How to get to Halki

Halki is connected with Kamiros Skala port (in the south of Rhodes) daily, usually 2 or 3 times, depending on the season. The journey takes from 50 to 70 minutes, depending on the vessel.

Usually there are 1 or 2 vessels in the morning and at least one in the afternoon, with the last one usually around 5 to 6 pm.
It is also connected 4-5 times/week with the main port of Rhodes with large ferries and a speed-boat.

What we recommend is to fly to Rhodes with a flight landing before 4 pm so you can manage to catch the ferry either from Kamiros Skala (30 mins drive from RHO airport) or Rhodes main port (15-20 mins drive from RHO airport, bus service also available).

Once you land, we are ready to take care the rest of your journey and help you arrive to Villa Kalypso stress-free.

If you need help with your luggage we take care of transferring them to the Villa, which is less than 100 meters away from the port of Halki.

Useful Distances

- Pondamos beach: 15 min walk
- Ftenagia beach: 10 min walk
- Kania beach: 30 min walk or 10 min by car
- Medieval Castle: 1 hour walk or 15 min by car (to the old town and then climbing up for 10-15 mins)
- St. John Monastery: 25 min by car

History of the island

Halki, one of the last hidden gems of the Mediterranean, was designated by UNESCO as "The Island of Peace and Friendship" and welcomes anyone seeking calm and relaxing holidays.

It owes its name to the copper mines which existed during medieval times. In the 14th century the Knights of Rhodes granted Halki to the Assanti family as a fief. The family built their Castle above the ruins of an ancient fortressed acropolis.

From the mid-19th century onwards and under Turkish domination, Halki reached the golden age of prosperity. Along with Symi, Kalymnos, and Kastellorizo, the islands developed their trade, sponge fishing and considerably increased the population's intellectual and financial status. Unfortunately, in the final years of Turkish rule and during Italian domination the privileged rights once given to the island were removed, and most of the population immigrated abroad. Halki was integrated in Greece along with the rest of the Dodecanissos islands in 1948.

The island's only populated village, is Nimborio, positioned amphitheatrically around the windless harbor.

As you stroll along the scenic roads, have a look at the neoclassical Town hall building, dating back to the 19th century, and the stone Clock tower standing beside it. With a visit to the church of Ag, Nicolaos, the island's patron saint, built in 1861, you can admire the unique belfry, the hagiographies and rare wooden iconostasis.

A pleasant walk of 2,5 klm leads you to the old capital of Halki, Horio, with its old stone houses built amphitheatrically on the hill below the Castle. 4.000 inhabitants once lived here out of fear of the pirates. When this threat started to wear out around 1850-1870, the residents of Horio established the seaside village of Nimborio and gradually abandoned their initial nest, which is now deserted. The last years some of the abandoned houses are under re-construction and a few houses are already back in life there.

On the top of the hill above the village, towers the Castle of the Knights with a breathtaking view of neighboring Rhodes, Alimnia and Tilos. Numerous churches and monasteries enrich the list of sights to see at Halki which is completed by Kamenos Spilios in Amiglai. Here, in 1658, Morozoni extinguished the islanders hiding in the cave by setting fire to its entrance.

The island currently has 300 permanent residents who occupy themselves mainly with tourism, a field which developed substantially after 1983 when the appropriate infrastructure was created and the island was declared the worldwide Centre of Peace and Friendship.