Thinking of a holiday in Europe? Think Kalymnos island.
Kalymnos, a Greek island of the Dodecanese, with its rocky landscape, is a worldwide popular climbing destination. It is located at the Southeastern Aegean Sea.
With a population of only 16,000 and numerous uninhabited islets, this area gives you numerous opportunities for holidays.
Indeed, the entire length and breadth of this small island chain are rich in resources and other opportunities.
To be able to make your trip worthwhile, it is important that you know about them. That is the role we have stepped in to play.
Ours expose hereunder endeavors to explain the various things you can do while on a visit to the island.
It looks into some of the top places of interest as well as when best to pay a visit to them. Lastly, the expose explains what you should do to make your travel worthwhile.
Things To Do in Kalymnos
Sightseeing
As hinted above, Kalymnos contains numerous places of interest. You hence have it for your own visitation if you cherish everything to do with sightseeing.
For instance, you may choose to walk around the numerous beaches.
Then, you may also walk within the town to behold the various building structures that adorn the town.
If you are interested in the past of Kalymnos, consider popping into the Archaeological Museum of Kalymnos or the Chrysocheria Castle.
While there, you will get the opportunity also to explore Kalymnos’ glorious past in visual forms. Kindly note that many other resources exist which we cannot exhaust here due to the limitations of space.
Photography
Definitely, the island of Kalymnos is not short of places to photograph.
From the awesome sunrise to the glorious sunsets to the charming strands, the island has many things you might want to capture and keep for memory.
Unlike many other islands of its kind in the region, Kalymnos lacks those stringent photography restrictions.
There is no place, region, its facility in the region that is restricted. Instead, you have the leeway to photograph just about any area.
Closely related to this benefit is the lack of photography licenses or fees. You just have every other freedom to do whatever you want whenever you want it.
This is a great reason to prioritize this area over and above alternative destinations.
Sunbathing
Given its relatively mild weather and the existence of numerous beaches, Kalymnos is a great place for sunbathing.
Though the island is adorned with an infinite number of beautiful beaches, some two particularly stand out.
These are the Masouri Beach, Sikati, On the Rocks, and Melitsachas Beach.
They are relatively clean, less crowded, appropriately sheltered from direct exposure to the adverse weather elements, and experience an unconstrained supply of fresh air.
Moreover, they have several shades nearby. These offer excellent opportunities for you to sit and relax with your spouse.
This area experiences limited fluctuations in environmental conditions year-round.
It is hence a good place to come to sunbathe in during the harsh winter months that the continental Europe experiences.
Wining and Dining
Obviously, no trip to a foreign land, no less Kalymnos, can be complete without a taste of the various cuisines.
Like most other top tourism destinations world over, this area is adorned with numerous cafes and eateries. Top examples are Ambiance, Ethereal, and Neon Center.
These facilities serve diverse kinds of cuisines, both locally and internationally.
You will be able to eat Greek, Italian, Chinese, and a host of other international cuisines while here. Perhaps there is no better place to try plates of seafood.
Being right next to the Aegean Sea, this area is a hotbed of everything seafood.
Some of the delicacies you must attempt while here are Greek Mussels, Greek Shrimp Saganaki, Greek Lobster Pasta, Greek Crispy Fried Squid, Greek Sea Bass, Greek Fried Anchovies, Greek Cod With Garlic Sauce, Greek Cuttlefish With Spinach, Greek Octopus With Pasta, and Greek Crab Salad.
Cultural Activities
Greece is full of culture and history. If you are a fan of Grecian culture or simply want to sample it, Kalymnos has got you taken care of.
These cultural activities are pretty diverse.
Of these, the rock climbing cultural event stands tall in Kalymnos. Each year, the municipality hosts the Rock Climbing Festival in the month of September.
During this event, rock climbers from many countries around the world troop to Kalymnos.
They come here to conquer the mountains of Telendos and Kalymnos. You too may wish to join them to make the most of your own time.
Prior to your participation in these events, you will receive instructions on how to keep yourself safe as well as the necessary equipment.
Unwinding
Do you operate squeezed and unforgiving lifestyles or schedules? Kalymnos, yet again, is a place for you! A number of factors converge to make it a nice spot to come and unwind.
Its population is low, it has many beaches and secluded interiors.
All these combine with the relatively low pace of life to make your worries melt away.
Considering also that the area is devoid of heavy industries and potential pollutants, you are guaranteed some fresh air. This is definitely great for your own health also.
There is never a specific time to come over to the area for the sake of unwinding. Indeed, Kalymnos is great for such kind of activity year-round.
Nightlife
Lover of nightlife? Kalymnos yet again has you covered. It prides itself in being extremely safe and secure.
This stems from the extremely low population of the area and the relative wealth of its inhabitants.
These factors make for your own safety and wellbeing at night.
Further to these, the main city also contains numerous pubs, discos, theatres, night clubs, and casinos.
These sell alcoholic beverages, hold concerts, dances, music, and shows. Together, they make the entire island full of life at night.
What’s more? Kalymnos itself is well-lit at night with great street lights.
Other than the core issues of enhancing your own enjoyment, these nightlife facilities also provide you breathtaking views of the adjacent port and sea.
You may hence choose to sit at a table and simply gaze the ships as they come and go.
Watersports
Being an island, it is no wonder that Kalymnos too is a hotbed for everything watersport. In particular, these activities take place within the sea channel that separate Kalymnos from Telendos.
A number of sporting activities do take place here.
These are sailing, windsurfing, sea kayaking, competitive swimming, scuba diving, and canoes.
You may choose to go solo or participate in the various events which are hosted by the local municipalities.
Also complementing your enjoyment of these issues are the numerous rental facilities.
You need not necessarily carry your own sporting equipment. Instead, you have the privilege of renting your own from the various companies that deal with them.
Be ready though to part with some money to access the venues and take part in sporting activities.
Socializing
Obviously, you are not the only one who will go to Kalymnos. At any given point, there are people drawn from all walks of life who choose to visit the area.
In the course of your own visit, you might want to incorporate socializing as part of your core duty here.
This simply entails meeting persons from all walks of life and spending some time with them.
In that time, you will talk, share jokes, and exchange ideas with them. Definitely, you will also capture some shots and keep for your memory of this place.
The island is also home to many facilities that encourage socialization.
The numerous sporting activities, open beaches, concerts, pubs, and live performances are examples of these.
Yet again, do take your time to participate in them for better experiences.
Sailing
In case you are a lover of sailing, again Kalymnos is a great place to be. Its waters are deep, tranquil and appropriately sheltered from the harsh external weather elements.
They hence provide a great environment for you to sail and enjoy the waters.
There is never the best time to do so. Indeed, the weather around the island is perfect all year long.
You only have to determine when it is convenient for you and there you go! Sailing around the entire island chain takes roughly four days.
Do make some appropriate arrangements to do so. As you sail, you will also get to behold the breathtaking views of the adjacent ocean.
Then, you will also be bombarded with the strong and tranquilizing breezes from the ocean waters itself.
Shopping
You can never visit this wonderful island without buying anything locally made here.
For your shopping, the island yet again contains many curios, grocery stores, eateries, and boutiques, to mention but a few!
In these facilities, you will be able to obtain much merchandise.
Some of these are textiles, greens, traditional products, curios, artifacts, pottery, and textiles, to mention but a few! The prices are quoted in dollars.
They are two; one for the local population and the other for the tourists.
Many of these stores accept major payment cards like Visa, Mastercard, and American Express.
If your store of choice demands that you exchange your currency to the local Euros, you have some forex bureaus for your use.
They strew the entire island of Kalymnos.
Sponge Diving
This underwater activity is known to be the oldest. Originally, its purpose was to aid in the retrieval of the natural sponges for human use.
It was done by trained sponge harvesters (sponge divers). With time, however, it evolved to be a sporting activity in its own right.
Given the existence of many sponges underneath the waters of Kalymnos, you have no better place to experience this particular activity than Kalymnos itself, when it is available.
Indeed, Kalymnos also experiences milder waves, deeper waters, and relatively still currents.
It is hence in your best interest to spare a bit of your time to come over and enjoy sponge fishing. Ask the locals or simply visit this page.
Useful Information for Travelers
- For any other accommodation options for Kalymnos use Booking.com
- In case your flight delays in Greece, know your rights
- Do you plan to hike a lot? Then read this after hike post
- For affordable hiking gear, see this website prior to coming to Greece
- If you prefer to pre-book organized tours then use this service
- If you are more of a book guide fan then get such guides here for Greece (sometimes roaming charges are huge)
Ready for Kalymnos?
Kindly note that the things we have highlighted and explained above are not all that you may do while here at Kalymnos.
As the island belongs to the Dodecanese, it is great as a pivot point to other nearby islands. These are the small island of Telendos and the island of Kos, among others.
Indeed, there are many others which you might do. Owing to our limited time and space, we just had to leave them out.
It is certainly not a wise thing to read through our explanations above yet take no meaningful step towards making use of the insight you receive.
That is why we now urge you to consider planning a visit to Kalymnos within the shortest realistic time possible.
To do so, factor your own expectation and then find a time that is most suited to that kind of activity.
When do you plan to embark on this wonderful journey? Kindly let us know to prepare to meet you well!