Telendos, Dodecanese Islands

In brief
Telendos is situated opposite the village of Mirties on the island of Kalymnos. It takes a small boat from Mirties to get there, yet the “braves” are swimming to it. Actually it's nothing more than one rock in the sea with a beach in the front; an ideal day-trip destination!
 

General Information
If you desire peace and tranquility on holiday combined with real Greek hospitality and food and a more traditional style, then this could be the place for you.   
This tiny island has one village and no roads - you walk everywhere - if you can't find a donkey!
It also has 4 beautiful pebble beaches with little sand - ideal for snorkeling. It is a bit of a walk to the small rocky coves but worth it when you get there....
 

Separated by a channel only 700 meters wide, it was united with its larger neighbor until 535 AD. Though completely barren, it does have wonderful beaches with clear water on its west coast; which are still pretty quiet.  Its few inhabitants all live in the tiny fishing village across from Mirties. A caique ferries people back and forth between the two.
 

Sightseeing  Even though Telendos is only a small island it has an abundance of churches. Set on the rocky coastline is Agios Georgios - the church of St George so called due to the legend that behind the church lies the horse hoof marks in the rock said to be St George's steed.For the more energetic ones, there's the walk to Agios Konstantinos to consider. Set high on Mount Raki, it's about an hour and a half walk and a bottle of water or two are essential.
 

Beaches

There are some beautiful beaches on Telendos on which to relax and soak up the sun. The cleanest and nicest bays are those of Pnigmenos, Chochlakas and Potha.  Idyllic coves with crystal clear water ideal for swimming and snorkeling. Potha Beach is also a step into the past as there are the ruins of a village house.  The next beach along is the beautiful Paradise Beach.

Useful Information
How to get there
By sea from Kalymnos

Kalymnos Port Authority: +30 22430 24444, 29304
 

Useful telephone numbers (Kalymnos)Area Code: +30 22430
Municipal Office: 59141

Police: 22100

Port Authority: 29304, 24444

Olympic Airways: 59370 (airport)
Health Center: 23025

Kos, Dodecanese Islands

In brief
Very popular with Scandinavians, Kos Island is rich in archaeology including Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Venetian sites. Many of the beaches can be quite crowded just as they are in other popular islands, but not everyone comes to Greece to be alone…despite the amount of tourists in the summer you can still get away and enjoy private moments by the sea. The interior of the island is still undeveloped, fertile and agricultural and best of all, largely flat so that riding bicycles (and of course motorbikes) is a fun way to get around.

General Information
Kos is the island that gave the world Hippocrates, the father of medicine. The third largest of the Dodecanese, it is long and narrow in shape, mostly flat with two low mountains, Dikaio (875 m.) and Simpatro that run along its southern coast.
It lies south of Kalymnos and was first inhabited in the Neolithic era. In 700 BC, it joined together with Lindos, Kameiros, Ialyssos, Knidos and Halikarnassos to found the Dorian Hexapolis.
In the 4th century B.C., Asklepieion became famous as the leading “hospital” of antiquity.

The capital, Kos, is situated in a verdant district on the northeast of the island, at the back of an open bay. Around the port you can still see the ruins of the ancient city and the castle, built between 1450 and 1478 after the Knights of St. John took over the island.
Excavations in the ancient city brought to light building foundations of the Classical era (e.g. the Agora) and of Hellenistic and Roman times (the Gymnasium, Odeon, Roman baths, a Roman mansion with beautiful mosaics), sections of wall from the Classical period, the foundations of a temple of Aphrodite and another temple, probably dedicated to Heracles.

The rest of the town is modern and well laid out, with contemporary buildings, hotels and avenues lined with palm trees. In a lush area 4 kilometres west of town, you’ll find the Asklepieion (Asklipiio) or Sanctuary of Asklepios. Its buildings, owing to the slope of the site, stand on four different terraces united by a marble staircase. The view from the highest one is stunning.
The most important structure is the temple of Asklepios, a Doric peripteral temple erected in the 2nd century BC. Other buildings include the Stoa (Colonnade), which housed Hippocrates’ medical school and the Bomos or Great Altar (3rd century BC), which was decorated with sculptures attributed to the son of Praxiteles.

During your visit to Kos, it would be well worth your while to visit the pretty villages, which are scattered round the island. Among them are Asfendiou, 14 kilometres southwest of town, built on the slopes of Mt. Dikaio overlooking the sea; Pili, further south, with its ruined Byzantine castle and the Ypapanti church within it; Andimahia, perched on a plateau in the middle of the island; Thermes, with its hot springs and spa and Kardamena, a seaside resort, both on the east coast; Tingaki (near the airport), Marmari, and Mastihari, Kos’s second harbour, on the north coast; and finally Kefalos on the southwest coast with its splendid beach. The ruins of the ancient town of Astypalaia can be seen at the district known as Palatia nearby.
You’ll find wonderful beaches all over the island. You can reach the closer ones by bicycle, a popular means of getting around on Kos.

Sightseeing 
Starting with the capital, Kos, there is an interesting archaeological museum, the Kastro from the 13th century, where the knights of St. John had a stronghold, the plane of Hippocrates where he supposedly taught and read, as well as the Mosque of Gazi Hassan Pasha from 1786.
There is also an archaeological excavation area here where ruins from the ancient agora have been found. Houses, temples, baths and mosaics from different eras have been found here as well as the statue of Hippocrates. You can visit the Roman Villa, Casa Romana, which is a replica of an ancient Roman house open for visitors.

Asclepion is a must for those interested in ancient history. Here, the great temple of the god of medicine lays, and it dates back to the 4th century BC, but might be even older than that.

Kos has many small villages worth visiting, and it is a good idea to rent a vehicle and explore them on your own. Palio Pylio is a deserted village from Medieval times, where there are many interesting little churches and a kastro. In Asfendiou there are very old churches and the Kastro of the Knights of St. John. Kefalos used to be the capital, Astypalea, in ancient times, and there are excavations going on here. Kardamena has a Byzantine church dedicated to Agios Theodotas, in Antimachia there is a Venetian castle, Zia is built like an amphitheatre with many little churches and shops.
You get the best sunsets on the southern peninsula Moni Agiou Theologou.

Beaches
Kos has a lot of swimming options all around the island and can satisfy all kinds of swimmers.
Well known, organized beaches with extensive facilities such as Psalidi & Lambi just outside the town of Kos, Thermes beach with volcanic pebbles & hot seawater due to the nearby mineral water springs and Agios Focas at the northern side just before Thermes.
At the northwest side of Kos, there are well known sandy beaches such as Mastihari, Marmari and Tigaki.
At the southern coast of Kos, near Kefalos village there are many beaches, most of them long and sandy such as Limnionas, Agios Theologos, Kamari, Kefalos, Agios Stefanos, Kamila, Paradise, Magic beach (Polemi), Chryssi akti (Golden Coast) and Kardamena.

Useful Information
How to get there
By air from Athens 

Olympic Airways: +30 2103550500
By sea from Piraeus
Piraeus Port Authority: +30 2104226000-4, +30 2104114005

Useful telephone numbers
Area Code: +30 22420
Municipal Office: 23226, 28223 

Police: 28211

Port Authority: 26594-5 

Olympic Airways: 28331-2 (tickets), 51590 (airport)
Health Center: 23423, 28050

http://www.kosisland.gr

Mykonos, Cyclades Islands

In brief
Superb beaches, whitewashed cube houses, sophisticated nightlife, non-stop party can picture Mykonos. Mykonos has something for everyone. Busy beaches as well as quiet beaches, plain local tavernas as well as sophisticated international restaurants. Mykonos town is a picturesque Cycladic town with a maze of tiny streets and whitewashed steps lanes and houses.

General Information
Mykonos is a top class, worldwide destination. It is no coincidence that this, the most cosmopolitan of all Greek islands, attracts so many visitors from all over the globe, including large numbers of artists and intellectuals.
Here, the steep mountains to be encountered in most of the Cyclades give way to low, rocky hills which combine with superb beaches to make up the landscape of the island.
 

The capital, Hora, with its colorful harbour in which little fishing-boats nestle happily side by side with luxury yachts, presents quite a different picture from the majority of Aegean island towns. While it is usual for island villages to be built on naturally amphitheatrical sites, Mykonos is spread out over a flat area and conveys an impression of solid aesthetic cohesion.
Along the whitewashed streets stand brilliant white box-shaped houses with stepped walls for sitting on, wooden doors and windows and brightly coloured balconies. These are interspersed with small but impressive churches, pretty little tavernas and shops selling souvenirs and other goods, and the overall sense is of being inside a film set.
 

On the low Kastro hill is the complex of churches known collectively as Our Lady “Paraportiani”, a superb arrangement of whitewashed masses created over the centuries, and now recognized as a national cultural monument.
Of particular historical and aesthetic interest are the medieval houses in this district of the town, which stand like a wall above the sea protecting the west side of Hora.

The countryside of Mykonos is a mixture of grey-green rocks ringed by prickly pear plants and little fertile areas carpeted with wild flowers. Here and there are tiny white-washed chapels and windmills.
Ano Mera is, after Hora, the most important of the older villages on the island. Standing 8 km. to the east of the town, Ano Mera has the interesting monastery of Our Lady Tourliani, ornamented with fine woodcarvings. The church has a collection of valuable ecclesiastical vessels, vestments and embroideries. The courtyard contains an interesting bell-tower and a marble, fountain.
Mykonos is a busy island with all the amenities of a modern resort and with plenty to do – by day or night – for those who want to have a lively time. Yet visitors fond of more peaceful holidays will still find quiet corners to relax.

Sightseeing
The town Hora is a place you should really explore. Walk around, go to the windmills, have a drink in Little Venice (the western little harbour) while watching a seashore sunset and visit the Paraportiani church. And of course, go shopping. 

The village Ano Mera is worth a visit: small, pretty and quiet. Visit the monastery and the little church museum from the 15th century.

There are also museums that worth a visit. The Archeological Museum of Hora contains finds from tombs on the nearby island of Rhenia, sculptures, vases and figurines. The Folklore Museum brings together a number of collections of furniture, icons, pieces of sculpture and folk musical instruments. Mykonos is also the home of the Nautical Museum of the Aegean, which has interest all of its own. 

There are daily excursion to Delos, a small island that used to be the holiest island in ancient Greece. Leto gave birth to Apollo and Artemis here, holding on to a palm tree. You cannot spend the night on this island, but a daytrip is definitely a must: the island is cluttered with archaeological remains. 

Beaches
Most beaches are quite popular covering all tastes from families to youngsters and are fully equipped with beach bars, tavernas, lounge chairs & parasols. In the southern coast you may find the most crowded ones such as Psarou, Platys Gialos, Paranga, Paradise, Super Paradise, Elia, Agia Anna, Agrari. In the eastern side you will find less crowded beaches such as Kalafati, Kalo Livadi & Lia and the smaller ones Draoumia & Tafarnis. In the northern side of the island you may find Fokos, Ftelia, Panormos & Agios Sostis beaches which are less crowded because of their northern winds. The western coast of Mykonos, near Hora has also some options for swimming such as Agios Stefanos, Tourlos, Megali Ammos, Ornos and Agios Ioannis. 

Things to taste & buy
Jewellery
Fashionable Clothing
Salted white cheese "kopanisti"
Almond confectionery "amygdalota"
Fermented almond cordial "soumada"

Useful Information

(Area 85 sq. km. Distance from Piraeus 94 nautical miles)

How to get there
By air from Athens
Olympic Airways, Athens: +30 210 9666666
By sea from Piraeus & Rafina
Piraeus Port Authority: +30 2104226000-4, +30 2104114005
Rafina Port Authority: +30 22940 28888, 22300

Useful telephone numbers
Area Code: +30 22890
Municipal Office: 23990
Police: 22235
Port Authority: 22218
Olympic Airways, Mykonos: 22490 (ticket office), 22327 (airport)
Health Center: 23998, 23994 
Archeological Museum: 22325
Folklore Museum: 25591
Aegean Maritime Museum: 22700

http://www.mykonos.gr