BOAT-COMPARATOR Guide

Boat Rental in Kos: Dodecanese Islets and Bays

Boat rental in Kos: Pserimos, Plati islet, the Vathy fjord on Kalymnos and Kefalos bay, which boat for your plans, the meltemi, seasons and budget.

Kos has an advantage few Greek islands can claim: neighbours in every direction. Pserimos, Plati and Kalymnos to the north, Kefalos bay to the south, Nisyros and its volcano on the horizon — from the island's harbours, every day afloat can aim for a different backdrop without ever requiring a long passage.

The star spots around Kos

The most popular day heads north: the islet of Plati with its shallow turquoise water, almost a lagoon, then the wide sandy bay of Pserimos and its hamlet. Crews after more character push on to Kalymnos, the island of the sponge divers, to motor up the narrow fjord of Vathy between two walls of limestone. To the south, Kefalos bay offers sheltered water with the islet of Kastri and its white chapel — a perfect swimming target. Nisyros and its crater are earned with a long day and settled weather.

Add a few extras according to mood: the waterside tavernas of Pserimos for a grilled-fish lunch, the warm springs that seep through the pebbles at Therma in the south-east of Kos, and the Mandraki harbour in Kos town, guarded by its castle of the Knights. The Turkish coast closes the horizon: any international crossing involves formalities — check what your rental contract allows before considering it.

Which boat to choose

For day island-hopping, the RIB rules: fast between Plati, Pserimos and Kalymnos, easy at anchor. A motorboat favours comfort in Kefalos bay. Licence-free boats also exist here: Greek regulations differ from the French framework, and each listing states whether the boat is open to non-licence holders, with the owner's briefing included. Kos is also one of the great sailing bases of the Dodecanese: a week on a sailboat from Kos strings together Kalymnos, Leros and beyond. See also RIB rentals in Kos.

When to go

The season runs from May to October. The meltemi blows in high summer: the channel between Kos and Kalymnos gets lumpy in the afternoon, and the run home upwind is a wet one. Leave early, and keep the south of the island as a sheltered plan B. May–June and September–October offer the best balance of warmth, manageable wind and quiet anchorages, with rental rates noticeably gentler than in the peak weeks of August.

Budget: the ranges we see

Expect 200–600 € per day for a RIB, 250–900 € per day for a motorboat, 1,500–4,000 € per week for a sailboat and 3,000–8,000 € per week for a catamaran; a skipper costs 150–350 € per day. For an identical boat, platforms show gaps of 10–25 %, with service fees of 0 to 9 %: Boat-Comparator compares their live offers in Kos and across Greece, with no affiliation to any of them.

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Also worth reading

• How much does it cost to rent a boat in 2026? Real prices
• License-Free Boat Rental in France: Rules, Prices & Where to Book
• Renting with or without a skipper: how to choose