The largest of the Dodecanese islands has the best of Old and New Greece: historic architecture meets a thriving café and restaurant scene. Anchored by Rhodes Town, the popular destination is also beloved for its outlying villages, such as labyrinthine Lindos. Add powdery beaches, hidden coves, and remnants of an Islamic and Jewish past, and you get a taste of the entire Mediterranean on a single isle.
By far the largest and historically the most important of the Dodecanese islands, Rhodes (ro-dos) abounds in beaches, wooded valleys, and ancient history. Whether you arrive in search of buzzing nightlife, languid sun worshipping, diving in crystal-clear waters or to embark on a culture-vulture journey through past civilizations, it’s all here. The atmospheric Old Town of Rhodes is a maze of cobbled streets that will spirit you back to the days of the Byzantine Empire and beyond. Further south is the picture-perfect town of Lindos, a soul-warming vista of sugar-cube houses spilling down to a turquoise bay.
Acropolis of Lindos
A steep footpath climbs the 116m-high rock above Lindos to reach the beautifully preserved Acropolis. First walled in the 6th century BC, the clifftop is now enclosed by battlements constructed by the Knights of St John. Once within, you’re confronted by stunning ancient remains that include a Temple to Athena Lindia and a 20-columned Hellenistic stoa. Silhouetted against the deep blue sky, the stark white columns are dazzling, while the long-range coastal views are out of this world.
Archaeological Museum
By far the best museum in the Dodecanese, this airy 15th-century former Knights' Hospital extends from its main building out into the beautiful gardens. Room after room holds magnificently preserved ancient treasures, excavated from all over the island and ranging over 7000 years. Highlights include the exquisite 'Aphrodite Bathing' marble statue from the 1st century BC, a pavilion displaying wall-mounted mosaics, and a reconstructed burial site from 1700 BC that held not only a helmeted warrior but also his horse.
Petaloudes
Petaloudes, 7km up from the coast, is better known as the Valley of the Butterflies. Visit in June, July or August, when these colorful insects mature, and you’ll quickly see why. They’re actually tiger moths (Callimorpha quadripunctarea) drawn to the gorge by the scent of the resin exuded by storax trees. In summer the whole place is choking with tour buses. Out of season, you’ll likely have the gorgeous forest path, streams, and pools to yourself – but no butterflies.
Knights’ Quarter
The Knights of St John, essentially an occupying army during the 14th and 15th centuries, transformed the northern segment of the Old Town into what is known today as the Knights’ Quarter. The Knights took care to protect themselves from the local population as well as potential invaders, erecting mighty fortress-like mansions as well as a fortified palace.
Street of the Knights
Austere and somewhat forbidding, the Street of the Knights (Ippoton) was home from the 14th century to the Knights Hospitaller who ruled Rhodes. They were divided into seven ‘tongues’, or languages according to their birthplace – England, France, Germany, Italy, Aragon, Auvergne and Provence – each responsible for a specific section of the fortifications. As wall displays explain, the street holds an ‘inn’, or palace, for each tongue. Its modern appearance, though, owes much to Italian restorations during the 1930s.
Palace of the Grand Master
From the outside, the magnificent Palace of the Grand Master looks much as it did when erected by the Knights Hospitaller during the 14th century. During the 19th century, however, it was devastated by an explosion, so the interior as you see it today is an Italian reconstruction, completed in the '18th year of the Fascist Era' (1940). The dreary magisterial chambers upstairs hold haphazard looted artworks, so the most interesting section is the exhibit on ancient Rhodes downstairs.
Roloi Clock Tower
The best panoramic view of Rhodes is found at the top of this stunning 7th-century clock-tower. Damaged by an explosion in 1856, it was rebuilt with baroque elements by Feht Pasha. The entrance fee includes one free drink on the attractive terrace below. Best time to come is early morning, or late in the afternoon.
Hora
Bearing traces of its Ottoman past is the Hora, otherwise known as the Turkish Quarter. During Turkish times, churches were converted to mosques, the most important of which is the colorful, pink-domed Mosque of Süleyman, at the top of Sokratous. The opposite is the 18th-century Muslim Library. Founded in 1794 by Turkish Rhodian Ahmed Hasuf, it houses a small number of Persian and Arabic manuscripts and a collection of Korans handwritten on parchment.
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