🪪 The island at a glance
📍 Where it is
Rhodes is the largest island of the Dodecanese and the fourth largest in Greece. It lies at the south-eastern edge of the Aegean, closer to the coast of Turkey than to Athens. The town of Rhodes, at the northern tip of the island, is the capital of the Dodecanese and the port for boats to Symi, Kos and the other islands.
📍 Where Rhodes is
Rhodes is the largest island of the Dodecanese, at the edge of the Aegean, very close to the coast of Turkey. Its shape is shown in red. It is a long way from Athens: ferries leave from Piraeus, but most people fly from Athens airport.
🗺️ The map of the island
Rhodes is shaped like a spearhead, with the tip at the northern end, where the town is. The east coast is more sheltered from the wind, with long sandy beaches, resorts and Lindos. The west coast faces the north-westerly wind: it is windier, with pebbles and quieter villages. In the centre rises Attavyros, the highest mountain, surrounded by pine forests. The southern tip, around Prasonisi, is wild and sparsely populated.
🗺️ The map of Rhodes
At the northern tip is the town of Rhodes with the Old Town. The east coast, on the right, has the long sandy beaches and Lindos. The west coast, on the left, is wilder, with Kamiros and Monolithos. At the southern tip is Prasonisi. Tap each number to see what it is.
Map: Tomisti (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
⚖️ Is it worth it? The pros and cons
Rhodes combines history and beaches like few islands do. But it also has mass tourism. Here is an honest picture.
📊 At a glance, from 1 to 5
👍 The pros
- The Old Town, one of the largest inhabited medieval towns in Europe, with its walls and the Palace.
- Lindos with its acropolis: one of the most beautiful villages on the islands.
- Long sandy beaches on the east coast, calm water and lots of sunshine.
- Flights from all over Europe and a season from spring to autumn.
- Easy for families: organised beaches, hotels, short distances.
👎 The cons
- The ferry from Piraeus is a very long journey; most people fly.
- Big resorts, such as Faliraki, with mass tourism.
- The Old Town and Lindos get crowded when cruise ships dock.
- The west coast is often windy, with pebbles.
- July and August are very hot and very crowded.
📜 A little history
In ancient times Rhodes had three cities, Lindos, Ialysos and Kamiros, which in 408 BC jointly founded a new capital at the northern tip, the town of Rhodes. This is where the Colossus stood, a huge bronze statue of the sun god Helios and one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. An earthquake brought it down around 226 BC, and nothing of it has ever been found. The famous image of the Colossus standing astride the harbour entrance is a later fantasy.
In 1309 the island passed to the Knights of St John, a military order from all over Europe, who built the walls, the Palace and the castles. In 1522, after a long siege, the town fell to Suleiman the Magnificent, and the Knights left for Malta. Almost four centuries of Ottoman rule followed and, from 1912, Italian rule. Rhodes joined Greece in 1948, together with the rest of the Dodecanese.
Map: Piri Reis (Public domain) · Wikimedia Commons
🏰 The Old Town
The Old Town of Rhodes has been a UNESCO site since 1988 and is still alive: people live here, children go to school, shops open. Walls enclose it all the way round, with gates, towers and a deep, wide moat, where today you can walk among pine trees and wild flowers. On the high northern side is the Palace of the Grand Master, rebuilt by the Italians in the 1930s, with halls paved with mosaics from Kos.
From the Palace runs the Street of the Knights, a straight cobbled street with the “inns” of the Knights, one for each “tongue”, that is, for each country they came from. At the bottom is the Archaeological Museum, in the old Hospital of the Knights. To the south spreads the commercial town, with Hippocrates Square, Sokratous Street, the Suleiman Mosque and the Jewish Quarter with the Kahal Shalom synagogue.
The “inns” of the Knights, one for each “tongue”.
Mosaic floors from Kos.
Walk around the walls, inside the moat.
The heart of the commercial Old Town.
The Ottoman side of the town.
Photos: Bernard Gagnon (CC BY-SA 3.0), Julian Lupyan (CC0), Paul Stephenson (CC BY 2.0), dronepicr (CC BY 2.0), Georg Karl Ell (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Map: Aga Khan (IT) (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Wikimedia Commons
When cruise ships dock, the Street of the Knights and Sokratous Street are packed from ten in the morning until the afternoon. Go early in the morning or after five. In the evening the lanes are quiet and very beautiful. Wear shoes with a good grip, as the pebbles of the paving are slippery.
⚓ Mandraki and the new town
Outside the walls, Mandraki is the old harbour, with two columns at the entrance holding a stag and a doe, the symbols of the island. On the breakwater stand windmills and the fort of St Nicholas. Along the waterfront you will see the buildings put up by the Italians, the New Market and the Church of the Annunciation. Boats leave from here for Symi and for the beaches of the east coast.
A little to the south, Kallithea Springs is an Italian spa from the interwar years, with domes and palm trees above the sea. Today you visit it as a monument and swim off the rocks in front of it.
According to legend, this is where the Colossus stood.
On the Mandraki breakwater.
An Italian spa by the sea.
Photos: Pjotr Mahhonin (CC BY-SA 4.0), Jebulon (CC0), Georg Karl Ell (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
🏛️ Lindos
Lindos, about 50 kilometres south of the town, on the east coast, is the most photographed place on the island. A village of brilliant white houses and captains’ mansions with carved doorways spreads out below a rock. At the top is the acropolis, with the sanctuary of Athena Lindia inside the walls of a Knights’ castle, and views along the whole coast. You walk up in about twenty minutes, or ride a donkey part of the way.
Below the rock are two beaches: the main beach of Lindos and St Paul’s Bay, almost enclosed, where, according to tradition, the Apostle Paul landed. Cars cannot enter the village: leave yours in the car park above it.
White houses below the acropolis.
An ancient sanctuary inside a Knights’ castle.
The view from the acropolis.
Captains’ mansions with carved doorways.
The enclosed bay next to Lindos.
Photos: Jebulon (CC0), Bernard Gagnon (CC BY-SA 3.0), Ввласенко (CC BY-SA 3.0), Marc Ryckaert (CC BY 3.0), ianpudsey (CC BY 3.0) · Wikimedia Commons
In summer, go up to the acropolis at eight in the morning, when it opens, or late in the afternoon. At midday the rock is scorching and the queue is long. Take water and a hat.
🦋 Kamiros, the Butterflies and the interior
On the west coast, ancient Kamiros is an entire ancient town spread over a slope above the sea, with streets, houses, temples and water cisterns. It is quieter than Lindos and gives a good idea of how the ancient Rhodians lived.
Inland, the Valley of the Butterflies is a cool gorge with a stream, little bridges and trees. From late spring to September, thousands of butterflies, actually moths with orange wings, gather on the tree trunks. Don’t disturb them with noise or clapping: they lose energy they need. Closer to town, Filerimos hill has a monastery, ruins of ancient Ialysos and views over the whole north coast. In the south of the west coast, Monolithos castle stands on a rock and is one of the best places for the sunset.
An entire ancient town on a slope.
In summer, thousands on the trees of the valley.
A monastery and views above Ialysos.
On a rock, on the west coast.
Photos: Bernard Gagnon (CC BY-SA 3.0), Jay Son (CC BY-SA 3.0), Marc Ryckaert (CC BY 3.0), Chris06 (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
🏖️ The beaches
The best beaches for swimming are on the east coast, where the water is calmer. Tsambika has a long sandy beach and shallow water, below a hill with a small monastery. Anthony Quinn Bay, named after the actor who filmed The Guns of Navarone here, has rocks, pine trees and very clear water for snorkelling. Further south, around Gennadi and Lachania, the beaches are long and quiet.
At the southern tip, Prasonisi is joined to the land by a strip of sand, with the Aegean on one side and the Mediterranean on the other. The windy side is one of the best-known spots in Europe for windsurfing and kitesurfing. In winter the sea often covers the strip, and Prasonisi becomes an island for a while.
A sandy beach and a monastery on the hill.
Rocks and clear water for swimming.
Where two seas meet.
Photos: dronepicr (CC BY 2.0), Pjotr Mahhonin (CC BY-SA 4.0), Ввласенко (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Wikimedia Commons
🍽️ What to eat
Try pitaroudia, fritters made with chickpeas or tomato, matsi, handmade pasta, lakania, goat baked in the oven, and fresh fish in the fishing villages. For dessert, melekouni, a sesame and honey bar once handed out at weddings. The island’s drink is souma, a strong spirit. In the Old Town, avoid restaurants with photos on the menu and touts at the door, and look in the quieter lanes or outside the walls.
📅 When to go
Rhodes has one of the longest seasons in Greece. May and June are ideal, as are September and October, when the sea is still warm. In July and August it is very hot and the sights get crowded. For the Butterflies, come between June and September. In winter the town carries on as normal, but the resorts close.
✈️ How to get there from Athens
| How | Duration | From | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ✈️ Plane | About one hour | Athens airport | The most practical option. Many flights every day. |
| ⛴️ Ferry | About 13–18 hours | Piraeus | With stops at other islands. Only worthwhile if you want to stop on the way. |
From Ioulianou 50, for the airport take Line 1 to Monastiraki and then Line 3 towards the Airport. For Piraeus, Line 1 from Victoria to the end of the line, no change. Rhodes airport is about 15 kilometres from town, with buses and taxis. See our guide to ferries from Piraeus.
🚗 Getting around the island
- Car: the best way to see the west coast, the interior and the south. From the town it is about one hour to Lindos and about two to Prasonisi.
- Buses: frequent services from town to Lindos, the east coast and Kamiros. Fewer to the south.
- Boats: from Mandraki to Lindos, the beaches of the east coast and Symi.
- On foot: inside the Old Town you need nothing else. Cars are allowed on only a few streets.
🛏️ Where to stay
| Region | For whom | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Old Town | Couples, history | Small hotels in old houses. No cars inside. |
| New town of Rhodes | Convenience, buses | Close to Mandraki, on a windy beach. |
| Lindos | Couples, atmosphere | Gorgeous, but crowded by day and expensive. |
| East coast: Kolymbia, Afantou, Pefki | Families, beach | Calm water, between the town and Lindos. |
| Faliraki | Young crowd, nightlife | A resort with bars and lots of people. |
🗓️ Five-day itinerary
The Old Town
Morning at the Palace of the Grand Master and the Street of the Knights, before the cruise ships arrive. Midday in Hippocrates Square and the lanes, afternoon on the walls and in the moat, evening at Mandraki.
Lindos
Head early to the acropolis of Lindos, before it gets hot. Then a stroll through the village, a swim in St Paul’s Bay and a stop at Tsambika on the way back.
West coast and interior
Filerimos in the morning, then the Butterflies and ancient Kamiros. Continue south to Monolithos castle for the sunset.
East coast
Kallithea Springs, a swim in Anthony Quinn Bay and a lazy afternoon on a sandy beach of the east coast.
Prasonisi or Symi
Drive to the southern tip, to Prasonisi, where the two seas meet. Or take a boat from Mandraki for a day on Symi.
Frequently asked questions
How many days do I need?
Four to five days for the Old Town, Lindos and a few beaches. With a week you can also see the west coast and the south at leisure.
Where should I stay, in town or in Lindos?
For history and easy connections, in town, ideally inside the Old Town. For beach and calm, on the east coast. Lindos is lovely in the evenings, but crowded by day.
Do I need a car?
Not for the Old Town. For Lindos there are buses. For the Butterflies, Monolithos and Prasonisi, a car makes life much easier.
Where did the Colossus stand?
Nobody knows for sure. Archaeologists believe it did not stand over the harbour entrance, as in the famous pictures, but somewhere inside the town.
Can I take a trip to another island?
Yes. The classic one is Symi, with its colourful neoclassical houses, by boat from Mandraki in about one to two hours.
— Kathy
