Dodecanese Islands (Overview)

The island complex of Dodecanese in south-eastern Aegean is the sunniest corner in Greece. Twelve large islands and numerous smaller ones with crystal clear waters, sandy or pebbly beaches, important archaeological finds, imposing Byzantine and medieval monuments and unique traditional settlements are waiting to be discovered. If you are desperately seeking to discover lesser-known, unspoiled destinations visit Leros or Pserimos. But there is always Rhodes and Kos, larger and more cosmopolitan islands awaiting to offer you strong, and treasured memories. Just take your pick!

Welcome to Rhodes,

a medieval treasure beautifully preserved throughout the centuries. Wander around its magnificent Old City, surrounded by medieval walls with seven gates, and admire the Palace of the Grand Master, the most awe- inspiring building in the whole island. Take a romantic stroll around the famous Street of the Knights and feel like a holy warrior in shining armour, or a noble princess. Peer into the historic past of the city with a visit to the Archaeological Museum.
Mandráki, the (ancient) harbour, is distinguished from the outer harbour by the 3 windmills and the fortifications at the end of the dock. During your quest, you will encounter some of the city’s most remarkable buildings: the National Theatre, the Courts, the City Hall and the Governors Palace. Visit stunning wonders of nature, such as the Seven Springs, the Valley of the Butterflies and Rodíni Park, a green valley with running waters, small bridges and many peacocks, the trademark of the park! Get a deeper insight into the rich history of the island through your visit to the breathtaking Acropolis of Líndos and Ialissós as well as Ancient Kámiros, which were all powerful cities in ancient times. Well-preserved castles, like the ones of Kritinia and Monólithos are also waiting to be discovered!
Don’t forget to come back in spring to attend one of the most famous medieval festivals in Greece, the Sound and Light Festival, a visual extravaganza that you cannot afford to miss.

RHODES OFFICIAL WEBSITE


Welcome to Kos

Sandy beaches, turquoise waters, lush vegetation, ancient and medieval monuments, tree-lined wide roads, large squares, parks, a superb city plan and an extensive bicycle-only routes network are the distinctive characteristics of the third largest island of the Dodecanese, Kos! The island’s trademark is its medieval castle (Nerantziá Castle) situated at the entrance of the port. Wander along the impressive avenue with the Palm Trees, or stroll around famous squares like Platánou Square and Elefthería Square and admire legendary buildings, remains of the Italian rule. Interested in history? Pay a visit to the ancient city of Kos and observe important archaeological finds dating back to the 4th century. Did you actually know that you can sit under the plane tree where Hippocrates himself, the Father of Medicine, used to teach his students and examine his patients? The plane tree must be over 2,500 years old, and it is in fact the oldest in Europe! Don’t miss the 4th century Asclipiion, the Antimáhia 15th century castle with its imposing battle tower, as well as one of the most scenic villages of Kos with a distinctive traditional character, Ziá nestled amongst a dense cedar forest.

KOS TRAVEL WEBSITE


Welcome to Kalymnos

Welcome the opportunity to visit the “island of the sea sponge harvesters”, an internationally known alternative tourism destination. Did you know that after WWII Kálymnos remained the only Greek sponge-harvesting industry supplying both domestic and international markets with sea sponges? The first picture to see upon arriving on the island is Póthia, both the capital and the port of Kálymnos, spreading amphitheatrically on two hills. Visit among others the castle of Chrissoheria and the Archaeological Museum. Set out on a day trip to the traditional settlement of Horió, the former capital of the island, and admire interesting Byzantine monuments (like the Great Castle). The early-Christian settlement at Eliniká is a must-see, since it is perhaps the best preserved settlement in Greece. A perfect occasion to visit the island would be the International Climbing Festival in May, a unique festival that will thrill the action fans! The culinary enthusiasts should taste mouth watering delights, such as sweet smelling thyme honey, juicy tangerines, homemade mizithra cheese, delicious sea-dried lobster tail, and sea ray preserved in sea water!

KALYMNOS TRAVEL GUIDE


Welcome to Pserimos
Pserimos means “looking for the ideal destination for serene, relaxing holidays”. Enjoy sandy beaches with crystal clear waters, swim in paradise bays (like the small bay of Vathí), rent a boat and sail around the island’s beaches, follow several hiking routes, participate in local fairs (the most famous ones take place on 15th August) or go scuba diving and climbing. Whether you are looking for an action packed holiday or a relaxing visit, you will be quite astonished by the choices on offer on such a small island!


Welcome to Telendos
Did you know that this tiny beautiful island formed part of Kálymnos in antiquity, but was separated in 554 AD due to a devastating earthquake? Today there is only one small village on the island. Follow walking paths through the dense pine forest on the south of the island, where also ruins of Byzantine residencies still stand. Swim in sun-drenched beaches (like Plaka, Potha, and Paradise), go scuba diving and explore the ancient city sunk between Kálymnos and Télendos or go hiking, climbing, wind surfing, canoe-kayaking and spear fishing! You can reach Télendos by boat departing from the cove of Mirtiés at Kálymnos.

Welcome to Karpathos

An island blessed with an abundance of streams, pine-tree forests, vineyards, olive groves, rocky caves (which are actually home to monachus monachus) and mountainous landscapes, Kárpathos is a paradise for nature enthusiasts and lovers of deep-rooted tradition. The villages of the island seem like open folklore museums, whereas their inhabitants are still dressed in old traditional costumes, and speak their local, old dialect. The rich folklore tradition of villages, such as Ólympos and Mesohóri, will weave a powerful spell over you. Even if you are a wind surfing fan, “anemoessa” Kárpathos (“she of the many winds”, according to Homer) is the perfect place to exercise your favourite sport. Visit also Kárpathos during Easter or Carnival time and participate with the locals in celebrations that will remain in your memory forever!

KARPATHOS OFFICIAL WEBSITE


Welcome to Tilos
Ragged mountainscape, densely forested ranges and hilly vistas, verdant valleys –home to four hundred species of flowers and herbs–, and habitat of rare species of birds. These are the ingredients of an unparalleled destination, a huge ecological park protected by international treaties. This is Tílos! Visit Meyálo Horió, the island’s capital, with its imposing stone houses and narrow alleys. The view from the medieval castle (built in the location of ancient Tilos) that stands imposingly at the top of the hill will certainly take your breath away.

Welcome to Leros
Welcome to the island of Artemis, the goddess of forests and hunting, according to mythology. If you are looking to spend peaceful holidays in a pure, dreamy environment with pine trees, olive groves and low plains with freshwater streams, then Léros is your destination! Swim in azure seas, admire exquisite works of Italian architecture in Ayia Marina, the capital of the island, wander around centuries-old magnificent castles (like Brouzi and Castle of Panayia), or go scuba diving to explore ship wrecks lying on the seabed since the Second World War. Don’t forget to come back in Carnival time when ancient old customs revive.


Welcome to Patmos

The “island of the Apocalypse” or “Jerusalem of the Aegean” welcomes you! Pátmos is quite popular amongst pilgrims since in one of the island’s caves John the Theologian, one of Christ’s disciples, wrote the “Book of Revelations”. The stunning beauty of Hóra, a carefully preserved medieval settlement with narrow, maze-like alleys and stone-built houses will take your breath away. Don’t miss the imposing fortified monastery of Saint Ioannis and the Theologian Apocalypse cave! Visit Patmos at Easter, when deeply religious and spiritual celebrations are held throughout the Holy Week.

PATMOS TRAVEL WEBSITE


Welcome to Arki and Marathi
Visit a dreamy cluster of islands east of Pátmos with sparse vegetation, old whitewashed houses, and cute little tavernas. Get into a boat and sail around Maráthi, another small island with a beautiful beach covered with lentisks and tamarisk (salt cedar).

Welcome to Astipalea

Astipalea is the westernmost island of the Dodecanese, located at the point where the Dodecanese meet the Cyclades. This is the reason why in Astipálea the characteristics of both island complexes blend together to create the island’s uniquely varied scenery. Visit Hóra, the island’s capital and port, one of the most picturesque settlements of the Aegean. At the hilltop stands imposingly Hora’s castle, surrounded by small houses with whitewashed walls, blue doors and wooden balconies overlooking the open blue sea below.

ASTIPALEA OFFICIAL WEBSITE

Welcome to Kassos
Despite its small size, Kássos was once a mighty maritime and commercial power. The well-preserved mansions that still stand in Fre, the island’s capital and main port, reflect today this former grandeur. Take a stroll around Boúka, an old pirate lair, with moored small fishing boats, traditional coffee shops and its old lighthouse. Don’t forget to visit Armáthia, the largest of the islands around Kássos, where you can find some excellent beaches, like Marmara and Karavostassi!

Welcome to Simi

There are many reasons to visiting Simi apart from experiencing its unique cosmopolitan atmosphere, and wandering around its remarkable neo-classical settlement. Many visitors, for instance, come here to venerate the miraculous icon of Archangel Michael kept at the monastery of Panormítis, one of the most significant monasteries of the Dodecanese. Alternatively, you can come to Sími in summer to attend the famous Simi Festival, which includes among others classical music concerts, dance performances, and art exhibitions.

SIMI TRAVEL WEBSITE


Welcome to Halki

Enjoy peaceful holidays in the “Island of Peace and Friendship”, where young people from all over the world gather here every year for their annual meeting! The town of Halki or Niborió, the island’s capital, is listed as a traditional settlement and it is amphitheatrically built overlooking the clear-blue sea, whereas impressive neoclassical mansions reveal the prosperity the island enjoyed in the past.




Welcome to Nisyros

Take the opportunity to visit an unspoiled destination formed by volcanic eruptions. It is rather impressive that today Nísyros is still an active volcanic centre together with the volcanic centers of Milos, Santorini and Methana! Actually at the village of Nikia there is a “Volcanic Museum”, the only one of its kind in Greece, exhibiting samples from the most characteristic volcanic rocks of Nisyros. Strolling along the narrow streets of beautiful Mandráki, the island’s capital and port, is a richly rewarding experience. Don’t forget to observe its colourful houses which are actually built with hewn slabs of andesite and dacite (volcanic material)!


Welcome to Lipsi

which is the largest island belonging to a cluster of many others islets. It forms part of the Natura Network. It is an ideal destination for relaxing, and serene holidays. Here, both landscape and people will definitely help you find inner peace and tranquility. Lipsi is also surrounded by countless uninhabited islets ideal for bird watching.

Welcome to Agathonissi
which is the northernmost island of the Dodecanese; it consists of three large traditional settlements (Agios Georgios, Megalo Horio and Mikro Horio). Agathonissi has a significant and vulnerable ecosystem rendering it an important habitat of rare bird species. Together with the nearby islands it belongs to the Natura Network as well.

AGATHONISSI OFFICIAL WEBSITE


Welcome to Kastelorizo

which lies at the easternmost end of Greece, a stone’s throw away from the Turkish coast. Its main settlement is filled with cheerfully painted houses of exceptional architecture, awe-inspiring churches and picturesque alleys. Taste the island’s traditional sweets katoumári and stráva, and organise a boat excursion to Galazio Spileo, the largest and most spectacular sea cave in Greece. Don’t forget to visit the nearby legendary island of Ro where the famous
ASTIPALEA OFFICIAL WEBSITE“Lady of Ro” Despina Achladioti used to raise the Greek flag every day.

Did you know that........?

Did you know that.......

Ancient Olympic athletes competed in the nude ?

The word “gymnasium” comes from the Greek word gymnos, which means naked. In ancient times athletes practiced in the nude to the accompaniment of music. They also performed naked at the Olympic Games. Women were not allowed to participate or even to attend as spectators.

The first Olympic games were held in 776BC – and then every 4 years until 339BC. The first Olympic race was won by Corubus, a chef. For many years the Olympics consisted of only one race, a sprint of 192 metres (210 yards, the length of the stadium) called the “stadion.” A second race of 400 metres was added 50 years later. The pentathlon, wrestling, boxing, single-horse and four-horse chariot races were included later still. There also was a special event in which runners competed in hoplite armor, helmet, shield, and greaves that weighed 20-25 kg (50-60 lbs). There were no team events, relay races or the long distance race of Marathon – these events were introduced in the modern Olympics.

Go for silver
No medals were awarded in the ancient Olympics. A winner received an olive wreath to wear on his head. Second and third placings received nothing. When the Olympics were revived in 1896 in Athens, Greece, winners received silver medals instead of gold medals. Eight years later, at the 1904 Games in St. Louis, gold replaced silver for first place. Today’s gold medals actually are sterling silver covered with a thin coat of gold.

Olympic medals since 1928 have featured the same design on the front: a Greek goddess, the Olympic Rings, the coliseum of ancient Athens, a Greek vase known as an amphora, a horse-drawn chariot, and the year, number of the Olympiad, and host city.

Games for all
At the first modern Olympic Games there were 311 male but no female competitors. Women were allowed to take part in the next Olympics in Paris. In the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games there were 3543 female competitors.

The oldest Olympic athlete at the Sydney Games was a 62-year-old archer representing Vanuatu. But he has some years to go to be the oldest ever Olympian. That title is held by Swedish shooter Oscar Swahn who won his sixth Olympic medal at the 1920 Antwerp Games at the age of 72 years and 280 days old. The youngest ever Olympian is Greek gymnast Dimitrios Loundras, who competed in the 1896 Athens Olympics. He was 10 years old.

The first ever perfect score of 10 in Olympic gymnastics was achieved at the 1976 Montreal Olympics by Romanian Nadia Comaneci. She won 3 gold medals.

The record for the most Olympic medals ever won is held by Soviet gymnast Larissa Latynina. Competing in three Olympics, between 1956 and 1964, she won 18 medals: 9 gold, 5 silver and 4 bronze. Thus she also tops the list of gold medals winners, beating Olympic stars such as US swimmer Mark Spitz and Finnish long distance runner Paavo Nurmi.

The Olympic Games is the largest single broadcast event in the world, broadcasted in 220 countries to more than 3.5 bilion people.



Did you know that.......

The yo-yo is the second oldest known toy in the world (only the doll is older), and was born over 3,000 years ago in the days of ancient Greece?










Did you know that.......

Ancient Greeks ate dinner while lying on their sides?

Greek food today, with slight variation (such as the addition of the tomato after 1500 AD), is about the same as it has been for over 2000 years?

Greeks consume more olive oil per capita than any other group of people?







Did you know that.......

The length of Greece's coastline is estimated at 9,300 miles; America's coastline is estimated at 11,800 miles. The land area of Greece is slightly smaller than Alabama!








Did you know that.......

Greek was the language of education in the Roman Empire?

The Greeks were the first to develop an alphabet with vowels.

The Greek Alphabet is the forerunner of the alphabet we use in English today?

Greek is one of the few European languages where the word NO does not have any sort of “N” sound?

If a word has a “ph” in it, it is probably Greek?


Did you know that.......

The flag of Greece (popularly referred to as the galanolefki or the kianolefki, the "blue-white"), officially recognized by Greece as one of its national symbols, is based on nine equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white. There is a blue canton in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white cross; the cross symbolizes eastern orthodox christianity, the established religion of the Greek people of Greece and Cyprus. According to popular tradition, the nine stripes represent the nine syllables of the phrase "Ελευθερία ή Θάνατος" ("Freedom or Death", " E-lef-the-ri-a i Tha-na-tos"),a battle cry during the revolution against the Ottoman occupation. The five blue stripes for the syllables "Έλευθερία" and the four white stripes "ή Θάνατος". The nine stripes are also said to represent the letters of the word "freedom" (Greek: Ελευθερία).

It is widely believed that the colors of the Greek flag come from the blue of the sky and the white of the waves.



Did you know that.......

Feta, which is made from goat’s milk, is the Greece’s national cheese. It dates back to the Homeric ages, and the average per-capita consumption of feta cheese in Greece is the highest in the world.








Did you know that.......

Greeks do not wave with an open hand. In fact, it is considered an insult to show the palm of he hand with the fingers extended. Greeks wave with the palm closed. NEVER DO THIS GESTURE DURING YOUR TRIP TO GREECE!










Did you know that.......

The British poet Lord Byron (1788-1824) was so enamored with the Greeks that he traveled to Greece to fight against the Turks in the Greek War of Independence. He contracted a fever there and died at the age of 36. The Greeks consider him a national hero.







Did you know that.......


The word “barbarian” comes from Greek barbaroi, which means people who don’t speak Greek and therefore sound like they’re saying “bar-bar-bar-bar.


Did you know that.......

Only boys and men were actors in ancient Greek plays. They wore large masks so audience members could see what part they were playing. Theater staff carried big sticks because sometimes the huge audiences would get excited by a play and would riot.

The word “tragedy” is Greek for “goat-song” (tragos=goat)because early Greek tragedies honored Dionysus, the god of wine, and the players wore goatskins. Tragedies were noble stories of gods, kings, and heroes. Comedy or “revel,” on the other hand, were about lower-class characters and their antics.


Did you know that.......

Alexander the Great was the first Greek ruler to put his own face on Greek coins. Previously, Greek coins had shown the face of a god or goddess.

Greece’s currency, the drachma, was 2,650 years old and Europe’s oldest currency. The drachma was replaced with the Euro in 2002.







Did you know that.......

According to Greek mythology, Athena and Poseidon agreed that whoever gave the city the best gift would become guardian over the city. Poseidon provided either a wonderful horse or a salt-water spring rising from the slopes of the Acropolis, but Athena provided the olive tree, giving shade, oil, and olives. The Greeks preferred her gift and named the city after her and built the Parthenon on the Acropolis where Athena is believed to have produced the first olive tree.









Did you know that.......

Greece has zero navigable rivers because of the mountainous terrain. Nearly 80% of Greece is mountainous.
An old Greek legend says that when God created the world, he sifted all the soil onto the earth through a strainer. After every country had good soil, he tossed the stones left in the strainer over his shoulder and created Greece.






Did you know that.......

Over 40% of the population lives in the capital Athens (Athina in Greek). Since becoming the capital of modern Greece, its population has risen from 10,000 in 1834 to 3.6 million in 2001.

Continuously inhabited for over 7,000 years, Athens is one of the oldest cities in Europe. It is also the birthplace of democracy, Western philosophy, the Olympic Games, political science, Western literature, historiography, major mathematical principles, and Western theories of tragedy and comedy.




Did you know that.......

Retirement homes are rare in Greece. Grandparents usually live with their children’s family until they die. Most young people live with their families until they marry!!!





Did you know that.......

Ostracism allowed Athenian citizens to temporarily exile people thought dangerous to the public. If it was voted that ostracism was necessary, each citizen inscribed a name on a piece of pottery or ostracon in a secret ballet. The person with the most names had to leave town in 10 days for 10 years.





Did you know that.......

One of Greece’s most famous modern writer is Nikos Kazantzakis (1883-1957). His novels Zorba the Greek and The Last Temptation of Christ were both made into movies. The Greek Orthodox Church expelled him for The Last Temptation of Christ! Due to this, he is buried on the wall surrounding the city of Heraklion near the Chania Gate, as the Orthodox Church ruled out his being buried in a cemetery. His epitaph reads "I hope for nothing. I fear nothing. I am free."






Did you know that.......

in Greece, children and adults alike play an egg cracking game called tsougrisma on Easter? Players attempt to crack their eggs against their friend's egg; the last person with an un-cracked egg is considered the lucky one. The Greeks traditionally dye their eggs red, symbolizing the blood and passion of Christ.




Did you know that.......

The foustanela skirt consists of 400 pleats symbolizing the years during which Greece was under Ottoman rule.
The costume derives its name from the pleated white skirt (foustanela) made of many triangular shaped pieces of cloth sewn together diagonally. The foustanela was worn by the Greek fighters of the 1821 revolution and today it serves as the official uniform of the Evzones, Greece’s Presidential Guard, who can be seen guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Athens.