Kastellorizo: Greece’s Most Remote and Idyllic Island
One of Greece’s most unspoiled islands lies just two kilometers off the southern coast of Turkey. Known as Kastellorizo to the Greeks and Meis to the Turks, it combines heritage from both – along with a dose of Italian from a brief occupation in the 20th century. The main town wraps around an impossibly scenic little harbor surrounded by timeless buildings in shades of blue and ochre.
As Greece’s easternmost island, Kastellorizo has escaped the tourism which overwhelms so many other spots in the Mediterranean. Even in high season, the island’s residents and visitors could only fill part of the huge ferry which squeezes into the harbor twice a week. Cell reception is surprisingly good, but people don’t spend a lot of time looking at their phones.
We discovered the island while looking for an alternative route between Turkey and Rhodes. After hopping on the ferry from Kaş, we stayed overnight on the island, and then took the big Blue Star boat to Rhodes. 24 hours was just long enough to explore the town from the ruined castle at its peak down to the perfectly transparent waters at its shore. All sites are marked on our Google map.
Introduction to Kastellorizo
Orientation
Kastellorizo Harbor
Kastellorizo Swimming
Kastellorizo on Foot
Where to Eat and Stay on Kastellorizo
Getting to Kastellorizo
Further Reading
Introduction to Kastellorizo
The island’s original name Megisti (or Meis in Turkish) means “biggest” since it dominates the many islets clustering near the shore of southern Turkey. In medieval times it picked up the name Kastellorizo, which is often translated as Red Castle.
With settlement as early as 7,000 BCE, the island’s list of colonizers is lengthy. Following several centuries of Ottoman rule, Italians took over Kastellorizo and its largely Greek population in 1921. After World War II the island officially joined Greece, becoming its easternmost outpost and marking the end of the Dodecanese archipelago. It’s a peculiar state of affairs given that the Turkish town of Kaş is just two kilometers away and clearly visible across the bay, while the nearest Greek settlement lies beyond the horizon on Rhodes, 125 km away.
Orientation
A wedge-shaped island of towering limestone, Kastellorizo has little by way of vegetation and, unfortunately, no sources of fresh water. It’s largely uninhabited except at the northern end, where the shoreline curves inward to create a spectacular bay littered with miniature islands. Currently the population numbers around 500, down from over 10,000 a century ago.
Kastellorizo Town features a long, U-shaped harbor sheltered by a pair of peninsulas on either side. Walking is the primary form of transport, and Kastellorizo’s terrain means moving vertically as much as horizontally. We quickly distinguished three main zones, each occupied by a different animal: in the water (turtles), around the harbor (cats), and on the ridges (billy goats).
Buildings climb up the hill on the eastern edge, spilling down into the suburb of Mandraki. To the west, a winding road leads up to some remote monasteries and an army barracks (not visible from town). An improbable, pocket-sized airstrip sits in the middle of the island, served by a local bus or the island’s sole taxi.
Kastellorizo Harbor
Most visitors travel to the island by ferry. The first signs of life are several enormous blue-and-white flags painted on the mountaintops, reminding anyone who’s forgotten that this is Greek territory. Boats slide into a long shallow harbor, framed by classic Mediterranean stucco and tile.
A harborside walkway functions as the island’s main drag. The port sits in the middle of the long eastern edge, while restaurants, cafes, and shops spread out from the opposite end. Behind the harbor, shaded lanes wind between brightly-colored buildings and flowers.
Kastellorizo Swimming
While the island’s rocky shoreline rules out traditional sand beaches, there are plenty of spots which offer excellent swimming and lounging. Clear water makes it easy to spot sea urchins and fish offshore. Loggerhead turtles have a protected breeding ground across the bay and can frequently be spotted swimming in the harbor or around the island.
The most immediate place to swim is in the harbor itself. Some hotels set up lounge chairs on the promenade, where short ladders provide easy access to the water. Two lidos sit on either side of the harbor’s entrance, offering swimming from terraces with views of both the town and the bay. We rented an umbrella, chairs, and towels from the Megisti Hotel and spent several hours sharing the water with a couple of sea turtles. It’s worth noting that the western edge of the harbor gets full sun earlier in the day and shade in the late afternoon, while the timing flips on the other side.
Other swimming spots include the pebbly Mandraki Beach in the neighboring cove. Boats in the main harbor offer five-minute rides to the nearby islet of Saint George, where a whitewashed church and cafe sit adjacent to a terraced lido and sheltered bathing area.
For those who can time it properly, the most otherworldly experience is swimming in the Blue Cave, where sunlight shining through a mostly-submerged opening makes the water glow. When the sea is calm, guides take visitors around the island to the grotto entrance, which is low enough to require lying down in the boat. Local boat trips also run to the island of Ro.
Hire guides and boats on the spot in the harbor (on the ferry side), or by asking at the tourist office or your hotel.
Kastellorizo on foot
By the Faros beach club, signs for the “L tomb” lead to a path high over the water’s edge and a remarkable monument from the fourth century BCE. The “L” stands for Lycia, an ancient civilization stretching along the coast of southern Anatolia. Lycians fused influences from both west and east, applying Greek architectural styles to structures carved directly into cliffs. Their rock-cut tombs honored ancestors with a resting place high above the rest of the world. Kastellorizo has the only example found outside Turkey, with suitably majestic views.
Up the hill behind the tomb, ruins of an old fortress sprawl across the ridge. It’s known as the Knights Castle, although it was destroyed and rebuilt multiple times both before and after its occupation by the Crusaders. The Knights Hospitaller (a.k.a Order of St. John) were based on Rhodes and used the structure on Kastellorizo for imprisoning wayward members of the order. A small bastion still perches proudly over the island, with a rickety ladder leading to the 360-degree vantage on top.
From the castle one can descend to the more residential hamlet of Mandraki in its own little bay or continue on the ridge towards the mountains behind town. Following the sunset along the upper path, we wandered back to a cluster of restored churches and pebble-mosaic courtyards. Our only company was a group of small goats scampering about at unbelievable speed. A puzzle museum (of all things) founded by a local mathematician lies between the Church of Saint George of Santrape and the switchback path up the mountain.
With more time on the island, we would also have climbed up to the aptly-named Monastery of Saint George of the Mountain. With over 400 steps, the journey takes at least half an hour but rewards with a panorama of the entire region. The recently-restored monastery – which includes an early-Christian mosaic floor – doesn’t have regular opening hours, but apparently the island’s taxi driver has a key.
Near the tip of the main peninsula, two historic buildings have been converted into museums. The old mosque now holds a collection of objects and exhibits documenting life on the island from the 1800s to World War II. Just above, the Archaeological Museum is housed in part of the medieval castle. Opening hours are listed on webpages for the Historic Collection (in the mosque) and Diachronic Museum (in the castle). When we visited, a notice on the door stated that “The archaeological site is closed due to the ephorate’s obligations. The museum will re-open later.”
Where to Eat and Stay on Kastellorizo
Kastellorizo has a good selection of places to stay, eat, and drink. Our choices of highly recommended mainstays – the Poseidon Hotel and Alexandra’s restaurant for dinner – did not disappoint.
Getting to Kastellorizo
Via Ferry From Turkey
Kastellorizo is a 20-minute boat ride from Kaş, a town midway between Fethiye and Antalya on Turkey’s Turquoise Coast. Meis Express operates ferries from Kaş to Kastellorizo, with morning departures from Kaş and afternoon departures from Kastellorizo. The route runs from the beginning of April through October, with two boats in each direction per day at the peak of summer. As of August 2024, prices were €30 for a one-way ticket, €35 for a same-day round-trip ticket, and €40 for an open return ticket.
Via Ferry From Rhodes
Dodekanisos Seaways runs catamarans once or twice a week with a travel time of 2 hours and 40 minutes, from mid-May through mid-October. SAOS Ferries operates larger boats up to three times per week during the summer; these take nearly five hours. (Note: SAOS refers to Kastellorizo as Megisti.) Blue Star Ferries has mega-boats departing twice a week year-round which take three and a half hours. Prices as of August 2024 range from €17.50 one-way on Blue Star to €39 one-way on Dodekanisos Seaways’ catamaran.
Via Flights From Greece
Aegean Air and Olympic Airlines fly to Kastellorizo from Athens and other parts of Greece.
Further Reading
For more on southern Turkey and Greece’s Dodeccanese Islands, see our posts:
A Guide to Ferries From Turkey to Rhodes
The Towns of the Turquoise Coast: Antalya, Kaş, & Fethiye