Best reached by a lovely 20-minute hike through the fields, along a trail that starts southwest of the monastery, this astonishing Mycenaean-era acropolis was founded 3000 years ago. Its restored cyclopean walls are a little newer, from the 4th century BC – what looks like modern graffiti is in fact ancient dedications. Pass through the forbidding gateway and you can climb atop the massive blocks of volcanic rock for breathtaking views. Good explanatory signs in English are scattered throughout.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
2.86 MILES
A visit to the caldera is like stepping into a science fiction movie, cows grazing amid strange coloured rocks in what resembles a lunar landscape.
19.11 MILES
The island’s most important ancient site stands on a pine-covered hill 3km southwest of Kos Town, commanding lovely views across towards Turkey. A…
24.22 MILES
This unorthodox collection is the life's work of a local Kalymnian man, Stavros Valsamidis, who for 48 years undertook private dives, and amassed items…
0.27 MILES
This showpiece modern museum, on Mandraki’s main pedestrian street, displays a fascinating collection of Hellenistic and Roman pottery and sculpture, as…
14.43 MILES
The ruins of Knidos (kuh-nee-dos), a once-prosperous Dorian port city dating to 400 BC, lies scattered across the western tip of the Datça Peninsula…
21.61 MILES
North of the Ancient Agora is the lovely cobblestone Plateia Platanou, where you can pay your respects to the Hippocrates' plane tree, under which…
21.68 MILES
Due to damage caused by an earthquake in 2017, Kos’ magnificent 15th-century castle is currently closed. Nevertheless, given its extraordinary location at…
21.23 MILES
This open archaeological site, south of the centre, holds ancient ruins uncovered by an earthquake in 1933. Its real treasures are the mosaics of the…
Nearby Dodecanese attractions
0.21 MILES
This hillside medieval monastery, overlooking the sea below the castle, can be reached via a short staircase. Visitors can only access a small anteroom.
0.22 MILES
Dating from the 4th century BC, the ancient walls above Nisyros, accessed from the path behind the monastery and medieval castle, are one of the Aegean's…
0.22 MILES
Despite its name, this small museum, just up from the seafront below the monastery, is exclusively ecclesiastic. Besides its icons, vestments, votive…
0.27 MILES
This showpiece modern museum, on Mandraki’s main pedestrian street, displays a fascinating collection of Hellenistic and Roman pottery and sculpture, as…
2.86 MILES
A visit to the caldera is like stepping into a science fiction movie, cows grazing amid strange coloured rocks in what resembles a lunar landscape.
3.43 MILES
Set beside the end of the road, this kid-friendly modern museum does a good job of explaining the history and mythology of the volcano and its impact on…
12.99 MILES
Despite the fact that it's one long 12km stretch of golden sand, Paradise Beach, the pearl of the island's beaches, is broken down into a number of…
13.56 MILES
This beach is for those who want a nature-based experience on a remote strip and small dunes behind. It is also for people who don't mind wind. This is…