
Rhodes © GNTO
In days of old when knights were bold they found the island of
Rhodes, close to the Turkish shore at the merging of the
Mediterranean and Aegean seas, and set it up as a fortress to
protect the Christian west from the invasion of the 'heathens' from
the east. Today the island, the main one of the 12 making up the
Dodecanese group, is still subject to invasion, but now the
intruders are tourists, who come to revel in what is reputedly the
sunniest Greek island, and to have fun in the medieval city the
knights left behind. The town of Rhodes, on the northern point of
the island, has preserved its picturesque walled old city as a
playground for visitors. In ancient times the harbour here was
guarded by the legendary Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven
Wonders of the World, but now some statues of deer have taken its
place. Nevertheless the old part of the city has plenty of wonders
still to offer and the modern part of the town is just as vibrant.
The rest of the relatively large island offers miles of beaches,
interesting archaeological sites and natural beauty spots. The best
beaches are on the east coast, between Faliraki and Lindos. Lindos
is renowned as a particularly picturesque town that has been
designated a protected historic settlement.
Resorts
See our separate guides to the following Rhodes holiday resorts: Lindos, Rhodes Town, Faliraki and Ixia
Attractions
Acropolis of Rhodes
The ancient Hellenic acropolis of Rhodes sits on a hill in the
western part of the city, and once consisted of a monumental zone
full of sanctuaries, large temples, public buildings and
underground vaults. The buildings were set on stepped terraces
interspersed with gardens.... see full details
Excursions
Karpathos
From Rhodes it about a three hour ferry crossing to the
hospitable island of Karpathos where the clock has stood still in
the delightful village of Olymbos in the south. Here the locals go
about their business much as they did in Homer's...
see full details