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Leros is a small Dodecanese island of bays and natural harbours, lying north-west of Kalymnos, between Kos and Patmos. It combines a Byzantine castle above the capital Platanos, a 1930s town built by the Italians at Lakki and a strong Second World War history, with quiet pebble coves rather than big sandy resorts. Ferries reach it from Kos, Kalymnos, Patmos and Piraeus, and in summer a catamaran links it with Bodrum.
Short answer
- Getting there: ferries all year from Kos (about 1 hour 15 minutes to 2 hours) and Kalymnos, and from Patmos to the north; Blue Star from Piraeus; domestic flights to the small airport at Partheni.
- Two ports: Agia Marina on the east coast, below Platanos and the castle, and Lakki in the south-west, used by the big ferries. Check which one is on your ticket.
- Top sights: Panteli Castle and its church museum, the Italian rationalist buildings of Lakki, the War Museum in the Merikia tunnels, and the Commonwealth war cemetery.
- Beaches: mostly pebble; Alinda is the long organised beach, Vromolithos and Gourna are calmer.
- Getting around: one municipal bus line, taxis in Platanos and Lakki, and a hire car or scooter for the rest.
- How long: two or three nights cover the castle, Lakki, the museum and a few beaches.
Getting there
By ferry from the Dodecanese
| From | Operators | Crossing | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kos | Dodekanisos Seaways, Blue Star Ferries, ANEM Ferries | About 1 h 15 min to 2 h | About 12 a week June–September, about 11 in quieter months |
| Kalymnos | Dodekanisos Seaways, Blue Star Ferries, Saos Ferries | About 40 min to 2 h | About 17 a week June–September, about 9 in quieter months |
| Patmos | Dodekanisos Seaways, Blue Star Ferries, Saos Ferries | About 40 min to 1 h 50 min | About 12 a week June–September, about 6 in quieter months |
| Lipsi | Dodekanisos Seaways, Blue Star Ferries, Saos Ferries | About 20–45 min | About 5–6 a week |
Frequencies are Ferryscanner counts as of October 2026; all four links run all year with fewer sailings outside June to September. As of October 2026, Ferryhopper’s “from” fares between Kos and Leros were €7.50 to €8.50 on Blue Star, €10 on ANEM and €17 on Dodekanisos Seaways. Blue Star arrives in Lakki and ANEM in Agia Marina, while Dodekanisos Seaways uses both. Details in our Kos to Leros ferry guide.
From Piraeus
Blue Star Ferries sails from Piraeus to Lakki on four to six days a week all year, in about 7 to 9 hours according to Ferryhopper’s tables. Ferryhopper listed fares from €48 to €49 one way for autumn 2026.
By air
The municipal airport is at Partheni in the north of the island, according to the Municipality of Leros. Visit Greece gives about 1 hour from Athens. Wikipedia lists Olympic Air to Athens and Sky Express to Kos, Rhodes, Kalymnos and Astypalaia; we could not confirm the current schedules with the airlines, so check before you book. There are no direct flights from the UK or Germany. Most international visitors fly to Kos and continue by ferry; see Kos airport transfers.
From the Turkish coast
Tilos Travel’s catamaran Sea Star Kos sailed daily between Bodrum Cruise Port and Leros from 15 May to 25 October 2026, leaving Bodrum at 08:30 and Leros at 17:00, a crossing of about an hour. İDO announced a Turgutreis–Leros service from mid-May to the end of September 2026. No winter sailing to Turkey is listed. See Bodrum to Leros ferry.
Flights to Leros
Compare airline fares in one search on Booking.com Flights. Check the baggage allowance and connection times before you book.
Getting around
| Option | Best for | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Municipal bus | Villages along the main road | One line from Xirokampos in the south to Blefoutis in the north |
| Taxi | Port transfers, Lakki, evenings | Ranks in Platanos and Lakki |
| Hire car or scooter | Lakki, the castle road, northern and southern beaches in one day | Check licence requirements with the rental firm |
| On foot | Agia Marina, Platanos, the castle, Panteli | All within walking distance of each other |
Olympic Holidays describes the bus line and says timetables are published by the municipality; we could not open the municipal timetable page, so ask at your accommodation.
Car hire: Leros
DiscoverCars compares offers from several rental companies in one search. Check the pick-up point, deposit and insurance terms before you book.
Platanos, Agia Marina and Panteli
Platanos is the capital, spread below the castle along a ridge lined with windmills. The municipality says streets with neoclassical and traditional houses run down from its square to Agia Marina, and the two settlements have practically grown together.
Agia Marina is the harbour on the east coast where many boats from Kos and Turkey arrive. Discover Greece describes its traditional and Italian-era buildings around the port and a windmill that appears to stand in the sea. The municipality says the settlement was declared a protected traditional settlement in 1978.
Panteli is a small fishing village south of Platanos, below the castle, with fishing boats and yachts in its harbour. The road up to the castle starts on this side.
Panteli Castle
The castle stands on Pityki hill above Platanos, about 200 m above sea level according to the municipality. Visit Greece says it was founded in the Byzantine period and is first mentioned in 1087, when Emperor Alexios I Komnenos granted Leros to Saint Christodoulos. The Knights of St John later strengthened it with three concentric walls, and the Ottomans and Italians made further changes.
Inside the walls, the church of Panagia tou Kastrou is the island’s most important shrine. The municipality says the first small church was built in 1669 and renovated in 1719. Its icon’s gold and silver cover dates from around 1732, and a church museum next door displays manuscripts, icons and vestments. The church’s feast day is 15 August.
Getting up: a paved path of about 500 steps climbs from Platanos past the church of Agia Paraskevi, or you can drive up the road from Panteli to near the entrance.
Hours and tickets (as of October 2026): Visit Greece lists free entry to the castle and a ticket for the church museum. Summer hours are 09:00 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 20:00; in winter it opens on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday from 14:00 to 17:00. We could not find the museum ticket price on an official source.
Lakki: the Italian town
Lakki lies at the head of a deep, sheltered bay in the south-west. The Italians developed it as their main naval base in the Dodecanese from 1923 and planned the town from scratch in the 1920s and 1930s, largely to house military personnel. It was called Portolago until 1947. Visit Greece presents it as an example of rationalist architecture.
The main architects were Armando Bernabiti and Rodolfo Petracco. Buildings to look out for on a walk:
- Market hall (Petracco, 1934–1936)
- Primary school and nursery (Petracco, 1934–1936)
- Town hall (Bernabiti, 1935–1938)
- Cinema and theatre (Bernabiti, 1936–1938)
- Agios Nikolaos: the former Italian church of St Francis by Bernabiti, 1935–1939, later converted, according to the municipality.
War history
Leros War Museum: in tunnels built by the Italian army in the late 1930s at Merikia, next to Lakki. The museum opened in August 2005 and shows Second World War weapons, maps, photographs and uniforms, with military vehicles outside. A regional tourism site says it opens daily in summer; we could not find hours or prices on an official source.
Battle of Leros: German air raids began on 26 September 1943, German troops landed on 12 November, and the British and Italian garrison surrendered on 16 November.
Leros War Cemetery: the Commonwealth War Graves Commission places it on the shore of Agia Marina bay, about 2 km west of the town, and says all Commonwealth graves on the island were brought here. It holds 183 burials, many unidentified, and is always open, with wheelchair access through the main entrance.
Bellenis Tower, Alinda: now the municipal folk museum, with costumes, embroidery and musical instruments from 1880 to 1920, and a room of surgical instruments from its time as a field hospital in the Second World War. We could not confirm opening hours.
Smaller sights
- Agios Isidoros: a chapel at Kokkali built on a rocky islet and reached by a narrow causeway.
- Panagia Kavouradena: a small church set into a rock formation by the sea at Xirokampos.
Beaches
Most of the coast is pebble, with few sandy coves. According to Greeka:
| Beach | From Platanos | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Alinda | About 3 km north-west | Long, organised; sand and pebble |
| Agia Marina | About 2 km north | Pebble, organised |
| Vromolithos | About 3 km south | Calm, partly organised |
| Gourna | About 7 km west | Sand, sheltered bay |
| Dio Liskaria | About 7 km north | Sand, path from the main road |
| Xirokampos | About 9 km south-east | Pebble, quiet, wheelchair access |
| Blefoutis | About 9 km north-west | Pebble, quiet, not organised |
With children, Alinda, Vromolithos and Gourna are the easiest; see Greek islands with kids.
Where to stay
- Agia Marina and Platanos: walkable to the castle and the harbour for boats to Kos and Turkey.
- Alinda: the island’s main beach resort, a few kilometres north-west.
- Panteli and Vromolithos: small and quiet, below the castle.
- Lakki: convenient for Blue Star ferries and the War Museum; a town rather than a beach base.
We do not have a hotel guide for Leros yet.
Hotels and rooms on Leros
See which hotels, guesthouses and apartments on the island are free for your dates, with a map view, on Booking.com. On small islands rooms run out early in high summer.
When to go
- Mid-May to October: the summer ferry network, including the Bodrum catamaran until 25 October in 2026, and the castle’s longer summer hours.
- July and August: warmest sea, but hot for the castle steps and walking around Lakki.
- 15 August: the feast of Panagia tou Kastrou; expect the island to be busy.
- Winter: Dodecanese ferries still run, with fewer sailings; the castle opens three afternoons a week.
- Clock change: Greece goes back to winter time on 25 October 2026.
Check routes month by month on the ferry season calendar.
Day trip or stay?
From Kos, a day trip only works if your date has a morning sailing out and an afternoon return; crossings take well over an hour. From Bodrum, the summer catamaran gives around seven hours ashore, enough for Agia Marina, Platanos, the castle and Panteli. Most visitors are better off with two or three nights, or with Leros as one stop on a longer hop between Kalymnos and Patmos. Plan it with the ferry route planner and our island hopping from Turkey guide.
Turkey from Leros
In season, Leros has its own direct boat to Turkey. Because the catamaran leaves Bodrum in the morning and Leros in the afternoon, a trip from Leros to Turkey means at least one night in Bodrum; see our Bodrum travel guide. A classic loop is Bodrum, Kos, Kalymnos, Leros and back to Bodrum. Outside the season, go via Kos with the Kos to Bodrum ferry. Non-EU travellers are registered in the EU Entry/Exit System on re-entry to Greece; see EES and ETIAS for island–Turkey trips and the Turkey day trips hub for passport and visa rules.
From 25 October 2026 until late March, Turkey is one hour ahead of Leros.
Organised tours
We found no guided tours on Leros itself on GetYourGuide. The only product listed is a ferry package for people staying in Bodrum. On Leros, the castle, Platanos and Agia Marina are easy to see on your own.
From Bodrum: Fast Catamaran Ticket to the Greek Island Leros
Return catamaran ticket with hotel pickup from Bodrum, Gümbet, Bitez or Ortakent; for holidaymakers in Bodrum with a passport or visa valid for Greece.
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FAQ
How do I get to Leros?
By ferry from Kos, Kalymnos or Patmos all year, by Blue Star from Piraeus, on domestic flights from Athens, or in summer by catamaran from Bodrum.
Which port will I arrive at?
Blue Star ferries use Lakki, ANEM uses Agia Marina, and Dodekanisos Seaways uses both. The port is on your ticket; if it only says “Leros”, ask.
Is Leros good for a beach holiday?
It suits a quiet one. Most beaches are pebble and small; Alinda is the main organised beach, and Gourna and Dio Liskaria are sandy.
Do I need a car on Leros?
Not for Agia Marina, Platanos, the castle and Panteli, which are walkable. For Lakki, the War Museum and the outer beaches, use the bus, a taxi or a hire car or scooter.
Can I go from Leros to Turkey?
In summer, yes: Tilos Travel sailed daily from Leros to Bodrum at 17:00 until 25 October 2026. Out of season, go via Kos.
Timetables, prices and entry rules change; check the official source before you travel.
Sources
- Municipality of Leros – Sightseeing and museums (accessed Oct 2026)
- Visit Greece – Leros (accessed Oct 2026)
- Visit Greece – The Castle of Panteli (accessed Oct 2026)
- Discover Greece – Leros (accessed Oct 2026)
- Wikipedia – Lakki, Leros (accessed Oct 2026)
- Wikipedia – Battle of Leros (accessed Oct 2026)
- Wikipedia – Leros Municipal Airport (accessed Oct 2026)
- CWGC – Leros War Cemetery (accessed Oct 2026)
- The Aegean Islands – Leros War Museum (accessed Oct 2026)
- Greeka – Leros beaches (accessed Oct 2026)
- Olympic Holidays – Getting around Leros (accessed Oct 2026)
- Ferryhopper – Kos to Leros (accessed Oct 2026)
- Ferryhopper – Piraeus to Leros (accessed Oct 2026)
- Ferryscanner – Leros to Kos (accessed Oct 2026)
- Ferryscanner – Leros to Kalymnos (accessed Oct 2026)
- Ferryscanner – Patmos to Leros (accessed Oct 2026)
- Ferryscanner – Leros to Lipsi (accessed Oct 2026)
- Dodekanisos Seaways – 2026 passenger and vehicle fares (PDF) (accessed Oct 2026)
- Tilos Travel – 2026 sailing plan, Bodrum–Leros (accessed Oct 2026)
- Capital – İDO’s new Aegean season (18 March 2026, Turkish) (accessed Oct 2026)
- timeanddate.com – Clock changes in Greece 2026 (accessed Oct 2026)
- GetYourGuide – Leros (accessed Oct 2026)
- GetYourGuide – From Bodrum: Fast Catamaran Ticket to the Greek Island Leros (accessed Oct 2026)
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