Castle of the Knights of Saint John

This imposing castle is the first thing you see when you enter the port of Kos by ship. It is also called Castle of Neratzia or simply Castle of the Port. It was built in the 15th century AC by the Knights of the Order of Saint John in order to protect Kos from the raids of the Turks. Every summer the castle houses all sorts of cultural activities.

Asklipieio

This is the most famous monument of Kos and the most important of its kind in Greece. It was discovered on 1902, as up until then it used to be a small hill with a church on top and the Asklipieio buried underneath the hill. Asklipieio was the equivalent of the health center for ancient Greece, as this is where they would bring all the sick people for medical treatment. There are three levels, connected to each other by imposing stone stairs. On the first level there were Roman baths, guest-houses for the sick, several stoes and presumably the medical school. On the second level you can see the ruins of a temple dedicated to God Apollo, as well as those of two other smaller temples. On the third and higher level you will see the ruins of the great temple of God Asklipios of the 2nd century B.C.

Kos Archaeological Museum

It is found at Eleftheria (=freedom) Square which is the central square of the town of Kos. The Museum is housed in a two-storey classical building, inside of with you can see sculptures, statues and burial stones mainly from the Hellenistic and Roman ages. One of the most interesting items is the mosaic that depicts Hippocrates being welcomed by a local, as well as the statue complex with God Dionysos leaning his head towards a Satyrus, God Panas playing the flute and a cupid with a panther at his feet.

Casa Romana

This is one of the most impressive sights on Kos. As its name suggests, this is a Roman house which was reconstructed in 1940 and it is assumed to have been the house of a family of noblemen that lived on Kos during the Hellenistic Ages. It was discovered in 1933 when a devastating earthquake almost torn down the entire island. Inside the house you will get to admire some pretty amazing mosaics and the beautiful architecture.

Odeon

The Roman Odeon was built on Kos during the 1st-2nd century A.C. and it is in pretty good condition. This is where all music contests would take place and all awards would be given. It was made purely of marble and its 14 rows of seats could hold about 750 people.

Plane Tree of Hippocrates

This could very well be the oldest tree in Europe, with a diameter of 12 meters! It is said that this tree was planted by Hippocrates himself and he used to teach his students under its shade. You will find it next to the gate of the Knights' Castle.

Folklore Museums

There are two folklore museums on Kos, one in Hani village and one in Kefalos village, both of which demonstrate what life used to be on Kos in the past centuries. The Historical Folklore Museum in Kos town is housed in a building called Hani.

Hippocratic Museum - International Hippocratic Institute

Dedicated to the ancient Greek doctor Hippocrates, the father of Medicine, this building houses both the Hippocratic Museum and the International Hippocratic Institute. In the Hippocratic Museum you will see several sculptures, two of them are original sculptures of Hippocrates' head, one of young age and one of old age. You can also see some original documents of the Hippocratic collection of the 17th century, as well as metallic medals, bronze and silver, that picture Hippocrates. The International Hippocratic Institute one the other hand is a modern medical research center intended to find more applications of the Hippocratic methods in modern Medicine.

Early Christian Basilicas

Kos has a stunning number of ruins of 22 Early Christian Basilicas all over the island, the most important of which being the one at the beach of Agios Stefanos at Kefalos bay. They are dated in the 5th or 6th century, with some more recent additions.

Forest Of Plaka

Close to Antimaheia village is the forest of Plaka, a nice forest with pine trees. What is special about this forest is that there are hundreds of peacocks that are not scared of people running around free. Children will love it here and you will get to take some beautiful pictures.