Known around the world as the home of Hippocrates, Kos is the third-largest island in the Dodecanese group after Rhodes and Karpathos. It lies between Nisyros and Kalymnos, near the Asia Minor coast.
Kos is an ideal holiday destination. It is long and narrow, with mostly flat terrain except for two low mountains—Dikaio and Sympetro—along the south. It has an area of 290 square kilometers and is 219 nautical miles from Piraeus. The island’s population is just over 20,000 and most work in tourism, agriculture, stockbreeding, and fishing. The island is close to the Turkish coast and was rebuilt after the disastrous 1933 earthquake.
A temperate climate and verdant slopes offer good conditions for growing grapes. The island doesn’t have a POP designation but can produce all local Dodecanese and Aegean wines. Grape varietals grown on the island are found throughout the southern Aegean: assyrtiko, aidani, athiri, moschato, and Monemvasia.
Kos offers visitors a range of activities and sights, good infrastructure, a green environment, and beautiful beaches, many of which can be reached by bicycle—the most popular form of transport on the island.
