The Dodecanese is the archipelago we recommend to sailors who find the Cyclades too brutal but still want the Aegean light. Twelve islands strung along the Turkish coast from Rhodes to Patmos: the warmest water in Greece (26–28 °C in summer) and a meltemi blowing north to northwest at 12–22 knots — muscular, rarely mean.
Legs are short and the history is dense: the Knights' city in Rhodes, Symi's neoclassical harbour, the volcano on Nisyros where you walk down into the crater. Two serious charter bases, Rhodes and Kos, both with direct flights in season.
Rent a sailboat — Dodecanese
Route
Three days out of Kos around the active volcano of Nisyros — you walk down into the crater — and unspoilt Tilos. Legs of 20 to 30 miles, meltemi astern on the way out.
| Day | Leg | Distance | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Kos › Nisyros | 20 nm | Berth at Pali, up to the volcano's crater late in the day. |
| Day 2 | Nisyros › Tilos | 20 nm | A quiet nature-reserve island, anchor off Livadia. |
| Day 3 | Tilos › Kos | 30 nm | The longest leg, back into the meltemi: leave early. |
Roughly 169 miles island-hopping along the Turkish coast: Symi and its neoclassical harbour, Tilos, the Nisyros volcano, ancient Kos, sponge-diving Kalymnos and the deeply sheltered bays of Leros.
| Day | Leg | Distance | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Days 1–2 | Rhodes › Symi › Tilos | 55 nm | Greece's finest harbour arrival at Symi, then the Panormitis monastery on the way to Tilos. |
| Days 3–4 | Tilos › Nisyros › Kos | 42 nm | Down into the Nisyros crater, night in Kos town. |
| Days 5–7 | Kos › Kalymnos › Leros › Kos | 72 nm | Pothia and its sponge divers, the enclosed bays of Leros, then back to base. |
When to go
Advice from sailors
7-Day Dodecanese Itinerary: Rhodes to Kos via Symi and the Volcanoes
Rhodes to Kos via Symi and the volcanoes: a week in the Dodecanese with warm water and a softer Meltemi.
Read the article →7-Day Northern Dodecanese Itinerary: Kos, Kalymnos, Leros, Lipsi, Patmos
Kos, Kalymnos, Leros, Patmos: the spiritual, sheltered northern Dodecanese loop in one week.
Read the article →Sailing the Dodecanese: Rhodes, Kos, Patmos and the South-East Islands
Rhodes, Symi, Patmos: Greece's least-known archipelago, with a gentle Meltemi and the warmest water in the country.
Read the article →Rent a sailboat — Greece
Yes, clearly: it blows north to northwest at 12–22 knots against 20–30 in the Cyclades at the same time, with stronger spells in July–August. The closely spaced islands always keep a shelter within a few miles — you set your day by the morning forecast, not by fear of tomorrow.
Rhodes for the south of the archipelago — Symi 25 miles away, Lindos, the extension to Tilos and Nisyros. Kos for the centre and north — Kalymnos, Leros, Patmos. Both offer a large fleet and direct flights in season; the full one-way Rhodes–Kos arc is our favourite week.
May, June, September and October are the best months: a manageable meltemi and moderate crowds. The archipelago's trump card is the water: the warmest in Greece, 26–28 °C in summer and still swimmable in late October — the longest sailing season in the country.
