The Dodecanese: from Kos to Rhodes and Lindos
7 days · 190 nm · starts in Kos · Greece
Kos
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
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
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)
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
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
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
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.
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.
Practicalities
- 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
Greece is the cheapest place in the Mediterranean: a median €175 per person per week in winter, and even in summer (€298) it is cheaper than Turkey. Fleet discounts here are the deepest on the market — up to 63% on average for last-minute deals — so look at the price per berth, not the percentage.
RYC Rentals data, 2,062 offers from 2024–2026, as of 13 Aug 2026 · full breakdown →