Kalymnos (Kilimli) Island winking at Bodrum

Kalymnos Island Beaches, Kalymnos Island Travel Guide, What to Eat on Kalymnos Island? How to Get to Kalymnos Island?

Kalymnos, surrounded by small coves on all four sides, is poised to become a miniature Santorini of the Eastern Mediterranean. Are you ready for our journey with Feribotlines.com?

Kalymnos Island stands out among other islands for its sponge production. Moreover, in recent years, it has become a center of attraction for climbers and trekkers due to its rocky terrain, offering numerous climbing spots. Known as the Sponge Island, the sponges from here were used in various places, from the Harem of Topkapı Palace to the linings of armor. Nowadays, with the sponge supply diminishing, you will see fish farms all over the island, as the locals have turned to fishing to make a living.

Kalymnos, also known as Kilimli Island, is one of the 12 islands in the Aegean and is a newly developing Greek island. It promises a quiet and peaceful holiday, especially for those seeking tranquility and sunset lovers.

Located 32 kilometers from Bodrum and clearly visible from Bodrum, the island has a population of only 17,000. Kalymnos, along with Leros, Patnos, Kos, and Simi, is lined up at intervals of 16 kilometers. You can visit these five islands by doing island hopping throughout the summer.

Our first stop in KALYMNOS is the Port area, namely Pothia. The first to greet us are the car rental companies. We head straight to Auto Market Rentals, which is right in front of us. https://feribotlines.com/ Being 4 adults and 3 children, we requested a doblo from Nomikos Kardoulias. It's usually helpful to ask for assistance from the hotel where you're staying. It didn't used to seem very expensive to us before, but the constantly changing exchange rate really hit us hard.

The place where the port is located is POTHIA, the city center. Generally, the center is more lively, with taverns, narrow streets, charming and colorful buildings, and boats along the harbor...

Beaches: 

There are many small public beaches on the island. There is no paid beach-style place here. Generally, the beaches you can go to are Emborios, Melitsachas, Therma, Gefira, Vlichadia, Vathis, Platy Yialos, Massouri, Myrties, Telendos, Akti, and Arginondas. But keep in mind, when we say beach, it's like a recreational area beach, not like Çeşme sea and beaches! :) For those who love sandy beaches, another destination is the island of Pserimos, to the east of Kalymnos. There are day boat trips from here, and I can say that the best sea is here. Closed bays, Panormos, Mirties, and Masouri on the west side of the island.

As I mentioned at the beginning, in this island with a mini Santorini atmosphere, the ideal place to watch the sunset is Mirties. The opposite Telendos Island creates a beautiful scenery. This island, said to have separated from Kalymnos, stands out with its Roman and Byzantine ruins as well as its natural beaches. 

SMALL HOTELS ARE PREFERRED

 For accommodation in Kalymnos, small boutique hotels spread out in coves are preferred. There aren't many large hotels on the islands anyway. Our choice from Kalymnos was Villa Melina in the center. Click here for my other hotel recommendations. I'll warn you in advance, compared to other Greek islands, Kalymnos is an island where hotels fill up quickly and there are few accommodation alternatives.

EVENING IN TAVERNAS 

In the evening, tavernas in the coves of Kalymnos come alive. Although I didn't come across a tavern with live music, on this quiet-themed island, restaurants with sunset views are preferred. My first choice is the tourist spot of Masouri village on the island. It's about a 15-minute drive from Kalymnos center (harbor). It's a region frequented by Turks as well. However, the chicest and best-view taverna on Kalymnos is here: Aegean Tavern - A must-visit, the food, service, and music are fantastic. General notes: All octopus and calamari I ate on Kalymnos were delicious, but since they don't marinate octopus and calamari like we do, they can be a bit tough and rubbery.

EMBORIOS Village

 Located in the north, it's a tiny fishing village. There are small beaches and tavernas here. Dreamcatcher Restaurant was our choice. Prices are not cheap, but the portions are large and delicious. So, my advice is to share one portion between two people. It has a pleasant location by the sea, and you can spend the whole day swimming right in front of it. There are generally no showers at the beaches, so be prepared for a salty experience! General notes: The sea in Kalymnos is generally rocky, and the beaches are free right in front of the restaurants. There's no special feature that they'll charge you for, like a DJ, etc. Don't expect nightlife, live music, etc., as most places are about sea, sun, and fish, except for Mykonos Island.

We decided to spend one evening in the center of Kalymnos, and we had pizza at Pizza Porto by the harbor. The sizes are big again, so I recommend sharing one pizza between two people.

The next day, after a challenging road, we reached the Vlychadia area to go to the beach. Vlychadia is a small village with 2 beaches on its coast. One beach is rocky, the other is sandy. As soon as we saw the Paradisio restaurant on the beach, we knew exactly where we wanted to be. The music, atmosphere, and food are quite successful. Toward evening, the regulars start gathering on the beach right in front of it. The atmosphere starts to warm up...

We had our dinner at the recommendation of a friend at the Aegean Taverna in Masouri at sunset time. The presentation and taste of the food, the view, the atmosphere, were all amazing.nThe honeyed doughnuts that came at the end of our meal were the perfect finishing touch after a full meal.

Another day, we went to a delightful little village called Vathi. Boats usually stop here, anchoring in the tiny and charming bay, for a short swim. The sea is rocky, but it's very beautiful and clean. There's no sandy beach; you jump into the sea from a concrete pier. If you're up for some adrenaline, you can also jump off the cliffs nearby. Right behind here, we went to a cove called Kambi and had a wonderful time. It's an untouched cove that can only be reached by boat. If you have a meal at a restaurant in Vathi, they'll take you there for free.

We saved our last night for the village of Panormos. It's a sweet little village on the way to Masouri. It's a lively place where more local people hang out. We chose a restaurant located at the very end of the beach for dinner. Before dinner, you should definitely hang out at one of the two cafe-bars on Linaria beach for sunset. Start with Cafe Alati, then go to Albus Bar. If you're still in the mood after dinner, you can continue the night at Club Domus. 

General notes: We saved shopping time for the last day. We had a 3-hour wait for the ferry at the port. Our first purchase was the famous and natural product of the island, Thyme Honey. Besides magnets and sponges, we couldn't find much else different to buy.

While waiting for the boat to return, you can go to a bar called "Mad" and have some snacks while listening to good music.

For Kalymnos Hotels and Accommodation: Check out https://www.boutiquesmallhotels.com/Kalymnos-island-hotels! One Last Note: I don't recommend returning from Kalymnos with a transfer in Kos, as the port where you land in Kos is different from the one that goes to Bodrum from Kos. Carrying luggage in the sun for 45 minutes is not pleasant. I did it, don't do it!:)