Rhodes

Ferries rounding the northern tip of the island give the first view of Rhodes: medieval ramparts rising from the sea, with the Palace of the Grand Master above the harbour and its crenellated towers catching the light. It was this that the Knights of Saint John held for two centuries, and considered their greatest fortress. The Old Town rewards being walked without a map, through a labyrinth of cobbled streets, past Gothic arches, Ottoman fountains, and Byzantine churches that had been mosques and were now museums. The Street of the Knights is the spine of the medieval city, a perfectly preserved 14th-century thoroughfare lined with the inns of the seven knightly 'tongues' — Auvergne, Provence, France, Italy, England, Germany, and Aragon. Each inn was a lodging for the knights of that language, and each one has a distinct architectural character. At the top of the street, the Palace of the Grand Master is a fortress-palace that rivals anything in Europe. It was blown up in 1856 by an ammunition explosion and restored by the Italians in the 1930s. The result is controversial among historians — the Italian restorers took liberties — but walking through its halls, you cannot deny the scale of the ambition. South of the town, Lindos has an acropolis on a 116-metre cliff above a perfect crescent beach. The ancient Temple of Athena Lindia, whose cult is Archaic in origin and whose surviving temple is Hellenistic, was a sanctuary for sailors — they stopped here on their way across the Mediterranean to make offerings. The view from the top, with the whitewashed village below and the Aegean stretching to the horizon, is the view that defines Rhodes.

Rhodes has been inhabited since the Neolithic period, but its recorded history begins in 408 BC, when the three city-states of Ialyssos, Kameiros, and Lindos founded the unified city of Rhodes on the northern tip of the island. The new city was laid out on a grid plan by Hippodamus of Miletus, the father of urban planning, and quickly became a major maritime and commercial power. In 305 BC, Rhodes withstood a famous siege by Demetrius Poliorcetes, who brought up massive siege towers against the walls. To celebrate their victory, the Rhodians erected a bronze statue of the god Helios at the harbour entrance around 280 BC, about seventy cubits high — roughly thirty-two metres — and worked on it for twelve years. The Colossus of Rhodes, generally counted among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World from the second century BC, stood for only about fifty-four years before an earthquake toppled it in 226 BC; Strabo records that an oracle forbade the Rhodians from raising it again. It lay where it fell for eight centuries before Arab traders sold the scrap metal. In 164 BC, Rhodes became an ally of Rome, and it flourished under Roman rule as a centre of learning and art — the famous Laocoön group sculpture in the Vatican Museums was created by Rhodian sculptors. The island was later part of the Byzantine Empire and was besieged and captured by several powers. In 1309, the Knights of Saint John (the Hospitallers) conquered Rhodes and made it their headquarters after losing the Holy Land. They transformed the island into a formidable fortress state, building the massive fortifications of the Old Town, the Palace of the Grand Master, and the Street of the Knights. The Knights held Rhodes for 213 years, repelling two major Ottoman sieges (1444 and 1480) before finally surrendering to Suleiman the Magnificent in 1522 after a six-month siege. Under Ottoman rule (1522–1912), the island declined in strategic importance but remained a centre of trade. The Italian occupation (1912–1943) left a controversial architectural legacy: the Italians restored many medieval buildings (often with heavy alterations), built the wide avenues of the new town, and constructed the famous Grand Hotel and other Fascist-era administrative buildings. Rhodes was united with Greece in 1947. The Old Town was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988, recognised as one of the finest examples of medieval fortified architecture in the world.

Rhodes has some of the best beaches in the Dodecanese, with over 200 kilometres of coastline ranging from organised resort strips to secluded coves. The east coast is sheltered from the prevailing winds and offers calm, clear water — this is where you will find the most famous beaches. Tsambika Beach is the crown jewel: a long crescent of golden sand with turquoise water, sunbeds, and a hillside monastery that offers a breathtaking view of the entire bay. Further south, Lindos Beach and the neighbouring St Paul's Bay are iconic — St Paul's is a small cove with deep, calm water where the apostle is said to have landed in 51 AD. Agathi Beach, near the village of Haraki, is a long, sandy beach with tamarisk trees providing natural shade. The west coast is windier and less developed, with pebbly beaches like Ixia and Kremasti popular with windsurfers and kite-surfers. The best beach on the west coast is Theologos (also called Tholos), a sheltered sandy cove backed by a eucalyptus grove. For something completely unspoiled, drive to the southern tip of the island, where the beaches of Prasonisi — a narrow strip of sand connecting Rhodes to a small island — offer the rare experience of swimming in both the Aegean and Mediterranean seas at the same spot. Prasonisi is also one of the best windsurfing and kitesurfing spots in Europe, with consistent winds from April to October.

Rhodian cuisine is Dodecanesian cooking at its most confident — a fusion of Greek, Italian, and Ottoman influences that reflects the island's layered history. The signature dish of Rhodes is pitaroudia — chickpea fritters flavoured with onion, mint, and cumin, deep-fried to a golden crisp, served with a squeeze of lemon. They are the street food of the Old Town, and every taverna has its own variation. Another Rhodion classic is kapama — goat or lamb slow-cooked in a clay pot with tomato, cinnamon, and allspice, the sweet-spice profile a clear legacy of the Ottoman kitchen. The sea gives generously here: grilled octopus, fried calamari, and the local catch of the day — red mullet (barbounia), sea bream (tsipoura), and grouper (rofos) — appear on every taverna menu. The local cheese is the hard, salty kefalotyri and the soft, creamy mizithra, which is used in pies and drizzled with honey for dessert. A unique Rhodian product is soumada, an almond-based syrup drink that originated with the Ottoman community and is still made in the villages of the interior. The island also produces excellent olive oil, honey, and small, intensely flavoured tomatoes that taste of the sun. For a proper Rhodian meal, start with pitaroudia and a plate of grilled octopus, follow with kapama or a grilled fish, and finish with a slice of mizithra pie drizzled with thyme honey and a glass of soumada. The local wine, made from the Athiri and Mandilaria grape varieties, is light and refreshing — ask for a glass of 'Rodos' red or white with your meal.

Rhodes has a famously long sunny season. Spring (April to June) is ideal for exploring the archaeological sites: the temperatures are mild (22–28 °C), the island is covered in wildflowers, and the crowds have not yet arrived. Summer (July to August) is hot (30–38 °C) and busy, especially in Rhodes Town and Lindos, but the beaches are at their best and the nightlife in the Old Town and Faliraki is in full swing. Early autumn (September to October) is the sweet spot: the sea is still warm (often warmer than in June), the crowds thin out, and the light is golden and soft. Winter (November to March) is mild (10–18 °C) and quiet — many hotels and restaurants close, but the Old Town has a unique atmosphere without the crowds, and flights and accommodation are significantly cheaper.

Rhodes International Airport "Diagoras" (RHO), a Fraport Greece airport, is the main way in, with year-round scheduled services from Athens and Thessaloniki and a large summer international charter programme. Blue Star Ferries operates the direct year-round sailings from Piraeus on most days of the week, as an overnight crossing of roughly 15 to 18 hours. Inside the Dodecanese, Dodekanisos Seaways high-speed boats reach Kos in about 2 hours 20 minutes and conventional Blue Star and SAOS Ferries vessels take three to four hours, with seasonal links onward to the smaller islands and to Fethiye and Marmaris in Turkey.

The Old Town of Rhodes is best explored without a plan. Put the map away and get lost — every street leads to something remarkable. The main gates are the Eleftherias Gate (Liberty Gate) near the harbour and the Marine Gate on the eastern side. The best time to walk the Street of the Knights is early morning (7:30–9 am), when it is empty and you can feel the medieval silence. The Palace of the Grand Master opens at 8 am — arrive at opening to avoid the cruise ship crowds. Lindos Acropolis involves a steep climb; you can take a donkey from the village square, but walking is more rewarding. The climb takes about 15 minutes and the views from the top are worth every step. For the best sunset over the Aegean, head to the western bastion of the Palace or walk up to the Acropolis of Rhodes on Monte Smith hill. Tsambika Beach gets crowded by 11 am — arrive early to secure a spot. For a quieter alternative, drive 5 km further south to Agathi Beach. Butterfly Valley is best visited in August, when the moth population peaks. The island has good bus connections between Rhodes Town and the main resorts, but hiring a car gives you access to the unspoiled beaches of the south and the mountain villages of the interior. And the one thing every Rhodian will tell you: do not leave without eating pitaroudia from a street stall in the Old Town — they are the taste of the island, and they are unforgettable.