Dodecanese Rhodes Island guide Car hire Airport transfers

Rhodes, Greece: The Old Town, Lindos, Beaches and Villages

Rhodes is the largest island of the Dodecanese, in the south-east Aegean Sea off the coast of Turkey. The island pairs a medieval Old Town and the acropolis of Lindos with long sandy beaches on the east coast, pebble coves on the west, and mountain villages inland. Rhodes claims more than 300 sunny days a year, so it draws visitors from spring to late autumn. Hire a car to reach the parts of Rhodes the buses miss, covered in our Rhodes car hire guide. Getting from the airport is easy too, covered in our Rhodes airport transfers guide.

Rhodes, the Dodecanese, Greece — The acropolis above Lindos, Rhodes, Greece

Group: Dodecanese
Length: 79.7 km
Highest peak: Attavyros, 1,215 m
Sunny days: 300+ a year

The island of Rhodes

Rhodes measures 79.7 km long and 38 km wide, with a coastline of about 220 km. The interior is mountainous, lightly populated and covered in forest, and it rises to Mount Attavyros at 1,215 m. Rhodes Town sits at the far north of the island, where more than 60 percent of the islanders live. In Greek mythology the island belongs to Helios, the sun god, which fits its reputation as the sunniest island in Greece. Rhodes also makes a natural base for island-hopping, with ferries to other Dodecanese islands, Crete, the northern Aegean and beyond.

Rhodes Town and the medieval Old Town

Rhodes Town holds the best-preserved medieval walled town in Europe. The Old Town dates from the rule of the Knights of St John and is ringed by complete fortifications with several gates. Inside stands the Palace of the Grand Masters, rebuilt in the 1930s after an explosion destroyed the original in 1856. The cobbled Street of the Knights (Ippoton) runs uphill past the inns of the knights, who were grouped by nationality, to the old Hospital of the Knights, now the Archaeological Museum. Below the walls, the Mandraki harbour is marked by two bronze deer, the fort of St Nicholas and a row of medieval windmills. The full walk through the Old Town appears in the Rhodes sights guide.

Beaches of Rhodes

Rhodes has beaches on both coasts, sandy in the east and mostly pebbly in the west. The east coast holds the resort beaches, from Faliraki and Kallithea near the capital to Tsambika, Afandou and the long southern strands at Gennadi and Prasonisi. The west coast is greener, quieter and windier, which suits the windsurfers at Prasonisi and Ixia. The full run of beaches, resort by resort, is set out in the Rhodes beaches guide.

Ancient cities, castles and monasteries

Rhodes carries a dense layer of history beyond the capital. The acropolis of Lindos crowns a headland above two bays on the east coast. Ancient Kamiros preserves a Dorian town in the north-west, while the castles of Kritinia, Monolithos and Feraklos guard the west and east. Quiet monasteries such as Panagia Ipseni sit in the forested south, and the Butterfly Valley of Petaloudes fills with moths each summer. These are gathered in the Rhodes sights guide.

Mountain villages and the inland

The inland of Rhodes keeps its traditional villages. Embonas is the wine village high on Mount Attavyros, Archangelos is the largest village on the east coast, and Asklipio, Apolakkia, Mesanagros and Haraki each hold Byzantine churches and old stone houses. These villages are covered in the Rhodes villages guide.

Where to stay

Accommodation on Rhodes clusters by resort area. Ixia, Ialysos and Trianda hold the large hotels west of the capital, Faliraki is the big organised beach resort, and Lindos suits a village base near the acropolis. The quiet south-east around Gennadi, Kiotari and Lardos is villa country. Compare the areas in the Rhodes hotels guide and the Rhodes villas guide.

Where to eat

Rhodes serves its best food in the Old Town, at the harbour villages and in the mountain settlements. The lanes off Sokratous Street in the Old Town, the tavernas of Lindos and the fish tavernas on Gennadi beach cover the coast, while Embonas is the village to try local wine and grilled meat. Dining areas are set out in the Rhodes restaurants guide.