them from a tour agent, which later I saw many around the Island.

After walking around for a while I saw a map showing the route for the Agora Temple, Neratzia Fortress & Castle and the Marina so off I went in that direction. I was surprised to find that there was no entrance costs to go inside the grounds of Ancient Agora Temple and also free to enter the Fortress & Castle.

The Ancient Agora of Kos, Dodecanese: Ancient Agora (Ancient Market) is an impressive excavation area where a number of Temples, baths, and houses with remaining mosaics, columns and other pieces of construction belonging to several periods have been found.

The Ancient Market has also some ruins of an Aphrodite Shrine as well as a small temple, seemingly in the honour of Hercules, and a Christian Basilica dating back to the 5th century, all of them facing north. Some other findings are the mosaic floors of some precincts, which date back to the 3rd century BC and a statue of Hippocrates. There are also other interesting findings inside the above mentioned Aphrodite Temple.

Next I visited Neratzia Fortress and Castle, also known as: The Castle of the Knights of Saint John on Kos, was constructed with local stone and with remains of previous constructions and buildings. It was built during the occupation of the knights, which lasted over 2 hundred years. This piece of architecture and construction engineering amazes visitors by the sight of a stone bridge that used to link that area of Kos, which used to be an Island, with the mainland. today it is called ‘Phoinikon,’ which means palm trees. I spent quite a while here as there’s much to cover and a spectacular view at the highest point with panoramic views of the ocean and harbour. You will also see The Plane Tree of Hippocrates in front of the Castle of Knights. It is claimed that Hippocrates used to sit under it and teach his students. Though, as the tree is 500 years old, it’s obviously not the one Hippocrates planted, since he lived around the 5^th century BC.

The Archaeological Museum of Kos, situated within the town, is housed in a neoclassical well-preserved building that was designed in 1935. At that time, the Italians were ruling Kos and all the Dodecanese islands. Situated in Eleftherius square, the museum stands out for its architecture. It hosts several findings which came to light during the excavations around Kos, Rhodes and smaller Dodecanese islands in the late 20th and 21st century.  Most archeological findings cover a long period from the ancient till the post-Roman and Hellenistic times. The most impressive exhibits include beautiful mosaics, statues from the ancient site of Asklepeion, an extensive collection of prehistoric pottery and metallic objects, exhibits from a tomb of a young athlete dating back to the 3rd century B.C, coins, anaglyphs with various representations and many other items. Frequently the museum organizes educational programs for students and other groups in order to familiarize with the history of the island.

The Hippocrates Plane Tree is a legendary tree, believed to be the spot where Hippocrates, the “Father of Medicine,” taught his students around 2,400 years ago. The current tree, estimated to be around 500 years old, is likely a descendant of the original. With its massive trunk and sprawling branches, it is one of the largest plane trees (Platanus orientalis) in Europe. Today, the tree is a popular historical landmark, symbolizing the roots of medical science. Nearby, the Hippocratic Museum and Asklepion of Kos further celebrate Hippocrates’ legacy.

My time was coming to the end of my daytrip to Kos and I was feeling a little hungry so, eventually I found the perfect restaurant with a sea-view and a convenient place to charge my phone up before heading back to the port for check-in and boarding.

I enjoyed a salad of spinach, feta cheese, strawberries and flaked almonds at Mesogios restaurant beside the harbour in the Old Town. I’ll definitely eat there again and highly recommend it!

Well now it’s come to the end of a lovely day in Kos. May is a great time to visit since it’s not too hot and there aren’t any crowds or queues. I really loved looking around the clothes stores for the white summer dresses and tops, though there’s so many I didn’t get the chance to see them all!

I’m planning on a second trip with a one night stop over, so I can experience the night life and evening dining. I expect the harbour and marina will look very impressive at night with coloured sparkling lights glistening over the water, which will make some fabulous photo shots and videos.

If you’ve visited Kos before and loved it, please let me know your thoughts by writing to me in the comments section or over on my YouTube channel in the comments area of one of my videos. Or if you’ve visited any other Greek Islands and have great things to share about your experience, please write it in the comments.

Keep a look out for my next post with a one night stop over on a 2nd visit to Kos Island.

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Take care and happy travels peeps!