Rhodes has the holiday-island dream combination of year-round sunshine, beaches, nightlife, culture, and scenery. If you’re not immediately enchanted by the maze of magical back streets and medieval fortifications in its old town, you will be by the idyllic beaches, winding mountain roads, and pristine wild interior. And you don’t have to spend a fortune to enjoy it.
Budget Beds
For value for money, you really cannot beat the
Vallian Village Hotel, a short drive from the airport and just 13 km from Rhodes. Frequent visitors to Rhodes treat this place as a second home, not least because the staff make you feel like part of the family. All facilities are spotless, and there’s even a pool. For a more central location, try the
Amaryllis Hotel. Situated within walking distance of the old town, it is close to two beaches and a wealth of bars and restaurants. The rooms are spotless, and the restaurant and cocktail bar are also worth visiting.
Old Town
As possibly the oldest continuously inhabited medieval town in Europe, Rhodes’s Old Town is a wonder to behold, and it costs nothing to explore. Of the many gates to this wonderland, we suggest you enter first through Eleftheria (Liberty) Gate, where you'll come to Plateia Simi, containing ruins of the Temple of Venus, where votive offerings uncovered may date from the 3rd century BC. Plateia Simi is also where you’ll find the
Municipal Art Gallery of Rhodes, with its first-rate collection of works by prominent modern Greek artists. If you are a serious museum buff, save money by purchasing a pass that covers admission to the Museum of Decorative Arts, Archaeological Museum, Church of our Lady of the Castle, and Palace of the Knights.
Street of the Knights
Street of the Knights (called Ippoton on maps) is one of the best-preserved and most magical medieval treasures in the world. The cobbled street lies over an ancient pathway that led in a straight line from the Acropolis of Rhodes to the port. In the early 16th century, it was home to most of the inns of each nation, which housed Knights who belonged to the Order of St. John. Start at Spanish House and continue on past Inn of the Order of the Tongue of Italy and the Palace of the Villiers of the Isle of Adam. The procession should end at Palace of the Knights (also known as Palace of the Grand Masters), but it was blown up in a massive accidental explosion in 1856, and what stands today is an ostentatious palace constructed in the 1930s in accordance with Mussolini's visits and fantasies.
Cheap Eats
Psinthos, just 32km from Rhodes, is really worth the drive for a visit to the delightful taverna Artemida. You will be welcomed like a family member and served the best in Greek home cooking. Enjoy homemade garlic bread and olive oil to start, followed by Greek salads, a selection of home-grown foods, and delicious Greek coffee. Within Rhodes itself, try Restaurant Agalma, where robust steaks and authentic Greek cooking are on offer at exceptionally reasonable prices. Enjoy superb cuisine in the leafy courtyard at Marco Polo Cafe, also in Rhodes Town.
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