You’ll want to doze off the night before, so head for one of the best beaches in Kos.
Then, lose your mind at some ancient splendour with 10 of the most awesome archaeological marvels on Kos.
Kaseta
Moody mixology rules at Kaseta
If you thought Kos was all cheesy clubs and boorish bars, well, it isn’t: this chic, quietly buzzing beach-side spot in Kos Town is design-y café by day and smart, bougainvillea-covered cocktail bar-garden by night (the tiki-style serves are best). It’s pricier than most other places but everything exudes the kind of class you might get in a big city: well-made coffee; bright, Insta-friendly bistro food and a mostly local, slow-sipping in-crowd that linger until 2am most nights of the week. Recommended.
Akti Miaouli 4, Kos Town
kaseta-kos.gr
Zero Café Bar
Take your alfresco pre-game to this chill Kos Town hangout
Another worthwhile address at the easier-going end of the out-out spectrum, this petite but deservedly popular bar just behind the main Kos Town drag specialises in local-made craft ales and has a chill, outdoor beer garden that makes a pleasing base to either pre-game or hang for a whole evening. By day, the coffee and honest, nothing-fancy comfort food is decent, plus there’s live music and up to 70 cold beers to sup come evening (open until 3am on weekends).
Irodotou 1, Megalou Alexandrou 2, Kos Town
zerocafebar.gr
Mylos Beach Bar
Mylos Beach Bar is sure to spin your propellor
Based in Lambi – a small, very pretty coastal village just north of Kos Town – this is easily one of the island’s best beach clubs. Draped in bright pink bougainvillea and set next to a beautiful 19th-century windmill, the Pinterest-perfect garden is gorgeous, with a boho-chic lounge that starts to get busy at lunch time and can morph into a full-on, open-air club when a guest DJ comes to town (they’re open until 5am). Not every night is huge, though; check its socials, plan ahead and make this a Big One.
Akti Zouroudi, Lambi
No website
Sitar Cocktail Bar
Of course, you can’t go out in Kos and not do at least one night on the capital’s main party strip. Smack bang in the middle of the action, this smart, reliably buzzy cocktail bar is one of the area’s more stylish, less in-yer-face stops. The outdoor, tree-covered garden has views of the harbour and the boozy, well-presented cocktails (some classic, some house-crafted) show wit and verve, and the crowd is a pleasing mix of friendly locals and out-of-towners. Until 3am daily.
Riga Fereou, Kos Town
No website
Downtown
Decks for days at Downtown
Remember, Kos has two nightlife strongholds: Kos Town and, on the south coast of the island, Kardamena. The latter is the base of this long-established, pretense-free club that opens at midnight and rolls until 5am every night of the summer season. Set close to the harbour, it might be more bar-with-beats than giant superclub but, even so, the late opening and its rep with Kos regulars make this one of the safer Kardamena go-tos if you’re looking to keep up with the go-harder party crowd.
28is Oktovriou, Kardamena
downtownclub.gr
Omega Sky Bar
Skyline sundowners at Omega / Image: Even Hønsen Agerup
Granted, it’s not a fierce contest but, even so, this is easily the coolest rooftop bar in Kos Town. Arrive early for the best beach-view tables and order one of the reliably well-crafted, fancy-looking cocktails (or not: just a beer is fine, too). Sure, it’s more of a pre-dinner, date-night sundowner spot but we’re not complaining: the drinks are decent (the punchy whisky sour is pure joy), the bartenders are friendly and the view of the bay doesn’t disappoint, either. Open until 1am daily.
Roof Top, Geor. Averof 34, Kos Town
No website
Global Shisha Bar
Global Shisha Bar
Located in Kos’s Old Town, this beautiful café-bar-lounge covers a lot of bases – food, shisha, cocktails, coffee – but, happily, aces them all. If you want a cool, local-feeling refuge from the town’s loud and rowdy Bar Street, this is your go-to: walk through the bar and there’s a comfy, open-air shisha garden where you can either drop in for a coffee by day or bag one of the booth tables and sip cocktails and puff away by night. Late opening (until 3am) means it works as a chill, end-of-evening wind-down.
Alexandrou ipsilantou 14, Kos Town
No website