A question we get with some regularity as soon as the season starts again: is Karpathos child-friendly or not? And answering it is sometimes difficult, because when exactly is something child-friendly or not? Everyone has his or her own interpretation of that.

Karpathos is great for kids but not child-friendly perse.

Child-friendly Karpathos

Everyone has a different opinion on whether Karpathos is child-friendly or not. As far as we are concerned, the above quote fits very well “Karpathos is wonderful for children, but not necessarily child-friendly”. When something is child-friendly, children are often taken into account. Think of accommodations with kids clubs and various types of entertainment for both young and older children and do not forget playgrounds or water parks. Compare it a bit to whether something is wheelchair friendly or not. Yes, you can go to a lot of locations with a wheelchair, but that doesn’t always mean that every place is wheelchair-friendly, which is something else again.

In our opinion, Karpathos is great for kids as long as you don’t expect too much entertainment for your kids. Do your children enjoy ancient sites, swimming in the sea, jumping off rocks into the sea and windsurfing? Then they are definitely going to love it on Karpathos!

I (Athina) have been coming to the island since I was 8 years old and have always enjoyed myself here. But you just have to be able to entertain yourself a little, you are not really entertained here so to speak. Although over the years some things have been added. Playing on the sand, playing soccer, snorkeling and enjoying the sea water it is!

What not to expect

We said it already: just don’t expect special entertainment aimed at kids/teens. Don’t expect water parks, bananas to sail on, special kids clubs, babysitting services or mini discos. As long as you don’t assume that, you and your child(ren) are going to have and super fun time on Karpathos. Even without this kind of entertainment, there is plenty to do!

Child-friendly beaches on Karpathos

If you come to Karpathos with small children, a sandy beach with shallow water is nice! On Karpathos you can then go to Pigadia, Finiki, Diakoftis beach, Little Amoopi, and Amoopi beach and in Lefkos you will also find several sandy beaches with shallow water!

If you are travelling with older children, you might like a little more ‘entertainment’ on the beach. For example, at Little Amoopi and Kyra Panagia, you can jump off the rocks into the seawater. At Arkassa, if you are lucky you will have high waves where they can have a good time. At Arkassa beach in high season, you will also find many local young people. They play volleyball and on Sundays, Karpassion has a kind of beach party from 4 p.m. onwards.

At Pigadia beach you can also recently rent jet skis, canoes or pedal boats. You will find their stand on the beach near the Alimounda Mare Hotel.

Activities for kids

• There are several hotels with swimming pools
• Snorkeling is possible in lots of places, so if they like it don’t forget to bring a snorkel in the suitcase!
• Several activities are fun for both adults and children, such as a mosaic workshop, windsurfing, climbing or a boat trip to one of the many beaches.
• Here and there, hotels also have one or more pieces of playground equipment. At the windsurfing club ION (in Afiartis) there is a large pirate ship for children to play on.
• Doesn’t your accommodation have a pool, but your kids would still like to swim in a pool? Take them to the Island Pool bar in Pigadia. Admission is free for everyone, your kids can have a nice swim and you can relax on one of the sun beds right by the pool. They have several options for snacks and drinks throughout the day
• What is great in our opinion is that Karpathos is not a youth island. This is great for the kids, because you don’t run into groups of drunken boys and girls who go out to party all day. We see mostly parents without children (or who have left them at home since they are old enough) or couples between 20-35 years old.
• Do you have teenagers who want to go out? There are several bars like Anoi, Akri and Edem bar where the Greek youth also comes. At night (after 01.00 or even 02.00) they all go to 4U. That is the nightclub in Pigadia.