Rhodes
Greece
Rhodes is one of those places that keeps surprising you the longer you stay. The Old Town alone could swallow a week — and that's before you've rented a car and driven south past the vineyards, the crumbling Byzantine chapels, and the road that suddenly drops to a sea so blue it looks digitally altered. This is an island that has been fought over, traded, settled, and mythologized for thousands of years, and somehow it wears all of that history without feeling like a museum piece.
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The Medieval City of Rhodes does something rare: it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site that people actually live in. Laundry hangs from Ottoman-era balconies. A cat sleeps across a doorway that dates to the 14th century. On Sokratous Street — the main artery of the Old Town — tourist shops selling magnets sit shoulder-to-shoulder with a pharmacy where locals queue for prescriptions in the afternoon heat. Step one block off the main drag and that noise disappears completely. The alleyways narrow, the stone underfoot gets uneven, and you're suddenly alone with the sound of your own footsteps on cobbles that knights once walked. Outside the walls, the New Town has its own personality: a slightly faded 1960s resort elegance, periptero kiosks still selling cigarettes and newspapers, and a waterfront where old men fish without any particular urgency. Rhodes moves at two speeds simultaneously — ancient and unhurried — and eventually you stop fighting it and slow down too.
Must-Do Experiences
Get lost in the Old Town after 9pm
The Medieval City of Rhodes is genuinely worth every one of its 4.8 stars, but timing is everything. During the day it belongs to cruise ship crowds. After 9pm in summer, the day-trippers are gone, the lanterns are lit along the walls, and the whole place takes on a completely different gravity. Follow Ippoton Street — the Street of the Knights — when it's nearly empty and notice how the silence amplifies how old everything actually is.
Climb to Lindos Acropolis before 8:30am
Yes, there will still be a line. Yes, it is worth it. The Lindos Acropolis sits above a whitewashed village on a rocky promontory with views of two bays simultaneously, and the Doric columns of the Temple of Athena Lindia have been standing here since the 4th century BC. Go early — the heat alone makes the donkey-assisted climb a much better idea by 10am — and spend the first quiet minutes watching the light come across the water before the main crowds arrive.
Have a proper Greek coffee in the New Market
The Nea Agora — the octagonal New Market building near Mandraki Harbour — is one of those places tourists walk through on their way somewhere else without really stopping. The kafeneions tucked inside open early and serve strong Greek coffee to fishermen, taxi drivers, and market vendors who have been doing this same thing for decades. Order a sketos if you want it unsweetened, sit with the newspaper readers, and watch Mandraki wake up.
Drive to Monolithos Castle at sunset
The west coast road to Monolithos is reason enough to rent a car. The castle itself is free, perched on a 236-meter rock above the sea, and most visitors show up in the middle of the afternoon and leave before the light gets interesting. Come at golden hour, when the Aegean turns copper and you're likely to have the ruins almost entirely to yourself. The village of Monolithos below has a taverna that serves grilled octopus without any fanfare and without a tourist menu in sight.
Spend a morning at Kallithea Springs
This one requires a small mental adjustment. Kallithea was an Italian-built thermal spa complex from the 1930s, heavily restored in the 2000s, and it occupies a strange and beautiful space between ruins and renovation. The domed rotunda, the mosaic floors, the rocky coves right below — it's theatrical in the best way. It's also a functioning beach facility, so locals genuinely swim here. Go before 10am when the light is soft and the tour groups haven't arrived yet.
Eat at a psarotaverna in Kamiros Skala
Most tourists heading to the ancient ruins at Kamiros don't stop at the small fishing harbour of Kamiros Skala, 15 kilometers down the road. They should. There are three or four tavernas right on the water that serve whatever came off the boats that morning — fried whitebait, grilled sea bream, shrimp saganaki. No ambience staging, no Instagram lighting, just plastic chairs, fresh fish, and the smell of the sea. Lunch here rather than in Rhodes Town and you'll eat better and spend less.
Walk through Ancient Kamiros in the late afternoon
Kamiros is one of the three ancient cities of Rhodes and it's far less visited than the Lindos Acropolis — partly because it has no single dramatic centerpiece, and partly because it requires a 30-minute drive into the hills. What it has instead is an entire Hellenistic town laid out in the landscape: streets, house foundations, a cistern, temples, a colonnade. Late afternoon in September or October, you might have it to yourself. That feeling of walking through an empty ancient city without a queue or a soundtrack is increasingly rare.
Watch windsurfers at Prasonisi Beach
The very southern tip of Rhodes is where the Aegean and the Mediterranean technically meet, and the geography creates wind conditions that draw windsurfers from across Europe. Even if you've never touched a board, watching the advanced surfers work the waves on the Mediterranean side while beginners wobble on the calmer Aegean side is oddly compelling. The beach itself is wild and undeveloped — just a narrow sandy isthmus connecting Rhodes to a rocky cape — and it feels nothing like the resort coast to the north.
Spend an afternoon in the Archaeological Museum
The museum sits inside the Hospital of the Knights, a 15th-century building so well-preserved it sometimes overshadows the objects inside — which is saying something, because the collection is genuinely remarkable. The marble Aphrodite of Rhodes, called the 'Marine Venus', is the piece most people come for, and deservedly so. But take time with the Mycenaean jewelry, the grave stelae, and the smaller galleries where Rhodian amphoras and surgical instruments from ancient hospitals sit in quiet glass cases.
Eat meze at a mezedopoleio in the Old Town's quieter quarter
Avoid the restaurants on Sokratous and Pythagora Streets — they're fine, but they know exactly what they are. Instead, head toward the Jewish Quarter around Plateia Evraion Martyron (the Square of the Jewish Martyrs) in the evening. The square itself is sober and moving — a memorial to the Rhodian Jews deported to Auschwitz in 1944 — and the surrounding streets have smaller restaurants where the clientele skews local. Order a spread of meze: tzatziki, taramasalata, grilled halloumi, stuffed vine leaves, and a carafe of local white wine.
Swim at Anthony Quinn Bay early morning
Named after the actor who fell in love with the spot while filming 'The Guns of Navarone' here in the 1960s and reportedly tried to buy it — and the story may be slightly embellished, but the bay earns its reputation regardless. The water is extremely clear, the rocky entry is great for snorkeling, and the small size means it fills up fast. Arrive before 9am in July or August. The 16km drive south from Rhodes Town along the east coast road is beautiful in its own right.
Take the tunnel walk at Seven Springs in cooler months
Epta Piges divides opinions, and a 3.9-star rating for a natural site in Greece tells you something. The springs and the lake are genuinely pretty, but the main draw — a narrow irrigation tunnel you wade through in the dark — is either claustrophobic or delightful depending on your disposition. In spring, when the water level is right and the plane trees are full, it's actually a lovely stop. In peak summer heat with 200 other people? Less so. Go in May or October if you're going at all.
Local Tips
- 1The Old Town streets are uneven medieval cobblestone — pack actual walking shoes, not sandals, or you will regret it by day two.
- 2Supermarkets close for a proper midday break in smaller towns; if you're driving the island, buy water and snacks in the morning.
- 3Lindos Village bans private cars — park at the designated lot on the hill above town and walk down, or you'll spend an hour in traffic going nowhere.
- 4The Valley of the Butterflies (Petaloudes) only has butterflies — specifically Jersey tiger moths — from late June through August; outside those months it's a pleasant woodland walk but the main attraction isn't there.
- 5Rhodian wine doesn't export much, so try the local labels while you're here — CAIR and Emery are the main producers, and the Athiri white grape variety is crisp and worth seeking out.
- 6If a restaurant menu has photos of every dish and is translated into six languages right by the Old Town's main gates, keep walking — five minutes in any direction and the prices drop and the quality improves.
Weather & Best Time to Visit
Rhodes enjoys a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. The island is known for its abundant sunshine, making it a popular destination year-round.
Getting To & Around Rhodes
Major Airports
Getting Around
Taxi
Readily available, can be hailed on the street or booked
Payment: Cash preferred, some accept cards
Apps: Local taxi apps available for booking
Rideshare
Not widely available, rely on taxis
Bike Share
Service: Limited availability
Coverage: Mostly in tourist areas
Pricing: Varies by provider
Walking
Highly walkable in city center and Old Town
Tip: Wear comfortable shoes, cobblestone streets in Old Town
Car Rental
Recommended for exploring the island
Note: Ample parking outside city center, driving is straightforward
Things to Do
Top attractions and experiences
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