Descriptions of sailing destinations in the Dodecanese Islands of Greece, in alphabetical order. Click the name to see full details. These give detail of what to see and do, and the facilities ashore. If you’d rather see the full listings on a single page, click here.
- Agios Georgios / Yeoryiou This little fishing village is Agathonisi’s main resort, though with the total population of the island only just in to three figures, it’s not huge! There’s a beach around the bay, and a sandier one a short walk away. The waters are clear and you can swim off your yacht. Time to get the snorkel out! There ... Read more
- Diafani (Karpathos) The village’s own website sums the place up quite nicely when it says the locals’ main activity is watching the boats arrive! Many of the boats come to deliver visitors to Olymbos, about 10km inland, and reputedly one of the prettiest villages in Greece, a claim that in itself leaves me fearing disappointment. The village has a ... Read more
- Emborios / Chalki (Halki) It my be only 5 miles from Rhodes but Chalki is a world away from the busy holiday resorts like Faliraki. It’s a pretty place, its pastel coloured buildings contrasting with the barren hillsides. As you approach you’ll see windmills on the hill tops, and a large castle, testament to a long history. The island has been inhabited ... Read more
- Emporios / Emborios (Kalymnos) The most northerly village on Kalymnos – the town at the end of the road – Emporios is a cluster of whitewashed houses separated by narrow alleys, on the edge of a beach lined bay. Beyond the maintained trees and holiday properties on the beach edge, the surroundings are more barren than at Pothia and Vathi, ... Read more
- Emporios / Nimborio (Symi) Once a commercial harbour, Emporios is now just an anchorage. There’s a beach, rated by some as the best on Symi, a taverna or two and just up from the beach some catacombs, the Dodeka Spilia. If you don’t fancy leaving your yacht here, it’s only about 45 minutes walk from Symi Town, or you can ... Read more
- Faliraki (Rhodes) Faliraki has a small harbour at the south of the bay but it’s well guarded by rocks and largely inaccessible to yachts thanks to a bridge near the entrance. You could try anchoring off but there’s not much shelter and with a beach rammed with bodies and lined with hotels, I’m not sure why you’d want ... Read more
- Kalymnos / Kalimnos / Pothia Once the centre of the Greek sponge trade, Kalymnos Town, also know as Pothia, sits in a lush valley at the foot of two hills. These form a natural amphitheatre around the large harbour. The town has plenty to occupy visitors, with beaches, caves, museums, ruins and a wide choice of eateries all close by. Harvesting of ... Read more
- Kamari / Kamares & Kefalos (Kos) The village of Kamari is at the south end of the long sandy beach of Kefalos. The small harbour at Kamari provides good shelter, though if you’re just stopping for lunch you can often just anchor off the beach. Needless to say, the beach has been well and truly discovered with a number of hotels in evidence. The ... Read more
- Kardamena (Kos) Once a small village, Kardamena has grown in to a thriving holiday resort. The big attraction is the long sandy beach. So long in fact that most of the hotels could genuinely claim to be no more than 5 minutes from the beach! Amongst the modern hotels, you’ll still find plenty of signs of the original village. There ... Read more
- Kastellorizo / Kastelorizo You’re more likely to visit this Greek island when sailing in Turkey – it’s much closer to the Turkish coast than it is to any other Greek territory. The island has been hotly fought over for centuries with the castle after which the island takes it name having been knocked down and rebuilt several times. There ... Read more
- Kefalos (Kos) The long sandy beach stretching around this wide bay is the obvious attraction at Kefalos. The Beach Club ashore offers the chance to try your hand at dinghy sailing, windsurfing, kayaking or paddle boarding. Alternatively, take a swim on the pool, lounge on the beach or take a drink at the beach bar. If you fancy ... Read more
- Kos Town Kos is an ancient settlement, originally founded on agriculture and fishing, with one of the largest market places in the ancient world, and known for its wines and silk. The home of Hippocates, the island still shows much evidence of past glories but today the main industry is tourism. There’s plenty to do and see whether ... Read more
- Ladiko (Rhodes) This well sheltered anchorage is only a couple of miles south of Faliraki so don’t expect a quiet uninhabited bay! However, once the sun bathers have gone home it’s a fairly peaceful spot, albeit strewn with sun loungers and umbrellas. The beach is sandy but with plenty of rocks so watch your toes. There are several cafes ... Read more
- Lakki / Porto Lago (Leros) A superb natural harbour, Lakki is a town unlike any other in the Dodecanese. Art Deco and futuristic buildings line the wide buildings with little sign of the narrow alleys and traditional buildings one would expect. The buildings date from the Italian occupation, when the bay was a major Italian Naval Base. Some are now falling in ... Read more
- Lindos (Rhodes) Originally the capital of Rhodes, Lindos is steeped in history. There are three attractions – the beach, the town and the acropolis within the medieval castle. Your perception of Lindos is likely to be heavily influenced by when you visit; both the time of year and the time of day. In high season the place gets packed, ... Read more
- Lipsi With it’s whitewashed buildings and blue domes, Lipsi is like a miniature version of Santorini, but at a lower altitude, and with better beaches and fewer tourists! It’s a great place to relax with virtually no traffic and everything within walking distance. Indeed, the island is small enough you could walk from one end to another. There ... Read more
- Livadia (Tilos) The little harbour at Livadia is actually the main port for the island. Once populated by miniature elephants, remains of which have been found on one of the caves, Tilos is now a bird sanctuary. There are plenty of traditional buildings in Livadia, with the main concession to tourism being the many restaurants. There’s a good ... Read more
- Mandraki (Nisyros) Mandraki (Nisyros): Houses crowd the waters edge The island of Nisyros is essentially a volcano, which is still technically active. Mandraki, home to the majority of the island’s 1000 strong population is on the north west corner. The village is a maze of pebbled streets and alleys, between the whitewashed and natural stone buildings with their wooden ... Read more
- Mastichari (Kos) It’s nice to find somewhere on Kos that seems to have escaped the ravages of mass tourism. The small fishing village of Mastichari welcomes the quieter kind of visitor. There’s a good sized beach with much of the water based activities wind powered and kept to one end. A short walk inland there’s the ruin of ... Read more
- Panormitis (Symi) Sailors stopping the night get to see Panormitis at it’s best. This bay, on the south west of Symi, is a tranquil contrast to the bustle of Symi Town, but only once the plethora of trip boats have left for the day. The central attraction is the Greek Orthodox monastery of the Archangel Michael which dominates the ... Read more
- Panteli / Pandeli (Leros) This traditional Greek fishing village is clearly identified by the line of windmills on the hilltop. It lives an odd double life, with fishing boats moored up just feet from large yachts. So far it’s holding it’s own; you’ll still find fishermen sewing their nets and be greeted by the locals as a welcome guests rather ... Read more
- Patmos Skala Skala is the main port on Patmos, a couple of kilometres north of the capital, Chora (or Hora). The island is reputedly the place where St John wrote the Book of Revelation. Patmos is a popular stopping off point for cruise ships as the high number of souvenir shops will attest. There are several monasteries of which ... Read more
- Pigadia / Port Karpathos The capital of the island, Pigadia is also the main port. Not that it’s a large place – the total population of the whole of Karpathos is only around 6000. Pigadia sits at the south end of a long beach which gets sandier the further you go from town. Heading out in the opposite direction, there’s the ... Read more
- Pserimos This is one of the smallest inhabited Greek islands with a declining population now thought to be down to double figures. There are no cars as there are no roads. Provisions not sourced locally arrive by boat. As do the tourists. The arrival of the trip boats multiplies the population for a few hours. But after a ... Read more
- Rhodes Town If you’re hoping to see one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Colossus of Rhodes, I’m afraid it collapsed in an earthquake around 226 BC, having stood for only just over 50 years. No matter, Rhodes has plenty to offer, including copious Roman ruins, one of the best preserved walled Medieval cities, the Italian ... Read more
- Symi Town Once a major shipbuilding and sponge fishing centre, Symi is now primarily a tourist destination. The island has had a chequered history but after much restoration (heavily controlled by the authorities) its multi coloured buildings now make a spectacular sight. The harbour of Symi town (also called Yialos) includes a small nautical museum and is connected ... Read more
- Vathi (Kalymnos) This picturesque village lies at the end of one of the two green valleys on Kalymnos (the other is at Pothia). Entering the bay through it’s fjord like entrance, you can see the orange and lemon trees stretching up the lush hillsides. The village that now stands on what was once the settlement of Rina is a ... Read more