A vacation to Kos with kids is fun! Kos is one of the most popular Greek islands and the island is definitely suitable for families looking for a relaxing vacation with plenty of opportunities for activities. We have been to this island several times with our family and we love to keep coming there. Kos has many family-friendly beaches and in addition there are many historical sights that will make your vacation on Kos educational. Add to that the delicious Greek food and the many bike paths that make for great cycling on the island, and you have a top vacation on your hands! In this blog, I list the best children’s activities on Kos!
Best travel time Kos with kids
Kos is good to visit with kids in many months of the year. It depends a bit on what your purpose of this vacation on Kos is. Therefore, an overview by month:
May – June: temperatures already run delightfully between 20-28°C. These months are ideal for families and people who love peace and quiet. Beaches and tourist attractions are not overcrowded, and nature on the island is in full bloom. Perfect for activities such as biking, hiking and sightseeing. One drawback is that the sea can still be very cold.
July – August: these are the hottest months on the island with temperatures between 30-35°C. The sea water is also nice and warm now. For sun and beach lovers, this is the best period. It is the peak of the tourist season, so there is much to do and experience, including festivals and events.
September – October: the temperature is around 25-30°C, and the sea is warm enough for swimming. This is a fine time to visit the island of Kos with kids. In terms of tourists, it is then quieter than the months of July and August and the heat is less intense. Perfect for enjoying the beach as well as cultural trips.
November – April: this is the coolest period on Kos, with temperatures ranging from 10-18°C. Consequently, rain is frequent. Kos is very quiet this period, which can make it attractive for those who really want to avoid the crowds. You can enjoy nature and local life without tourist crowds.
Consequently, many tourist facilities and hotels are closed, and it is too cold to swim or sunbathe. So this is not an ideal time for a typical beach vacation to Kos with kids.
Transportation to and on Kos
Kos is an ideal island to explore by bicycle. There are many bike rental shops where you can rent a bike for a small fee. There are also many bike paths that allow you to cycle safely through Kos with kids. If you want to see a little more of the island, I recommend a rental car. This is easily rented at the airport so you have immediate transportation to your hotel.
But there are also several rental companies in the city center where you can rent a car of your choice. You also see many scooters, quads and baby carriages driving around the island that are also available for rent. If you want to rent a car at Kos airport, you can do so very easily with the rental organization Sunny Cars.
Children’s activities Kos
When you think of Kos, you think sun, sea and beach but there is much more to do on this beautiful island. Therefore, below are some great tips.
#1 Visit Kos Town
Kos town is the largest town on the island. Here you will find squares and alleys full of restaurants and terraces where you can have a drink and enjoy the delicious Greek cuisine. There are also many stores in Kos town. In addition to souvenir stores, there are fun boutiques selling clothing, jewelry and local specialties.
In addition to Kos town being a very pleasant town, you can also find a lot of history here. In fact, Kos town is more than 2,000 years old and ancient Greeks and Romans used to live here. There is still much of that. In fact, at the port there is a large castle that used to protect the city from pirates. You can visit the castle for free and see inside.
#2 Visit mountain village of Zia
The village of Zia is located high on a mountain, and that means you will have beautiful views of all of Kos and the sea. It is a wonderful quiet place, away from the crowds. Zia is known for its beautiful sunsets. You can see the sky changing into all kinds of colors: from yellow and orange to pink and purple. It is really beautiful!
In Zia you will also find many small stores selling typical Greek goodies, such as handmade jewelry and toys. It’s fun to stroll through the streets and see what you can find. The people are happy to show you what they sell and you are also regularly allowed to taste things like honey, yummy!
Zia also has a small animal park: Kos Natural park. For a few euros admission you may enter here. You’ll find some goats, donkeys, turtles and a few more animals. There is also a playground and a kiosk where you can get some drinks. Here, too, you have a beautiful view of Kos.
#3 Waterpark Lido
Fancy a day of adventure? Then head to Waterpark Lido. This is one of the largest water parks in Greece with slides, wave pools and a lazy river. Here you can have hours of fun on Kos with kids. There is something fun for everyone. Do you like speed? Then take one of the big slides.
Prefer a little more peace and quiet? Then go float in an inflatable on the lazy river. Little ones have also been thought of. There are toddler pools with small slides and fountains so they can also play nicely. Food and drinks are fine to bring your own, but of course there are also opportunities to get some goodies at the park.
You can have a great time for a whole day at this water park on Kos with kids. For more information about this water park, check out the Lidopark Waterpark website.
#4 The Plaka forest
If you have a car, the Plaka forest is definitely a must to visit on Kos. In fact, this forest is full of peacocks. You easily park the car at the edge of the forest and walk through the hiking trails right into the forest. Soon we saw the first peacocks and when they also saw us they started calling very loudly.
The other peacocks heard that, too, and they started calling back. What a noise! It made us laugh a lot. You see them everywhere, in the bushes, on the trails and even in the trees.
As we walked along bridges and trails, we also encountered white peacocks. Those are really beautiful! A visit to this forest is a nice alternative if you want something different from sun, sea and beach. A big advantage of this forest is that you walk mostly in the shade, which is quite nice in the hot summer months!
Bring a rug and some food and drink and you can have a nice picnic here. But beware of the stray animals.
#5 Horseback riding
Do you also have a horse lover in the family? Or do you as a family wish you could take a ride on a horse together? At Erica’s horse farm, it’s all possible. You can join an outdoor ride if you can already ride horses, but you can also join if you can’t yet. You can join even if you’ve never been on a horse before, so what are you waiting for? This is your chance!
You climb on a horse and ride along a quiet road to the beach where you can enjoy riding your horse. Of course, the horse will be held by someone from the equestrian center so you can enjoy the hour-long walk carefree. This equestrian center also has a restaurant where you can eat and drink both inside and outside in the beautiful garden.
So if you don’t want to ride a horse, you can also sit here and relax. In this garden they also have many animals like deer, donkeys, alpacas, goats and even ostriches. So visiting this farm is also great fun if you just want to pet the animals and have a drink.
#6 Visit the most beautiful beaches
Kos has many fine sandy beaches that are extensive and where the sea often slopes very slowly allowing kids here to play in the sea. Most beaches also have sunbeds and umbrellas for which you sometimes have to pay a small fee or you buy a drink and then you can lie there for free. Below I list the nicest family-friendly beaches of Kos.
Agios Stefanos Beach: this family-friendly beach is located near ancient ruins, which makes it extra special. While enjoying the beach, you can also visit an ancient church and remains of a temple. The view from the beach is beautiful, with small islands in the distance. Here too is a restaurant and plenty of sunbeds.
Paradise Beach: this is perhaps the most famous beach on Kos! The water is clear blue and shallow, perfect for swimming and snorkeling. There is a great restaurant and plenty of sunbeds on the beach.
Camel Beach: this quiet family-friendly beach is tucked between cliffs and is less crowded than the other beaches. The water is clear and perfect for snorkeling. Here there is a small restaurant and plenty of sunbeds.
Tigaki Beach: this long, sandy beach is ideal for families. The water is shallow, so kids can play and swim safely. There are many cafes and restaurants nearby, so you can spend an entire day at the beach.
#7 Join a boat tour
If you walk to the harbor in the center of Kos town, you will see many boats that all offer fun tours. You can take a full or half day trip to the most beautiful islands in the area and often this is in combination with snorkeling. There are even pirate boats all in style, super fun for kids. These boats often have a slide that allows you to slide right into the sea.
You can also take a boat for a day trip to Bodrum, Turkey. You can shop there and enjoy the smells and colors this city has to offer. I do recommend taking the big boat then, though. This one is much faster than the small boats and so you keep more time in this fun city.
Family-friendly restaurant Kos
You can eat fine in Kos with kids too. You have several nice family-friendly restaurants in Kos. We list some of them.
Kapari: This family-friendly restaurant is located right in the center of Kos town. It is our favorite restaurant and we like to come here several times when we are on vacation in Kos. Why? Taste the delicious food and you’ll understand us immediately! Delicious fresh Greek food as it should be.
We often order several dishes that we then share with each other. Our kids love the watermelon smoothies. Nice and cold and deliciously sweet.
The restaurant is located on a little square with a large tree where no traffic comes. Ideal because kids can run around and play with each other here while you wait for your food. Our kids played here with Greek kids, ran after each other and had a lot of fun.
Kingsize Beachbar: this family-friendly restaurant on Kos is located on Tigaki beach. So ideal if you’re going to spend a day here at the beach. You cross the road and enter a beautiful large restaurant with a large garden at the back. This garden has all kinds of playground equipment for kids. Swings, a seesaw, a trampoline, you’ll find it all there.
So while you quietly enjoy your food, the kids can play here. The menu features Greek dishes, as well as burgers, salads and sandwiches. Something for everyone.
Family-friendly hotel Kos
We have been coming to the fine family hotel Imperial for several years. Why? Because besides the very friendly staff, it also has an ideal location. Through the famous shopping street Kanaristreet, you walk right into the center of Kos town. Ideal because you are thus in a quiet location but within a few minutes you can find the coziness of the center.
If you walk in the other direction, you will reach the beach. On Kanaristreet, around the corner from the hotel you will find a car rental agency, a bicycle rental agency and several small supermarkets and souvenir shops. The hotel has both hotel rooms and small apartments almost all with balconies.
The hotel also has a pool where there are always inflatables and other toys. There are sunbeds around the pool. There is a restaurant right by the pool with an extensive menu and a neat breakfast you can take advantage of every morning. As far as we are concerned, hotel Imperial is the ideal family hotel on Kos!
Of course, on Kos with kids you can stay in several other accommodations as well. We list some of the best-reviewed family-friendly accommodations on Kos below. Click on the blue link for more information.
Budget accommodation: Ilios and Irene
Mid-range accommodation: Aegean Houses
Luxury accommodation: KoSea Boutique Hotel
For the entire list of family-friendly accommodations on Kos, take a look here.
About the author: I am Ilse and together with my husband Rob and my 2 kids Jay and Kate we try to take as many beautiful trips to faraway destinations as possible. You can also follow our operation on our Instagram page
