10 most important things to do while in Rhodes
Take a trip to Rhodes to enjoy the gothic grandeur of the Old Town, one of the world’s best-preserved medieval fortress towns and a UNESCO world heritage city since 1988. The atmospheric Street of the Knights and the imposing Palace of the Grand Master seem to have come to life from the pages of a fairy tale.
Enjoy the spectacular sight of Butterfly Valley, a uniquely beautiful natural habitat where thousands of rare and colourful butterflies find a cool refuge every summer
Walk around the majestic ancient Acropolis of Rhodes on the hill of Monte Smith, overlooking the sea. The beautifully restored Hellenistic Stadium of Diagoras and the Temple of Pythian Apollo are both stunning.
To see the Rhodes of a bygone age brought to life before your eyes at the annual Medieval Festival in early June, a three-day re-enactment of what the Old Town was like during the era of the Knights Hospitallers.
Discover the exotic Prasonisi, a small island covered in pine trees at the southernmost tip of Rhodes, which depending on the weather and the level of the sea, is joined with the main island by a narrow strip of sand to create a stunning beach that is also a paradise for windsurfers from all over the world.
Visit the town of Lindos, a famous resort popular with the international jet set from the 50s to the 70s. Its Cycladic-style white houses, narrow cobbled streets and grand captain’s residences make for a unique setting. From there you can climb up to the Temple of Athena Lindia on the rock of the ancient walled acropolis to look out across the Aegean.
Watch the sunset from the Castle of Monolithos, built on a steep 236-metre-high rock. This impressive “castle of eagles”, built in 1476, offers breathtaking views of neighboring Halki.
Stroll along the cosmopolitan seafront of the New Town to discover what amounts to an open museum of architecture with iconic buildings from the period of Italian rule, such as the old Governor’s House, reminiscent of the Doge’s Palace in Venice, and the legendary Albergo Delle Rose hotel built between the wars, also known as the “Dream of the East”
Visit the historic Tsambika Monastery, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, one of the most important sites of pilgrimage in the Aegean. Built on a 326-metre-high rock, the monastery offers unparalleled views of the Aegean.
Enjoy an unforgettable road trip to the mountain villages of the island. To Embonas, with its vineyards and tradition of winemaking, Archangelos, with its pottery and rare miniature horses, the maze-like Koskinou, with its brightly painted houses, and Kritinia, with its beautiful castle.
