The town of Karpathos, better known as Pigadia (meaning “wells” in Greek) is the capital and the bigger port of the island. The town is situated at the southeastern coast of the island at the foot of the mountain Kali Limni (“the nice lake” in Greek), built on the place of the ancient settlement of Poseidion. Pigadia has been developed to a small modern town, thanks to the aid of the locals who have migrated to America.

The town is the best touristy developed area of the whole island.

In the broader area of the port there are several organized and very clean beaches for swimming. The most well known among them is the beach of Kyra Panagia and the beach of Aghios Nicolaos. The closest beach to the town is the beach of Ammoope, some 6,5 kilometers southern to Pigadia.