# Dodecanese Rhodes, Kos and Patmos: knights' castles and monasteries strung along the Turkish shore. The Dodecanese sit in the southeastern Aegean, a broad scatter of islands and islets between the Cyclades to the west and the Turkish coast to the east. The name means twelve islands, though the group holds far more than twelve — roughly 150 in total, with around 26 inhabited. The largest are Rhodes and Kos, but the region's quieter character lives on the mid-sized and smaller islands, where fishing boats outnumber tourist coaches. ## What the islands feel like The light here is particular — sharp and luminous, throwing strong shadows across whitewashed walls and making the sea change colour by the hour. The Aegean can be gunmetal grey in the morning and a deep, saturated blue by midday. Near volcanic islands, the water takes on a teal quality. You notice the stone everywhere: dry-stone walls lace the hillsides of Kalymnos and Leros, Byzantine chapels stand alone on remote headlands, Ottoman arcades shade the harbours of Rhodes Old Town. On Patmos, the Cave of the Apocalypse sits quietly inland — a modest cleft in rock where the Book of Revelation is held to have been written. The monastery above Chora is fortified and severe, its walls built to last. Kos is flatter, greener in places, its harbour still a working place alongside the visitor traffic. Symi has a reputation for being pretty, and it is, though that undersells the scale of its harbour — a long wall of neoclassical houses rising directly from the water. ## Layers of history The islands absorbed wave after wave of settlers and rulers. Ancient city-states on Rhodes and Kos were prosperous enough to mint their own coinage and commission temples. The Knights of St. John held Rhodes for two centuries, building their fortified palace and reinforcing the island's citadel, their architectural fingerprints still dominant in the old town. The Ottomans followed, then the Italians in the early twentieth century — you see Art Deco details on Kos and Rhodes that belong to that brief occupation. Most of the Dodecanese became part of Greece only in 1947, after centuries of other flags. This layering is not just architectural. Local dialects carry Turkish and Italian words. Recipes mix techniques and ingredients from different traditions. The islands never fully belonged to any single period, and that restlessness shows. ## The food and the pace Dodecanese cooking is honest and specific to each island. Octopus hangs to dry near harbours on Symi and Nisyros. On Patmos, small herb gardens supply the monasteries and the tavernas that cluster nearby. Kalymnos produces exceptional honey, dark and resinous. Local cheese — graviera from Rhodes, myzithra from goat herds on the smaller islands — appears at most tables. A small glass of local moschato or a pale mineral white accompanies it. The pace is set by the boats. Inter-island ferries run on schedules that feel optimistic rather than precise. The smaller islands do not pretend to be convenient. That is part of the point. ## Tours that visit Dodecanese No tours visit this place just yet. ## Before you book you should know ### Is this trip right for you? Our groups are capped at eight travellers, which is about a third of what the industry calls a small group. Eight people share one vehicle, one table at dinner and one guide's attention, and the day can change on the road without anybody being left behind. If you are looking for a coach, a fixed script and a microphone, this is not that. Most days involve real walking, often on ground that was laid two thousand years before walking shoes: marble worn smooth, cobbles, uneven steps and long site paths with little shade. Bring shoes you can spend a morning in. Some days move between regions and are largely a drive, with stops along the way. Summers are hot — well over 35°C inland — and winters are colder than most people expect, so layers, a hat and sunscreen earn their place in the bag whatever the month. How demanding a particular trip is, is written on the trip itself: the physical rating in the header, and the day-by-day itinerary above. ### Rooms, and travelling on your own Trip prices are per person, sharing a twin room. Each traveller picks their own room while booking, so a party can mix the three: - **Twin share** — two single beds, shared with someone you are travelling with or with a traveller of the same gender. - **Travelling as a couple** — one double room. - **Individual room** — a room of your own, for a single supplement on top of the trip price. Availability is limited, and the supplement for a given date is shown next to the option when you book. Solo travellers are welcome on every departure, and most of our groups have one or two aboard. ### Accommodation The hotels named in an itinerary are a guideline rather than a guarantee. Where one is full, or has dropped below the standard we booked it for, we substitute a property of a similar standard in the same area — we would rather change the hotel than the trip. Check-in is usually mid-afternoon. If you arrive early we will ask for the room, but no hotel can promise one before its own check-in time; luggage can normally be left at reception in the meantime. If you want the room from the night before, ask us and we will add the extra night to your booking. ### Passports, visas and insurance Entry requirements depend on your nationality and change without much notice, so the only reliable source is the official one: the government of the country you are travelling to, and your own foreign ministry's travel advice. Check both before you book a flight. Many countries ask for a passport valid for at least six months beyond your travel dates, and for blank pages. It is worth looking at yours now rather than at the airport. We ask every traveller to carry travel insurance covering medical treatment and repatriation, and we would strongly encourage cover for cancellation and for your luggage as well. ### Your departure is guaranteed — the day can change Once a departure is on the calendar it runs. We do not cancel a trip for want of a minimum number of bookings, so a booked date is one you can plan flights and leave around. What can move is the shape of a day. Museums and archaeological sites change their hours, roads close, weather turns, a local holiday lands in the middle of the week. Where that happens your guide reorders the day, or swaps a stop for one of the same weight, and tells you why. Changes to a booked itinerary are covered by our Booking Terms & Conditions. --- Full page: https://www.smallvoyage.com/destination/dodecanese/