Diagram by Greece Trips. Free to reuse with credit - CC BY 4.0.
The daily rhythm
Pserimos has an unusual pattern that decides whether you like it.
Around eleven each morning the day-trip boats arrive from Kos and Kalymnos and the sand fills. Tavernas serve two hundred lunches. By about five the boats have gone and the island returns to a handful of residents and whoever is staying the night.
If you come on a day boat you see the crowded version. If you stay, you get the other one, and the difference is the whole point.
The village and the beach
The settlement sits directly behind Avlakia, a broad shallow sand bay with very calm water: the best swimming for small children in this part of the Dodecanese, since it stays shallow a long way out.
Tavernas line the sand, there are rooms above them, and the whole village takes about four minutes to walk across.
Other beaches, Vathy, Marathounta and Grafiotissa, are reached on foot over the hill in twenty to forty minutes and are usually empty.
Practical facts
There is no cash machine, no petrol station and no proper road. Water and supplies come by boat. Most places close from October to April.
Getting there
By day-trip boat from Kos town or Mastichari, or from Pothia on Kalymnos, all in high season. There is also a small local boat from Kalymnos used by residents, which is the way to arrive if you are staying.
One or two nights, and only in season.
Last checked August 2026. Boat services are seasonal and change - see our editorial policy.
Common questions
Where is Pserimos?
In the channel between Kos and Kalymnos in the Dodecanese, a short boat ride from either.
Why is Pserimos crowded at lunchtime?
Day-trip boats from Kos and Kalymnos arrive around eleven and leave by about five, so the single beach is busy for a few hours and quiet the rest of the day.
Is Pserimos good for young children?
The main bay, Avlakia, is sand and stays shallow a long way out, which makes it one of the calmest swimming beaches in the area.
Can you stay overnight on Pserimos?
Yes, there are rooms above the tavernas in the village, though most close from October to April.
Is there a cash machine on Pserimos?
No. There is no bank or cash machine and no petrol station, so bring what you need.