Sightseeing · Rhodes Town

The Old Town of Rhodes: A Walk Through 2,400 Years of History

Step through the Gate of Amboise and the modern world falls away. The Old Town of Rhodes is the largest inhabited medieval town in Europe — a living UNESCO World Heritage Site where Crusader knights once marched and where, today, you can sip a freddo espresso in a 600-year-old courtyard.

Most visitors give the Old Town a rushed afternoon. That’s a mistake. Behind the souvenir-lined main drag lies a labyrinth of silent alleys, hidden hammams and Byzantine churches that reward anyone willing to get a little lost. This guide shows you how to do it properly.

Why the Old Town of Rhodes is unmissable

Founded in 408 BC and fortified by the Knights of St John in the 14th century, the Old Town is wrapped in four kilometres of honey-coloured walls. It’s one of the best-preserved medieval citadels on the planet, and unlike a museum, people still live, work and raise families inside it.

The Street of the Knights

The Avenue of the Knights (Ippoton) is the showpiece — a perfectly preserved Gothic street climbing toward the Palace of the Grand Master. Each “inn” along it once housed knights from a different European tongue: France, Italy, Spain, England. Walk it early in the morning before the cruise crowds arrive and it’s almost eerily quiet.

What not to miss inside the walls

• Palace of the Grand Master — mosaic floors and a fairytale silhouette.
• Archaeological Museum — set in the medieval Knights’ Hospital.
• Süleymaniye Mosque — a reminder of the Ottoman centuries.
• Hippocrates Square — the buzzing social heart, best at dusk.
• The town walls walk — elevated views over terracotta rooftops.

Get lost on purpose. The best corners of the Old Town have no signpost and no entry fee.

Best time to visit

Arrive before 10am or after 6pm to dodge both the heat and the cruise-ship surge. Spring and early autumn offer warm light, thinner crowds and comfortable walking temperatures — our month-by-month guide to the best time to visit Rhodes breaks it down. While you’re exploring the centre, don’t miss our pick of the best beaches in Rhodes for an afternoon swim.

Sightseeing · Lindos

Lindos & Its Acropolis: The Most Beautiful Village in Rhodes

A dazzling cluster of whitewashed houses spilling beneath an ancient acropolis, all wrapped around a turquoise bay — Lindos is the picture-postcard Rhodes you came to see. It’s 47 km south of Rhodes Town, and worth every kilometre.

Lindos works on two levels: the timeless drama of its clifftop ruins, and the cool, car-free maze of lanes below where captains’ mansions hide flower-filled courtyards. Here’s how to do both in one unforgettable day.

The Acropolis of Lindos

Perched 116 metres above the sea, the Acropolis has been a sacred site for over 2,500 years. The Doric Temple of Athena Lindia crowns the summit, ringed by the later fortifications of the Knights of St John. From the top, the view over St Paul’s Bay is one of the finest in all of Greece.

The village below

Cars are banned inside Lindos village, which keeps its narrow lanes blissfully calm. Wander past the “Captains’ Houses” with their carved doorways, find a rooftop taverna, and don’t miss the Church of the Panagia with its 18th-century frescoes.

St Paul’s Bay

A near-enclosed natural lagoon with calm, clear water, named for the apostle who is said to have landed here. It’s a short walk or boat ride from the village and makes the perfect swim stop after the climb — and it features in our roundup of the best beaches in Rhodes.

Climb the Acropolis for sunrise light, swim St Paul’s Bay by noon, dine on a Lindos rooftop at dusk.

Getting to Lindos

Public buses run from Rhodes Town but are slow and crowded in summer. A private transfer lets you leave early, beat the tour buses to the top, and stay as long as you like — compare every option in our guide to getting around Rhodes. Pair the trip with the historic Old Town of Rhodes for a perfect two-stop day.

History · Archaeology

Ancient Kamiros: The “Pompeii of Rhodes” You Shouldn’t Skip

While crowds queue for Lindos, one of the most evocative ancient sites in Greece sits almost empty on the island’s quiet west coast. Ancient Kamiros is a complete Hellenistic town frozen in time — streets, houses, temples and all.

Nicknamed the “Pompeii of Rhodes,” Kamiros lets you walk the actual grid of a 2,400-year-old city, with the Aegean shimmering below. It’s a history lover’s dream and refreshingly uncommercial.

A city that vanished

Kamiros was one of the three great Dorian cities that united to found Rhodes Town in 408 BC. It grew wealthy on olive oil, wine and figs, then faded after earthquakes and the rise of the new capital. Buried and forgotten, it was rediscovered in the 19th century — remarkably intact.

What you’ll see

The site rises in three tiers up the hillside. At the bottom sits the agora and temple; the middle holds a long residential street lined with house foundations; the top reveals a huge water cistern and the stoa that once framed a temple to Athena. Interpretive signs help you picture daily life here.

Why it beats the crowds

Because there’s no village, no big resorts and limited public transport nearby, Kamiros stays peaceful even in high season. You can have whole streets to yourself — something impossible at busier sites like the Old Town of Rhodes or Lindos Acropolis.

Walk a real ancient street, not a roped-off ruin — Kamiros is history you can wander through.