A Travel Guide to Kastellorizo, Greece

Although Kastellorizo has no source of potable water or fertile soil, there is some evidence that the tiny (it's less than 10 square kilometers!) Greek island has been inhabited since the Neolithic times. However, most of its history is significantly more recent.

Once prosperous, the island never really recovered after World War II. However, a 1991 Oscar winning film called Mediterraneo introduced the world to the beauty of the eastern-most Greek island and tourism has been on the rise ever since. In addition to tourism, Kastellorizo supports a small fishing industry and a Greek military base.

Kastellorizo is accessible by air or by sea. The island has a small airport (KZS) offering direct flights to Rhodes several times a week. Ferries connect the island to Rhodes (2 or 3 times a week during the summer) and Kaş (daily during the summer). And of course, several Turkish businesses offer daily boat trips and charters to the islands throughout the tourist season.

Due to its composition of razor-sharp, limestone cliffs dropping steeply into the sea, the island has no real beaches for swimming and sunbathing. But the beautiful clear water in the region is home to abundant marine life, making the area popular with scuba divers and naturalists. The island's rocky shoreline is dotted with sea caves, including the famous Blue Grotto – a gigantic, stalactite -filled cavern which is home to monk seals. The cave measures 75 metres long, 40 metres wide, and 35 metres tall, but access is via a small gap just big enough for a small dinghy or rowboat - and only when the sea is calm!

The charming island of Kastellorizo, Greece offers visitors the chance to sit back, relax, and enjoy spectacular views of the Mediterranean in peace and quiet. We always enjoy our visits there, and are confident you will too!

Explorer's Map of Kastellorizo, Greece

Our explorer's map does not list bars, restaurants, and hotels on the small Dodecanese island. (They surround the main harbour and you don't need a map to find them.) Instead, it focuses on Kastellorizo's sites of cultural and historic interest, including nearly a dozen churches and shrines on the Greek island. (If you prefer a hard-copy, a free, downloadable copy of the Kastellorizo map is available for printing on A4-sized paper.)

map of Kastellorizo showing sites of historic and cultural significance

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Kastellorizo: A Photo Gallery

Updated September 15, 2021

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Panorama of Kastellorizo, a Greek island in the MediterraneanColourful buildings line Meis' harbour on a sunny summer dayColourful buildings line Kastellorizo's harbour on a sunny summer dayBronze statue of a pod of three dolphins leaping out of the water displayed in the harbour at KastellorizoSmall ceramic tile with a drawing of a goat embedded into the cement walkway on Meis / Kastellorizo, GreeceA view of the Meis harbour from atop one of the neighbouring hillsClassic Greek house painted the traditional colours of blue and whiteThe Kastellorizo town hall featuring several domed roofsA tiny white and blue Greek Orthodox churchBuildings with orange clay roofs surround the harbour at MeisGulet anchored in the Kastellorizo harbour surrounded by colourful buildings for which the island is knownColourful Greek houses lining the harbour at Meis, with towering red rock cliffs in the backgroundColourful Greek houses lining the harbour at Kastellorizo, with towering red rock cliffs in the backgroundTraditional Greek house made of stone with bright blue shutters and doorsGreek flag painted onto the otherwise barren rock face at Kastellorizo, GreeceGreek flag painted on the cliff overlooking busy Meis harbourThe mosque on the Greek island of KastellorizoArkadaslik's sailor admiring the colourful buildings while sailing into Meis harbourThe view from the bow of a yacht when entering colourful Kastellorizo harbourColourful buildings overlooking stunning turquoise water of the harbour at MeisTwo women walking past bars, restaurants, and shops lining the harbour at the Greek island of KastellorizoThe Turkish town of Ka# can be seen in the distance behind buildings surrounding the harbour at KastellorizoBoats of all shapes and sizes (including a Turkish gulet) anchored in the Meis harbourStatue of a family of leaping dolphins in the Meis / Kastellorizo harbourBoats anchored in gorgeously clear water at the Meis / Kastellorizo harbourOrange clay roofs as seen when looking towards the harbour when standing on a hill above the main town on Kastellorizo islandThe entrance to the stairway to St. George Monastery on the Greek island of KastellorizoThe tree-lined stairway leading to the St. George Monastery at Kastellorizo, GreeceThe stone castle at Kastellorizo flying a Greek flagThe first step of the stairway leading to St. George monastery, marked with the number oneStatue of the Lady of RoClose-up of the statue of the Lady of RoTurkish gulet anchored in front of colourful buildings overlooking the Greek harbour at MeisView from the back of a gulet departing from the Greek island of KastellorizoSmall islet with ruins of a stone building flanking the entrance to the harbour at KastellorizoSmall islet with ruins of a stone building flanking the entrance to the harbour at KastellorizoColourful Greek buildings on the northern tip of MeisGreek flag flying atop the ancient castle at Meis / Kastellorizo