With a population of just 1,200 and covering a meagre 48 square miles, Kassos is one of the few Greek islands that can still truly combine a warm welcome and very little tourist development.
Of the 5 villages on the island, the largest and main port is Phry. This rather ramshackle collection of dwellings has little natural charm although the tiny harbour for caiques is a delight and part of the main waterfront has been redeveloped and given a new lease of life. The main attraction in Phry has to be the tavernas. An abundance of fresh fish is supplied by the island’s own small fishing fleet. Otherwise you will be welcomed with great friendliness by the local people, as tourists are a rarity.
A short walk across the bay and the tiny inlet of Emborio with its beach, tavernas and bobbing caiques comes into view. Walkers will revel in the gaunt remoteness of the surrounding countryside where olive groves, citrus fruit trees and small farms are interspersed between the villages of Panagia, Arvanitohori and Poli which are linked by rough roads.
Beach lovers will make the short boat journey to the neighbouring islet of Armathia which has a fine, sandy beach.
Kassos sits between Karpathos and Crete on a route few boats bother with, and the island’s history is out of proportion to its size: a merchant fleet in the nineteenth century, a massacre in 1824 that emptied it, and a long emigration afterwards that left more Kassiots abroad than at home. What remains is five villages, a good deal of empty stone country between them, and a population that notices a stranger.
Getting there
Travel between Rhodes and Kassos is by flight (1 hr. 10 mins.).
| Leg | By | Roughly |
|---|---|---|
| Rhodes → Kassos | flight | 1 hr 10 min |
Crossing times are the scheduled durations of the route, not a timetable. Sailings vary by season and operator.