Rhodes Villages: Embonas, Archangelos, Asklipio & Haraki

The villages of Rhodes keep the island's traditional character, from the wine village of Embonas on Mount Attavyros to the Byzantine churches of the quiet south. This guide covers Embonas, the large village of Archangelos, the hill village of Asklipio, Apolakkia and Mesanagros in the south, and the coastal village of Haraki.

Wine village

Embonas

Largest village

Archangelos

Mt Attavyros

1,215 m

Coastal village

Haraki

Embonas

Embonas is the wine village of Rhodes, set at 850 m on the slopes of Mount Attavyros. Just over 1,000 people live in this traditional mountain village, which sees few tourists. It stands close to Kritinia and its castle and just north of Siana, ringed by the vineyards, olive trees and pear trees that supply its wineries. Mount Attavyros, the highest peak on Rhodes at 1,215 m, rises above it. Read the full Embonas guide for its wineries and walks.

Archangelos

Archangelos is one of the largest villages on Rhodes, with about 6,000 inhabitants, 30 km south of Rhodes Town on the east coast. Only Rhodes Town and Trianda are larger. The village sits in a valley of orange trees, with white cubic houses, narrow streets and a large white clock tower on the Archangel Michael church, built in 1845. A castle of St John, raised by the knights after the fall of Constantinople in 1453, stands on the hill above; the word OXI (No) is painted large on its walls. The church of St John keeps well-preserved 14th-century frescoes.

Asklipio

Asklipio is a hill village 65 km from Rhodes Town, set 4 km inland on the east side of the island. It takes its name from a temple to Asklipios, the god of healing, that once stood here. Old white houses cluster around the Byzantine Dormition of the Virgin church, whose oldest part dates from 1060 and whose interior carries some of the finest frescoes on Rhodes. The church is entered through an adjoining folklore museum, housed in an old olive press. A 13th-century castle stands just above the village, about 10 minutes on foot.

Apolakkia

Apolakkia is a village of just over 400 people in the south-west of Rhodes, set between two hills amid olive groves. It lies about 90 km from Rhodes Town, and many visitors pass through on the way to the castle of Monolithos. A large square with restaurants sits at its centre, with the church and its bell tower a little further in. North of the village, by the Apolakkia lake, stands the Byzantine church of Agios Georgios, dated to 1290, shaded by trees where you can also swim.

Mesanagros

Mesanagros is a quiet village in the south of Rhodes, about 85 km from Rhodes Town and not far from the Skiadenis monastery. Its narrow streets are lined with old houses and a kafenion, and it stays outside the tourist areas. At the entrance stands a 13th-century Dormition of the Virgin church, built on the remains of a 6th-century basilica whose walls and mosaic fragments are still visible. A larger, later church with a bell tower stands in the middle of the village. Old churches, ancient sites and caves lie in the hills around it.

Haraki (Charaki)

Haraki, or Charaki, is a relaxed little resort on the east coast of Rhodes, 36 km from Rhodes Town and about 15 minutes' drive north of Lindos. The village has three beaches: a long, empty pebble beach to the south, a sandy bay with sunbeds in the village itself, and Agathi beach a 15-minute walk north. On the hill above stand the ruins of the Feraklos castle of St John, built in 1470 against a possible Ottoman invasion. There are no large hotels, only small hotels, apartments, restaurants and shops, and a regular bus to Rhodes Town and Lindos.