Tourists traveling by ferry to Kalymnos will discover a beautiful Greek Dodecanese island in the southeastern Aegean Sea, known as the “Sponge-divers’ island”!
The island was originally inhabited by Carians, in the Middle Ages was influenced by the Byzantine Empire and during the 13th century the Venetians used Kalymnos as a naval base. Later, the Knights of Rhodes took control of the island which faced several attacks by the Ottomans in 1457 and 1460. Although it was finally conquered, Kalymnos was never inhabited by the Turks. In 1947 the Dodecanese islands united with the Greek state.
Kalymnos is the 26th largest Greek island and has a surface of 111,581 square kilometers. Pothia is the port and capital of the island. A colorful settlement built in an amphitheatrical position between 2 hills. It preserves a remarkable architectural landscape with impressive captain houses and elegant old mansions.
Book your ferry tickets to Kalymnos in advance and have a wonderful time in the Dodecanese!
Kalymnos ferry routes
The variety of Kalymnos ferry routes from other islands has made this destination popular tο many visitors every summer, especially those who want to escape from the bustling islands. Leros, Patmos, Lipsi, Samos, Ikaria, Karpathos, Tilos and Astypalea are some of the ferry routes from and to Kalymnos.
The most common connections are the following:
Piraeus to Kalymnos
From Athens/Piraeus port ferries run almost every day and the trip lasts from 9 to 12 hours depending on the stops and the weather conditions.
Kos to Kalymnos Ferry
One of the most preferred routes is operated daily by the Kos to Kalymnos regular or catamaran ferry which arrives at Pothia port in less than an hour.
Rhodes to Kalymnos Ferry
A longer trip is operated by the Rhodes to Kalymnos ferry, either with a conventional or with a fast ferry. The travel time can be about 3 hours with the high speed vessels.
Kalymnos ferry port
Κalymnos' ferry port is called Pothia, located in the south part of the island very close to Chora the old capital of Kalymnos. Built in 1850, the port of Pothia is organized and the town becomes the new capital of the island. Nowadays all public services are found there as well as the Archaeological and the Naval museums.
The visitors can walk around the cobbled streets of Pothia, have lunch in a local tavern or learn about the tradition of the natural sea sponges of Kalymnos.
Kalymnos Port to Kalymnos Center
The island of the 16.000 inhabitants is served by local buses and taxis which can transfer the visitors το Chora, to the main villages, beaches, accomodation and points of interest.
Bus
There is a municipal bus transfer service with daily connections to and from the Kalymnos port. For more information, please visit Kalymnos Buses.
Taxi
In order to schedule a taxi transfer, reach the taxi stand a few blocks north of the port or call +30 22430 22000, +30 22430 50300, +30 694 284 4597.
