Places to see and try in Rhodes, based on July 2023. After booking a trip to Kos, and getting ‘itchy feet’, we booked a last minute trip to Rhodes. I can safely say that I’ve never seen a Greek island like it before – from the old town and its Byzantine architecture, to the green mountains and the warm blue waters. It was such an awesome experience and would recommend it for those traveling to its group of islands.
Logistics
GETTING THERE:
we flew to Kos and booked an hour long ferry to Rhodes, but you can fly directly there. Relative to the old town, the port is a 10min walk, and the airport is a 45min bus ride (€2.50pp vs. €27 taxi)
GETTING AROUND:
it’s a big island, so quadbikes are not as common. If you stay in a central spot, I’d recommend renting a car for a day or two. It’s far more cost effective than getting a taxi – €45 for the day at Olympia car rental, and about €10 petrol. There are buses, but the car offers more flexibility when beach hopping.
STAYING THERE:
we opted to stay in the old town as it’s a fairly central location and we dont mind the walking (admittedly, we did 30k steps the one day) but there are some affordable stays, like the 3 Charities apartments that are quite basic but central.
ITINERARY:
not that we plan these things but we did the Eastern coast of the island, from the Old Town to Lindos, on the day we had the car, and explored the Old and New Town (and its beaches) by foot. We did not do the North/West towns but there are some cool things to see there too.
Attractions
Kalithea Springs
For the day you decide to explore the Eastern coast of the island, and head towards Lindo, I would recommend stopping at Kalithea Springs (about €3 entrance). What was once thermal baths, has now become a beach surrounded by beautiful Italian structures. It’s hard to describe but the views are stunning and the designs are beautiful. If you want, grab a greek coffee from the cafe (you can sit there, instead of renting beach umbrellas) before exploring the venues on the upper side too.
Tsambika Beach
After Kalithea, this is the next beach worth stopping at, albeit very touristy (organized beach). It’s a long white sandy beach, with shallow waters and towered over with green mountains (really beautiful). I wouldn’t spend too long here but it’s nice for a swim break and to see the giant painted greek flag on the rocks.
Stegna Beach
Disclaimer: we did not visit this beach but it came highly recommended by our host. If you’re looking for a dip between Tsambika and the town of Lindos, give it a look – it seems really beautiful!
Tambakio
Up next: my favourite beach in Rhodes! Its right next to the Agios Pavlos/Saint Pauls beach (also amazing) but it is smaller and nicknamed “Pink Agios Pavlos” because of the blossoms surrounding it. Beach bar that dominates the entire space is quite pricey, but if you put your beach bags on the rocks, and sit at one of the tables for a coffee, you can enjoy the view and its space without needing a mortage for one of the beach beds. The water is warm and lovely to swim in, surrounded by pink flowers and shadowed by the acropolis. Highly recommend!
Saint Paul’s
As mentioned above, Agios Pavlos beach shares the bay with Tambakio but is just a little bigger and has a lovely panoramic view of the cliffs and acropolis.
Temple of Athina
Located at the top of the acropolis, inside the fortified walls built by the Knights of Rhodes, you’ll find the remains of Athena’s temple. To get here you can walk, or get a ride on a donkey (but I wouldn’t recommend, seems cruel in the heat), and would suggest that you do it earlier or later in the day as it gets HOT. Anyway! I would recommend because of the inconvenience views – you can see over Saint Paul’s bay as well as the whole town of Lindos. The photos below don’t do it justice. btw: if you have an EU ID and are under 25 y/o, you get free entrance.
Rhodes Old Town
A beautiful Byzantine maze that boasts remnants of old castles and cathedrals in its towering walls. Around it grows the most lush and colourful flowers, along with a host of touristy stores. Walking through the square for drinks or after dinner allows you to experience its buzz – for those that prefer it’s beauty in the quiet, walk through the town before 9am or during midday siesta. Either way, it’s stunning. If you’re looking for a quick bite: cook&grill have a noce portion of gyros (crispy — and oily).
NEW TOWN: has more of the commercial shops and chain stores. Also nice to walk through.
Archaeological Museum of Rhodes
If you love history or architecture, give it a visit and relish in the Byzantine relics. With that, take a walk down the Street of the Knights as well as the Castle and Old Cathedral.
Taverna Kostas
Okokok so, this family run business is so hands on and the food is AMAZING. It’s located in the less busier part of the Old Town (a pro in my eyes) and offers local dishes that are fresh and not too badly priced. We ordered the grilled octopus (best!), greek salad, chicken souvla with chips, beetroot salad and tzatziki. They also served complimentary dessert (watermelon glyko and greek yogurt) which was so delicious and also gave us their homemade rakomelo (sweet honey wine).
Fellini
BEST gelato in Rhodes – the New Town gem just opened in June and has the most incredible quality gelato. From the classic favourites of pistachio and kinder, to the more local flavours like greek coffee and rose. Cannot recommend this place enough!
Elli Beach
For a nice beach close to the Old Town, I’d recommend Elli Beach – the strip is full of lux beach bars and has the awesome stairs in the water to jump from too. Along this strip is Elli World followed by ⬇️ I’d recommend Elli for evening drinks, though, more than a day meal (awesome vibe at sunset).
Ronda
I loved the food and coffee here, albeit a bit over priced, it was great to taste. The staff were also very friendly and the space was beautiful – would recommend for a mid day refuel.
Meltemi
We got this recommendation from a few of the locals and they insisted it was the best psarotaverna (fish taverna) – it was awesome! We ordered seabass, greek salad, beetroot salad and some calamari. Not only is the food incredibly fresh and tasty, but the restaurant is on the main beach Rhodes, right next to Elli Beach World. I’d highly recommend this for a sunset seafood dinner.
Neighboring islands
Symi
When we had booked for a trip to Kos, I had looked up every island around it and became adamant to visit Symi. This tiny Greek island is unlike its Dodecanese neighbours – the colourful geometric houses and that quieter atmosphere are a great way to spend a day/night when hopping between Kos or Rhodes (imo). In our case, we booked a day trip to Symi (and Panormitis Monastery) from Rhodes’ tourist port.
In terms of travel details:
Duration: 1 hour ferry each way
Times: departs 09:00 | returns 17:00
Company: SeaDream (boat)
Ticket: €50 for Symi and Panormitis, or €34 just to Symi and back
Book with Olympia Car Rental (opposite the tourist port)
Kos
As mentioned, the trip started at Kos and ended up in Rhodes. Whichever you find yourself at, it’s worth considering its neighbours for a day visit or overnight stay. Explore Kos here.
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