The Dodecanese: from Kos to Rhodes and Lindos
The southern Dodecanese is a route with a character: the islands are far apart, the meltemi blows hard and steadily, and waiting in the south is Rhodes, the only medieval city in the Aegean that people still live in. About 190 nm is a lot for a week, and the defining fact of the loop is that you sail south with the wind and come back against it.
Day by day
Kos
- Kos36.894, 27.289
Fly into Kos and take over the yacht in Kos marina. Do the big shop in town; in the evening, the ancient agora and the castle of the Knights right by the marina exit.
Kos → Nisyros
- Nisyros36.612, 27.136
Nisyros is an active volcano you can walk down into: a local bus runs up from the berth in Mandraki or Pali, and the floor of the caldera is yellow with sulphur and distinctly hot. The port is small — arrive before lunch.
Nisyros → Tilos
- Tilos36.418, 27.383
One of the emptiest islands in the Aegean: a couple of villages, a nature reserve and a cave where the skeletons of dwarf elephants were found. Berth in Livadia, at the quay or at anchor.
Tilos → Rhodes (Mandraki)
- Rhodes36.450, 28.227
A long downwind leg to the south-east. Mandraki is the old harbour right at the entrance to the medieval city: the Street of the Knights, the Palace of the Grand Master and the walls that held through the siege of 1480. The harbour is paid and tight, and booked ahead in season.
Rhodes → Lindos
- Lindos36.091, 28.088
South down the east coast of the island. Lindos is a white village beneath an acropolis on a crag, with a temple of Athena and a view over two bays at once. There is no harbour: boats spend the night at anchor in St Paul's bay or off the beach.
Lindos → Chalki
- Chalki36.224, 27.612
The way back begins: round the southern tip of Rhodes and head west, now into the wind. Chalki is an island with one village, an Italian waterfront and complete silence after Rhodes.
Chalki → Kos
- Kos36.894, 27.289
The hardest day of the week: forty-five miles north into the meltemi. Leave at first light and expect to motor part of it; on a fresh forecast the day splits with a night on Tilos.
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: from June to September a north-westerly of 15–30 knots blows through the Dodecanese, hardest in July and August. You run south with it and beat back against it — allow extra time and engine hours for the last two days, and at 30 knots do not leave at all.
- This is a route for an experienced crew. With beginners or children aboard, the honest choice is the northern loop, Kos — Kalymnos — Leros — Patmos: the same islands with half the miles and half the leg lengths.
- Berths: Rhodes and Kos are paid marinas and must be booked ahead. Nisyros, Tilos and Chalki have small quays with no services, and water and power are not always available. Lindos is anchoring only, and it is uncomfortable in a southerly.
- An alternative to the loop is one-way, Kos to Rhodes, leaving the boat in Rhodes. Not every fleet accepts a one-way drop-off and it always costs extra, but it takes the two hardest days out of the week.
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 — Rhodes route and where do you stay overnight?
7 days and about 190 nautical miles in a loop, starting and finishing in Kos. Overnight stops in order: Kos, Nisyros, Tilos, Rhodes, Lindos, Chalki. The longest leg is day 7, 45 nm.
When is the best time to sail the Kos — Rhodes 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).
