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South Aegean
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Kalymnos
Chorio
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Castle of Chora
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Castle of Chora

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Castle of Chora
4.5
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Suggested duration
2-3 hours
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The area
Best nearby
Restaurants
81 within 3 miles
Ouzeri Tou Petrou
7
0.6 mi$$ - $$$ • Greek
Taverna Restaurant Nikolas
124
1.3 mi$$ - $$$ • Pizza • Mediterranean • Greek
Boutique Bistro
22
1.2 mi$ • Italian • French • European
Vouros Pastries
1
1.1 mi$$$$ • Greek • Fruit parlours
Psiris Taverna
4
1.2 miGreek
Chiropiasto
1
1.2 miGreek • Grill
Crepe & Cafe
3
1.2 mi$ • Italian • Greek
Kymata Restaurant & Cocktail Bar
27
1.5 mi$$ - $$$ • Seafood • Mediterranean • Greek
Marinos Greek Restaurant
63
1.5 mi$ • Mediterranean • Greek • Vegetarian Friendly
Il Posto Restaurant Cafe
167
1.5 mi$$ - $$$ • Mediterranean • Greek • Vegetarian Friendly
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Attractions
10 within 6 miles
Agios Savvas Monastery
203
1.9 miReligious Sites
Traditional Kalymnian House
41
1.7 miSpeciality Museums • Art Museums
Platis Yialos Beach
52
1.9 miBeaches
Neoclassiko Kalymnos
1
1.2 miHistory Museums
N S Papachatzis Sponge Factory
34
1.9 miPoints of Interest & Landmarks
Factory of Natural Sponges
37
1.9 miFactory Outlets
Myrties Beach
23
2.3 miBeaches
Akti Beach
21
Beaches
Arginontas Beach
26
Beaches
Masouri
7
2.5 miBeaches
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
26 reviews
Excellent
14
Very good
9
Average
3
Poor
0
Terrible
0
saronic
Zurich, Switzerland26,248 contributions
The Kalymnians Home in the Middle Ages
May 2015 • Couples
At a certain point in history (towards the end of the 19th century) the people of Kalymnos decided to conquer the sea. They built the harbour settlement of Pothia and became famous seamen and Greece's top sponge divers.

In the Middle Ages it was different. As a protection against pirate raids they lived - way inland and about 250m asl - inside the walled town of Kastro, which with its size is more of a fortified hilltop than a castle. When the danger of piracy began to subside, the inhabitants started to build the first houses in the Chora below the castle and moved completely out of the castle (by the early 19th century). Pothia down by the sea was the next step.

To visit the castle one best takes a taxi to a place called Langá, between the Chora and the Kastro. From here 292 steep steps are leading up to castle, which can be quite exhausiting for many people, especially in hot weather. For the whole visit one should count about 75 minutes (including the walks up and down).

Entrance is free. Through a rather small gate one comes to the interior with mainly ruins, although some buildings have been restored, especially the 9 churches within the walls, which all date from the 15th and 16th century. The castle itself is from the 15th century, a reconstruction and extension of Byzantine remains by the then masters of most of the Dodecanese, the Knights of St.John.

A few of the churches are open, some with faded fresco's on the walls. More than the Kastro I enjoyed the continuation of the ascent, again from Langá, the starting point, towards the island's highest peak, the Profitis Ilias, 676m asl. From this path one gets to see the castle from above and can also well discern its extensive outer walls. From the peak one either walks back to Langá and Chora or continues in the opposite direction, down to the valley of Vathi, which makes for a 7 hours hike in total.
Written March 8, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
blindy333
Colchester, UK48 contributions
Amazing fortress castle/ town.
Aug 2016 • Couples
Well worth the hike up, advice is to go in the morning or late evening due to the heat, and must take water. It's huge and you can well imagine how they lived here in the middle ages. Safe from pirates which they could view approaching, this fortress was impregnable. We stayed up there one hour, the churches have been restored and some open, the view is wonderful. It use to be lit up at night, which looked great, but sadly no longer! After, in Hora, there are nice really Greek places to stop for a drink. We had a very pleasant time there, you should defianatly visit! Free entrance!
Written August 27, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Villette_Christie
Athens, Greece47 contributions
A Game of Thrones sort of setting!
Feb 2015 • Friends
The great Castle-village of the island, built in the 15th century and recently restored. Among others, one can walk about several tiny little churches, in some of which one can see fantastic fragments of wall paintings of saints and such.

Beautiful. Arches, cave like rooms, cisterns, chapels, walls and defenses on an amazing position (very good for a picnic as well!), a fantastic acropolis with a fascinating history behind it.

Oh the views from up there! (And its view from wherever one stands in the surrounding areas). I mean on the highest side, when stands by the wall and is blown by severe wind, I can nearly see the dragon.
Written January 6, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Travel_regularly
Amsterdam, The Netherlands131 contributions
Worth the view
Apr 2018 • Couples
The views are amazing but sadly its a tourism project that seems to have been abondoned. Overgrown paths and decaying modern infrastructure
Written April 22, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bichoes
Stara Zagora, Bulgaria735 contributions
Ghost town in the mountain
Aug 2016 • Couples
The Castle of Chora or Paleochora is one of the most famous attractions in Kalymnos. It is situated in the place where ancient Pothia once resided and it is considered as the medieval capital of Kalymnos.The castle was initially built by the Byzantines in the 10th century. Later, the knights Hospitallers in the late 15th century gave to the castle its final form. The Castle is build in the gygantic rocks over the village of Chora, the old capital of the island. U can reach it on the stpes -patch. In the summer days, to klime the steps is very hard and u can take water and hat. The castle is very lonly place and u cannot seen many visitors. The tourists must be careful where they stpes becose if u fell or hit yourself no one can help u around. The view from the Castle is amazing. U can seen some knights coat of arms and small chapels with earlu christian paintings. If u are stay on Kalymnos, the Chora castle is must seen.
Written July 11, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DJRangoon
Globetrotter UK123 contributions
Castle on Hill
May 2017 • Couples
Great ruins of Castle high on hill over looking Chora. Views over the town and out to sea. Well worth a visit!
Written July 9, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
IHenninger
Big Sky, MT60 contributions
Needs more love
May 2017 • Couples
Visited on a rest day from climbing. Hot and sunny. Got quite sweaty walking up there, although from an active perspective this was not a very long staircase or walk. There's a small sign posted where you park describing this as the parking spot. But it literally is in the street/ middle of a small neighbourhood. So glad there was some restoration done in 1984?? But unfortunate to see that much of that has gone into disrepair since. I do hope there is someone with enough motivation and funding to be able to continue with restoration/preservation of these ruins. What you'll see, really, is a huge stone wall some stone ruins/old walls that are remnants of buildings. And a MULTITUDE of restored chapels. We poked our heads in most of them, but they're pretty repetitive after a while. The ones with the frescoes surviving are pretty cool. Follow the well established stone track and it takes you all the way to the top, without having to walk through brush and loose rock. Worth a visit if you're keen on exploring Kalymnos' history.
Written May 22, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
55Gab
Saint Paul, MN69 contributions
A long way up
Sep 2016 • Couples
We walked from the harbor in Pothia through town and up the many, many steps to the top. We were the only tourists up here and took a lot of time to wander around and marvel at the ruins and wondering what this place must have looked like a long time ago. The view from up here is stunning. The many little churches are well preserved and in most of them you see beautiful wall paintings. Definitely worth the long hike up.
Written December 5, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Janne Kellari
Akaa, Finland377 contributions
Chora Castle
Aug 2015 • Couples
The Castle of Chora is located at the northeast of Chora, on the top of a steep mountain, at an altitude of about 255 meters above sea level. Powerful walls surround the perimeter of the area of the hill. Castle was built in the Byzantine Period on 11th AD century and was repaired by the Knights of St. John in the late 15th century. In order to access it you need to climb the 230 steps on the steep hillside. Climbing is one part of experience of the castle, the views are amazing and the steps on the steep hillside are almost scary. Massive outer walls are the best remaining part of the castle, inside of the large interior is not regular castle, there are ruins of entire city. The climbing continues inside the walls and the views come even more amazing. Even the whole interior are mostly ruin, there are lots of seeing, because area of the ruins is so big.
Written August 28, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lotte vK
Utrecht, The Netherlands39 contributions
Worth the climb!
Oct 2022
Very nice place! Worth the steep climb. Be sure to bring plenty of water with you, though. Be careful for the rocks, some of them are pretty sharp.
Written January 31, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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