What is the Kos self-guided walking tour?
The Kos self-guided walking tour is an audio walk through the centre of Kos: you follow the route on your phone and the narration tells you what you are looking at. Allow roughly 3 hours for the whole thing; the walking itself takes just 33 minutes, spread over 2.7 km and 10 stops. More than two thousand years are packed into a handful of streets here, from Roman marble to the fortress of the Knights.
At the statue of Hippocrates, born on the island around 460 BC, the narration explains why he is called the father of Western medicine. The marble seats of the Roman Odeon bring the 2nd century AD, Antagora Square the legend of a shepherd who wrestled Heracles, and the memorial park the island's long road from Ottoman and Italian rule to union with Greece in 1948. At the castle you learn why carved ancient blocks sit in the walls the Knights of St John built.
- Durationabout 3 hours
- Walkingabout 33 min · 2.7 km
- Stops10
- LanguagesEnglish, German, French, Italian, Dutch, Greek
How the walk works
Listen
The narration starts as you reach each stop: the history of the place, the legends told about it and the details most people walk past. Prefer reading? The same text is on screen.
Walk
Between stops you simply follow Google Maps. The whole route is 2.7 km, roughly 33 minutes on foot, and the speed is yours.
Pause
Stop for lunch, a coffee or a museum and carry on later, the same day or another one.
Eat and shop
The app suggests places to eat and local shops near the route, and that is also where you change the first stop and the order.
See the route and attractions →
How it works
- Book online Choose the number of people. Your booking reference arrives by email straight away.
- Get the app Download the World City Trail app from the App Store or Google Play and enter your booking reference.
- Walk when you like Start whenever you are ready, walk at your own pace and pause any time. No guide, no fixed schedule.
Who will enjoy it
Curious walkers
If you like knowing the story behind a façade or a square, every stop gives you one.
Couples and families
Children hear the legends, adults get the history, and nobody has to keep up with a group.
Return visitors
Even if you know the streets, the stories add history and legends you may not have heard before.
Good to know
- Bring a charged smartphone with mobile data; a power bank helps.
- No entry tickets needed: everything happens outside the buildings. Going inside is optional and paid separately.
- Family friendly; children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Not suitable for wheelchair users and difficult with strollers.
- Groups of up to 5 work best; larger groups split up, one ticket per person.
- Every purchase helps support stray cats and dogs in Greece.
The walk stop by stop: Hippocrates, Eleftherias Square, the Odeon, Nerantzia Castle
10 stops · about 33 min walking · start: Statue of Hippocrates · finish: Nerantzia Castle
Hippocrates' statue opens the walk, and Eleftherias Square, ringed by the museum, the Defterdar Mosque and the market hall, comes next. The marble seats of the Roman Odeon, the old Hani with its folklore collection, quiet Antagora Square, the memorial park for the island's fighters and the church of Panagia Gorgoepikoos fill the middle of the route. The final three stops line the waterfront: Government House from the Italian years, the Plane Tree of Hippocrates and, guarding the harbour mouth, Nerantzia Castle. Another start or another order is set in the app, and none of the stops charges admission.
Open the route map ↗
1Statue of HippocratesStart
Hippocrates, born on Kos around 460 BC, is often called the father of Western medicine, and the Hippocratic Oath still bears his name. This statue honours the island's most famous son, who taught that illness has natural causes rather than divine ones. His legacy is also remembered at the Asklepieion, the ancient healing sanctuary a few kilometres outside town.
Read the full story →
2Eleftherias Square
Eleftherias Square, or Liberty Square, is the main square of Kos Town. Around it stand the Archaeological Museum in a building from the Italian period, the Ottoman-era Defterdar Mosque and the market hall. The ruins of the ancient Agora begin just beyond the square.
Read the full story →
3Roman Odeon
This small Roman theatre dates from around the 2nd century AD and was used for music, recitals and public gatherings. Its lower rows of seats are made of marble, and arched vaults run beneath the seating. Italian archaeologists uncovered and restored it during the Italian period of the island's history.
Read the full story →
4Hani – Historical and Folklore Museum
Hani is the local name for a han, a traditional inn where travelling merchants once stayed with their animals and goods. The old building now houses the Historical and Folklore Museum of Kos, with objects from everyday island life of the past. Take a close look at its sturdy stone walls, which once sheltered the merchants and their goods.
5Antagora Square
Antagora Square is one of the small squares of Kos Town, a quiet stop away from the busy seafront. The name Antagoras appears in an old Kos legend, in which a shepherd of that name is said to have wrestled the hero Heracles.
Read the full story →
6Kos Fighters Memorial Park
This small park honours the people of Kos who fought for the island's freedom. Kos lived under Ottoman rule from 1523, under Italian rule from 1912 and under German occupation during the Second World War. Together with the other Dodecanese islands, it officially became part of Greece only in 1948.
7Panagia Gorgoepikoos Church
This Orthodox church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary as Gorgoepikoos, a Greek title meaning she who answers quickly. Churches with this name are found across Greece, and the faithful come to light candles and ask for help. Take a close look at its façade from the street.
Read the full story →
8Government House (Dioikitirio)
The long Government House on the harbour front was built while Kos belonged to Italy, which ruled the Dodecanese from 1912. Its façade mixes arches, towers and decorative details inspired by Venetian and Eastern architecture. It still houses public offices today.
Read the full story →
9Plane Tree of Hippocrates
According to tradition, Hippocrates taught his students under a plane tree on this spot. The present tree is several centuries old, so far younger than Hippocrates, and its heavy branches rest on metal supports. Next to it stands the 18th-century Gazi Hassan Pasha Mosque.
Read the full story →
10Nerantzia CastleFinish
The Knights of St John built this fortress at the harbour entrance in the 14th and 15th centuries to defend Kos. They reused stones from ancient buildings, so carved marble blocks and inscriptions can be spotted in the walls. A bridge crosses the former moat, now a palm-lined street, and the name is said to come from bitter orange trees.
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Australia –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Nadine– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Slovakia –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Netherlands –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Voor een geschiedenis liefhebber, zoals ik, had de aangereikte informatie weinig diepgang, maar voor een eerste kennismaking met de highlights van Kos is het wel prima geweest. En natuurlijk kan je mooie foto’s maken.
Italy –
Collected on GetYourGuide
tutt
United Kingdom –
Collected on GetYourGuide
There were some more interesting monuments/sites around Kos that could have been incorporated into the tour. Maybe if the commentary was recorded rather than having to read it ourselves it may have been better as some of the facts were a little lomg to read out
Janek– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Schöne Hintergrund Infos zu den einzelnen Stationen.
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
It was a nice tour but with a very few information… nice if you just want to have a first sight with essential information
Sara– United Kingdom –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Interesting and educational. Nice to be able to stop and start, and not have to do it all in one go.. Also good to be able to walk at my own pace
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Sehr schöner Ausflug mit vielen Infos. Genau die richtig Länge für ein erstes Kennenlernen der Stadt. Schön wäre nur, wenn man sich die zusätzlichen Informationen vorlesen lassen könnte oder zumindest vergrößern könnte. Die Schrift ist doch wenn die Sonne scheint eher schwer zu lesen.
Sweden –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Ik vond de app niet heel handig in gebruik en wat verwarrend (soms word je naar een bepaalde plek geleid, maar komt daar geen informatie over). En de computerstem is ook storend.
Denmark –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Fin guide museet åbner først kl. 17 så var ikke muligt at se
Netherlands –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Vandaag een stadswandeling door Kos stad gedaan. Ondanks dat ik zelf al door de stad had gewandeld toch nog heel veel andere dingen gezien of dat wat ik al gezien had ging net ff via een andere route. Ook leuk om bij de stops extra informatie te krijgen met tussendoor nog wat weetjes waardoor je Kos stad en Kos weer wat beter leert kennen.. Zeker een aanrader om op een leuke ongedwongen manier de stad te leren kennen. Ik ga de app zeker onthouden voor andere reizen.
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
We had a very enjoyable, relaxing tour of Kos Town, using the self guided website. Lots of information and easy to navigate to do at your own pace.
United Kingdom –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Gut geklappt, genaue Führung.