So, you’re looking for romantic things to do in Kos? That shouldn’t be too hard. This island of pearly-white beaches and pebbly coves, of haunting ancient ruins and flower-filled highland villages is a true honeymoon favorite of the Greek islands. There’s all sorts to do on a loved-up trip with your other half.
Yep, from booking a pad in a deluxe spa hotel on the edge of the Aegean Sea to exploring time-stood-still hamlets where family-owned tavernas serve gorgeous Greek cuisine, you’re not going to be short on options.
This guide will run through seven of the top choices. It’s got romantic things to do in Kos for all sorts of couples, no matter if you’re a pair that like to be pampered, like to party, or prefer lacing up the hiking boots and taking an adventure together. Ready? Let’s get started…
Treat yourself to a stunning luxury hotel
Kos is no stranger to top-quality hotels. Yes, the island is a bit of a jack of all trades, catering to families and young partiers and backpackers alike. However, there are enclaves that are pretty focused on the honeymoon crowd, and they do a good job of cranking up the romance with their five-star spa hotels and deluxe resorts.
One of the best ways to ensure you get a loved-up stay that’s pampering from check-in to check-out is to filter your hotel search to include adults-only hotels. They’re the ones that focus primarily on honeymoons and minimoons, and are often the accommodations with the most enticing frills of the lot. Some of our favorites on Kos include:
- White Rock of Kos ($$$) – One of the leading adult-only hotels on Kos, the White Rock of Kos has private villas with infinity pools lofted over the town of Kampos on the southeast coast.
- Lango Design Hotel & Spa ($$$) – Uber-cool Lango is a minimalist hotel with Bauhaus and Nordic touches close to Kos Town. The pool area is the centerpiece but there’s also an elegant spa facility with saunas.
- White Pearls ($$$) – Small but very stylish, White Pearls fuses traditional Dodecanese character with a touch of modern chic. There are no kids allowed and there’s a beautiful outdoor pool and gym space near the remote north coast.
- AquaBlu Hotel & Spa ($$$) – There are Art Deco touches to this design hotel that has a beautiful pool dotted with couples’ lazing beds.
Go hiking
Kos is the perfect island for hiking couples. It’s small enough to cover large distances on foot and has the backbone of the Dikeos mountains rising up over 800 meters above sea level only a stone’s throw from Kos Town. There are oodles of paths to take in those heights, along with plenty of coastal trails and even forest walks where you can get lost in the Aegean backcountry together.
Even the easiest trails on the island can be pretty rewarding. Take the route up from the resort of Kardamaina to the Saint Paraskevi Holy Orthodox Chapel. It follows a scrub-covered ridge and culminates with a vision of the Antimachia Castle from the Middle Ages. Then there’s the path that navigates Tsoukalaria Forest, a land of cedars and pines that shade the roadway to springs that once fed the main city back in ancient times.
You can also crank up the trail difficulty if you’re after something a touch more challenging. Mount Dikeos is the obvious place to do that. A trailhead beckons on the north of the peak just outside of the abandoned village of Palio Pili. It’s a lovely route that wiggles through fragrant juniper and pine forests until it bursts above the tree line to offer sweeping views of both the north and south coasts of the island.
Bathe in the natural springs at Therma Beach
Whoever said you needed accommodation with a spa attached to be rejuvenated on Kos? Nope. There’s a natural bathing pool with its own healing mineral waters on the south coast. It’s actually far more dramatic than any hotel could be since it’s tucked under the rugged cliffs in its own shoreline cove.
Known appropriately as Therma Beach, the spot has been hailed for its healing spring waters since ancient times. These days, the locals come to splash in the stone-rimmed pools that form just off the shingle beach, where H2O that sits at a steady 104 F (40 C) gurgles up from the ground. It’s known to contain all sorts of good-for-you minerals and salts, including bouts of potassium, calcium, and magnesium. (Just what you need after the stress of the big day, huh?)
The beach that surrounds the natural springs is also pretty nice. You can laze there on one of the sunbeds and splash in the Aegean if you like. There’s also a lovely café at the top of the entrance road that serves some of the finest Greek coffees around.
A day trip to Bodrum
One of the great things about honeymooning in Kos is that you’ll be able to check off a whole other country together. That’s because Turkey is only a stone’s throw over the strait from the main port in Kos Town. Ferries leave for the resort of Bodrum multiple times every day during the high season, taking just 45 minutes on the fastest Flying Dolphin boats.
Catch a morning one and you could be in the glitzy yachter’s haven on the Turkish Riviera in time for a breakfast of shakshuka and gritty Eurasian coffee. That’s just the beginning, too, because Bodrum is riddled with eye-catching history sights like the mighty Bodrum Castle (it’s the big thing that looks like it’s out of Game of Thrones towering over the harbor) and the ruins of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus (considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World).
If you can spare a night or two from your vacation on Kos, then it’s worth hanging around Bodrum to get stuck into the nightlife, too. That carries on in the narrow, winding streets just west of the port, where shisha bars and rooftop cocktail joints open to offer views going west back into Greece.
Get lost in the charming village of Zia
Lagoudi Zia – also known, simply, as Zia – is unquestionably one of the most enchanting places on the island. What’s more, a visit here promises to be one of the most romantic things to do in Kos, because it offers an escape from the bustle of the resorts along the southeastern shoreline, to a place where time seems to have stood still for decades; a village bursting with flowers and sky-blue cottages and quaint family tavernas.
The truth is that Zia is now one of the main tourist draws on Kos and much of the traditional vibe has been preserved to keep the day trippers a-coming. But don’t let that put you off. It remains a fantastic spot to buy local arts and crafts, in the form of handmade sculptures, ceramic vases, olive-oil soaps, woven Greek clothes – the list goes on.
The village also hosts a tempting array of mountain tavernas. They tout menus that are slightly different to the seafood-heavy spots on the coast. So, get ready for long lunches of Greek salads, stuffed peppers, saganaki cheeses, grilled souvlaki, lemon potatoes, and garlic dip, all washed down with a carafe of crisp white wine sourced from the local highland vineyards.
Take a day cruise around the island
There’s no better way to channel the jet-setter vibes on your minimoon than by chartering your own 40-footer for a spell. Today, there are oodles of companies that can help you follow in the footsteps of the A-listers and celebs who so frequently flock to the Greek islands for their rest and relaxation.
They offer skippered boat hire for single days or multiple days, or even un-skippered charters if you happen to come with all the right sailing licenses. That means you get a taste of the high life, along with the freedom to explore the hidden coves and snorkeling spots that Kos is so well known for.
Some outfitters even do packages that are specifically designed with honeymooners in mind. They typically involve a pickup in Kos Marina, a day’s cruise around the famous beaches of the south coast and the nearby isle of Pserimos to the north, lunch in a local taverna on some hidden beach, and then champagne with the sunset to dust it all off. Not bad, eh?
Take a Greek food cooking class
Some say food is the language of love, which is precisely why we’ve put cooking lessons up here as one of the most romantic things to do in Kos. Well…that, and the fact that the Greek kitchen is so darn good that you won’t regret booking onto one of these no matter if you’re on a honeymoon or not!
Normal packages last a couple of hours and see groups taken under the wing of a local taverna chef. They often begin with visits to local markets to buy homegrown Dodecanese ingredients or trips to the marina where you’ll haggle with the fishermen for the freshest cuts of the day. It’s all part of the experience!
Back in the kitchen, you’ll be taught how to cook up a storm of Greek mezze, including baked feta with mountain herbs, stuffed tomatoes, rolled vine leaves, grilled cheese with lemon – the list goes on. Days usually finish with the most important stage of all: The eating. That’s always best done in a traditional taverna with a crisp glass of cold Greek white wine. Mouth = watering.
Romantic things to do in Kos – the verdict
There are oodles and oodles of romantic things to do in Kos. This island is well-prepped for loved-up duos on a minimoon or a honeymoon. No matter if you’re keen to unwind and relax after the big day with some thalassotherapy treatments in a local spa hotel or want to bless the marriage with an endless lunch of Greek mezze, this guide has you covered. And that’s just scratching the surface, because there are also bucket-list ancient ruins and hardcore hikes in the offing to boot!
