The northern Dodecanese: Kalymnos, Leros, Patmos
The calmest Greek route starting from Kos: the islands sit in a chain 10–12 nm apart, the legs take two hours, and the loop leaves room for a whole day without moving. The meltemi blows here too, but the short distances let you sail in the morning and sit it out at the berth. About 80 nm in a week.
Day by day
Kos
- Kos36.894, 27.289
Fly into Kos and take over the yacht in the marina. Do the big shop in town — there are shops on Kalymnos and Patmos further along, but the choice is noticeably thinner.
Kos → Kalymnos
- Kalymnos36.950, 26.985
The island of the sponge divers: they are still sold on the Pothia waterfront, and above the town hang the cliffs that climbers fly in for from all over the world. Spend the night at the quay in Pothia or in the enclosed bay of Vathy.
Kalymnos → Leros
- Leros37.127, 26.852
Leros is the most Italian island in the Aegean: Portolago, now Lakki, was built in the thirties as a model naval town and is rationalist architecture from end to end. Berth in Lakki or in picturesque Pandeli below the castle.
Leros → Patmos
- Patmos37.321, 26.546
North again. Skala is the main port of Patmos, with the fortified monastery of St John on the hill above it and the Cave of the Apocalypse halfway up. Moor at the mole or anchor in the bay alongside.
Patmos: Chora and the monastery
- Patmos37.321, 26.546
A day without a passage. In the morning, up to Chora: an 11th-century monastery, a library of manuscripts and a view over half the Dodecanese, with the Cave of the Apocalypse on the way. The afternoon goes to Lambi and Psili Ammos beaches, or simply to an evening in Skala.
Patmos → Lipsi
- Lipsi37.298, 26.762
A small island with one village, blue domes above the harbour and a dozen bays around it. This is usually the laziest day of the week.
Lipsi → Kos
- Kos36.894, 27.289
The one long leg: south along Kalymnos and back into Kos marina. On a fresh meltemi the day splits with a night on Kalymnos.
Coordinates are approximate, for the harbour or bay. Paste them into Google Maps or a chartplotter, and check the chart and pilot book before you moor or anchor.
Good to know
- Meltemi: a north-westerly of 15–25 knots from June to September. It is on the nose going north, but the legs are short — leave early, before it gets going, and you are at the berth by the afternoon.
- Berths: the quays at Pothia, Lakki, Skala and on Lipsi are municipal and cheap, and you moor stern-to on your own anchor. Power and water are not available everywhere, and on Patmos the mole fills up by lunchtime in season.
- Patmos is a place of pilgrimage: shorts and bare shoulders are not admitted to the monastery of St John or the Cave of the Apocalypse, and both close in the middle of the day. Plan the climb for the morning.
- The loop stretches easily: if the week goes well, boats add Arkoi or Archangelos between Leros and Patmos — near-empty islets with anchorages and a single taverna.
When to go and what it costs in Greece
Median € per berth per week from the agent's latest check, monohulls; each month's page has both boat types, a chart and boats departing that month.
Discounted boats in Greece
All boats in Greece
How long is the Kos — Patmos route and where do you stay overnight?
7 days and about 80 nautical miles in a loop, starting and finishing in Kos. Overnight stops in order: Kos, Kalymnos, Leros, Patmos, Patmos, Lipsi. The longest leg is day 7, 30 nm.
When is the best time to sail the Kos — Patmos route?
Greece's season runs April to October. In July–August the meltemi blows 25–30 knots in the Cyclades and the Dodecanese, so beginners are better off in the Ionian or the Saronic Gulf in those months. June and September bring warm water, gentler wind and prices below the peak; April, May and October are the shoulder months and the cheapest weeks of the season. By the agent's latest checks (monohulls), the cheapest month is March: a median of ≈€240 per berth per week. The most expensive is December, at ≈€283. The most boats with 20% off or more are in October: 41%. The agent checks the current month and the next five; each month has its own page with the numbers.
How much does a yacht for this route cost?
A whole boat in Greece for a week starts from €1,770 in the agent's current selection: the cheapest discounted week departing in the next three months. Prices per berth by month are higher up the page; the boats are under “All boats in Greece”.
Do I need a licence to charter a yacht?
For a bareboat charter (no skipper or crew provided), yes: a skipper's licence and, as a rule, a VHF radio certificate. Without a licence, we add a skipper, paid separately from the boat price.
What's included in the boat price?
Just the boat, for a week. Usually paid separately: transit log and final cleaning, fuel, marina fees, the security deposit (or deposit insurance), a skipper, cook and hostess if you need them, and extras (SUP board, on-board Wi-Fi, coffee machine, child safety netting).
