Are you planning on going to Rhodes but you’re not yet sure on the itinerary? Today, we’ll try to help you with that. We’ve included 12 best places or categories in Rhodes that we’d consider were we planning our first trip. Here are the best of the best in Rhodes!
Rhodes
Introduction
Rhodes is one of the most popular Greek islands, the largest one in the Dodecanese group. It’s full of beautiful beaches, hiking trails and castles – and if you get bored, you can also take a trip to one of the nearby islands. If you’ve heard of the Greek Colossus, then he stood in Rhodes too. Many of the tourist attractions are quite spread out, so it’s most ideal to hire a car if you intend to stay a while.
You can get to Rhodes by plane or ferry, though the ferry rides take a whole day, so we would recommend flying. If you’d like to stay in Rhodes a while, then the Old Town of Rhodes is a fantastic spot with lots to see and do. Alternatively, you can choose one of the many seaside resorts along the island’s coastline for an overnight stay.
Acropolis of Lindos
A temple on Rhodes
The Acropolis of Lindos is located on the eastern side of the island. Though it may sound like a purely ancient-Greek thing, it was also expanded upon by the Romans, the Byzantines and the Turks. From the older stuff, you can visit the Temple of Athena Lindia from 300 BC and Propylaea of the Sanctuary, also from the 4th century BC. There’s also the ruins of a Roman temple from 300 AD and then suddenly the Castle of the Knights of St John from the 14th century. It’s also just a great spot for the views.
Old Town of Rhodes
Rhodes monuments
While on the island, you also can’t miss out on the pearl that is the Old Town of the namesake Rhodes. The city dates back to hundreds of years before Christ and it, too, was developed by Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, crusars, Ottomans and Greeks again. The medieval walls still adorn and enclose much of the Old Town today, with towers and bastions still intact. It’s, naturally, also devoted nearly entirely to tourism now, full of tourist attractions, restaurants and cafes. We’ll highlight three spots in particular:
Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes
also known as the Kastello
Built by the Knights of St John, together with the rest of the fortifications. It’s a huge citadel that was a key defensive building for a long time, eventually becoming a holiday residence for Victor Emmanuel III and Mussolini. Today, you can find it at the end of Knight’s Street and visit it yourself.
Roloi Clock Tower
A monument in Rhodes Town
This is a clock tower originally from the seventeenth century – the version you can see and climb today is a rebuilt one from 1852. For a small fee, you can get to the top and enjoy the view, though it is a bit limited in scope.
Suleymaniye Mosque
Mosque in Rhodes
Built after the Ottoman conquest in the 16th century and named after Sultan Suleiman. Today, it also serves as a museum.
The Colossus of Rhodes
Where did he go?
Colossus of Rhodes was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, constructed by Charles of Lindos in 280 BC. It depicted Helios, the Greek god of the sun., standing 33 metres tall. In 226 BC, during an earthquake, it collapsed onto the city. Though there was much desire to rebuild the Colossus, the Oracle of Delphi said that it would be faulty to try to defy the will of the gods – if it collapsed, it collapsed for a reason.
Currently, you can see two columns in the same place as the Colossus columns, with a statue of a deer on each. There were proposals to fund and build a new Colossus in modern times, with a 2015 project being the most recent. So far, however, no initiative has gone through. As such, we can merely visit the site once inhabited by a literal Wonder.
Camirus
Rhodes Archaeological Park
Camirus (or Kamiros) was one of the three major Doric cities on the island. It’s an ancient city built on the slope of a hill. At the top was the acropolis with the temple of Athena; below was the main part of the town, the temple of Apollo and the Agora. The history of the city dates back to at least the 8th century BC.
Where is Kamiros located? Kamiros is a 35-minute drive west of Rhodes (the city), near the shore on a hill by Kalavarda.
Castles of Rhodes
Remnants of fortifications
Rhodes is also home to many castles and fortifications from various eras. We highly recommend the Castle of Monolithos – built in 1480 and located atop a small mountain, in Monolithos. There’s also the castle in Kritinia called Kastellos – it was built in 1472 as a fortress against the Ottomans. It’s above the village of Kritinia, in the western part of the island.
The island of Symi
Also spelled Syme/Simi
When you feel like you’ve had enough, you can take a ferry to the nearby island of Symi! The journey will take about 90 minutes. There, you’ll find the main harbour town with a wonderful fisherman-village atmosphere and beautiful neoclassical architecture. There’s also the Archangel Michael Panormitis Monastery, a clock tower and the marina to check out.
Valley of the Butterflies
Butterflies on Rhodes
What else can you see? A nature reserve! The Valley of the Butterflies is located in the northern part of the island, about 15 miles away from the city of Rhodes. As the name suggests, it’s a place full of butterflies, especially in the summer season. The trees found here attract butterflies with their scent. You’ll find large car parks around and restaurants and cafes nearby.
Beaches of Rhodes
The best beaches on Rhodes
We’ve already covered the extraordinary beaches of Rhodes in our dedicated article to them. The shorthand is this: Rhodes is full of truly beautiful beaches, the majority of the popular ones being on the eastern side. They’re predominantly sandy, shallow and calm (or at least the sea is, as the beaches get quite crowded in summer).
Sadly, many beaches are only reachable by car – the compensation is that most of them are very well equipped with full infrastructure, equipment and sunbed rentals, restaurants and car parks.
Rhodes water park
Rhodes amusement park
If you’re travelling with children, then you may take them to a beach or a water park. The Rhodes Water Park is located about 6 miles south of Rhodes, in Athanaton. You’ll find everything that you and your small ones may want from a water park – slides, pools, jacuzzis and much more. You can find information about the tickets and everything else on the official website of the park here.
Map of Rhodes attractions and beaches
Where will you find these?
Sites:
1) Acropolis of Lindos
2) Old Town of Rhodes
3) Rhodes Port
4) Kamiros
5) Monolithos
6) Island of Symi
7) Valley of the Butterflies
8) Rhodes Water Park
Beaches:
1) Prasonisi
2) Traganou
3) Pefkos
4) Lindos
5) Anthony Quinn
6) Saint Paul’s Bay
7) Tsambika
8) Faliraki
9) Agathi
10) Glystra
11) Ixia
See also:
