Kefalos: Coast, Village and History

If you’re looking for hotels in Kefalos, it helps to first consider the two parts of the settlement: the coastal community of Kamari, with the port of Kefalos, and the traditional village on the hill. This can help you weigh up whether the coast, the character of the hilltop village or the area’s history should be the main focus of your travel plans. The two parts of the settlement offer different points of reference for exploring Kefalos.

Kamari, the Hilltop Village and Beaches

The traditional village of Kefalos lies on a hill. Narrow lanes and closely spaced houses in island architectural style shape its character. Kamari is the coastal part, and the port of Kefalos is located there. This layout makes getting your bearings between the village and the coast a useful first step when considering which character of the area best suits your travel plans.

Easily accessible sandy beaches lie close together in the Gulf of Kefalos. Kamari in Kefalos is a very large, sunny sandy beach. The location of individual beaches can also help you get your bearings: Kochilari is on the north side of Kefalos, about 37 kilometres from Kos Town. Agios Theologos Beach is around seven kilometres west of Kefalos. These figures refer to the named locations and do not indicate walking or driving times.

A Cave, Basilicas and a Castle

The Aspri Petra Cave lies on the summit of Mount Zini, 257 metres above sea level, in the southwest of the island. Finds from the cave are dated to the Neolithic period and the beginning of the Bronze Age, around 3000 BC. Kefalos’s landscape is thus connected with a history of settlement stretching far back in time.

Another historical landmark lies in Kamari Bay: in 1932, Italian archaeologist Luciano Laurenzi discovered the ruins of a complex of two three-aisled early Christian basilicas by the sea there. The well-preserved Basilicas of Agios Stefanos date from 469 and 554 AD. They are in Kefalos, in Kamari Bay, about 42 kilometres from Kos Town, and can also be reached on foot from Kamari’s sandy beach.

The Castle of Kefalos also tells a story of several building phases. It dates from the Byzantine period. The Knights of St John built it on the foundations of a fortification from the 13th century (1271). The cave, basilicas and castle each offer their own historical highlights and help put the different aspects of the area into context.

Kos in a Wider Context

If you’d like to consider options elsewhere on the island as well as in Kefalos, Kos offers additional activities. The municipal tourism portal presents ten cycling routes on Kos, including completely flat, mountainous and mixed routes, as well as unpaved and steep ones. The different route profiles are a reason to take the description of each route into account when planning your own trip.

For hiking enthusiasts, Kos is home to Mount Dikeos, the island’s highest mountain at 846 metres. A well-maintained, waymarked hiking trail starts in Zia. Visitors to Kos can also taste honey and learn first-hand about the production process at beekeeping businesses open to visitors. Another regional speciality is Krasotyri from Kos: this white cheese made from sheep’s or goat’s milk is protected as a PDO product and matures for at least one month in grape pomace.

Bus connections are another island-wide consideration: local KTEL buses run from every settlement on Kos, with numerous regular services to Kos Town. Check the timetable for your travel date. This allows you to consider Kefalos as a place to stay without conflating the island-wide topics with the distinctive features of the area itself.

Discover more destinations: Pali, Nikia, Kos, Antimachia, Mandrákion, Kardámaina, Asfendiou, Marmari

Go to the main travel overview: Kos.