Photography: Ivan Andrejic
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Welcome to the island of the Sun
Rhodes Island is the ideal destination to explore astonishing beaches, fascinating history, culinary delights, natural beauties, invigorating nightlife and more.
Welcome to Rhodes, the capital of the Dodecanese, an island which is ideal not only for those who want to relax but also for those looking for an action –packed holiday! With its bright green hills, rich green valleys and uninterrupted line of golden beaches, Rhodes is truly a blessed place. Add in the excellent facilities for tourism, the island’s special blend of cosmopolitan, traditional, numerous cultural and archaeological sites and you’ve got the perfect holiday destination. Rhodes holds a very pleasant surprise in store, for anyone who visit the island for the first time.
Τhis emerald island of the southeast Aegean Sea, Rhodes, is the biggest of a complex of islands, known as the Dodecanese. The Island of the sun!
The City of Rhodes
The Old Town of Rhodes is considered one of the most beautiful in all of Greece, smelling of leather, spices and coffee – of the Orient. Even the architecture reminds places of the bazaars of the Far East. The domes of the mosques and the slender minarets, bear witness to Turkish rule. The magnificent buildings of the knights, such as the mighty Grand Master’s Palace, are even more impressive. An unbelievable variety of shops, tavernas and cafes have established themselves there, with holidaymakers from all over the world, bringing life to the old streets. The most beautiful view over the city and the Mandraki harbor is offered by a walk on the old city wall. There is a picturesque labyrinth of alleys, lined with beautiful inner courtyards, mosques next to chapels from the Byzantine era, as well as Turkish fountains and ruins of Gothic churches.
Or one can drive up to Monte Smith, past beautiful villas in tropical gardens, admiring the elegant Temple of Athena and the ancient stadium, while at the same time have all of Rhodes at their feet, the port, the beaches and all the Aegean blue Sea.
The Archeological Museum of Rhodes
The Archaeological Museum of Rhodes is housed in the medieval building which served as the Hospital of the Knights of St. John. The structure’s construction, begun in 1440, by Grand Master de Lastic, with money which were bequeathed by his predecessor, Fluvian, and was completed in 1489 by Grand Master d’Aubusson. The museum is a two-storey building, with a central courtyard, all four sides of which are lined with porticoes. Interesting finds, dating from all periods of the island’s history, discovered during archaeological excavations, are exhibited in the Garden and in the twenty rooms of the upper floor. In the garden the visitor can see sculptures and funerary steles, as well as the mosaic floors of the Hellenistic period and under the atrium, one can see the mosaic floor of the early Christian period from Karpathos.
Palace of the Grand Master
The Palace of the Grand Master is undoubtedly the medieval town’s main tourist attraction. It is located northwest, on the town’s loftiest point. Built by the Knights Hospitallers of Jerusalem, in the place of a previous fortification of the 7th c., it was the residence of the Grand Master and the place where conferences of the knightly order were held. The sarcophagi of all the Grand Masters are preserved inside the court.
Baths of Kallithea
The complex was built during Italian rule, in order to provide a center of therapy and recreation for Italian vacationers around the existing, natural thermal springs. The baths were inaugurated on July 1st, 1929, right after the completion of the road, leading from Rhodes to Kallithea. It was designed by architect Pietro Lombardi, who combined Byzantine and Muslim with Classical Greek elements, wisely integrated into the overall composition.
Beach in the city of Rhodes
On this cosmopolitan beach, on the north side of the town, one can enjoy the sun and the azure waters, just a stone’s throw away from the city center. Big hotels, taverns, bars and shops are also nearby.
Faliraki
The beach at Faliraki, with 5 km of golden sand, is a major tourist trap mainly for foreign visitors. The fine sand and warm waters are teeming with hundreds of tourists, as most of them stay in nearby hotels.
Lindos
Lindos is famous not only for its traditional settlement, its ancient acropolis and its significant archeological site, but also for its beautiful beaches. The landscape is amphitheatric, with the acropolis dominating the scenery from above, while the snow white settlement slithers all the way up to the castle. Swimming in the emerald waters and feasting your eyes on the view in front of you, is the experience of a lifetime.
Lindos Archeological Site
The archaeological site includes: Theatre: Located on the southwest side of the hill, below the Temple of Athena, the circular orchestra and the auditorium for the spectators were hollowed out of the side of the hill. The proedries, officials’ honorary seats around the orchestra, still stand proud. The auditorium has19 rows of seats below the diazoma and 7 above it. The first three rows were also intended for officials and the low walls at on their sides, separated them from the auditorium staircases. Only five of the nine cunei have survived. The theatre held 1.800 spectators. Four-portico building: There are remains of a four-sided building in the extension of the skene of the Theatre. On the inside columns, on all four sides, supported a pitched roof and surrounded an open-air courtyard. The entrance on the northwest side had a porch (row of columns), which carried an architrave. The building held 1.500-1.700 spectators and was intended for religious ceremonies. At a later period the place was occupied successively by three Christian churches.
Boukopion: At Vigli, northeast of the Acropolis, was the Boukopion, a sacrificial place, as the name implies. 38 inscriptions on the rocks around, identify the site. A naiskos built of small field stones with a temple, pronaos and kind of vestibule, contained the votive offerings (clay and bronze figurines chiefly of oxen) to a deity, at present unidentified (10th-9thc. BC
The ancient Lindos cemeteries where spread over the surrounding district, with the most two important, funerary monuments being:“The Tomb of Kleoboulos”: This has no connection with the tyrant of Lindos, but was the tomb of a wealthy family. It is a circular structure with carefully built masonry and a vaulted roof. The doorway has a cornice, decorated with palmettes. On the inside, a bed, hewn out of the rock, was a kind of sarcophagus and had a cover, which has not survived (2nd-1stc. BC). Traces of wall-painting and the name “Ayios Aimilianos” testify to its conversion into a Christian church, at a later period. The Archokrateion: In the locality of Kampana at Krana, on the west hill of the Acropolis, there is a rock-cut tomb. The exterior facade has two stories; half-columns on the ground floor, supporting an architrave with metopes and triglyphs, and on the upper floor pillars alternate with blind openings. On the first floor façade, funerary altars were erected with the names of the dead inscribed on their bases. On the inside, a passage led to a place for burial rituals. A total of 19 graves are cut into this chamber walls. On the sides of the hall, pillars alternate with plaster panels. Its modern name of “Frangokklesia” suggests that it was used as a church during the Knights’ period. The Naiskos of the Taxiarch Michael: Stratelates below the village square; there is a shallow niche with a postByzantine representation of the Archangel Michael Psychopompos. The traces of earlier frescos date it to the Byzantine period. West of it, near the remains of the Moslem cemetery: There is a shallow niche, containing the representation of a mounted saint, possibly 15thc.
Monastery of the Lady Filerimos
Monastery of the Lady Filerimos is located on a hill above Ialyssos, about 10 km from Rhodes Town, close to the site of Ancient Ialyssos. It was built by the Knights of Saint John in the medieval times and was reconstructed in the early 20th c. The monastery is dedicated to Virgin Mary the Life-Giving Source (Zoodochos Pighi) and its architecture is much different than the usual monasteries in Greece. Its Gothic style stone construction, was built on top of the site of an older Byzantine monastery.
At the citadel of Filerimos, stands the Church of the Lady Filerimos, built by the Knights of the Order of St. John, as well as many religious monuments of ancient, Byzantine and Knights’ period.
The Rhodes Marina
The Rhodes Marina is an elegant community near the Medieval Town of Rhodes, and one of the most attractive locations on the island, all the year round. The modern yacht facilities, along with the recreational and promenade areas, offer getaway moments for both the Rhodians and visitors of the island.
