Kalymnos is a beautiful Greek island of the Dodecanese, located close to the Turkish coast.

Famous for its sponge divers and rugged landscape, Kalymnos has now become a landmark destination for rock climbers. But that’s just the start of what this amazing island has to offer. From scuba diving sites and boat trips to beaches as varied as the selection of seafood in the tavernas, welcome to an island with a wild and unexpected beauty.

Arts and Culture

Kalymnos, is the “proud mother” of great Kalymnian painters and sculptors like S. Maglis, G. Oikonomou, E. Zairis, M. Alahouzos, S. Galouzis, A. Karafyllakis, T. Kourounis, T. Mpilliris, I. Tataris and many others. The holy Temple of Savior Christ in the cathedral of the island includes samples from almost all the great painters of the island, inspired by the Renaissance.

Traditional Products

The most famous and coveted product of Kalymnos in many types and different designs is the natural sponge. The natural sponges of the sea are aquatic animals, evolving, depending and surviving within the environment they live in. The diversity of their forms is an interrelation of many parameters, such as the temperature of the water, the light, the existing current, the undulation, the depth, even the age of the animal. It exists in various colors, forms, sizes and constitutions. The sea sponges have been used for years and are part of our everyday hygiene and cosmetic treatment. Natural sponges have a lot of advantages in comparison to the synthetic ones. They have a longer duration of life, they do nοt smudge, they do nοt maintain smells and their soft constitution provides a deeper and without irritation skin cleaning.

The islanders also produce pure thyme honey, famous since the Hellenistic and Roman Age for its quality. The process for the production of honey is much related to plants and in the case of Kalymnos, it counts on a wide variety of aromatic herbs, such as thyme, sage and oregano, a remarkable fact, especially if we take into account that the terrain is mainly mountainous and barren. The beekeepers in the area take advantage of this particularity and put their clouds of bees to browse in these herbs, so the result is a red-gold honey that combines the essences of these aromas to a particular sweetness.

Blissful Beaches

Most of Kalymnos’ organised beaches are concentrated on the western coast, with everything you need to spend a whole day by the sea. Amongst the most popular are Massouri, Myrties and Panormos (where there’s an awesome sea bar/restaurant), as well as Kantouni and Linaria. For something more exotic, there’s the black volcanic sand of Platys Yialos. And if remote is what you’re looking for, there’s Palionisos to the east and Ton Toicho to the north.

Exploring an underwater world

Kalymnos is by far the perfect diving destination. In fact, Greece’s first diving park was created here and you’ll find plenty of diving sites around the island, particularly on the south coast. Sponges, sea anemones, octopus, starfish, sea bream, scorpionfish… keep your eyes open because you’ll be seeing plenty of sea life.