Rhodes

Rhodes is not one island so much as three. There is the Old Town, a fortified medieval city still lived in behind its walls. There is the east coast, a long run of sandy bays and big resort hotels. And there is the west and the deep south, where the wind blows, the villages empty out and the castles stand on rocks with nobody under them. Most visitors see the first two. The best trips include the third.

ΑThe Knights' city

The Medieval City of Rhodes was the seat of the Knights of St John from the early 14th century until the Ottoman conquest of 1522, and it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988. Walk the Street of the Knights, where the inns of the order's national "tongues" line a cobbled slope, up to the Palace of the Grand Master. A €20 ticket covers the palace and a package of Medieval Town sites, including the Archaeological Museum in the old Hospital of the Knights. Go early: by late morning the lanes around Hippocrates Square fill with cruise groups.

ΒLindos and the east coast

Lindos is the postcard: a white village under a clifftop acropolis, with a Temple of Athena Lindia inside the Knights' walls. The Acropolis of Lindos costs €20; timed entry slots have been reported for 2026, so check before you go. It is a steep, shadeless climb, which is why the donkeys still work. Below, Lindos Beach and the almost enclosed St Paul's Bay are calm and sandy.

North of Lindos the sheltered coast strings together Tsambika, a long sand beach under a monastery hill, the pretty crescent at Charaki, Stegna and Kolymbia. Near Kallithea, Anthony Quinn Bay, named after the actor who filmed *The Guns of Navarone* here, is a small rocky cove with clear water that is excellent for snorkelling and far too popular by noon.

ΓThe west and the far south

The west coast takes the prevailing wind, so the sea is rougher and the beaches are pebbly. What it has instead is atmosphere: the ruins of Kamiros, an ancient city laid out on a hillside, and the Knights' castles at Kritinia and Monolithos, the latter on a pinnacle of rock that makes a fine sunset stop. At the southern tip, Prasonisi is a sand spit between two seas, one side flat, the other a playground for windsurfers and kiters. Inland, Butterfly Valley fills with Jersey tiger moths in high summer; it is a shady walk rather than a spectacle.

ΔWhere to stay

Rhodes Town suits people who want restaurants, museums and a bus network within reach; stay inside the walls for atmosphere, or in the new town for easier parking. Faliraki and Kallithea are the big-resort strip close to town; Faliraki's party reputation has faded, but it is still lively. Lindos is lovely after the day trippers leave and expensive for the privilege; Pefki and Vlicha nearby are quieter. Ialysos and Ixia on the north-west coast suit windsurfers. Families do well on the calm east coast around Kolymbia, Kalathos and Lardos.

ΕFood and drink

Look for pitaroudia, the island's chickpea fritters, and the local distilled spirit, souma. Rhodes also makes wine, notably in the villages around Mount Attavyros such as Embonas. In the Old Town, the streets around Sokratous are tourist-priced; the better tables tend to be a few lanes away, such as Romeo, or in inland villages like Psinthos.

ΣΤGetting there and around

Rhodes airport (RHO) takes direct seasonal flights from much of Europe; from Romania, check the airline for seasonal routes or connect through Athens. Ferries from Piraeus are long overnight crossings; see ferries. Dodekanisos Seaways links Rhodes with Symi (typically 45 minutes to 1h30) and the rest of the chain, so Symi makes an easy day trip and Kos a natural next stop on an island-hopping route. The island is large: allow around two hours from town to Prasonisi and rent a car for the south.

ΖWhen to go

Rhodes is one of the warmest places in Greece. Average highs run about 24°C in May, 30–31°C in July and August, 28°C in September and still about 24–25°C in October, with the sea around 27°C in late summer. May, June, September and October are the sweet spot; see weather. Much of the resort coast shuts from November to April. Wildfire risk is real: in July 2023 a fire forced around 19,000 people to evacuate in the south-east.

ΗWho it suits

Rhodes suits history lovers, families, couples who want a lot of choice and anyone travelling outside peak season. Skip it if you want a small, quiet island with one harbour; take the boat to Symi instead.