This is the northern Dodecanese loop from Kos: eight days through Pserimos, Kalymnos, Leros, Lipsi, Patmos, Arki, Marathi and Agathonisi. It is the quieter of our two Dodecanese weeks, legs of mostly 8 to 15 nautical miles, protected water, and islands that still feel like Greece did twenty years ago. We recommend it to returning charterers, families with young kids, and anyone allergic to crowds.
The week runs Saturday to Saturday: board Saturday afternoon in Kos, hand back the following Saturday morning, seven nights on board. Your captain adjusts the order to the meltemi; the shape below assumes normal summer conditions.
The route at a glance
- Day 1: Board in Kos, sail to Pserimos (about 9nm)
- Day 2: Pserimos to Kalymnos (about 15nm)
- Day 3: Kalymnos to Leros (about 10nm)
- Day 4: Leros to Lipsi (about 8nm)
- Day 5: Lipsi to Patmos (about 10nm)
- Day 6: Patmos to Arki and Marathi (about 8nm)
- Day 7: Arki to Agathonisi (about 14nm)
- Day 8: Agathonisi to Kos, return (about 40nm)
Day 1 – Board in Kos, Sail to Pserimos (about 9nm)
Midday: boarding at Kos
Embarkation is Saturday afternoon at Kos Marina, ten minutes from the airport. Meet the crew, go through the preference sheet, and you are underway with the afternoon still ahead, this route’s distances are kind from the very first day.
Afternoon: a short hop to Pserimos
A short crossing to Pserimos, a small island off the coast of Kos with clear water, white sand, and pine and olive groves running down to the shore. It has a permanent population in the dozens, one harbour village, and reliable wind for a comfortable first sail.
Broker insight
The legs out of Kos are some of the shortest in Greece, often under 15 miles, so this is a gentle week with plenty of swim stops and almost no long crossings.
Yanna Pristas
Senior Charter Broker, Active CYBA Member
Evening: dinner at the harbour
Dinner ashore at one of the handful of tavernas by the water, the kind of unhurried first night that sets the tone for the whole week.
Overnight: Pserimos harbour.
Don’t Miss
- Swimming off Pserimos’ quiet sand beaches
- Pine and olive groves running down to the water
- A first dinner ashore among local fishing boats
Day 2 – Pserimos to Kalymnos (about 15nm)
Morning: the sponge-divers’ island
A short hop to Kalymnos, which made its fortune on sponge fishing and still feels like a working island rather than a resort.
Afternoon: Telendos
Take the tender through the narrow strait at Myrties to Telendos islet for a swim and lunch, or watch the climbers on the island’s famous limestone walls, Kalymnos is one of the best-known rock-climbing destinations in Europe.
Evening: Pothia or Vathys
Overnight in Pothia or on a mooring at Vathys, a fjord-like inlet on the east coast that guests rarely forget.
Overnight: Pothia, or Vathys inlet, Kalymnos.
Don’t Miss
- The narrow strait crossing to Telendos islet
- Watching climbers on Kalymnos’ limestone walls
- Vathys, the fjord-like inlet on the east coast
Day 3 – Kalymnos to Leros (about 10nm)
Morning: Lakki harbour
Leros has one of the safest natural harbours in the Aegean at Lakki, built out in the 1930s in striking Italian rationalist style, a very different feel from any other Greek island.
Afternoon: Pandeli
Rent a scooter to the windmills above Pandeli, and swim at Dio Liskaria, one of the quieter beaches on the island.
Evening: Sweet Leros 1897
Book dinner at Sweet Leros 1897 in town, a long-standing favourite of our crews. Local wild thyme honey is worth taking home.
Overnight: Lakki, Leros.
Don’t Miss
- Lakki’s 1930s Italian rationalist harbour architecture
- The windmills above Pandeli
- Dinner at Sweet Leros 1897
Day 4 – Leros to Lipsi (about 8nm)
Morning: barely an hour of sailing
Barely an hour of sailing brings you to Lipsi, population around 800: one whitewashed village, a handful of tavernas, and a string of swimming bays.
Afternoon: Platis Gialos
Platis Gialos on the northwest corner has water most guests compare to the Caribbean. There is nothing to tick off here, which is exactly why we route the week through it.
Evening: the small harbour
Overnight in the small harbour among local fishing boats, dinner ashore is a quiet, unhurried affair.
Overnight: Lipsi harbour.
Don’t Miss
- Platis Gialos, Caribbean-clear water on the northwest coast
- A village small enough to see in an afternoon
- Dinner among local fishing boats in the harbour
Day 5 – Lipsi to Patmos (about 10nm)
Morning: the cultural high point
Patmos is the cultural high point of the week, the island where St John wrote the Book of Revelation. Visit the Cave of the Apocalypse and the thousand-year-old Monastery of St John crowning Chora.
Afternoon: Psili Ammos
Back down to sea level for a swim at Psili Ammos, the island’s best sand beach, reachable mainly by boat.
Evening: Skala and Chora
Skala’s harbourfront is lively without being loud; Chora at sunset is one of the finest villages in the Aegean.
Overnight: Skala, Patmos.
Don’t Miss
- The Cave of the Apocalypse and the Monastery of St John
- Psili Ammos, reachable mainly by boat
- Chora at sunset, one of the finest villages in the Aegean
Day 6 – Patmos to Arki and Marathi (about 8nm)
Morning: the night guests tell their friends about
A short hop to Arki, home to around forty residents, no roads worth mentioning and no shops, this is the night guests tell their friends about.
Afternoon: Marathi
Neighbouring Marathi has a beach, an anchorage, and a family-run taverna that cooks whatever came out of the sea that morning.
Evening: dinner ashore by tender
Dinner ashore by tender, then a sky full of stars back on deck, no schedule at all tonight. If you strike this day for weather, your captain will substitute a second Lipsi bay.
Overnight: At anchor, Arki or Marathi.
Don’t Miss
- A family taverna cooking that morning’s catch
- A sky full of stars with no light pollution at all
- Two islands with barely fifty residents between them
Day 7 – Arki to Agathonisi (about 14nm)
Morning: a genuine bird sanctuary
A short crossing to Agathonisi, a small island recently declared a valuable shelter for rare bird species, and one of the quietest stops on the whole route.
Afternoon: Agios Georgios
The capital is the harbour village of Agios Georgios, bright boats bobbing on a beautiful bay, a whitewashed church on the hill above it catching the evening light.
Evening: ouzo in the seafront tavernas
Sipping ouzo in the seafront tavernas, hiking among the birds if anyone in the group wants to stretch their legs, and a last quiet dinner before the run home.
Overnight: Agios Georgios, Agathonisi.
Don’t Miss
- Agios Georgios harbour and its hillside church
- Hiking among rare bird species on a protected islet
- Snorkelling and swimming off the island’s quiet coves
Day 8 – Agathonisi to Kos, Return (about 40nm)
Morning: the longest leg, saved for last
The longest leg of the week, deliberately saved for the run home, an easy morning passage south, usually with the wind behind you.
Lunch: a final swim
Break it with a final swim at the Kastri islet off Kefalos or a last lunch at anchor.
Afternoon: back to Kos Marina
Back at Kos Marina by late afternoon for a farewell dinner in town.
Departure: Disembarkation is Saturday morning after breakfast.
Don’t Miss
- A last swim at the Kastri islet off Kefalos
- An easy final passage with the wind behind you
- A farewell dinner back in Kos Town
Making This Week Work
The yacht you need
This is the most forgiving route we sell in Greece: short protected legs, harbours or anchorages within an hour of each other almost everywhere, and the one long crossing saved for the run home. It suits catamarans and smaller motor yachts especially well.
How weather can change the week
The meltemi here is workable rather than punishing. The one planning note: the Arki and Marathi night is anchorage-only, so if your group strongly prefers harbour nights every night, tell us up front and your captain can substitute a second Lipsi bay.
Best Months to Book
- Best: June or the second half of September, when the meltemi is far softer
- Toughest: mid-July to mid-August, still very charterable given how sheltered this route is
Want bigger sights and bigger islands instead? See our southern Dodecanese itinerary from Rhodes, Symi, the Nisyros volcano, and Lindos, or browse all routes in our Greece itineraries guide. Send us your dates, group size, and budget and we will shortlist yachts based in Kos for this exact week.
Can We Add Turkey to This Week?
The Turkish coast is close enough to see from Kos, and this is the question we get most often on this route. The honest answer is that you cannot do both countries properly on one yacht. Turkish-flagged yachts are not allowed to charter in Greek waters, clearing in and out costs real money each way, and the rules move with the politics. What works is a week in each country on two different yachts, and we book both halves for you. The full breakdown is on our Dodecanese yacht charter page.
