Kos Old Town

Kos Old Town is a bustling pedestrian area full of shops, cafes and restaurants. It stretches from Eleftheria Square to Diagoras Square and is a busy destination to visit from April to October.

Settlement in the urban area dates back to around the 3rd millennium BC. Between 2000 and 1600 BC, the early Bronze Age settlement of Seraglio developed on a flat hill near the harbor. With an area of at least 7.5 hectares, it was one of the most important Minoan settlements outside of Crete. Mycenaean influences can be traced back to 1450 BC.With more than 19,000 inhabitants, over 50% of the island's inhabitants live in the urban district. The city is the economic and cultural center of the island and an important tourist center. A small minority of Sunni Muslims live in Platani to the south.On July 21, 2017, an earthquake shook the city and caused damage.