Your hotel is near Kos but a bit too far to walk from it? You’d like to reach one of the nearby beaches or visit the Asklepion but do not feel cycling or walking the distance? Don’t worry, there’s a few regular Kos city bus routes. While they may seem a bit complex given the limited information provided at the stops, they’re actually easy and cheap, let us help you with our complete Kos city bus guide !
Where do Kos city busses go?
While the official website of Kos “near bus” mentions many routes and more than 100 stops, this year the network seem to be mainly operated with 4 routes :
List of routes
- Line 1 – Kos Akteon <> Ag. Fokas via Psalidi Hotels
- Line 2 – Kos Dolphin Square <> Lambi Beach & Hotels
- Line 3 – Kos Akteon <> Asklepion via Platani & the Hippocratic Foundation
- Line 5 – Kos Akteoni <> Therma via Psalidi Hotels
Other routes are mentioned in the official timetable PDF file, with differences on lines 3 & 6 and possible services going to the Asklepion and Saint Nektarios Kos Holy Convent but we couldn’t confirm precisely the route. We also couldn’t get clarity on routes 4 and 7, so please feel free to contact us if you have any info to share.
Network map of Kos busses
As no official list of stops is available online, here’s an approximate route map for you to know where the bus are going, featuring lines 1, 2, 3 and 5.
Disclaimer: this map is based on our observations and might contain errors. Line 2’s exact terminus isn’t known. Always confirm the itinerary with the driver before buying your ticket.
Please note that unlike KTEL Intercity busses, you can only get on and off at a designated bus-stop. In order to know more about the stops, feel free to ask your hotel and confirm with the driver.
We’re still trying to figure out where route 2 exactly ends as we had conflicting information. Feel free to contact us if you have the answer!
Timetables
Line 1 and 2 are running the entire day, but routes 3 and 5 have more limited timetables. As with the intercity busses, timetables are indicating departure times from each terminus. The timetables you may see at intermediate bus stops all display these same times and not intermediate times. Thus, while they usually leave on time from the terminus, you’ll be left estimating the approximate time at your hotel stop which may vary depending of the time and day of the week (mainly depending of the numbers of people riding, as boarding and ticket sale delay the bus). On some busy routes (1 & 5), services running around 10 to 11 am might not stop at all stations due to the bus being full.
Some stops will feature a digital indicator. As you’ll quickly realise, these are not in use at the moment and do not seem to be maintained anymore. The bus company’s official website also advertise an app that do not seem to be working. Feeling curious or lucky? Here’s where to get the app on GooglePlay and Apple AppStore.
Lines 1 and 5 (as of June 2025):
Line 2 (as of June 2025):
Complete PDF file can be accessed on Kos near bus official website here.
Tickets
You may notice a small office at one of the terminus, with a nice “Bus Tickets” sign and some timetables. Sadly, they’re not in use this year. You won’t find any ticket office nor a ticket machine. Tickets might be sold at some partner shops (try your luck asking your local convenience store) but that’s not guaranteed. How to do? Have change with you and buy them at the driver (1,5 to 2 EUR/single ride for an adult depending of the route, reduced for small children), no card payments are accepted.
Tipp: double-check your change when giving a bigger note as some “misunderstandings” may happen. If you have a big note, you may also buy tickets for the next days at the same time: just make sure to check the numbers of tickets received.
You won’t find any machine to stamp them or validate, you just have to hand your tickets to the driver (if you bought them ahead). The driver will tear the tickets appart and keep them or give them back to you. You’ll sometimes not receive a ticket after paying but a nod confirming you may go in. While this seems surprising, it appears to be working.
You can’t use the same ticket when transferring from one line to another (eg. going from Psalidis Hotels (line 1 or 5) to the Asklepion (line 3), so carry enough change (you cannot pay by card).
Vehicles / Comfort on board
As with most Greece public transportation vehicles, Kos bus are second hand busses acquired from other countries. Most of them are not really old, and feature AC. Some even have USB sockets. However, do not be surprised to get an old bus without AC as a few are still running.
Bus stops
Here’s an example of local bus city stops, some may have an updated timetable (but most may have an outdated one).
Best is to ask the hotel or your destination restaurant if there’s a bus stop nearby, and keep an eye on GoogleMaps when on the way. We also advise to ask the driver to ensure you’ll go to your desired destination.
Important: identifying the correct bus
As conterintuitive as it seems, do not trust the direction mentioned on the bus. While the route number appears to be correct, drivers do not seem to bother changing the direction display at each terminus meaning you’ll see a bus indicating “1 – KOS ΚΩΣ” going to the opposite direction. So no need to rush if you see a bus showing your direction going the wrong way, familiarise yourself with the road directions: if the road goes to Kos then the coming bus will be going there (even if it shows “Therma” and not “Kos” for instance).
How to go further away?
You want to explore the rest of the island with public transportation? Good news, not only that’s possible but we also have a complete guide on Kos Intercity Busses for you right here.