Neratzia Castle and the palm-lined harbour

The castle of Neratzia was built by the Knights of St John to watch the strait — Bodrum's twin fortress is visible on the Turkish shore a few kilometres away — and it still owns the entrance to Kos harbour, joined to the town across the old moat by a stone bridge over the palm-planted Finikon avenue. Castle walls, palms, masts and water stack into frames along the whole quay.

First light is the working window. The harbour front faces the sunrise side, the yachts and excursion boats sit still on their reflections, and the promenade — a solid stream of café tables and rental bikes by ten — is empty stone. Evening brings the promenade to life instead, and the lit quay with the castle dark behind it suits couples who want the town's energy in frame.

Be straight about the castle itself: it was damaged in the 2017 earthquake and has spent years since under restoration with access limited — check locally rather than promising an interior, and plan the session around the exterior, which is where the photographs are anyway: the bridge, the walls from the quay, and the palm avenue running beneath. The ancient agora begins two minutes inland, making the pair a natural single session.