Ferry from Kos to Astypalea

Kos Guide

Located in the Dodecanese group of islands, the Greek island of Kos is around 4km from the coast of Bodrum in Turkey. The island is around 40 km long and 8 km wide and has a number of towns and villages. The main town and port is also called Kos, but the island's other villages include Kefalos, Tingaki, Kardamena, Mastihari, Antimachia, Marmari and Pyli. Kos Town is usually quite and there is lots to do there. There are plenty of restaurants, bars and clubs in the town which have led to the island as a whole becoming very popular with tourists. For those visitors looking for a bargain, practically everything is available in the island's shops from ceramics to fur, shoes to books and clothes and jewellery to leather products. The most popular tourist centres on the island often also have many small shops offering handmade goods such as ceramics and embroideries along with more traditional local products such as honey, herbs, wine, sweets and spices.

There are daily services between Kos and Piraeus along with services between Kos and the rest of the Dodecanese, the islands of the north eastern Aegean and Turkey. The trip by conventional ferry can take up to 13 hours, depending on the intermediate stopovers, and the trip with a high speed boat can take between 5 and 8 hours.

Astypalea Guide

The Greek island of Astypalea lies in the eastern Aegean Sea and is one of the 12 islands that make up the Dodecanese group of islands. The island, which sits at the point where the Dodecanese meet the Cyclades islands, has a long history and is characterised by typically Greek whitewashed villages and lovely beaches. Astypalaia is also the westernmost island of the Dodecanese and is naturally separated into Mesa Nisi (the inner island, western part) and Exo Nisi (the outer island, eastern part) by a thin strip of land less than 100 m wide.

The island's capital, and home to its port, is Chora and is regarded as one of the most picturesque towns in the Aegean. The town sits atop a rock that protrudes into the sea, forming two bays. Towering above Chora is a castle with the white domes of Evangelistria and Agios Georgios churches visible above its walls. Around the castle lie Chora’s houses with whitewashed walls, blue doors and windows, and wooden balconies.

The island is connected to the port of Piraeus and also to the other islands in the Dodecanese, the Cycladic islands and to Crete.