GR
Rhodes
The Island of the Sun
The Island of the Sun
Rhodes Old Town is the largest inhabited medieval town in Europe, enclosed within 4km of intact Venetian walls built by the Knights of St John between 1309 and 1522. The Street of the Knights (Ippoton) is the best-preserved medieval street in existence: a straight, cobbled lane lined with the inns of the seven Crusader langues, flanked by Gothic arches.
💡 The Old Town (free; UNESCO; the finest surviving medieval fortified city in the Mediterranean) is best before 9am — cruise ship passengers arrive from 10am. The Street of the Knights (Ippoton; free) is the best-preserved medieval street in Europe: the 14th-century inns of the Knights Hospitaller are intact.
The Palace of the Grand Master (€8; at the top of the Street of the Knights) was the administrative headquarters of the Knights Hospitaller, heavily restored by the Italians in the 1930s. The mosaic floors from the island of Kos — transferred here during the Italian period — are the most remarkable interior feature. The building now hosts permanent exhibitions on medieval Rhodes.
💡 The Palace of the Grand Master (€12; culture.gr; rebuilt 1939) has the finest medieval interior in Rhodes — the Byzantine and antique mosaic floors moved from Kos by the Italians are extraordinary. The tower view over the Old Town and the harbour is the best elevated viewpoint in Rhodes.
Lindos (55km south; day trip by bus or boat) is the most photogenic village on Rhodes: a hillside of brilliant white cubic houses beneath an Ancient Greek acropolis (4th century BC; €12) built on a 116-metre cliff above a horseshoe bay. The view from the acropolis over Lindos Bay is among the finest in the Aegean. Arrive before 10am — the village lanes are extremely narrow and extremely crowded.
💡 Lindos Acropolis (€12; culture.gr; 47km south; bus 1h or rental car) sits on a 116m headland. Walk up (20 min; steep; donkeys available €15 return). The Temple of Athena Lindia (4th century BC) and the Hellenistic stoa are the highlights. The view from the top over the twin bays is the finest in the Dodecanese.
Rhodes Town’s sandy beaches run along the eastern coast from the New Town (Elli Beach, 5 minutes walk from the Old Town; well-serviced) south to Faliraki (15km; long sandy beach, good for families). The west coast faces the Aegean and is windier — better for windsurfing than swimming. Prasonisi, at the southern tip, is where the two seas meet and is rated among the best windsurfing spots in Europe.
💡 Tsambika Beach (22km south; free; the longest sandy beach on Rhodes; bus accessible) is the finest free beach on the island. Anthony Quinn Bay (15km south; named for the actor who filmed The Guns of Navarone here; free; small; scenic) is the prettiest. Faliraki (10km south; resort beach; free; bus) is largest.
Rhodes has its own food identity: the meze culture of the Old Town Jewish Quarter (Evraiki, the best restaurant district inside the walls), the fresh fish at Mandraki harbour restaurants, the local Athiri white wine from the CAIR cooperative (the largest wine producer in the Dodecanese) and the Muscat of Rhodes (a sweet dessert wine with a 600-year documented history). For restaurants: To Steno (near the Clock Tower; excellent octopus and meze at correct prices) and Mama Sofia (Orfeos Street, Old Town; reliable traditional Rhodian food) are the most consistent inside the walls. The Old Town market on Sokrates Street sells local honey, oregano, saffron and the painted ceramic tiles that are the island’s most recognisable craft product.
The Mandraki harbour restaurants are more tourist-facing but the fish is always fresh and the view of the bronze Deer statues at the harbour entrance (where the Colossus of Rhodes reputedly stood) is included in the price of a coffee.
Inside the Old Town walls everything is walkable (1km across at widest). The KTEL bus station (Averof Street, near the new harbour) connects to Lindos (1.5h, €7.50 return), Faliraki (30 min, €3), Kameiros (45 min, €4.50) and the airport (35 min, €3). For the south coast, interior wine villages and the Valley of the Butterflies, a rental car (€30–45/day) or scooter (€15–25/day) is necessary. Taxis from Plateia Rimini (outside the New Town) cost €5–15 for most city journeys.
May–Jun and Sep–Oct are the ideal seasons: warm (22–28°C), the Old Town is navigable without peak-season crowds, and Lindos is accessible before 9am. Jul–Aug is beautiful but hot (30–35°C) and the island receives its maximum visitor load. Nov–Mar: most beach resorts close but the Old Town city life continues year-round.
Rhodes is mid-range within the Greek islands: more affordable than Mykonos or Santorini, slightly pricier than Thessaloniki. The Old Town accommodation is limited in supply which keeps prices elevated in summer. Per person per day.
Walking the Old Town, the free ramparts exterior view and the Old Town market are all free. The KTEL bus to Lindos (€7.50 return) is the best-value day trip on the island.
The Symi day trip (€25–35 ferry return + lunch on the island) is the best mid-range day experience from Rhodes — the island is beautiful and almost entirely unknown to non-Greek tourists.
The Marco Polo Mansion (Old Town, inside a converted 15th-century Ottoman mansion) is the most atmospheric restaurant in Rhodes and the most theatrical setting for a dinner in the Dodecanese.
Three days: explore the Old Town deeply, visit Lindos, take the Symi ferry and see one beach.
Enter the Old Town through the Gate of Amboise. Palace of the Grand Master (€12; 1.5h). Street of the Knights (self-guided, free). Old Town market on Sokrates Street. Lunch at To Steno (near the Clock Tower; correct prices, excellent meze). Afternoon: explore the Turkish Quarter (Mustafa Mosque, the hammam). Dinner reservation at Mama Sofia (Orfeos Street). Evening walk on the Old Town walls (check whether the Tue/Sat evening programme is running).
💡 Old Town at 8am (empty lanes; free). Street of the Knights. Palace of the Grand Master (€12; 1.5h). Orfanidou Street (‘bar street’) from 10pm.
Bus from KTEL station at 8:30am (arrive before 10am). Walk from the Lindos bus stop up to the acropolis (€12; 1.5h). The temple, the Crusader walls, the view from the top terrace. Swim at the Lindos beach below the cliff (steps from the village; clear water, small beach). Lunch at a Lindos village taverna. Return bus to Rhodes Town in the afternoon. Symi ferry tickets for the next morning.
💡 Bus from Rhodes Old Town to Lindos (€3.40 return; 1h; every 30–60 min). Acropolis (€12; walk up 20 min; or donkey €15 return). Lindos Main Beach (free; below the acropolis; 10 min walk) for lunch.
Fast ferry to Symi from Mandraki harbour (departs 9am; 1h; €25–35 return). Symi Chorio (the town; neoclassical houses in ochre and terracotta stacked around the harbour). Lunch at a harbourside taverna. Swim at Nos Beach (10-min walk from the harbour). Return ferry at 5pm. Final evening: fresh fish dinner at the Mandraki harbour restaurants.
💡 Fast ferry from Rhodes Mandraki Harbour (€30–40 return; 60 min; several operators daily). Symi Town (Gialos Harbour) is the finest neoclassical harbour in the Dodecanese. Walk up to Chorio (500 steps; free) for the view over the island.
The wall walk (€6; departures Tue & Sat 10am from the Palace) covers the complete 4km rampart circuit of the Old Town: the best overview of the medieval city below and the sea beyond.
Lindos receives 3,000+ visitors per day in July–August; arrive before 9am for the site to yourself.
Symi (1h by fast ferry from Mandraki harbour; daily in summer; €25–35 return) is a small Dodecanese island of extraordinary beauty: neoclassical houses painted in ochre and terracotta arranged around a harbour, a Byzantine monastery (Panormitis) and almost no cars.
The Athiri grape produces a dry, aromatic white wine with stone-fruit character that pairs well with the local octopus and fresh fish.
Hotels inside the walls are limited and sell out by April for July. Avalon Boutique Hotel and Spirit of the Knights are the most sought-after.
Petaloudes (25km southwest; €5; May–Sep) is a wooded gorge where the Jersey tiger moth congregates in millions from late June.
Fast ferry to Symi (1h, €25–35 return) and inter-island connections: Rhodes to Kos (1h), Crete/Heraklion (7h), Athens Piraeus overnight (14h). Real-time status and ticket purchase.
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Official KTEL Rhodes bus network: timetables to Lindos, Faliraki, Kameiros, the airport and the Valley of the Butterflies. The Lindos bus departs from Averof Street and runs roughly hourly in summer.
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Taxis in Rhodes Town: airport to Old Town (€25–35), city short journeys (€5–12). The Old Town taxi rank is at Plateia Rimini (outside the walls, New Town side).
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Dedicated audio guide to the Rhodes Old Town and the Palace of the Grand Master: room-by-room commentary, wall walk narration and the history of the Knights of St John in the Dodecanese.
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Restaurant reservations across Rhodes: Marco Polo Mansion, Mama Sofia and upscale Old Town restaurants. Book 2–3 days ahead for summer evenings; Old Town restaurants have limited covers.
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Download Rhodes offline. The Old Town alley network inside the walls is confusing without GPS; the south-coast road (to Lindos, Gennadi, Prasonisi) is the most useful offline route.
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