Tourist Attractions of Kos Island

We were surprised to find a large number of attractions on Kos Island.

Actually, I’m describing all the attractions on my website’s pages. But I will try to combine the descriptions in one article for those who would like to get a general impression of the attractions.

It goes without saying that the major attraction of Kos Island is Asklepion.

Asklepion was a place used as a hospital and a place where medicine was being studied and systematized. There were around 300 Asklepions in ancient times.

Survived columns of Asklepion

From the earliest times Kos Island was famous for its healers and Hippocrates was the most famous of them.

The archaeological excavations of Asklepion

The archaeological excavations of Asklepion are located a few kilometers from Kos Town. It’s a large three-level construction in which you can see survived columns and statues and enjoy a magnificent view of the island.

The village of Zia

Of course, plenty of souvenir shops spoiled the atmosphere of this lovely village. But if you travel by car it is worth visiting Zia no matter what you think of it.

The village of Zia

Palio Pyli

Palio Pyli is ruins of medieval Byzantine castle located near the village of Pyli.

Agios Stefanos is a ruined 5th century basilica. Here you can enjoy spending time on a lovely beach right opposite Kastri islet.

A beach right opposite Kastri islet

To my mind Thermes hot water springs are a very interesting and unusual tourist attraction. I’ve never seen hot water springs located right on the seashore.

Geographically most of the attractions on Kos Island are concentrated in Kos Town. The most popular attractions are the following:

1. The Castle of Joanites (The Castle of the Knights of Saint John), a large castle that withstood the ravages of time, is located not far from the harbor. The castle was built in 15^th – 16^th centuries by crusaders on the site of ancient structures. On the territory of the castle you can see Knights emblems, ancient sculptures and columns.

The Castle of Joanites (The Castle of the Knights of Saint John)

2. According to legend, the Plane Tree of Hippocrates is an ancient tree under which Hippocrates was teaching his students. It’s one of the most visited attractions on Kos Island. The attraction is popular among the local inhabitants too. Various ceremonies are being held near it during holidays.

Plane Tree of Hippocrates

3. Another attraction is ancient archaeological excavations. There are a few of them in the town area like Ancient Agora, the Roman House, the Roman Odeon and the archaeological excavations of the Ancient Gymnasium.

Ancient archaeological excavations

All these attractions of Kos Island are considered to be very interesting and worth visiting. In this article you can get more detailed information about attractions in Kos Town.