How to drive up to Zia on Mount Dikaios for the sunset, where to sit, and which vehicle handles the climb from Kardamena.
If we had to pick one place on Kos for a summer evening, it's Zia, the small village on the slopes of Mount Dikaios. Cobbled lanes, tavernas on terraces, little shops with handmade things and churches with blue domes.
Everyone comes for the sunset. The sun goes down over the sea and the islands, and people come back year after year for that view. Book a table on an upper terrace a few days ahead in high season, and arrive an hour before the sun sets.
In the evening the village fills up: glasses clinking, music, the smell of the grills. During the day it is quiet, and the pine forest around it has walking trails if you want to leave the car and hike.
From Kardamena, take the main road towards Kos Town and turn up the mountain at any of the signs for Zia. The last kilometres are a climb with tight bends, so take it slow on the way down in the dark.
