Island guide · the Dodecanese
Rhodes Travel Guide: Is Rhodes Right for You?
Rhodes suits families, history lovers and anyone wanting a long sunny season and a medieval old town. Skip it for Cycladic charm. Honest Rhodes guide.
Rhodes at a glance
Go if: Families · History · Long season sun · Mixed beach-and-culture trips · Day trips to Symi and Lindos
Skip it if: Cycladic village aesthetics · Escaping crowds in the old town in August · Nightlife purists (Faliraki aside)
Getting there: Rhodes airport (RHO) is the third busiest in Greece for international charter traffic, with direct summer flights from the UK, Ireland, Germany, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Scandinavia, Poland, Israel and much of central Europe, plus year-round Athens flights of about an hour.
Rhodes is right for you if you want a walled medieval city, more than 300 days of sunshine a year, long sandy beaches and good-value resort holidays with real culture attached. It is the wrong island if you are chasing the white-cube Cycladic look, or if you want to avoid package-holiday resorts entirely, because the east coast has plenty of them.
Rhodes at a glance
- Island group: Dodecanese, in the far southeast Aegean, about 18 km from the Turkish coast
- Getting there: Rhodes airport (RHO) at Paradisi, 14 km from Rhodes Town; ferries from Piraeus take roughly 11 to 17 hours, usually overnight with Blue Star, so almost everyone flies
- Best for: Families, history, long season sun, mixed beach-and-culture trips, day trips to Symi and Lindos
- Not for: Cycladic village aesthetics, escaping crowds in the old town in August, nightlife purists (Faliraki aside)
- Best months: May, June, September, October
- Price level: Mid
- Size & getting around: Large (about 1,400 sq km, 80 km long). Rhodes Town is walkable; good buses run down both coasts; a car is worth it for the south and interior
Who Rhodes is for
Rhodes is for people who want their beach holiday to come with something to look at. The medieval Old Town, built by the Knights of St John in the 14th and 15th centuries and still enclosed by 4 km of walls, is a UNESCO site you can sleep inside. Lindos, an hour south, stacks a white village under an acropolis above two of the best bays on the island.
Families are well served: the east coast from Faliraki down to Kiotari is a chain of sandy, shallow beaches with hotels of every size and fair prices, and the island has one of the longest seasons in Greece. Symi is an hour away by fast boat, and Halki and Tilos are easy overnight trips.
Who should skip Rhodes
If your mental image of Greece is a hilltop Chora of whitewashed cubes and blue domes, Rhodes will not deliver it; the architecture is medieval, Ottoman and Italian, and the resort strips are unmistakably resort strips.
Rhodes Old Town in July and August is also packed, with cruise ships adding thousands of day visitors, and Lindos can hit 40 C in the afternoon with a queue up to the acropolis. If crowds and heat bother you, come in the shoulder months or choose a quieter island.
What to actually do on Rhodes
The Old Town of Rhodes
Walk the Street of the Knights and the Palace of the Grand Master, then walk the moat outside the walls, a shaded park most visitors never find. Go early or after seven in the evening when the cruise crowds are gone.
Lindos and its acropolis
The acropolis holds the Temple of Athena Lindia above a bay with impossibly clear water. Swim at St Paul’s Bay and arrive before ten to beat the heat and the coaches.
Day trip to Symi
Fast boats from Mandraki harbor reach Symi in just over an hour. The pastel neoclassical houses above the harbor are among the most photographed in Greece.
The west coast and Prasonisi
The west side is windier and wilder: ancient Kamiros, Monolithos castle, and at the southern tip Prasonisi, where a sandbar separates a flat lagoon from a windy bay and windsurfers gather all summer.
The interior
Drive inland to the Valley of the Butterflies in June or July, and to Embonas under Mount Attavyros for wine and grilled meat.
Where to stay on Rhodes
- Rhodes Old Town: Sleeping inside the walls, restaurants and nightlife on foot; couples and culture-first trips
- Ixia and Ialysos: Big hotels on the windy west coast close to the airport; convenience and windsurfing
- Lindos and Pefkos: Prettiest village, best bays, a full hour from the airport; couples and families who want to stay put
- Kiotari and Gennadi: Quieter southeast coast, long beaches, fewer crowds; families and anyone with a car
When to go
Rhodes has one of the longest seasons in Greece. April and May are green and mild with the sea still cool; June is close to ideal; September and October offer sea temperatures of 24 to 26 C and are the best months for combining beach and sightseeing.
July and August are very hot, often above 35 C inland, and the Old Town and Lindos are at their most crowded. The meltemi is weaker than in the Cyclades, but the west coast is consistently breezy, which is why the resorts are on the east. Winter is mild and quiet.
Getting there and around
Rhodes airport (RHO) is the third busiest in Greece for international charter traffic, with direct summer flights from the UK, Ireland, Germany, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Scandinavia, Poland, Israel and much of central Europe, plus year-round Athens flights of about an hour. Ferries from Piraeus take most of a day, so they only make sense if you are hopping down through the Dodecanese via Kos and Patmos.
On the island, KTEL buses from Rhodes Town run down the east coast to Lindos and beyond and along the west coast to Kamiros. A car is the only practical way to see the south and interior in one trip.
Rhodes vs the alternatives
Crete is the bigger, deeper version of the same idea, with better hiking and food but more driving. Kos, its Dodecanese neighbor, is flatter, cheaper and easier to cycle, with a smaller ancient town in place of the medieval one. Corfu matches Rhodes for Venetian-era architecture and family resorts but is greener and wetter. If this is your first Greek trip, see our guide to the best Greek island for first-time visitors.
Booking Rhodes
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- Flights: Rhodes (RHO) is one of the best-connected islands in Greece for direct summer flights. Compare fares on Aviasales.
- A car: Lindos, Prasonisi and the west coast are all a long way from Rhodes Town. Rent through Localrent for local suppliers and lower deposits.
- The Palace of the Grand Master: The Old Town’s main sight, and the ticket queue is real in summer. Book through Tiqets.
Also in the Dodecanese
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Frequently asked questions
Is Rhodes expensive?
No, it is one of the better-value large islands. Rooms inside the Old Town cost more, but east-coast resorts are competitively priced, and tavernas outside the tourist core charge 10 to 15 euros for a main.
How many days do you need in Rhodes?
Five to seven days is right: two for Rhodes Town, one for Lindos, one for Symi, and the rest for beaches and the south.
Does Rhodes have an airport?
Yes. Rhodes Diagoras airport (RHO) at Paradisi is 14 km southwest of Rhodes Town, about 20 minutes by taxi, with direct flights from across Europe from April to October and daily Athens services all year.
Last updated 2026-09.