--- title: "Top 10 Things To Do in Rhodes, Greece | Wimup" description: "The ten best things to do in Rhodes: the Knights' Palace, the walled Old Town, Lindos and its acropolis, Kallithea and the island's beaches, ranked and mapped." url: https://wimup.com/city/rhodes type: City guide updated: 2026-10-10 publisher: Wimup (https://wimup.com) --- # Top 10 Things To Do in Rhodes Rhodes, Greece · Europe · By Wimup Editorial, 12 min read Rhodes Town is two cities. Inside four kilometres of walls sits the medieval town the Knights of St John built and the Ottomans kept, a UNESCO site since 1988. Outside them is a modern harbour town with a beach on its northern tip, and most of the island within an hour. ## Quick answer Base yourself in or near the Old Town and give it two full days: the Grand Master's Palace and the Street of the Knights one morning, the Archaeological Museum and the Jewish quarter the next, the walls and the harbour in the evenings. Spend a third day at Lindos, early, before the tour buses, and a fourth on a beach or the boat to Symi. Avoid July and August midday heat. ## Quick facts - **Best months:** May · Jun · Sep · Oct - **Ideal length:** 4–5 days - **Budget per day:** €80–150 - **Language:** Greek (English widely spoken) - **Getting around:** On foot in the Old Town, KTEL and RODA buses, hire car - **Tourism board:** [↗ Website](https://www.visitgreece.gr/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ## The 10 best things to do in Rhodes ### 1. Palace of the Grand Master Castle · Ippoton, Old Town of Rhodes The Knights' 14th-century citadel, wrecked by an 1856 gunpowder blast and rebuilt by the Italians in 1937 to 1940 as a summer residence for their king. The halls are a reconstruction; the floor mosaics brought from Kos and the ancient Rhodes galleries are real. - **Time:** 1.5–2 hours - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** Opening time - **Tip:** Entry runs on timed slots in summer, so book online the day before Links: [Website](https://archaeologicalmuseums.culture.gov.gr/en/museum/5df34af3deca5e2d79e8c140?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 2. Street of the Knights Street · Ippoton, Old Town of Rhodes A cobbled medieval street climbing from the Archaeological Museum to the palace, lined with the Inns of the Tongues, where each nation of the order lodged. Their coats of arms are still carved over the doors. - **Time:** 30 minutes - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Early morning or after dark - **Tip:** Walk it uphill from the museum, so the palace gate fills the end of the view Links: [UNESCO](https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/493/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 3. Archaeological Museum of Rhodes Museum · Hospital of the Knights, Museum Square, Old Town The island's finds from the Mycenaean to the Roman era, housed in the Knights' 15th-century hospital. The courtyard, the long infirmary ward and the marble Aphrodite of Rhodes are the reasons to come. - **Time:** 1.5 hours - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** Late morning - **Tip:** The Street of the Knights starts at its door, so walk up it to the palace afterwards Links: [Website](https://archaeologicalmuseums.culture.gov.gr/en/museum/5df34af3deca5e2d79e8c136?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 4. Acropolis of Lindos Ancient site · Lindos, 47 km south of Rhodes Town A Hellenistic sanctuary of Athena on a sea cliff about 116 metres high, ringed by the Knights' walls, above a white village. The view down to St Paul's Bay is the island's best. Go at opening; the climb has no shade. - **Time:** Half day with the village - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** Opening time - **Tip:** Walk up rather than take a donkey, and carry water Links: [Tickets](https://hhticket.gr/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 5. The medieval walls and moat Fortification · Around the Old Town of Rhodes About four kilometres of walls, gates and towers enclose the Old Town, with a broad dry moat outside them. The moat path is the best walk in town: green, cool and nearly empty, between the bastions the Knights built against the Ottomans. - **Time:** 1–2 hours - **Cost:** Free in the moat - **Best at:** Late afternoon - **Tip:** Start by the palace at the d'Amboise Gate and walk the moat south Links: [UNESCO](https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/493/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 6. Mandraki Harbour Waterfront · Mandraki, Rhodes Town The old harbour where tradition puts the Colossus, now guarded by bronze deer on two columns, three medieval windmills and Fort St Nicholas. Day boats to Lindos and Symi leave from the quay. - **Time:** 1 hour - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Sunset - **Tip:** Walk the mole out to the windmills and the fort for the view back over the walls ### 7. Acropolis of Rhodes Ancient site · Monte Smith, west of the Old Town The ancient city's high ground: a reconstructed stadium, a small theatre and the standing columns of the Temple of Pythian Apollo. Few visitors make the walk up, and the hill catches the sunset over the Aegean. - **Time:** 1 hour - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Sunset - **Tip:** Take a taxi up and walk back down to town through the new quarter ### 8. Kallithea Springs Spa · Kallithea, 9 km south of Rhodes Town An Italian spa opened in 1929 and restored in 2007, all domes, pebble mosaics and palms above a rocky cove. The waters no longer heal anyone, but the cove is good for a swim and the architecture is the reason to come. - **Time:** 2 hours - **Cost:** Entry fee - **Best at:** Morning - **Tip:** Bring water shoes for the rocks; the swimming is off ladders and platforms Links: [Website](https://www.kallitheasprings.gr/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 9. Valley of the Butterflies Nature · Petaloudes, 25 km southwest of Rhodes Town A shaded gorge of streams and sweetgum trees where thousands of Jersey tiger moths gather each summer. Outside June to August it is simply a pretty walk. In season, keep quiet: noise disturbs the moths. - **Time:** 1.5 hours - **Cost:** Entry fee - **Best at:** July and August mornings - **Tip:** Never clap or shake branches to make them fly ### 10. Filerimos Hill Monastery · Filerimos, above Ialysos A pine-covered hill with a Knights-era monastery, the ruins of ancient Ialysos and free-roaming peacocks. The Way of the Cross runs along the ridge to a tall cross with views over the west coast. - **Time:** 1.5 hours - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** Late afternoon - **Tip:** Combine it with the airport run; it sits just inland from it ## Best old town landmarks in Rhodes Five buildings that show the Old Town's three lives: the Knights, the Ottomans and the Jewish quarter. 1. **Suleiman Mosque** (Mosque · Exterior only · Sokratous, Old Town): The pink-domed mosque built after the Ottoman conquest of 1522. Seen from outside. 2. **Clock Tower (Roloi)** (Viewpoint · Small fee · Top of Sokratous): A tower rebuilt in the 1850s on medieval foundations, the highest view inside the walls. 3. **Kahal Shalom Synagogue** (Synagogue · 1577 · La Juderia, Old Town): Completed in 1577, the oldest synagogue in Greece, in the old Jewish quarter. [Website](https://jewishrhodes.org/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 4. **Hafiz Ahmed Agha Library** (Library · Ottoman · Sokratous, Old Town): An Ottoman library opposite the mosque, with copies of its manuscripts and maps on show. 5. **Square of the Jewish Martyrs** (Square · Free · La Juderia, Old Town): The seahorse fountain square, with a memorial to the 1944 deportation of the city's Jews. ## Best museums in Rhodes Four collections, from the Knights' hospital to an Italian aquarium. 1. **Archaeological Museum** (Antiquities · Ticketed · Museum Square, Old Town): Ancient Rhodes in the Knights' hospital, led by the marble Aphrodite. [Website](https://archaeologicalmuseums.culture.gov.gr/en/museum/5df34af3deca5e2d79e8c136?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 2. **Palace of the Grand Master** (History · Ticketed · Ippoton, Old Town): Two floors of galleries on ancient and early Christian Rhodes under the restored halls. [Website](https://archaeologicalmuseums.culture.gov.gr/en/museum/5df34af3deca5e2d79e8c140?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 3. **Jewish Museum of Rhodes** (History · Old Town · La Juderia, Old Town): Photographs and documents of the city's Sephardic community, in rooms beside Kahal Shalom. [Website](https://jewishrhodes.org/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 4. **Aquarium of Rhodes** (Aquarium · Ticketed · Northern tip, New Town): An Italian art deco research station of 1935 at the island's northern tip, still a working institute. [Website](https://rhodes-aquarium.hcmr.gr/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ## Best beaches in Rhodes The east coast is sheltered sand; the west is wind and pebbles. Six worth the drive. 1. **Elli Beach** (Pebbles · Walkable · New Town): The town beach at the northern tip, with a diving platform offshore. 2. **Anthony Quinn Bay** (Snorkelling · 15 km south · Ladiko, near Faliraki): A small rocky cove with clear water, named for the actor who filmed here. Busy by noon. 3. **Tsambika** (Sand · Families · East coast, 26 km south): A long sand beach with shallow water, under a hilltop monastery. 4. **St Paul's Bay** (Sand · Lindos · Lindos): A nearly enclosed turquoise bay below the Lindos acropolis. 5. **Prasonisi** (Kitesurfing · 90 km south · Southern tip): A sandbar at the southern tip with calm water on one side and wind on the other. 6. **Faliraki** (Sand · Resort · East coast, 15 km south): A long sand beach and the island's busiest resort strip. ## Best restaurants in Rhodes Seafood and slow-cooked island dishes, three inside the walls and one worth the drive to Lindos. 1. **Marco Polo Mansion** (Mediterranean · Dinner · Old Town): Dinner in the courtyard of a 15th-century house in the old Turkish quarter. 2. **Hatzikelis** (Seafood · €€€ · La Juderia, Old Town): A long-running fish restaurant in the Jewish quarter, beside a ruined church. 3. **Nireas** (Seafood · €€ · Sofokleous Square, Old Town): Seafood served under a vine canopy on a quiet Old Town square. 4. **Mavrikos** (Greek · €€€ · Lindos): On the Lindos square since 1933, run by the same family. Book ahead in summer. ## Best villages in Rhodes The interior is hill villages, vineyards and castles. Four worth a hire car. 1. **Lindos** (Village · 47 km south · East coast): Whitewashed captains' houses with pebble courtyards, under the acropolis. 2. **Embonas** (Wine · Mount Attavyros · Mount Attavyros): The wine village on Mount Attavyros, the highest on the island, with tastings at its wineries. 3. **Monolithos** (Castle · Southwest coast · West coast): A village below a Knights' castle on a sea stack, the west coast's sunset view. 4. **Koskinou** (Village · 8 km south · Near Kallithea): Painted doorways and pebble courtyards, ten minutes from town. ## Best neighbourhoods in Rhodes Most visitors sleep in or just outside the walls. Four quarters, each with its own pace. 1. **Knights' Quarter (Collachium)** (Historic · Quiet · Northern Old Town): The upper town of palace, inns and hospital, still and stately after dark. 2. **Hora** (Historic · Lively · Southern Old Town): The lower town of Sokratous Street, mosques and bars, where the Old Town lives. 3. **La Juderia** (Historic · Dining · Southeast Old Town): The old Jewish quarter in the southeast corner, quieter and full of courtyard restaurants. 4. **New Town** (Modern · Beach · North of the walls): The Italian-era quarter around Mandraki, with the market, the beach and most hotels. ## Best day trips in Rhodes Rhodes is a ferry hub. Four trips, by road or by boat. 1. **Symi** (Island · Ferry · Northwest of Rhodes): Neoclassical houses stacked above a harbour, about an hour by fast boat. [Ferries](https://www.12ne.gr/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 2. **Lindos** (Ancient site · 1 hour · East coast): The acropolis, the village and St Paul's Bay, by bus or day boat from Mandraki. 3. **Ancient Kamiros** (Ancient site · 35 km · West coast): A whole Hellenistic town of streets and houses on a west-coast slope. [Tickets](https://hhticket.gr/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 4. **Halki** (Island · Ferry · West of Rhodes): A small, car-free island reached by boat from Kamiros Skala on the west coast. ## Festivals & annual events in Rhodes (2026) - **Integration of the Dodecanese** (7 March): The 1948 union with Greece, marked with a parade in Rhodes Town. - **Independence Day** (25 March): A national holiday with school and military parades along the seafront. - **Orthodox Easter** (March to May): The biggest feast of the year: candlelit processions on Good Friday and midnight bells on Saturday. - **Feast of Klidonas** (24 June): Midsummer bonfires for St John, jumped over in villages across the island. - **Feast of the Assumption** (15 August): A national holiday, marked with village festivals and church feasts across the island. - **Medieval Rose Festival** (Dates vary): Knights, markets and music inside the walls, held most years since 2006. - **Ochi Day** (28 October): Parades marking Greece's 1940 refusal of the Italian ultimatum. - **Christmas and New Year** (25 December to 1 January): Carols on Christmas Eve, then the vasilopita cake cut on New Year's Day. ## Must-try dishes in Rhodes, Greece - **Pitaroudia**: Fried chickpea fritters with mint and onion, the island's own meze. - **Giaprakia**: Rhodian stuffed vine leaves, often with minced meat and rice. - **Melekouni**: Sesame and honey bars, given at Rhodian weddings and baptisms. - **Grilled octopus**: Sun-dried, then charred over coals. Best with an ouzo by the harbour. - **Stuffed courgette flowers**: Kolokythoanthoi filled with herbed rice, a summer taverna staple. - **Souma**: The Dodecanese grape spirit, stronger than ouzo and unflavoured. - **Athiri wine**: The crisp white grape of Mount Attavyros, tasted in Embonas. - **Loukoumades**: Fried dough puffs soaked in honey syrup and topped with cinnamon. ## Rhodes transport & airports - **Rhodes Diagoras Airport** (RHO): About 14 km southwest of town, with flights from Athens year round and charters from Europe in summer. Buses and taxis run to the centre. - **Ferries** (Port): Ferries to Piraeus and the islands leave the Commercial Port beside the Old Town. Fast boats to Symi and the Dodecanese also sail from here. [Blue Star](https://www.bluestarferries.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) · [Dodekanisos Seaways](https://www.12ne.gr/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - **KTEL and RODA buses** (Bus): KTEL runs the east coast to Faliraki and Lindos; RODA runs the west coast and the airport. Both run from stops beside the New Market. - **Taxis and hire cars** (Car): The Old Town is on foot only. For the interior, Kamiros and the southern beaches, a hire car beats the bus timetable. ## Rhodes at a glance - **Country:** Greece - **Region:** South Aegean, capital of the Dodecanese - **Population:** About 56,000 (2021 census), 86,000 in the metro area - **Founded:** 408 BC, by three island city-states - **Nickname:** The island of the Knights - **Language:** Greek (English widely spoken) - **Currency:** Euro (EUR) - **Time zone:** UTC+2 (EET), UTC+3 in summer - **Calling code:** +30 (area code 2241) - **Airports:** Rhodes Diagoras (RHO) - **Power:** 230V, plug types C and F - **Emergency:** 112 general, 100 police, 166 ambulance, 199 fire ## Interesting facts - The city was founded in 408 BC, when Lindos, Ialysos and Kamiros merged into one state. - The Colossus of Rhodes stood for barely 54 years before an earthquake brought it down in 226 BC. - The Knights of St John ruled from 1309 until Suleiman the Magnificent took the city in 1522. - Italy held the island from 1912 to 1943 and rebuilt much of the Old Town in its image. - The Dodecanese were the last islands to join modern Greece, on 7 March 1948. ## Rhodes travel FAQ ### Is Rhodes worth visiting? Yes. The walled Old Town is one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Europe, and Lindos, Kallithea and a run of good beaches sit within an hour. Few Greek islands pair that much history with that much coastline. ### How many days do you need in Rhodes? Four to five. Two days for the Old Town, one for Lindos and its bay, one for a beach or the interior villages, and one for the boat to Symi. With a hire car, add Kamiros and Monolithos on the west coast. ### When is the best time to visit Rhodes? May, June, September and October. The sea is warm from June, the sites are open long hours, and the heat is bearable. July and August are hot and crowded; winter is mild but many beach businesses close. ### Should I stay in the Old Town or the New Town? The Old Town for atmosphere: small hotels in restored houses, and the streets after the cruise passengers leave. The New Town for beaches, bigger hotels and easier parking. They are a ten-minute walk apart. ### How do you get from Rhodes Town to Lindos? KTEL buses run from beside the New Market in about 90 minutes, and day boats sail from Mandraki in summer. By car it takes under an hour. Arrive early: the acropolis is hottest and busiest from late morning. ## Nearby guides - [Bodrum](https://wimup.com/city/bodrum.md): Turkey · 10 picks - [Pamukkale](https://wimup.com/city/pamukkale.md): Turkey · 10 picks - [Naxos](https://wimup.com/city/naxos.md): Greece · 10 picks - [All of Europe →](https://wimup.com/europe): 119 cities Part of the [Greece guide](https://wimup.com/country/greece.md) · [Europe](https://wimup.com/europe.md) ## Sources - [Rhodes tourism board](https://www.visitgreece.gr/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Palace of the Grand Master (official site)](https://archaeologicalmuseums.culture.gov.gr/en/museum/5df34af3deca5e2d79e8c140?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Street of the Knights: UNESCO](https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/493/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Archaeological Museum of Rhodes (official site)](https://archaeologicalmuseums.culture.gov.gr/en/museum/5df34af3deca5e2d79e8c136?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Acropolis of Lindos: Tickets](https://hhticket.gr/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Kallithea Springs (official site)](https://www.kallitheasprings.gr/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Kahal Shalom Synagogue (official site)](https://jewishrhodes.org/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Aquarium of Rhodes (official site)](https://rhodes-aquarium.hcmr.gr/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Symi: Ferries](https://www.12ne.gr/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Ferries: Blue Star](https://www.bluestarferries.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - Rankings are Wimup editorial picks. Prices, durations and budgets are editorial estimates, not live quotes; check the official site before you go.