Halki
Travel information on Halki in the Dodecanese group of Greek islands, including flight and ferry information from Greece Travel Secrets.
Once you've discovered Halki it's easy to fall in love with
it, and many visitors return year after year. It has an easy-going charm, just
one town, a beautiful harbour surrounded by old mansions, low-key tourism that
hasn't spoiled the island at all, and there's very little to do other than relax
and enjoy being there.
Note that Halki can also be spelled Chalki or Khalki. We've
opted for the simplest version but you will see all three variations used.
Reflections in Halki Harbour
Getting to Halki
Flights to Halki
Halki doesn't have an airport and the best option is to fly
to Rhodes and then take one of the daily ferries.
Ferries to Halki
Halki is off the west coast of Rhodes and there are daily
ferries from the port of Skala Kamirou on Rhodes, with a journey time of just
over an hour. There's a bus that links Skala Kamirou with Rhodes Town when
ferries are due. There are also several ferries a week from Rhodes Town with a
journey time of 1-2 hours depending on the service.
From Halki you can also get to Tilos in 40 minutes on one of
the high-speed services which operate twice a week, starting from Rhodes. Rhodes
is the only daily ferry connection to Halki, but there are also 2-3 ferries a
week connecting Halki with Kalymnos (3-4 hours), Karpathos (4 hours), Kos (2.5
hours) and Nisyros (1.5 hours). There's also a weekly ferry to Santorini (12
hours) and two a week from Piraeus, but the journey takes 24 hours.
Ferries in Greece
Ferries in Greece has an excellent and very thorough website where, in addition to checking ferry schedules and times, you can also book tickets and get lots of useful information about travelling by ferry in Greece.
Emborios
The island's population is under 500, and most live in
Emborios, the only town. It's a delightful place, the main focal point
being the harbour. This is lined by mansions, many of them once owned by the
sponge fishers who made the island wealthy. The town has an ATM but no bank,
a post office, travel agencies, a clinic, supermarkets and a good choice of
accommodation and eating places.
One landmark on the harbour is the tall clock tower. When
the population of Halki started to dwindle as the sponge fishing industry wound
down, many of the people moved to Tarpon Springs in Florida. There's still a small
sponge fishing industry there, and a strong ex-pat community. There's also a
Dodecanese Boulevard, as people from other islands also moved there. The Halki
contingent provided the clock tower as a gift to the town, and Halki also has a
Tarpon Springs Boulevard!
The town's main attraction is the Traditional House of
Halki, which is a museum in an old mansion and dedicated to preserving and
showing the history and traditions of the island.
What to Do on Halki
The main things to do on Halki are enjoying its beaches and
its many hiking trails. It's only a small island - in fact it is the smallest
inhabited island in the Dodecanese - but it has an excellent network of walking
paths. It's also quite hilly, with an elevation rising to 1972 feet (601m).
You can also walk to the deserted village of Horio, an
atmospheric place as you speculate on its old history and the people who once
lived there before it was finally abandoned in the 1950s. It's worth taking the
path from Horio up to the ruins of an old castle, which has a chapel inside it
and great views.
Halki's Beaches
Many of the trails will take you to the island's beaches.
There's also a bus service in summer that links some of the beaches, and it's
possible to get boats to take you there and back if you don't want to hike. The
most popular beach is naturally the one closest to Emborios, Pondamos Beach,
which has a taverna open in the summer months.
Where to Stay on
Halki
Halki is small and popular, and if you plan on visiting in
the summer you should definitely book ahead. Many tour operators run holidays
here and a lot of the available rooms get reserved by them.
Our Pick of Greek Islands Guides
Other Dodecanese pages
Astypalaia in the Dodecanese islands of Greece is a largely unspoilt island with good beaches.
Travel and vacation information about the Dodecanese islands of Rhodes, Symi, Kos, Patmos, Halki, Tilos, Karpathos, Leros, Lipsi, Astipalea.
Kos in the Dodecanese islands of Greece has good beaches and night-life, and archaeological remains.
Greece Travel Secrets picks the best time to visit Kos, with a monthly summary of the weather, plus hotel prices and special events to help plan a visit.
Tilos is a small island in the Dodecanese between Rhodes and Kos with regular ferry connections, hotels, rooms to rent, beaches, tavernas and ancient remains.
Patmos in the Dodecanese islands is famous for the monasteries of St John and the Apocalypse and on this page you can also read about flights and ferries
Greece Travel Secrets helps celebrate a feast day on Astipalia in the Dodecanese Islands of Greece, for the Assumption of the Virgin Mary into Heaven.
Nisyros is a unique volcanic island in the Dodecanese and easily reached on day trips from Kos Town and Kardamena.
Travel information on Lipsi in the Dodecanese group of Greek islands, including flight and ferry information from Greece Travel Secrets.
Leros is a sizeable island in the Dodecanese with flights from Athens, ferries from Rhodes and Piraeus, good beaches, restaurants and hotels.
Travel information on Kastellorizo in the Dodecanese group of Greek islands, including flight and ferry information from Greece Travel Secrets.
Travel information on Kasos in the Dodecanese group of Greek islands, including flight and ferry information from Greece Travel Secrets.
Karpathos in the Dodecanese islands of Greece is noted for its traditions, its music, and mountain villages like Olympos.
Kalymnos in Greece in the Dodecanese islands is most famous for its history of sponge fishing, and see here information about flights and ferries.
Arki is a small island in the Dodecanese close to Lipsi, with beaches and tavernas with rooms to rent and ferry connections with Patmos, Samos and Marathi.
Agathonisi is a small island in the Dodecanese with quiet beaches, a few hotels, pensions and rooms to rent.
Wild Abandon by Jennifer Barclay and published by Bradt Guides is A Journey to Deserted Places of the Dodecanese islands in Greece, including Rhodes and Kos.
Mermaid Singing by Charmian Clift is a fine example of 1950s travel writing about the Greek island of Kalymnos in the Dodecanese.
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