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Kalymnos Travel Guide - Greece
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This is the The Agni Travel guide to Kalymnos Island, Dodecanese, Greece.
Sofri, one of our editors, comes from Kalymnos, and
with his help we are creating the new Kalymnos
Travel Guide. Here, you will find useful information
about the island of Kalymnos, its history, the
Kalymnian way of life, its traditions, local events
and places of interest. You will also find what is
the newly developed touristic character of Kalymnos,
information about where to stay, what to eat, how
and when to visit. Enjoy Kalymnos with us! The Agni
Travel team.
What is In the Kalymnos Travel Guide?
Learn more about Kalymnos and its
villages. Plan your holiday to
Greece by using the guides, maps and menus for
information on where to stay on Kalymnos. Plus, find
out the best time to visit, how to travel around
Kalymnos, what to see, best beaches, food and wine, and
where to eat. With crystal clear waters, pretty
harbours and quiet bays - Kalymnos awaits you!!
Getting to Kalymnos
Kalymnos has
only recently gained an airport! Before, the only
way to reach Kalymnos was by flying to one of the
nearby islands (Kos) and then taking a ferry to Kalymnos.
Other ways to get to Kalymnos are from Pireaus Port with a ferry that could take from
around 9 to 14 hours. You will depart in the afternoon (about 1pm to 4pm) and reach Kalymnos
in the early morning of the next day.
Kalymnos Forums
Latest news about Kalymnos.
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Kalymnos Villas, Houses and Apartments to Rent
The Kalymnos Travel Guide offers 'unpackaged' rental properties,
including Luxury and Typical Greek houses and apartments - all individually
hand-picked by us.
For Kalymnos we have a selection of properties very near to the sea.
With personal knowledge of the area the property owners, we try to offer you
an authentic experience through out the year.
Kalymnos Villas and Apartments
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Kalymnos - Car Hire
Kalymnos - Statistics
Kalymnos Population:
16,492
Location: Dodecanese Islands, south-eastern
Aegean Sea. (36°59′N 26°59′E)
Capital:
Kalymnos city (Pothia)
Island Size: 112kmē (Aprox 21km Long and 14km
Wide)
Highest Point: 806m
Coastline: 68 km
Number of Beaches: 33 (Sandy and Shingle)
Language: Greek (English commonly spoken)
Have You Recently Returned from Kalymos or Greece?
If you have just returned from Kalymnos, another
Aegean island or anywhere in Greece, visit our
forum. Our regular members will help answer your
questions on Kalymnos ready for your holiday:
Kalymnos Forum
Telendos Island
Telendos is a small quiet island
opposite the north-western shores of Kalymnos, to which it was originally joined until a big earthquake in 554 AD!
No visit to Kalymnos is complete without visiting this traditional island,
which is made easy due to the regular ferry service between Kalymnos and the island of Telendos.
You arrive at Mirties at any time from early in the morning and until midnight and you always
find a 'Kaiki' waiting. You enter the boat and after a few minutes you are in Telendos.
Telendos has a few
tavernas, a traditional coffee shop (Kefenion), one
bar and two mini markets. There are also a couple of
jewelery and souvenir shops - which are actually
just the front rooms of the locals - offering
handmade Greek rugs and decorating art. |
Kalymnos Overview
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Overview
The island of Kalymnos is south east of Athens and one of the group of islands known
as the Dodecanese. It has around 16,000 inhabitants many of which live in the capital of Pothia.
The island of Kalymnos is also known as the sponge fisher'
s island.
It is a very mountainous island, with impressive rocky crags and an abundance of aromatic plants.
Sage, Thyme and Oregano fragrant the mountain sides.
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Nightlife
As the evening approaches, the island of Kalymnos becomes one of the most romantic places in Greece, with the added pleasure of fantastic sunsets.
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The Capital
The Capital of the island of Kalymnos is Pothia, built like an amphitheatre around the spacious port with many facilities for small and large vessels.
With a total of around 17,000 inhabitants (mainly living in Pothia), the island is the third most populated island of the Dodecanese and is the wealthiest island among the Dodecanese and one of the wealthiest in the whole of the Greek Islands.
The main population live in town during the winter, and during the summer months migrate to the various holiday resorts around the island.
The industry of the sponge diving has fallen, having suffered from a disease back in 1986. Therefore the late introduction of tourism has helped the island and islanders even though Kalymnos is still not crowded even in high season. With the beautiful landscape and beaches, the island charms all its visitors.
The island of Kalymnos is surround by a number of smaller islands, Pserimos and Telendos and the only two which are inhabited.
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Produce
Most of the land is barren and therefore agriculture plays a small role in the economy of the island of Kalymnos, except for the valley of Vathi. The island is very famous for its citrus fruits.
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The soil of the island if mainly of limestone and in the valleys there can be found the remains of tufa from an ancient volcano
Sponge Diving
Life and culture of Kalymnos has always been connected to the sponge fishing and thats why Kalymnos was named The sponge-divers island.
The sponge diving has been a wealth producing source that not only gave the island vigour, it also made the Kalymnians travel around the Mediterranean to obtain information and cultures, to return to their island full of this knowledge.
The locals of Kalymnos fished sponges in the waters of the Aegean Sea by using traditional ways using the harpoon.
The first sponge-divers didnt have a uniform or any technician support; they dived in the sea naked and depended on their breathing
The sponge divers then freighted ships from Leros and Samos to transport their sponges to the Eastern Mediterranean.
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Kalymnos Villages
The island of Kalymnos constitutes of several places such as Pothia, a small town, Chorio, Resorts and villages like: Vathy, Brosta, Myrties, Masouri, Arginonda, Skalia, Tichous, Emborios, Argos and Bothinous.
Vathy and Brosta are villages where the locals used to cultivate the famous citrus fruits of the island. This is only the case now in Vathy. Brosta is actually more of an area which is formed by the villages of Myrties, Masouri, Telendos, Arginonda, Skalia, Tihous and Emborios - there are only 600 residents. On the whole, Kalymnos along with Pserimos, has a population of over 18,000 people today.
It is also worth also mentioning the small island of Plati (between Kalymnos and Pserimos) which has been recently inhabited by a Kalymnian and his Italian wife.
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Past Industry
The island of Kalymnos owed its past wealth mainly trading and the building of boats but the main industry of the island was sponge fishing. The island was the main centre of production in the Aegean.
Another industry was the production of painted head scarves, which were the most prominent part of the ladies dress wear.
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Caves
In the south-western part of the island of Kalymnos, are the cave of Kefala or Trypa, (trypa meaning 'hole') with its stalactites and stalagmites.
There are also the caves of the Seven Virgins or 'Cavern of the Nymphs' at the foot of mount Flaska.
The cave of Therma has radioactive springs which are said to be recommended for many illnesses.
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Mountains
The surface of Kalymnos is rocky with several mountains, the highest of which is Prophetes Helias ( 676 m ). Kyria - Psili ( 620 m ), Galatiani ( 590 m ) and Merovigli ( 550 m ) are the rest. Most of them are ideal for climbing.
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Kalymnos Rental Accommodation
Kalymnos Properties for Rent
Looking for a Villa, House or Apartment to rent in Kalymnos? Check out the available properties: Kalymnos Rental Accommodation
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Kalymnos Travel Guides
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The Agni Travel team has just returned from a 10 day trip to Kalymnos. Sofri, one of our editors, comes from Kalymnos, and with his help we are creating our new Kalymnos Travel Guide. Here, you will find useful information about the island of Kalymnos, its history, the Kalymnian way of life, its traditions, local events and places of interest. You will also find what is the newly developed touristic character of Kalymnos, information about where to stay, what to eat, how and when to visit.
Enjoy Kalymnos with us!
The Agni Travel team.
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Kalymnos town, Pothia, Kantouni, Massouri, Emporio, Myrties, Vathy. We recently visited all of the villages of Kalymnos and give our advice and photos. Our recent Kalymnos visit has improved our guides and the photos of Kalymnos are update.
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Telendos is a small, quiet island about 750 metres from opposite the north-western shores of Kalymnos and is reached by a romantic 5 min boat journey from the town of Myrties. The Agni team rate it as a must visit! We visited several timers during the day and twice during the evening (taking the water taxi from Myrties - which would have been really romantic had I been with my wife, rather than our site photographer and guide - Sofri!) The island of Telendos is a step back in time and simply a delight and well worth visiting if you are in Kalymnos.
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On Kalymnos, expect to find the freshest fish and fantastic waterside tavernas.
Boatmen anchor in the fjordlike port and then laze in the seafront restaurants and cafes or stretch their legs by walking through the winding lanes to Platanos (Village square) for Greek coffee or a glass of retsina.
We spent many evenings eating! From local water-front tavernas in Telendos to Pothia (Kalymnos Town) harbour front fish tavernas. We loved them all!
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From beautiful monasteries perched on the top of the hills, to water front chapels, Kalymnos has a many to visit. Although Kalymnos is visited for its beaches and food, if you get bored, there is plenty else to see!
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There are many hidden beaches on the island of Kalymnos just waiting to be discovered. Pezona and Drosonda are just two. The beaches on Kalymnos range from pebbles, fine single and soft sand. Some of sand was dark (volcanic). All of the beaches on Kalymnos, that we visited, were clean and very quiet.
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Any boatman will go to Daskalio in the entrance to the port and explore the cave, with its cupola-like roof and hear the legends woven round it.
Take long trekks up to the monastery of Kira Psili, or to Stimenia to the caves dug out of hills of porcelain or even to the top of the mount Profitis Ilias.
Watch weavers at work on their looms, observe the process of making the world famous honey of Vathi, pick grapes with the farmers and see how their sweet red wine is made.
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The island of Kalymnos is steeped in history from the beginning of the 11th Century BC and almost all over the island, there are traces of the ancient inhabitants.
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Many imagine Kalymnos island to be just a 'rock' but they are soon to be suprised by the number of trees! The village of Ellies (Olives) and Vathi are striking examples of how and oasis can be created in the Aegean. Kalymnos has many suprises waiting for you.
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Inexpensive car hire makes all of Kalymnos easily accessible. The roads, compared to many Greek islands, are fine and make exploring by car, fun! Watch out for the twisting roads that take you to the North of Kalymnos island, but the scenery and views are outsanding - plus there is very little traffic on Kalymnos which makes driving a real pleasure.
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Common holiday questions about Paxos: Doctors, Police, Banks/Cash machines, Pharmacies, Telephones, Weather, Shopping times, Public Holidays/Festivals, Tavernas/Bars.
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The island of Kalymnos has a variety of sports available, including windsurfing, mountain biking, trekking, yachting, diving and more famous is rock climbing.
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With the central location of Kalymnos, within the Dodecanese, it is the perfect base for some island sightseeing and hopping! Leros, Kos, Symi and Halki are just a short ferry journey away. Ferry connections are excellent, with modern
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