Kos: Waterfront Running in Kos, Tigaki, & Kardamaina

Kos is an island in the Dodecanese archipelago featuring sandy beaches and a number of Greek & Roman ruins. There’s some lovely running on Kos. Below is some scenic waterfront running in the town of Kos, the island’s main town and population center, and in nearby Tigaki. See our other post for routes in the Kefalos area.

Kos Waterfront. We’ve mapped ~12 km of waterfront running in the area around Kos. It’s mainly along a sidewalk, with a few sections of dedicated seafront promenade. Not all of this is right along the water. A few options:

• From the center of Kos, one can run for up to 7 km east to Psalidi Beach. This includes a nice section around the marina, and then to the Plane Tree of Hippocrates and Neratzia Castle.
• For a very scenic, historic out and back, run from the center of Kos to the Castle, then to the marina and Paradiso Beach. This would be ~8 km out and back.
• West to Aeolos Beach. From Kos, follow the main road along the water around the northern tip of the island, then along the Αιγαίου road to the end. It’s ~5 km from the center of Kos to Aeolos Beach.

Tigaki. About 10 km west of Kos, there’s some nice waterfront running in Tigaki, including a path around part of Alikes Salt Lake. From the center of the small town, it’s 2 km east along the water on the main road. Nice water views and lots of fun restaurants and bars! (note: no sidewalk). Then run on the path around the lake. It’s a lovely wetlands area, and you might see migrating flamingos and pelicans outside the summer months! The path doesn’t make a full loop — it’s ~2.5 km to the end of the path at Golden Beach.

• Golden Beach is runnable right along the water.

Kardamaina Waterfront & Hills. There’s ~6 km of nice waterfront running in this resort town near the airport known for its long, sandy beach, which is lined with bars, tavernas and nightclubs. From the center of town, run for 4 km north to Vali’s Beach, and 2 km south to where the waterfront road starts to turn inland.

• For some scenic, hilly running, head up the road from town to Antimachia Castle, the remnants of a former military structure, built in the Middle Ages & offering panoramic views. A 3 km, 165m climb!