Rhodes Old Town and Lindos: How to See the Knights' City and the Acropolis Without the Crowds

ΑThe short version

Rhodes has two great historic sights, and most visitors see both badly: the Old Town in the midday crush, Lindos in the full heat of the afternoon. Reverse the timing and they become two of the finest days in the Greek islands.

• The Medieval City of Rhodes has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988. Walking its lanes is free; the big-ticket interior is the Palace of the Grand Master.
• Palace of the Grand Master: €20, sold as a package that also covers other sites in the Medieval Town.
• Acropolis of Lindos: €20. Timed entry slots have been reported for 2026 — check when you book.
• Timing: Old Town early morning or evening; Lindos at opening. Prices checked September 2026.
• Symi is 45 minutes to 1h30 away by boat and makes a superb extra day.

For the island overview, start with our Rhodes island hub.

ΒWhy the Old Town is different

Most "old towns" in the Greek islands are a few lanes around a harbour. The Medieval City of Rhodes is a complete fortified city, still lived in, enclosed by walls and a deep dry moat. It was built largely by the Knights of St John, the crusader order that ruled Rhodes from the early fourteenth century until the Ottoman siege of 1522, and it carries layers of everything that came after: Ottoman mosques, fountains and baths, and the heavy hand of the Italian administration that restored — and in places reinvented — the monuments in the early twentieth century. Rhodes joined Greece only after the Second World War.

That history splits the city into two moods. The Collachium, the Knights' quarter in the north, is austere and monumental. The rest, the old Bourg, is where people live, shop and eat: noisier, more tangled, more fun.

ΓA walk through the Knights' quarter

Start at the harbour side through one of the sea gates and walk up the Street of the Knights, a straight cobbled incline lined with the stone "inns" where knights of each language group lodged. Coats of arms are still carved above the doors. At 08:00 it is empty and cool, and it looks exactly as it should.

At the top stands the Palace of the Grand Master. What you see is largely a twentieth-century reconstruction on medieval foundations, and it is worth knowing that before you go in: the grand halls, the mosaic floors brought from other sites, the heavy furniture are an Italian-era vision of the Middle Ages. It is still impressive, and the ticket at €20 is a package that also covers other sites within the Medieval Town (checked September 2026). Ask at the desk exactly which, and use it on the same trip.

Then drop down to the museum. The Archaeological Museum of Rhodes occupies the former Hospital of the Knights, with a beautiful arcaded courtyard. Even if you are not a museum person, the building alone justifies the stop.

ΔThe rest of the Old Town

After the Knights' quarter, get lost on purpose. Walk away from the main shopping axis of Sokratous Street and the lanes turn residential very quickly: arches bracing the houses against earthquakes, pebble-mosaic courtyards, the minarets of Ottoman mosques. Hippocrates Square with its fountain is the natural meeting point.

In the late afternoon, walk the path along the moat, between the inner and outer walls. It is green, quiet and gives you a real sense of the scale of the defences. Opening arrangements for the wall walk itself vary, so check locally.

ΕLindos: the acropolis above the sea

Lindos lies on the east coast, roughly an hour's drive south of Rhodes Town. It is two sights in one: a whitewashed village of captains' houses squeezed into a hollow, and above it, on a sheer rock over the sea, the Acropolis of Lindos. At the top you find the Sanctuary of Athena Lindia, a Hellenistic stoa with its broad staircase, and the walls of the Knights' castle wrapped around the summit. The view down to the little circular St Paul's Bay is the photograph everybody takes, for good reason.

The ticket is €20 (checked September 2026). Timed entry slots have been reported for 2026; the safest approach is to check the official ticketing before you set out and book the earliest slot you can.

How to do it well:

1. 1Arrive for opening. Tour coaches from the resorts start arriving mid-morning. By noon the lanes are a slow queue and the rock is an oven: there is almost no shade on the climb or at the top.
2. 2Walk up. The path from the village takes around 15–20 minutes at an easy pace. Donkey rides are offered; many visitors now prefer to walk.
3. 3Carry water and wear real shoes. The steps are polished stone and slippery.
4. 4Swim afterwards. Lindos beach in the main bay or St Paul's Bay are right there — the ideal reward.
5. 5Parking is limited above the village in summer. Arrive early or use the bus from Rhodes Town.

If you have the time, stay the night. Lindos in the evening, after the coaches leave, is a different place, and you can take the first slot the next morning without the drive.

ΣΤHeat, season and timing

Rhodes is one of the sunniest islands in Greece. Average highs reach about 30°C in July and August, and in the Old Town the stone radiates heat long after sunset. May, June, September and October are the best months for sightseeing; the sea stays warm well into autumn.

Two more timing tips:

• Cruise ships dock right next to the Old Town. On busy days the Knights' quarter fills from mid-morning; go early or late.
• Wildfire season runs from May to October across Greece. In July 2023 a fire in the south-east of the island led to the evacuation of around 19,000 people. Emergency 112 alerts arrive automatically on phones in an affected area; if one comes, follow its instructions.

Our September weather page shows what to expect at the end of summer.

ΖAdding Symi

Symi is the best day trip from Rhodes: a harbour of neoclassical houses in ochre and pink stacked up a hillside. The crossing takes 45 minutes to 1h30 depending on the boat, with fares from around €6 on regular services (checked September 2026; check the operator for current times). The harbour at Gialos gets busy at midday when excursion boats arrive — if you can, stay one night and see it empty.

ΗA two-day plan

• Day 1: Street of the Knights at 08:00, Palace of the Grand Master, Archaeological Museum, lunch and siesta, moat walk and dinner inside the walls.
• Day 2: drive or bus to Lindos for opening, acropolis, swim at St Paul's Bay, lunch in the village, back via the east-coast beaches.
• Day 3 (optional): Symi by boat.

For more on the island's heritage in context, read our guide to UNESCO sites in Greece, and for hotels in the Old Town and beyond see where to stay on Rhodes.