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Map of Rhodes Town in Rhodes Island Greece
You must book your flights
& tickets before reserving a hotel!
Rhodes City
Features and facilities: Public transportation, Food,
Umbrellas and sunbeds, Hotels
Being one of the most popular Greek beaches among photographers,
the beach of Rhodes still offers something of its cosmopolitan
aspect from the 70's, and is one of the most visited beaches on
the island. Hundreds of tourists and locals visit the beach
daily.
It defies one's powers of imagination to conceive what this
beach must have seen in all the years since the English writer
Lawrence Durrell described it as the finest beach in the
Mediterranean. The multi-coloured umbrellas, the blonde
Scandinavian beauties lounging on their sun beds, the towering
hotels, the Casino and the Aquarium in the background, all of
them once a favourite subject for photographers, are now the
theme of cult postcards.
Hundreds of foreign visitors descend on the beach every day, as
well as local people enjoying their midday break.
Rhodes for the Visitor
-
South Rhodes Council
Although it is bigger than most of
the Greek islands, it is still small enough that you can drive
to any part of it and back in a day.
The main ancient sites are at Lindos,
Ancient Kamiros and Rhodes Town. There are several small
fortress ruins around the coast as well. These are at Kastellos,
Monolithos, Haraki and Archangelos.
The closest site to Niki Apartments is
Filerimos. It can be found by following the main street of
Iallisos inland and up the hill behind the village. It has been
a place of worship going back centuries. St. Paul reputedly
preached here. Now there is a church and unused monastery.
There is also a walk past the stages of the cross that was built
by the Italians and at the end a huge cross recently rebuilt.
You can walk up inside it for a great view across the island.
During ww2, the previous cross was blown up and a gun
emplacement sited here.
The Acropolis at Lindos is worth seeing
but very busy with tourists every day. As is the town of Lindos.
Try to go there earlier in the morning before the tour bus
hordes descend.
Ancient Kamiros is the largest site and not
usually as busy. Figuring out how they stored water and ran it
downhill to the houses is a fun exercise for the brain. It was
one of the first 3 sites settled by Cretans along with Lindos
and Ialissos. Rhodes Town which became the capital of the
island was started later by people from these 3 settlements.
About 14 km west of Ancient Kamiros is
Kamiros Skala. This is a small harbour with the undisputedly
best fish restaurant on the island. When you pull in off the
road, there is a parking lot on your left, a restaurant on your
right and 2 more restaurants going towards the quay. The first
restaurant on the right is the best. Don't try to go on a
Sunday afternoon. Half the island is there for lunch.
Monolithos is an interesting site as the
fortress ruins there are on the top of a monolith of rock.
Hence the name. The section of road from Kamiros Skala to
Monolithis is probably the most scenic section of road on the
island. On one small stretch of a few hundred metres you can
actually see the sea on both sides of the island at the same
time.
The fortress at Haraki (more of Haraki
later) is best approached from the first road on the right when
you are driving away from the village and back towards the main
road. Very few visitors climb up to it but it is worth the
climb. There is a very large cistern in the middle of the ruins
and good views.
Rhodes Old Town is a world heritage site
and is considered to be the best preserved mediaeval town in
Europe. In fact Rhodes has been levelled 3 times by earthquake
in the past. Much of the walls and what you see now were
rebuilt by the Italians when they occuppied the island between
the 2 world wars. The Original Palace of the Knights Templar
was blown up when gunpowder stored in a cellar was accidentally
set off. The Italians rebuilt on the location but without any
original plans. They just built what they thought it would have
been like! There is a fine mosaic in there that they moved from
Kos. There is also a worthwhile museum in the Old Town.
Also on the outskirst of the New Town is
the Acropolis of Rhodes. This is little visited by tourists and
I consider it the hidden gem of Rhodes' ancient sites. There is
the obligatory Acropolis with 3 pillars standing (Acropolis
basically means hilltop and as such is where temples were always
built.).
But more important than the Acropolis is
the Ampitheatre and Stadium below. Where this reconstructed
Ampitheatre now stands, Aristotle and Hippocrates taught. St.
Peter, Caesar, Anthony, Cleopatra all visited here. (You won't
find this in the tourist guide books) In the Stadium (you will
be surprised by this place) athletes competed and practiced for
the Ancient Olympics in Athens. If you see no other ancient
site on Rhodes, this is the one I would go to.
Southeast of Rhodes Town is Kalithea Spa.
This is the site of an ancient spring known since before Roman
times. The Italians got the spring going again, built a big
elaborate spa and people went to take the waters. Their power
being to cause you to empty your body of all toxins. To that
end you may (closed off last time I was there) be able to see a
couple of hallways with rows of toilets. Several war films have
been shot using this as a set. As has Rhodes Old Town. Parts of
the Guns of Navarone were filmed on the island.
That brings me to Anthony Quinn. Known
the world over for Zorba the Greek, most people do not realize
that in fact he was born in Mexico. During filming of the Guns
of Navarone he told the locals he loved the island and because
of this they gave him some land and a small bay on which to
build a house. It is just south of Faliraki (first real road to
the left) and signposted Anthony Quinn Bay. Nice but tiny
beach. Anthony Quinn never returned. As far as I know the land
is still in his name though.
The dance known as the Zorba dance and
done for tourists at Greek Nights and in restaurants all over
Greece is of course not called that in reality but every Greek
happily calls it by that name and accepts Anthony Quinn as Zorba
and an honourary Greek.
For small out of the way traditional
villages my top pick would be Asklipio in the southeast. There
are lots of other relatively untouched villages in the interior
of the island as well. Tourism is by and large confined to the
coast.
Embona in the interior and at the foot of
the highest mountain (hill) on the island is where the local
vineyards are centred. You can visit and taste at the Winery.
Mt. Ataviros is 1215 metres above sea level.
A bit inland on the west coast is
Petaloudes or Valley of the Butterflies as it is known to
tourists. Every summer a species of moth come to rest on the
island in this valley. There are no butterflies but Valley of
the Moth just doesn’t have the same ring to it does it. There
are hundreds of thousands of them but unfortunately their
numbers have been falling in the past decades. In part because
of the attention they receive here. They are there to rest and
sit almost invisible covering the rocks. Sometimes tour guides
clap their hands to make them fly. Disgusting. The walk up the
little valley is lovely with running water (rare on the island)
and trees shading it all.
On the other side of the island there is a
tourist attraction called Seven Springs. Don’t bother unless
you have run out of things to do. All there is to see is a year
round spring which provides water for irrigation.
About half way down the east coast of the
island is my favourite place for Sunday lunch on the island.
Haraki was originally a small fishing village where people from
the small towns of Masari and Melona kept their fishing boats
and built some small houses. Although a few of the old original
fishermen’s houses are still there, all along the beachfront of
the village has now been given over to earning money for the
people of Melona and Masari who own the property, from tourists.
There is a beautiful crescent shaped bay
with a beach that is part sand and part pebble. Behind and
above it is the ruins of the Byzantine fortress that was the
first fortress captured by the Knights Templar when they took
the island.
The beach is never really crowded except
perhaps on a Sunday afternoon when it seems like half of Rhodes
town comes for lunch and a swim. Behind the beach is a
promenade with no cars allowed. As for amenities, Haraki
boasts 2 mini-markets ( picnic lunch on the beach); about 8
restaurants; about 4 bars. When I am there, I hang out at
Cocktails & Dreams which is owned by Mike, a friend of mine.
Right next to it is his cousin Costas little outdoor
restaurant. Great Greek food. If you do visit Haraki, tell
them Ron Ferguson the Canadian sent you.
Also in Haraki on the front is Kiss
Burger. If you are getting tired of Greek food this is the
place to go. George the owner speaks perfect English with a New
Jersey accent. He spent many years there. He makes the best
burger on the island without a doubt. I should know, Canadians
eat as many burgers as Americans.
J
The best beach on the island is considered
by many to be Tsambika Beach which is between Faliraki and
Haraki. It is signposted from the main road. Don’t go on a
windy day though as the sand blows into everything.
All down the west coast are beaches. Take
any little side road off the main road and you will probably end
up at a beach of some kind. Some are stone and some are sand.
There are less beaches on the east coast with most of them
towards the North end of the island. Again, a mix of sand and
stone.
The main shopping area on the island is in
Rhodes New Town. Everything from LaCoste to rip-off copies can
be found. Be careful you don’t mistake one for the other. You
will probably notice the large number of shops selling
umbrellas. People always wonder why so many umbrellas on an
island that sees so much sunny weather ( over 300 days per year
of sun). When ww2 ended, the Dodecanese islands were under
British protection. They had been occupied by Italy between the
2 world wars. The islands were given the choice of whether they
wished to join Greece or not. Of course they voted to join but
not before striking a bargain with Athens. They were given
special tax concessions in several areas. One of these
concessions was on cloth and so a lot of shops selling cloth,
suits and yes umbrellas sprung up. They still enjoy those
concessions including one on liquor. The price of a bottle of
whiskey to take home is worth looking into even though duty free
within the EU no longer exists. Cigarette prices on the island
also see tourists taking home suitcases full.
Gold is a common purchase for tourists.
Gold is worth what gold is worth and there are no real bargains
in this regard but what you will find is original designs. Many
of the gold shops sell the same mass produced items but if you
look carefully you will find some real goldsmiths who produce
much more limited quantities and even one of original designs.
Ask my wife, she has several pieces that I have had to buy to
keep her happy. J
Day trips off the island can be made to
Symi island and Marmaris, Turkey. Both require an early morning
departure from the harbour however. So no late night before if
you plan to go.
Symi is well worth the effort. Entering
Symi harbour by boat is spectacular. The houses rise in tiers
up the hillside from the harbour in various pastel shades of
colour. Symi is known for sponge diving and herbs. Both are
for sale along the harbour side. If you make the effort to walk
up the endless stairs to the top of the ridge you may just have
time for a walk down the other side to Pedi Bay and back before
your boat returns to Rhodes. Pedi has been known for boat
building within Greece, for centuries. There is still a small
boatyard there today where fishing boats are built. This is
supposedly the place where Jason’s Argo was built.
Marmaris, Turkey is not as worth the
effort in my opinion. Marmaris itself is reached by bus on
arrival by hydrofoil. The covered marketplace has much to see
but the constant hassle by vendors can really get annoying. If
you dare to stop for a second and look in a shop window, you can
hardly get away again. If you do wish to visit you must book
your ticket the day before and hand over your passports to have
a visa stamped in them. This is normal and nothing to worry
about. The price for the hydrofoil is fixed and any little
travel agent on the island can arrange things for you. On
arrival in Turkey you will have to pay an additional visa fee.
About £10 the last time I went over. You will also then have to
pay for the bus to and from where the hydrofoil drops you off.
It’s a bit out of town.
All the usual kinds of water sports can be
found around Rhodes. Windsurfers, bungee jumping, horseback
riding, etc. are all available. If you are interested in
anything in particular let me know and I will try to give you
some more information.
Groceries cost about the same as they do
in the UK and there is a decent supermarket about 5 minutes by
car from Niki Apartments, in the village.
Rhodes has several hundred car and scooter
rental businesses. Generally the smaller operations are cheaper
than the big names like Avis, Hertz, etc. These small
businesses are just as safe to rent from although sometimes
their cars may be a few years older. To rent a car you need
your driving license with you. Full insurance is normally
provided, just make sure to ask. Motor scooters are also a
great way to get around but if you are not used to riding one be
careful. Driving is no more difficult than anywhere else but
unfortunately many tourists have accidents every year. Having a
car gives you great freedom and flexibility and I do not
hesitate to suggest renting one. Not necessarily for your whole
stay but for 3 days at a time since there is usually a lower
price per day on a 3 day rental than for a single days’ rental.
Hopefully this has given you some idea of what there is to see
and do on the island, I will of course be happy to reply to any
particular questions you might have. |
