More than ten numbered walking routes cross Kasos. Most follow old paths that shepherds and farmers used between the villages, the fields and the sea, past olive groves, stone shepherd huts called mitata, chapels and monasteries. The shortest is a path of under 2 km down to a beach, and the longest take about four hours. One route climbs to the top of Mount Prionas, at 550 metres the highest point of the island. There is very little shade, so carry plenty of water.

Two caves lie close to the village of Agia Marina. Stylokamara, also called Selai, can be reached only on foot, about 2 km from the village. It is some 30 metres deep, with stalactites. From the area around it there is a wide view over the west coast and the islet of Armathia. At Ellinokamara, a wall of huge unworked stones, built in ancient times, closes the mouth of a cave that was used for worship. The archaeological service looks after the site, so check locally whether you can go inside.

The easiest beaches to reach are close to Fri, the main village and port of the island. Emporios, a short walk from the port, is the beach most people use, with sand, clear water, sunbeds and tavernas. Kofteri, right beside the port, is also sandy. On the west side, Ammoua has a small chapel of Agios Konstantinos on its shore, with a view of the sunset. Antiperatos is a group of four quiet coves with coloured pebbles, reached by a paved road.

In the south, Helatros is a pebble beach in a natural harbour sheltered from the wind. Avlaki is a small cove with turquoise water, reached by boat or by a footpath of under 2 km from the monastery of Agios Georgios at Chadies. On the islet of Armathia, Marmara has fine white sand and very clear water. It can be reached only by sea. Boats take visitors there from Fri, so check locally when they run.

Fri, the main village and port, was built around the small natural harbour of Bouka. Its lanes are paved with pebble mosaics and lined with the stone houses of former sea captains, small white houses and many churches. A ten-minute walk away, Panagia is known for the Six Churches, a group of chapels joined together as one building.

A little over a thousand people live on Kasos, in five villages. Agia Marina, the largest, is built on a hilltop. The courtyard of its church has a black-and-white pebble mosaic. Poli is thought to be the oldest settlement and stands on the site of an ancient acropolis. Arvanitochori lies about 2 km beyond Panagia, at around 100 metres above the sea. The villages are fullest in summer, when many Kasiots who live elsewhere come back for the season.

The Archaeological Collection of Kasos, in a traditional building in Fri, the main village, shows finds from prehistoric to early Christian times. It also has displays on the island's part in the War of Independence of 1821 and on the destruction of 1824.

In June 1824, a fleet sent by Mehmet Ali of Egypt attacked Kasos because the island had taken part in the war. About 500 people were killed and around 2,000 were taken as slaves. A memorial in Fri recalls the dead, and every June the island marks the anniversary with several days of memorial services, traditional dances and a running race.

Kasos had a long tradition of shipbuilding and sea trade. From the second half of the 19th century, many Kasiots emigrated, first to Egypt, where about 5,000 settled, and later to Istanbul, the United States and South Africa.

Sitaka is a soft cheese with a strong taste, made on Kasos and Karpathos. In the past, shepherds salted fermented sheep's or goat's milk and stirred it over a wood fire for seven or eight hours. A dairy in the village of Agia Marina makes it by machine from local sheep's milk. Its main use is in makarounes, hand-made pasta mixed with sitaka and onions fried in butter until golden.

Other local dishes include doulmades, small stuffed vine leaves; roikio, wild samphire eaten as a salad or cooked with tomato; and sweets such as moshopoungia, small pastries of almond and sugar. Local food is also served at the summer festivals, with music and dancing: the feast of Agia Marina on 17 July and the feast in the village of Panagia on 15 August.