Nisyros The Volcanic Island

Explore Nisyros: Walk inside an active volcano, wander Mandraki’s charming streets, and visit the iconic Panagia Spiliani Monastery.

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Nisyros Volcano - Arrive at the charming harbor of the island in roughly an hour and experience the island’s traditional lifestyle and genuine character.
  • Nisyros - Spend the afternoon wandering the narrow lanes of Mandraki port, savor a traditional meal at one of the numerous local taverns, or explore the renowned monastery. Let the island’s enchantment captivate you.
What's Included
  • Transfer to Volcano
  • Boat ticket to Nisyros
  • Transfer to Port by A/C Bus
What's Not Included
  • Entrance fee to the Volcano 3euro
  • Lunch
Additional Information

Departing from the little port of Kardamena (1 hour drive from Kos town) we arrive by boat in approx. 50 minutes at the idyllic island of Nisyros. Here we continue by bus driving through the moon landscapes to the impressive “Stephanos” volcano. You can walk inside this active crater. It really is a fantastic experience! Just feel the energy of this sleeping giant! It is just a short walk to go down in the caldera.

After this visit you will have time in the capital town Mandraki with its picturesque narrow streets, colourful flower pots, mosaics and white houses with coloured doors and windows. A great place to take beautiful pictures ! You can also visit the Monastery of Panagia Spiliani, one of the most famous monasteries of the Dodecanese islands.

  • Please wear comfortable shoes. Volcano has a really bad smell. Please avoid if you are pregnant or have heart disease problems
  • Please notice that extra charges may apply per person or in total of the group for pick-ups from hotels- villas- airbnb outside the proximity of our tour selected pick route. In that case we can provide round trip transfer for customer(s) convenience ad-hoc quoted as per location of customer(s)’ property.
  • Please contact 24hrs prior to the activity your local supplier to reconfirm the pick up location and time.
Location
Nisyros Volcano
Mandraki
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.1
(25 Ratings)
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Hans4564
Aug 17, 2024
A must visit if visiting Greece - We booked through trip advisor as found the exact same offer was cheaper here than with TUI or any other rep at the hotel. The coach picked us up at the hotel and took us to the boat, The trip took about an hour across to the island from Kos. We had a fabulous tour guide who showed some of the town then gave us free time to explore. We enjoyed a drink on the front by a little beach for the kids to play. Everyone was very friendly while walking around. We then met the tour guide again and went by coach to the volcano. She explained about the different towns along the way. The volcano itself was extremely hot but the kids managed to walk down and explore. There is a strong smell of sulphate but that's to be expected. We saw some smoldering which the kids loved. Definitely an experience to do while in Greece. Boat trip back and coach ready to take us back to our hotel. A fabulous day out and would recommend
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lee
Aug 1, 2024
Great to walk down into a volcano - The boat trip lasted about 1 hour each way. The island had a few towns, which we stopped at. The main town called Mandraki was great and well worth exploring. We went to the volcano and walked down into it. It was very hot but well worth the walk. A great day out. It's best to do the trip as a tour, that way you get taken around the island to all of the towns and the volcano.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stephaniefb5065sc
Jun 6, 2024
A timeless experience - The views were amazing, we took so many photos. Nisyros is approached by boat from Kardemena , it's hot and there are little islands surfacing from the sea. The view back to Kos is postcard pretty too. We went on a coach up to the volcano, with a guide telling us all about the island, walked around the volcano and that was like I imagine the surface of the moon. There was a coffee shop too. The terraces dug into the hills tell how difficult life would be if you had to grow crops to survive. Then back down the island to the portside town, which was both beautiful architecturally and bustling with gift shops and cafes. If you get the chance to go, I recommend it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
A5677eileslies
Jun 4, 2024
A real good fantastic day out - Went to the volcanoes Martha the tour guide 2nd time we met her a great person does her job fantastic told us the history of the island and looked after us all even the rough boat ride back 😆
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mariovc9785fi
May 20, 2024
Nisyros definitely worth a visit - Booked an excursion to Nisyros via Tui. It was well arranged with a bus trip from Kos town to the port of Kardamena. An hour by boat to Nisyros. Our guide was Willem, a guide from Tui who has been providing this excursion during the 7 seasons. Someone who can talk well and keeps everyone focused, but also leaves room for questions. The visit was really great, a visit to the town on the coast with the option of a well-organized lunch (not included), a visit to a mountain town that has only 30 inhabitants and is located above the crater of the dormant volcano with a beautiful view of this crater. After a short break here, the highlight was a visit to the crater of the dormant volcano. That was worth it, you can descend into the crater via a path. a true experience, you can smell the sulfur that still bubbles up from the holes. The different colors in the walls of the crater are beautiful. then back to the boat. Where you take the bus back to your pick-up point that morning after an hour's sailing. All in all a fun and active day. and Willem was great, with clear and concise explanations about this beautiful experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Graham_s
Sep 29, 2023
Nisyros Volcanic Crater - Leaving the port of Kardemena we passed the Pumice mining Island of Gyaldi before arriving at Nisyros. Strolling with our guide Marta through the narrow streets of Mandraki, we pasted blue & white buidings adorned with flowers & with pebbled images on the floor. The Monastery of Panagia Spillani is reached via 270 steps. Entrance is 2 euro one of the highlights is the Icon to the Virgin Mary from 1400 AD. Take time to admire the wonderful panoramic views across the village. Lunch was under the big Ficus tree in the square before a coach journey to one of the largest hydrothermal craters in the world. Viewed from above we were impressed with the Lava formations & their Sulphur yellow colours. 3 euro gains you entry to the crater floor, where the air was filled with the smell of Sulphur (rotten eggs), beneath our feet the ground was spongey & at times it also felt like it was bubbling there is also thermal air billowing out of crater holes making us appreciate this sleeping giant, luckily this crater has not produced any seismic activity since 1998. A fantastic day out & a must do.
Review provided by Viator
Companion25393306791
Nov 5, 2023
Lovely day out! - The trip was overall a very lovely day out, all travel was well organised!! We got picked up from near our hotel at the right time and were welcomed onto the trip by our guide who was amazing! We then got the boat over to Nisyros which was a lovely boat trip, we arrived in the village of Mandraki where we got free time, however they wasen’t much to do however so didn’t need much free time we then got on bus to the volcano, had to pay €3 to get in, very smelly but amazing to see we walked down to the crater which was very cool. Had about 40mins and volcano which was a perfect amount of time before we got back on bus and then boat back to kos and another transfer back to our hotel!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Travelogger2
Oct 1, 2023
Stunning Island - We went on an organised trip from Kardemena by ferry. The ferry took around 50 minutes. Time spent in Mandraki and food and lots of picture opportunities. The volcano was a once in a lifetime for us but so hot and barren. We weren't there long ( around 30 mins) but that was enough. Not worth the coach trip to be honest. Nisyros is beautiful though. A welcome change from Kos
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Katkagulyas
Sep 26, 2023
Beautiful island, lifeless volcano - We went on this one-day trip with a friend at the end of June. I positively evaluate the transfer to the port on Kefalos, where the boat to Nisyros was waiting for us. When entering the ship, we received a boarding pass for the direction there and back. It was possible to buy snacks and drinks on the ship. The island of Nisyros itself was very small, but its atmosphere resembled the setting from the famous musical Mamma Mia!. We walked around the town with a nice lady guide, later we broke up. After the breakup, a move to the volcano was planned. The bus journey took about 30 minutes. After getting off the bus, you had to buy a ticket to the volcano for three euros, we were not informed about this fact before. You could only pay in cash, cards were not accepted. The volcano and the surroundings of the volcano were nice, but I found it boring and very hot. The parting lasted almost an hour, but there was nothing to do there for an hour. I positively assess the fact that there was a buffet and toilets. The journey back to the hotel went very quickly without any complications. Despite some of the negatives above, we had a nice day and don't regret taking this trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mark_r
Aug 4, 2023
Be Aware - Despite having written confirmation of pick up at our hotel, we received a message at 9.30pm the evening before saying we had to get to a pick up point 30 mins walk away for a 7.55 am pickup. No time to try and organise a taxi transfer. Despite moving the day of the trip to give us time to organise, it still cost us 15 euros in addition for the taxi. If you are staying in the area of Kos town, be prepared for an hour's transfer to the boat on a VERY cramped and hot bus, picking up people from hotels an equal distance from the main road that our hotel was. Nisyros is stunning. But only 40 mins allowed at the crater itself. You do not get much time after the long walk to the bottom to actually take it all in. Three hours then in Madaraki which is the main town in the island. Very pretty and welcoming. Very reasonably priced food and drink. Just be aware of the long transfers from the Kos town end of the island, which is not mentioned anywhere in the descriptions. A lot of traveling for not long enough at the volcano, which was the reason for us choosing this trip.
Review provided by Viator
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September 2024
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