Rhodes Tours

Rhodes Tours introduce travelers to the largest island in the Dodecanese, where a walled medieval city meets pine-covered hills and pebble coves along the southeastern Aegean. Byzantine rulers, the Knights Hospitaller, Ottoman governors and Italian administrators all left their mark here, and that layered history is now the island's main draw. Its position between mainland Greece, Turkey and the wider eastern Mediterranean made Rhodes a strategic waypoint for close to three thousand years.

Rhodes Tours can be booked as a standalone island break or added onto a longer Greece itinerary that continues on to other islands in the Aegean. Most sightseeing centers on the Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with day excursions reaching Lindos and other villages along the coast.

Old Town of Rhodes

The Old Town is one of the largest inhabited medieval towns in Europe, encircled by stone walls that the Knights Hospitaller built and reinforced between the 14th and early 16th centuries. Cobbled lanes lead past Gothic churches, Ottoman-era mosques and stone mansions, and the whole quarter remains a functioning neighborhood rather than a museum piece.

Palace of the Grand Master

The Palace of the Grand Master sits at the top of the Old Town and served as the headquarters of the Knights Hospitaller before later use as an Ottoman prison and an Italian-era residence. Restored mosaic floors, vaulted halls and a small museum on ancient Rhodes fill the interior.

Street of the Knights

The Street of the Knights runs downhill from the palace, lined with the inns once occupied by the Order's different national divisions, known as tongues. Its cobblestones and stone facades date largely to the 14th and 15th centuries and remain close to their original form.

Lindos and Its Acropolis

Lindos, roughly 50 kilometers south of Rhodes Town, pairs a whitewashed village with an acropolis perched above the sea. The clifftop site combines a Doric temple to Athena Lindia, Hellenistic colonnades and a medieval castle built by the Knights, all reached on foot or by donkey up a steep path from the village square.

Ancient Rhodes and the Colossus

Rhodes' ancient harbor was once marked by the Colossus of Rhodes, a bronze statue of the sun god Helios and one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Built around 280 BC to celebrate the city's survival of a siege, it stood for roughly 54 years before an earthquake toppled it in 226 BC. No trace of the statue survives, but the harbor it guarded, now called Mandraki, still anchors the modern town.

Beyond the Old Town

Away from Rhodes Town, the island's east coast holds resort beaches at Faliraki and Kolymbia, while the interior rises toward pine forests around Mount Attavyros, the island's highest point at 1,215 meters. Villages such as Archangelos and Embonas keep a slower pace, with local wine production and traditional pottery still active in the area.

Getting Around Rhodes

Rhodes International Airport sits about 14 kilometers south of Rhodes Town, with regular flights connecting the island to Athens and other European cities during the summer season. Local buses link Rhodes Town with Lindos and other coastal towns, while rental cars and organized excursions cover routes further into the interior.

Rhodes Tour Packages

Rhodes Tour Packages range from Old Town walking tours to multi-day sailing trips along the Dodecanese coastline. One option, the 8-day/7-night Rhodes Gulet Cruise 2026, combines traditional wooden-boat sailing with stops at smaller islands and coves around Rhodes.

Best Time to Visit Rhodes

April through June and September through October bring warm, dry weather without the peak-season crowds and heat of July and August. Winter stays mild by northern European standards, though many seasonal businesses close between November and March.