Most popular
3-Island Cruise
Kalymnos, Pserimos and tiny Plati in one day, with three swim stops and lunch on board. The default Kos boat day for a reason — and the one most likely to sell out.
Routes, timings, what to pack
Dodecanese · Greece · Kos Island
Kos Boat Tours, Trips & Tickets
Nine boat formats leave the same harbour, and the cheapest is rarely the one you want. This guide compares every Kos boat trip — the 3-island cruise, the volcano, the Bodrum ferry, private charters and self-drive rentals — so you pick the right deck before you pay.
- 3
- Islands in one day
- ~20 min
- Ferry to Turkey
- May–Oct
- Boat season
- 846 m
- Mount Dikeos
Bookable now
Kos boat trips and tickets with live availability
What you're seeing: real departures for the coming weeks, pulled from GetYourGuide. Sort by what matters to you — duration, rating or price — then open the listing for the operator's own terms.
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Quick summary
Boat trips on Kos at a glance
The numbers below are the ones people ask about before booking anything. Treat prices as the entry point of a range — they move with season, boat size and whether lunch is included.
| Cheapest boat trip | Short glass-bottom or sunset cruises start at the low end of the market — around €20–30 for 1–2 hours. |
|---|---|
| Full-day 3-island cruise | From about €30, typically €35–60 per adult with lunch on board. Details |
| Nisyros volcano day trip | Usually €45–75, sometimes excluding the crater entrance fee. Details |
| Bodrum return ferry | Same-day return tickets from the €40s; passport required, Turkish port tax may be extra. Details |
| Self-drive boat rental | Small engines from roughly €120–200 per boat per day, fuel usually extra, no licence needed. Details |
| Do you need to book ahead? | Yes in July–August — popular full-day cruises sell out 2–5 days ahead. In May, June and late September you can often walk up the morning before. |
| Time to allow | Full-day cruise 8–9 hours door to door · Nisyros 9–10 hours · Bodrum 8–11 hours · short cruise 1.5–3 hours |
| Main departure point | Kos Town harbour, below Neratzia Castle. Some trips leave from Kardamena or Mastichari instead — check your voucher. |
| Season | Boats run roughly May to October. Outside that, only scheduled ferries operate. |
Read this before you pay
Check whether your cruise is a wooden caique or a large steel excursion boat. Caiques carry 40–80 people and feel like a day out with a family crew; big boats carry 200+ with a bar and a DJ. Same route, entirely different day.
Choose your format
Which Kos boat trip is actually right for you?
Six formats cover almost everything that floats out of Kos. Start with how much of the day you want to give up, then work back to the price.
Most popular
Unmissable
Nisyros Volcano
Walk down onto the floor of an active hydrothermal crater, then eat lunch in whitewashed Mandraki. The most memorable day trip Kos offers, sulphur smell included.
Crater guide & ticket types
Second country
Bodrum Day Trip
Turkey is a 20-minute crossing away. Castle, bazaar, very different prices — but you need your passport in hand and an eye on the return sailing.
Border rules & ferry times
No licence
Self-Drive Boat Rental
Under a certain engine power you can skipper it yourself with no boat licence. Best value for four or more people who want an empty bay instead of a schedule.
Rules, costs, where to go
Families & groups
Pirate Ship & Boat Party
A waterslide off the stern, a barbecue and a soundtrack. Brilliant with kids or a group; less brilliant if you wanted a quiet read on deck.
What the day looks like
Your schedule
Private Boat Trips
You choose the bays, the swim times and the music. Split between six or eight people it often lands close to per-head group prices in shoulder season.
Charter costs explainedTicket comparison
Standard seat, premium deck or the whole boat
Kos boat trips are sold three ways. The difference is not the route — it is how many people share it with you, and how much of the day you control.
Option 1
Standard group ticket
€35–60 / adult, full day
- Shared boat, 60–250 passengers
- Fixed route and swim times
- Buffet or barbecue lunch usually included
- Open seating — arrive early for shade
- No say over where you stop
Pick this if you're travelling as a couple or small family and want the classic day out at the lowest per-person cost.
Option 2
Small-boat or premium cruise
€55–95 / adult, full day
- Wooden caique or limited-capacity boat
- Under ~50 guests, often far fewer
- Cooked lunch, sometimes reserved seating
- Reaches smaller bays big boats skip
- Crew has time to actually talk to you
Pick this if the thought of queuing for the ladder behind 200 people ruins the idea. The single biggest upgrade in comfort per euro.
Option 3
Private charter or rental
€120–800+ / boat, not per person
- Whole boat is yours
- You choose bays, timings and music
- Skipper included, or self-drive under licence limits
- Food usually not included — bring a cooler
- Fuel and mooring often extra
Pick this if you're six or more, or travelling with toddlers, non-swimmers or anyone who needs a bathroom on demand.
The trap in the small print
"Lunch included" can mean a full barbecue on a beach or a bread roll and a slice of watermelon. Two boats on the same route can differ by €25 purely on catering. Open the listing's inclusions list — not the headline — before deciding which is cheaper.
Timing is everything
When to sail, and when to stay ashore
The wind decides your day
Kos sits in the path of the meltemi, the dry north wind that blows down the Aegean in summer. It is strongest in July and August, usually builds through the afternoon, and it is the single most common reason a boat trip gets cancelled or shortened.
Practical response: book boat days early in your holiday, not on your last full day. If a trip is cancelled for weather you can usually rebook — but only if you have days left to rebook into.
Best months on the water
- Late May to mid-June — warm enough to swim, calmer sea, boats half full, prices at their lowest.
- July–August — hottest and busiest. Book several days ahead; expect wind in the afternoons.
- September — the locals' pick. Sea at its warmest, crowds thinning, the meltemi easing off.
- Early October — still sailing, but schedules thin out and some operators stop mid-month.
Quietest departures
Cruise-ship and charter-flight arrival days load the harbour. In practice Tuesday and Wednesday sailings are the calmest, while Saturday and Sunday carry the week's fresh arrivals. Ask your hotel which day the big charters land — then avoid it.
Best light for photos
Shoot the harbour and Neratzia Castle in the first hour after sunrise, when the water is mirror-flat and the quay is empty. At sea, the good frames come on the return leg after 4pm, with the light behind you and Kos rising ahead. For the island's signature sunset, go up to Zia instead — arrive 60–75 minutes early to park and get a table.
Insider timing
Board 20–25 minutes before departure, not five. Group boats use open seating, and the shaded upper-deck benches and stern tables — the good ones — are gone within the first ten minutes of boarding.
How to get there
Where Kos boats actually leave from
Three ports serve excursions, and turning up at the wrong one costs you the day. Your voucher names the exact quay — read it the night before, not on the morning.
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Kos Town harbour
The main departure point, right below Neratzia Castle. Most 3-island cruises, glass-bottom boats and the Bodrum ferry leave here. Walkable from the whole town centre.
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Kardamena
South-coast resort and the closest port to Nisyros, so many volcano trips sail from here. About 30 km from Kos Town — allow 40 minutes by road.
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Mastichari
North-coast village with fast ferries to Kalymnos, plus some fishing-boat excursions. Handy if you're staying in Marmari or Mastichari itself.
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Getting to the quay
Local KTEL buses link the resorts to Kos Town; taxis are metered and plentiful. Many full-day trips offer optional hotel pickup — cheaper than a return taxi if you're outside town.
Parking, honestly
Free parking near Kos Town harbour is realistically gone by 08:30 in summer, and most boats board around 09:00. Either use a paid lot on Akti Miaouli, or leave the car and cycle in — Kos Town is flat and full of dedicated bike lanes.
How to save
Ways to cut the cost of a Kos boat day
Child, student and senior rates
Almost every operator prices children below full fare, and infants often sail free. Bands are usually 0–3 free, 4–11 reduced, 12+ adult, but the cut-off ages differ between boats — the booking page states the exact bands. Bring ID for student or senior discounts where they're offered; crews do ask.
Book the boat, bring the lunch
"Lunch not included" versions of the same cruise run noticeably cheaper. A bakery stop for spanakopita and water before boarding costs a few euros and buys back the difference — worth doing if you're a family of four and fussy eaters are involved.
Go self-drive with a group
A rental boat is priced per boat. Four adults on a €160 rental beat four €50 cruise tickets, and you get the bays to yourselves. Add fuel — budget realistically for a half-day of cruising. See how rental pricing works.
Shoulder-season pricing
The same seat can drop 20–30% between August and late September. If your dates are flexible at all, sail in the shoulder weeks: cheaper, calmer and warmer water.
Skip the paid boat entirely
Some of the island's best water costs nothing. The hot springs at Embros Therma are a free thermal pool in the sea, Kos Town's beaches are public, and the Plaka forest with its wild peacocks is free to walk. Not every good day out needs a ticket.
On "city cards"
Kos has no single sightseeing pass that covers boats and museums together. Bundled savings come from operator combos — cruise plus transfer, or cruise plus snorkelling gear — rather than a city card. Ignore anything marketing itself as an official island-wide pass.
| Way to do it | Budget |
|---|---|
| Public beach + bus | €2–5 |
| Short glass-bottom cruise | €20–30 |
| Group 3-island cruise | €35–60 |
| Rental boat split by 4 | €40–60 |
| Nisyros volcano trip | €45–75 |
| Private charter split by 8 | €60–110 |
Ranges compiled from publicly listed operator prices on GetYourGuide for the current season. Always confirm the current figure on the official booking page — how we source numbers.
Beyond the boat
Everything else on Kos, sorted
Kos is 40 km long with a volcano offshore, a Hippocratic sanctuary in the hills and a salt lake full of flamingos in spring. Here's the whole guide, by section.
On the water
Day trips off the island
Beaches & resorts
Context
Why Kos works so well as a boat base
Kos sits in the eastern Aegean, in the Dodecanese chain, close enough to the Turkish coast that Bodrum's outline is visible from the eastern beaches on a clear morning. That geography is the whole reason the island's boat scene is unusually varied: within a short sail you can reach a sponge-diving port, an uninhabited swimming islet, an active volcano and a second country.
The neighbours do the heavy lifting. Kalymnos to the north made its money from sponge diving and now draws climbers to its limestone walls. Pserimos has one sandy bay, a handful of tavernas and a permanent population you could count in an afternoon. Plati is a bare islet used purely as a swim stop. Nisyros, to the south, is one of Greece's active volcanoes and lets you walk down onto the crater floor. Each of those is a normal day out from Kos Town harbour.
On land, the island's calling card is medical rather than nautical. Hippocrates — the physician whose oath still shapes the profession — was born on Kos in the 5th century BC, and the Asklepion, the terraced healing sanctuary in the hills above town, is the reason a small Aegean island turns up in the history of medicine. Kos Town layers a Knights-era castle, a Roman odeon and an ancient agora within a few walkable blocks.
Two practical things surprise first-timers. First, Kos is flat and built for bicycles — the north coast has genuine separated cycle lanes, and renting a bike is often faster than waiting for a bus. Second, the island is much longer than it looks: Kefalos at the south-western tip is a 45-minute drive from Kos Town, so a "quick trip to Paradise Beach" is a half-day commitment. Plan around distance and you'll fit in twice as much. Start with the things to do hub if you're still building an itinerary, or go straight to the 3-island cruise guide if the boat day is already booked in your head.
FAQ
Kos boat trips: common questions
How much does a boat trip in Kos cost?
Short cruises of 1–2 hours start around €20–30. A full-day 3-island cruise with lunch typically runs €35–60 per adult, the Nisyros volcano day trip €45–75, and a self-drive rental boat €120–200 per boat per day before fuel. Prices rise in July–August and vary by boat size and catering — confirm the current figure on the operator's booking page.
Do I need to book Kos boat trips in advance?
In July and August, yes — popular full-day cruises commonly sell out two to five days ahead. In May, June and late September you can often book the previous evening or walk up to the quay in the morning. Booking online has one clear advantage either way: you can see the operator's cancellation terms before you pay.
Which islands does the Kos 3-island cruise visit?
The standard route is Kalymnos, Pserimos and Plati, with a swim stop at each and lunch served on board. Some operators swap Plati for a different anchorage depending on wind. The order changes day to day for the same reason.
Can I take a day trip from Kos to Turkey?
Yes. Bodrum is roughly a 20-minute crossing from Kos Town, and same-day return ferry tickets are sold as a standard day trip. You must carry a valid passport — a national ID card is not enough — and entry requirements depend on your nationality. Turkish port tax is sometimes charged separately. See the Bodrum day trip guide.
Do I need a licence to rent a boat on Kos?
Not for the smaller boats. Greek rules allow boats under a certain engine power to be operated without a skipper's licence, and most Kos rental fleets are built around exactly that limit. You'll still need to be over a minimum age, leave a deposit and take a short briefing. Details on the boat rental page.
What should I bring on a Kos boat trip?
Reef-safe sun cream, a hat, a towel, water, cash for the on-board bar and a light layer for the windy return leg. Boat decks get hot: bring something for your feet. If you're prone to seasickness, take a tablet before boarding rather than after — and sit low and mid-ship.
What happens if my Kos boat trip is cancelled for weather?
Operators cancel when the meltemi makes the crossing unsafe, usually deciding the evening before or at dawn. Standard practice is a rebooking on the next sailing or a refund. Because of this, sail early in your stay — a cancellation on your final day leaves nothing to rebook into.
Is there a boat trip from Kos suitable for young children?
Yes — the glass-bottom "yellow submarine" cruises run 1.5 hours, which suits toddlers far better than a nine-hour day. Pirate-ship cruises with a waterslide work well for ages 5–12. For a full-day cruise with a baby, a private boat with shade and a toilet is worth the premium. See Kos with kids.
When is the best time of year for boat trips from Kos?
Late May to mid-June and September. Both give you warm water, a calmer sea and boats that aren't full, with September holding the warmest sea of the year. July and August deliver reliable sunshine but the strongest meltemi and the highest prices.
Ready to pick a deck?
Check live departures, prices and cancellation terms for every Kos boat trip on GetYourGuide — the authorised reseller we link to throughout this guide.