This article is about the island of Rhodes. For the city of the same name, capital of the island, see the separate article Rhodes city.

Rhodes is the largest Greek island of the Dodecanese group of the South Aegean Islands of Greece. It is known for the Colossus, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, which was sadly destroyed.

Harbour gates in Rhodes city

Cities

• Rhodes city - The biggest city on the island and seat of the local government
• Lindos - Small village with an old acropolis. Located around a small hill. No Cars are allowed in the large areas of the town.
• Haraki - Small former fishing village located next to Lindos.
• Pefkos - A smaller tourist resourt close to Lindos. Originally started as a small collection of farms and private residences, but has grown into a town in its own right.
• Faliraki - Rhodes' "Action resort". Go there for Party, everything else is better somewhere else.
• Kalithea - snorkeling, hotels
• Lardos
• Gennadi
• Afandou - One of the big villages on the island. The golf course of Rhodes is situated in this area along with a long distance beach
• Ixia - West coast resort, close to Rhodes city

Other destinations

• Many beaches
• Undeveloped south

Understand

Rhodes is a major tourist attraction for the seekers of sunny beaches. While many of its beaches are gravel, not sand; the island can boast 300+ sun days in a year. Tourism plays a large part in the island's economy. An estimated 80% of the island's revenue results from tourism. Consequently, you will stumble into tourists and hotels and beaches full of deck chairs for rent, into shops and restaurants that cater to these tourists. It can be overwhelming at times. If this bothers you, Rhodes is probably not for you. Still, there are some areas where mass tourism has not yet penetrated too much. And there are advantages, too: Travel to and accommodation on Rhodes itself can be purchased for relatively low prices, and most of the locals speak at least English and German and often some other languages.

Tourist information

The local tourist information office for the Dodecanese Islands is located in Rhodes city at Makariou & Papagou Corner (opposite the New Market). Telephone 22410 44335-6, Fax 22410 26955.

Talk

Greek is the native language of the people of Rhodes. However, most people also speak passable English and many speak German or other European languages.

Get in

By boat

You can get to Rhodes via a ferry from any nearby island, or from Turkey. However, this is quite unlikely unless you are a local - most tourists, by far, arrive via aeroplane. The only exception may be cruises, in which case the arrival will have been taken care of for you by the cruise operators.

By plane

The island is served by Diagoras International Airport with the IATA code RHO. The airport is situated on the west coast about 14km from Rhodes Town. There are regular flights to and from Athens and Thessaloniki; charter airlines connect Rhodes with many major cities all over Europe.

Get around

By bus

Public buses operate throughout the islands. Depending on the destination, they will depart several times a day. Line 21, which serves the large hotels on Rhodes' east coast with Faliraki as the final destination, will depart in Rhodes city almost every half-hour. The main bus terminal in Rhodes city is the Neá Agorá, the New Market, where you will also find booths selling tickets. Schedules are also displayed here. The price of a bus ticket will depend on the destination, naturally. For example, a trip from Rhodes city to Faliraki will cost 1.70 Euros.

Tickets can also be bought in the bus. Most busses have a dedicated cashier, who will also gesture you in which door of the bus to enter, especially if the bus is very crowded. If there is no cashier, you pay at the driver's.

Keep your ticket until the end of your voyage.

Bus stops on the road are marked by a sign and usually have a small open roofed area to protect against the sun. Many only have these on one side of the road; do not hesitate to signal a bus driver that you wish to board. Bus stops do not have the timetables displayed. A Rhodes' bus will depart its originating city at a fixed time (the time on the timetable). It is up to the passengers to calculate how long it will take the bus to get from there to the stop they wish to board.

By taxi

Taxis on Rhodes are dark blue with white roofs. There is a list of expected maximum taxi charges you can obtain from the tourist information office. For example, a trip from Rhodes city to Faliraki should not cost more than 13 Euros; the trip from the Airport to Rhodes city a maximum of 14 Euros. The minimum fare for each trip is 2.00 Euros, the taximeter starts at 0.85 Euros.

You can radio a taxi via telephone number 22410 69800. This adds a standard surcharge of 1.50 Euros. Waiting fare is 7.90 Euros per hour. Between midnight and 5 AM you will have to pay twice the normal rates.

There are some other surcharges, but they can be neglected in most cases. However, you should be aware that some taxi drivers will try to turn off the taximeter and then charge an amount of their choice; you should not go along with this and insist on a correct metering.

By car

It is not worth the hassle to bring your own car to the island, although it is in theory possible. You can rent a car at the airport or via any hotel and at many local dealers. Asphalt highways will allow you to reach the entire island, although roads in the interior - especially the south - may turn out to be little more than dirt paths.

By motorcycle

Motorbikes and mopeds are popular alternatives to cars. Especially mopeds are frequently used by local youths and can go to many places that cars cannot go - for example the twisted narrow streets of Rhodes city. An additional advantage is that they are cheap to rent - 10 to 15 Euros a day is the usual price. If you start a day-trip with a moped, make you sure you do so on a full tank, as gas stations are sometimes hard to find. An extra stop at a gas station can save a lot of nerves. When renting a moped, check if the profile of the tyres is ok and if the brakes work properly. If it is the last vehicle in store, be suspicious - it could be the one that needs a repair badly. Though helmets are not required on the streets as the police will not stop you for that, it might be a good idea to ask your rent-a-bike for one, especially if you intend to drive on streets with more traffic.

See

• Filerimos Hill. Medieval remains, a monastery and chapel. Good views over the north of the island.
• Kamiros. Ancient ruins.
• Castle with acropolis over Lindos.
• Tsambika Peak.
• The old town of Rhodes city
  • Palace of the Prince Grand Master.
  • Street of Knights.
  • Fortifications.
• Valley of the Butterflies. Since the butterflies - which are actually coloured moths - in this area need quietude for their procreation and since the area is visited by many tourists, the population of the Petaloudes "butterflies" is constantly on the decline; even to a degree that it does not make any sense anymore to go there, as you will hardly see any of the moths.
• Epta Piges. In English that's the seven springs and that is literally all there is to see there except for a short forest walking trail. In the hot summer months, the cool shade provides a pleasant respite from the sun.
• Castle of Kastellos.
• Castle of Monolithos.
• Cape Prasonisi. The southern-most tip of Rhodes. There is a peninsular connected to the main island by a sand bar. Unless you have a 4x4, think twice before driving your car across the sand bar: it becomes progressively less solid and it is easy to get stuck.

Do

• Shopping in Rhodes city. The entire old town is taken over by tourist shops.
• Sunbathing
• Swimming
• Snorkeling
• Diving
• Surfing and Kitesurfing on the west coast and especially on the south end of the island
• Many hotels will offer activity programs
• Most tour operators will offer excursions
• Climb Mt Attavyros. A challenging 2-3 hour climb to the island's highest point (1215m). On leaving Embonas on the road towards Siana, drive up one of the agricultural roads on the left and find a place to park. On foot, you continue up through the wine growing area in the obvious direction. There is no explicit marked path but red paint on rocks towards the top marks the best route. It is a steep climb with many large loose rocks. The descent can be especially tricky. It is also possible to drive up the mountain: the approach road comes from the South.
• Excursions [1] a selection of activities on Rhodes Island and near-by attractions
• Monolithos - If you are staying on the east coast, drive to Gennadi. North of the village, take the road across the island via Vati to Apollakia. The drive can be windy for moped riders, but the beautiful vistas make up for the work. Apollakia is not very special but has a couple of nice tavernas if you feel like having a refreshment. South of the village is a gas station, which you should use in case you are on a moped. Go on to Monolithos. Behind the village there is the actual attraction, which you will see from the road: The Castle of Monolithos on a 240m-high rock. Do not forget to go to the actual site, which does not offer much architecture-wise, but provides you with splendid views across the west coast. To the north-west, you can see the Castle of Kalki. If you feel like you have had enough culture by then, take the 6km winding road down to remote Fourni beach. There are actually two beaches, both of which are rather rocky. The west coast is rougher than the east coast, and sometimes the waves can become high, so that untrained swimmers might skip their lesson here. Nevertheless, the place is worth visiting, especially for its beautiful colour of water and the rough landscape.
• Prasonisi
• Lindos
• Kamiros and Mt. Profitis Ilias

Beaches

There is a good variety of beaches on Rhodes. The east side of the island has almost continuous sandy beaches with calm waters. Beaches on the west are mostly more stony. The wind mostly comes in from the west and also the sea tends to be somewhat rougher to the west so that side of the island is better suited to surfing or kite boarding.

• Rhodes Town.
• Lindos. The stunningly beautiful town beach on the bay. Very trendy, so wear your thong bikini here if you want to fit in.
• Kalithea. Just north of Faliraki, this was originally an Italian built spa. It is very pleasant spot but can be crowded. Currently building work is ongoing to build what looks like it will be a modern spa adjacent to the original buildings. A number of separate beaches, each seemingly with their own taverna lie just south of the spa.
• Faliraki. A long sandy beach with plenty of tavernas to choose from. There is also no shortage of people to rent jet skis from or to organise other activities. At the southern end, there is a quiter, more rocky beach but the sea there is inconveniently shallow for swimmers. There is also a nudist beach a little further South.
• Ladiko Beach (Anthony Quinn Bay). This is a very scenic spot. On one side of the bay is a relatively small beach. The other side is rocky but a man made platform provides further space for sunbathing and access to the sea.
• Afandou Beach
  

  

  Afandou Beach
• Kolymbia Beach.
• Tsambika Beach
• Gennadi Beach

Buy

• Sponges
• Ceramic (watch for the many "Keramik factory" outlets along the roads).
• Olive oil
• Religious icons
• Jewelry stores are common, particularly in Rhodes Town
• Umbrellas are a popular "joke" souvenir - on an island with 300+ sun days a year, these are rarely needed
• Colorful sea shells are a popular souvenir item, but very many of them are actually imported, and have no authentic connection to the island whatsoever.
• Many brand name products for sale in the tourist shops may be fakes and/or unlicensed (t-shirts, towels, hand bags, and so on)

Eat

See the Eat section under the main Greece article.

Drink

Whilst the tap water is drinkable, bottled water is easily available and preferable. Local drinks include Mythos (beer) and Ouzo.

Stay safe

Rhodes is a generally safe destination. There are a few things to look out for.

• The resort town of Faliráki has become infamous for the lewd behavior of young, drunk British partiers. A string of crimes committed by these young tourists against locals, as well as against other tourists, gained national attention in the summer of 2003; they ranged from vandalism to serious acts of violence. Police have since increased their presence in Faliráki to crack down on such behavior.
• Taxi drivers will sometimes turn off their meters and charge an arbitrary amount at the destination. Make sure they don't do this.
• The summer sun tends to get very strong. You should not take the risk of dehydration, sunburns or even heat strokes lightly. Wear appropriate clothes, maybe with a hat and sunglasses; use sunscreen; bring enough water on excursions and know when to stop exhausting yourself and seek the shade of a tree.
• Like in the rest of Greece, it is not allowed to take photographs of military or strategic installations

Get out

• Daily excursions via boat to Symi and other islands are offered from Rhodes city
• A ferry to Turkey is also available