Kos Town: The Castle of the Knights of the Order of Saint John
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 your aspirations are cultural or retail. The castle of the Knights of St John is right next to the harbour and unmissable.
The ancient hospital, the Asclepion takes a bit more effort being about 4km out of town but is worth a visit. Back in town, there’s a restored Roman mansion with mosaic floor, the Plane Tree, under which Hippocrates allegedly taught, and the Archaeological Museum.
The town offers all the shopping opportunities you’d expect of a tourist centre, with plenty of restaurants, cafe’s and bars to rest your weary limbs. It’s here that you notice the impact of tourism, with increasing numbers of fast food establishments.
Just outside town there’s a beach, with more around the island. There are plenty of scooters and cars for hire if you fancy exploring the rest of Kos.
Kos Town: Mosque and cafe
Come the evening the town really bursts in to life. If you’ve found the rest of the Dodecanese a bit sleepy, now is the chance to let your hair down and party, with a choice of nightclubs and countless bars at your disposal.
The town bears the noise and antics of the night owls fairly well and hasn’t yet sunk to the excesses of some of it’s holiday island rivals. But I wonder whether it will continue to do so – you might want to visit sooner than later.