Therma Beach
Best for. Curious travellers who want something different from a sunbathing beach, a rustic volcanic bay with a natural hot spring pool at the shore that you can climb into and soak.
Best spot. The rock pool at the water line, where the hot spring near 45 degrees mixes with the cool sea, best soaked early in the morning before the small pool fills with people.
Know this. This is a stony volcanic beach, not soft sand, and the pool is small and gets crowded and can smell of sulphur. Wear water shoes for the pebbles, come early, and treat the mineral soak as a novelty rather than a medical treatment.
Therma Beach is the one beach on Kos you go to for something other than sand. It sits at the far southeastern tip of the island, about thirteen kilometres beyond Kos town and past Agios Fokas, and it is a stretch of dark volcanic pebbles rather than soft sand. The reason everyone comes is the hot spring. Right at the water line, a natural pool has formed in the rocks where a spring near 45 degrees pours out and mixes with the cool Aegean, so you can sit where the hot and cold meet and find your own temperature.
Go in with the right expectations and it is a genuine highlight. The soak is the thing, a warm mineral bath in the open sea with the waves washing over the rim of the pool, and the water has long been reputed to soothe skin and aching joints, though it is best treated as a novelty rather than a cure. The catch is that it is small and no secret, so the pool crowds quickly through the day and can carry a sulphur smell, and the volcanic stones are hard on bare feet and slippery around the pool. Bring water shoes, and come early in the morning or late in the day for the calmest, least crowded soak.
The rest of the beach is rustic and that is part of the charm. There is one small beach bar with a few sun beds and umbrellas, clear water for a swim off the pebbles, and not much else, so this is a bring what you need kind of day. There is no lifeguard, the entry is stony and the rocks are slick, so take care getting in and out and keep children close. Come for the novelty of a hot spring by the sea, pair it with the drive out along the coast, and you will not forget it.
A beach bar, not a club
Therma is rustic. The serviced beach club scene on Kos sits closer to town and the resort strips.
There is no beach club at Therma, just one small beach bar renting a few sun beds and umbrellas above the pebbles, and that plainness is part of why the hot spring feels the way it does. If you want the serviced day, with proper loungers, food and drinks service and a livelier scene, that lives back toward Kos town and the resort beaches along the north coast, where the island beach clubs run the loungers. The sensible plan is to come to Therma for the soak and the novelty, then take the serviced beach day somewhere else on Kos. Tell us the kind of day you want and we will help line up the right spot. Rates and opening seasons are set by each venue and are to be confirmed.
Out to the southeast tip
Therma Beach is at the southeastern end of Kos, about thirteen kilometres from Kos town, reached by following the coast road out past Agios Fokas until it runs out at the spring. The easiest way there is by car or scooter, with a small parking area above the beach and a short walk down the volcanic pebbles to the shore and the pool. Buses out this far are limited, so a hire car, a scooter or a taxi is the practical choice.
Come prepared, because this is a rustic spot. There is one small beach bar for a drink and a few sun beds, but little else, so bring water, sun cover, cash and water shoes for the stony beach and the slippery rocks around the pool. There is no lifeguard, the entry is pebbly and uneven, and the hot pool is busiest in the middle of the day, so arrive early or late for the calmest soak and the easiest parking.
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Therma is a rustic hot spring beach with just a bar. Tell us your dates and party size and we will help line up a serviced beach club day elsewhere on Kos.
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Common questions about Therma Beach
Where is Therma Beach and how do you get there?
Therma Beach is at the southeastern tip of Kos, about thirteen kilometres from Kos town along the coast road past Agios Fokas. The easiest way there is by car or scooter, with a small parking area above the beach and a short walk down the volcanic pebbles to the shore. Buses this far out are limited, so a hire car, scooter or taxi is the practical choice.
What are the Therma hot springs like?
A natural spring near 45 to 50 degrees pours out at the shore and has formed a rock pool where the hot water mixes with the cool sea, so you can sit where the two meet and find your own temperature. It is a warm mineral soak in the open water and a real novelty. The pool is small and popular, so come early or late, and expect a sulphur smell.
Is Therma Beach good for swimming?
The Aegean here is clear and usually calm for a swim, but this is a dark volcanic pebble beach rather than soft sand, and the entry is stony and can be slippery around the pool. Water shoes make a big difference, there is no lifeguard, so take care getting in and out and keep children close on the uneven stones.
Do you need water shoes at Therma Beach?
They are strongly recommended. The beach is made of hard volcanic pebbles and the rocks around the hot spring pool are slippery, so bare feet are uncomfortable and easy to slip on. A pair of water shoes makes the walk down, the swim and getting in and out of the pool far easier and safer.
When is the best time to visit Therma Beach?
The Greek beach season runs from May to October, and the cooler shoulder months of spring and autumn are arguably the nicest time to sit in a hot spring pool, while high summer is hottest and busiest. Whatever the month, early morning or late afternoon gives you the calmest, least crowded soak and the easiest parking.
