A-Z Travel Guide to Kos

The 2022 edition of the A-Z Travel Guide to Kos is the 15th edition of the best and most comprehensive guidebook to Kos in the Dodecanese islands of Greece.

This 2022 travel guide to Kos runs to 186 pages, making it easily the biggest guide to this popular tourist destination, and also the most up-to-date. It may lack the colour photos in some of the other handful of Kos guides, but this helps keep the cover price down.

It also gives you access to the A-to-Z Travel Club on the publisher’s website, which has even more Kos information, links, current weather, flight information and other topics that can’t be kept current in a printed guide.

A-Z Travel Guide to Kos Contents

As with the companion Santorini guide, this A-Z Travel Guide to Kos begins with an overview of the island followed by a lengthy section on the history of Kos. I certainly didn’t know that it had been inhabited since at least 2900BC, as confirmed by the prehistoric tombs and finds at the site of Asklupi (which the author covers in the Places of Interest section).

Culture

After History, the author turns to the Culture of Kos, describing the people, customs, cultural and religious events, local products like honey, olives and wine, and the wildlife you’ll find on the island, from bats and rats to dogs and cats.

Kos TownKos Town

Places of Interest

This section naturally begins with Kos Town, which covers a generous 12 pages and is followed by an A-Z list of archaeological sites around the island. This is followed by a page listing the museums, and then villages and island attractions. Finally in this section there are several pages about the neighbouring volcanic island of Nisyros, which is a popular day trip from Kos.

One of the few things the book lacks is an index, so you can look things up quickly, rather than have to turn to the right section and then the right page. That’s a minor quibble, though.

Kos BeachKos Beach

Kos Beaches and Resorts

Kos is best known as an island with great beaches and resorts, and these get their own section, though the rest of the A-Z Travel Guide to Kos makes it clear that there’s much more to Kos than just beaches. The beaches and resorts are covered in depth, in 16 pages, going clockwise round the island from the beaches nearest Kos Town. 

Other Sections of the Guide to Kos

There are many more sections to the guide, too many to list them all, but they include the best ways of getting around the island, the best things to eat, what to shop for, activities around the island, and bugs and other pests. Be aware that while the author talks about hotels and tavernas, there are no listings for where to stay or where to eat. 

KosKos

The Author of the A-Z Travel Guide to Kos

This Kos guide is written by Tony Oswin, who has lived on Thassos since 2006, and makes regular visits to other Greek islands to keep his several guides up-to-date. His first guidebook was naturally to Thassos, which he and his wife retired to, and he has also written and published guides to Rhodes and Santorini.

Buying the A-Z Travel Guide to Kos

If you’re going to Kos then this comprehensive guide is highly recommended. You can find it on Amazon.

Other book pages

  • Greece Book Reviews on the Greece Travel Secrets website with reviews of the best guidebooks to Greece, the Greek Islands, Athens, Crete and elsewhere.

    Greece Book Reviews

    Greece Book Reviews on the Greece Travel Secrets website with reviews of the best guidebooks to Greece, the Greek Islands, Athens, Crete and elsewhere.

  • Greece Travel Secrets reviews the Greek cookbook, The Ikaria Way by Diane Kochilas, containing 100 delicious plant-based recipes.

    The Ikaria Way

    Greece Travel Secrets reviews the Greek cookbook, The Ikaria Way by Diane Kochilas, containing 100 delicious plant-based recipes.

  • There are many great Greek poets, with two authors winning the Nobel Prize for Literature and names include Sappho, Cavafy, George Seferis and Odysseus Elytis.

    Great Greek Poets: Cavafy, Sappho, George Seferis, Odysseus Elytis

    There are many great Greek poets, with two authors winning the Nobel Prize for Literature and names include Sappho, Cavafy, George Seferis and Odysseus Elytis.

  • A Thing of Beauty by Peter Fiennes describes ‘Travels in Mythical and Modern Greece’ and places the Greek Gods in the context of modern-day Greece.

    A Thing of Beauty

    A Thing of Beauty by Peter Fiennes describes ‘Travels in Mythical and Modern Greece’ and places the Greek Gods in the context of modern-day Greece.

  • The Lonely Planet guide to the Greek Islands is a thorough and helpful guide to all the Greek island groups, with Athens included.

    Lonely Planet Greek Islands

    The Lonely Planet guide to the Greek Islands is a thorough and helpful guide to all the Greek island groups, with Athens included.

  • The latest edition of the Lonely Planet travel guide to Greece is a comprehensive 750-page guidebook to the whole country.

    Lonely Planet Greece

    The latest edition of the Lonely Planet travel guide to Greece is a comprehensive 750-page guidebook to the whole country.

  • Lonely Planet Crete is an excellent and thorough guide of almost 300 pages to the largest of the Greek islands.

    Lonely Planet Crete

    Lonely Planet Crete is an excellent and thorough guide of almost 300 pages to the largest of the Greek islands.

  • The Bradt Guide to the Peloponnese is the best book on the Greek region which includes attractions like Mycenae, Epidavros, Olympia, Monemvasia and Nafplion.

    Bradt Guide to the Peloponnese

    The Bradt Guide to the Peloponnese is the best book on the Greek region which includes attractions like Mycenae, Epidavros, Olympia, Monemvasia and Nafplion.

  • A Rope of Vines by Brenda Chamberlain is an evocative memoir of the author’s time living on the Greek island of Hydra in the early 1960s.

    A Rope of Vines

    A Rope of Vines by Brenda Chamberlain is an evocative memoir of the author’s time living on the Greek island of Hydra in the early 1960s.

  • Wild Abandon by Jennifer Barclay and published by Bradt Guides is A Journey to Deserted Places of the Dodecanese islands in Greece, including Rhodes and Kos.

    Wild Abandon

    Wild Abandon by Jennifer Barclay and published by Bradt Guides is A Journey to Deserted Places of the Dodecanese islands in Greece, including Rhodes and Kos.

  • The Summer of My Greek Taverna by Tom Stone is a memoir of his time on the Greek island of Patmos in the Dodecanese, running a restaurant.

    The Summer of My Greek Taverna

    The Summer of My Greek Taverna by Tom Stone is a memoir of his time on the Greek island of Patmos in the Dodecanese, running a restaurant.

  • Taverna by the Sea is an account by Jennifer Barclay of her summer spent working in a taverna on Karpathos and a welcome new book of Greek travel writing.

    Taverna by the Sea

    Taverna by the Sea is an account by Jennifer Barclay of her summer spent working in a taverna on Karpathos and a welcome new book of Greek travel writing.

  • The Bradt Guide to Northern Greece is a detailed guide to Thessaloniki, Halkidiki, Macedonia, Thrace, The Pelion, The Sporades and the rest of Northern Greece.

    Northern Greece Guide

    The Bradt Guide to Northern Greece is a detailed guide to Thessaloniki, Halkidiki, Macedonia, Thrace, The Pelion, The Sporades and the rest of Northern Greece.

  • Greece Travel Secrets reviews the photography book Monemvasia with extracts from works by Yiannis Ritsos and Nikos Kazantzakis.

    Monemvasia Book Review

    Greece Travel Secrets reviews the photography book Monemvasia with extracts from works by Yiannis Ritsos and Nikos Kazantzakis.

  • Mermaid Singing by Charmian Clift is a fine example of 1950s travel writing about the Greek island of Kalymnos in the Dodecanese.

    Mermaid Singing: Kalymnos Travel Writing

    Mermaid Singing by Charmian Clift is a fine example of 1950s travel writing about the Greek island of Kalymnos in the Dodecanese.

  • Margarita’s Olive Press is a modern gem of a book of Greek travel writing, in which the author falls in love with and renovates a property on Zakynthos.

    Margarita’s Olive Press

    Margarita’s Olive Press is a modern gem of a book of Greek travel writing, in which the author falls in love with and renovates a property on Zakynthos.

  • Ikaria by Meni Valle, brings together the best and healthiest Greek recipes with an evocative travelogue about Ikaria, one of the world’s Blue Zone places.

    Ikaria Book Review

    Ikaria by Meni Valle, brings together the best and healthiest Greek recipes with an evocative travelogue about Ikaria, one of the world’s Blue Zone places.

  • Peel Me a Lotus by Charmian Clift is a Hydra travel writing classic, describing her family’s life on this tiny Greek island near Athens in the 1950s.

    Hydra Travel Writing Classic

    Peel Me a Lotus by Charmian Clift is a Hydra travel writing classic, describing her family’s life on this tiny Greek island near Athens in the 1950s.

  • Fire on the Island is a romantic thriller novel by Timothy Jay Smith set on a fictionalised version of the town of Molyvos on the island of Lesbos.

    Fire on the Island

    Fire on the Island is a romantic thriller novel by Timothy Jay Smith set on a fictionalised version of the town of Molyvos on the island of Lesbos.

  • Eurydice Street, A Place in Athens by Sofka Zinovieff is an honest account of what it’s like to move to Athens and live as a foreigner, learning Greek customs.

    Eurydice Street

    Eurydice Street, A Place in Athens by Sofka Zinovieff is an honest account of what it’s like to move to Athens and live as a foreigner, learning Greek customs.

  • Greece Travel Secrets reviews the book Culture Trails by Lonely Planet, which has a section on Artistic Athens and 51 other perfect weekends for culture lovers.

    Culture Trails

    Greece Travel Secrets reviews the book Culture Trails by Lonely Planet, which has a section on Artistic Athens and 51 other perfect weekends for culture lovers.

  • The very thorough A-Z Guide to Santorini by Tony Oswin is now in its 15th edition, a sure sign that the guidebook is both popular and kept up-to-date.

    A-Z Guide to Santorini

    The very thorough A-Z Guide to Santorini by Tony Oswin is now in its 15th edition, a sure sign that the guidebook is both popular and kept up-to-date.

  • Heaven on Earth is a collection of 19 travel pieces about Greece by Mike Gerrard.

    Heaven on Earth

    Heaven on Earth is a collection of 19 travel pieces about Greece by Mike Gerrard.

  • If planning a trip to Greece, what are the best books about Greece to read before you go, or to take with you, to give you a sense of place?

    Books About Greece

    If planning a trip to Greece, what are the best books about Greece to read before you go, or to take with you, to give you a sense of place?

Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here's how...

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

  1. Click on the HTML link code below.
  2. Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.

Latest Posts

RSS

  1. Adverse Weather in Greece: Heavy Rain, Snowfall, and Winds Cause Disruptions

    Greece continued to face severe weather conditions on Tuesday, January 14, 2025, as heavy rainfall, storms, and snowfall affected many areas. The Hellenic National Meteorological Service (EMY) reporte…

    Read More

  2. Patras – Pyrgos Motorway in Western Peloponnese to Open by December 2025

    The 75-kilometer-long Patras–Pyrgos Motorway in the western Peloponnese is expected to be completed and open to traffic by December 2025, significantly upgrading the region’s road transport system and…

    Read More

  3. Tap2Ride: Athens Public Transport Rolls Out Digital Ticketing System

    Athens public transport is ushering in a new digital era this week with the introduction of its innovative “tap2ride” ticketing system.

    Read More

  4. The Greek Holiday Calendar 2025

    Will there be a holiday or national celebration taking place during your trip to Greece? Find out here.

    Read More

  5. Thessaloniki Metro: Station-by-Station Through History and Modernity

    Now that Thessaloniki has, at last, a subway system, we propose a unique history tour that follows the route of that new metro line.

    Read More

  6. 10 Authentic Souvlaki Shops in Piraeus

    Souvlaki originated in Piraeus and its heart continues to beat there even today. But which are the authentic souvlaki shops waiting to be discovered?

    Read More

  7. Magic in the Mist: 48 Hours in Florina

    Misty landscapes, snow-covered slopes, art, traditional cafés, and mouthwatering food beckon us to explore this charming border town.

    Read More

  8. How Wine Bars Are Redefining Nightlife in Athens

    Wine bars are now a cornerstone of Athenian nightlife, as an international trend goes local with a modern aesthetic and a distinctly Greek personality.

    Read More

  9. 10 Historic Tavernas in Athens and Piraeus

    These places win us over with their authenticity, unpretentious atmosphere, and dishes that, though simple, are crafted with precision and care.

    Read More

  10. Next Stop: Ancient Thessaloniki

    The “open museums” unveiled by the operation of the metro – Guided tours begin in January.

    Read More