Things to do · Rhodes · Greece
18 best things to do in Rhodes
18 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Quick answer
The essential sights in Rhodes are Palace of the Grand Master, Acropolis of Lindos and Lindos village and St Paul's Bay. Of the 18 picks below, 7 are free, 4 work on a rainy day and 4 suit children. Allow about 7 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Palace of the Grand Master
- Free sights
- 7
- Good on a rainy day
- Palace of the Grand Master
- Time to see the highlights
- 7 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palace of the Grand Master | Rhodes Old Town | 1–1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Acropolis of Lindos | Lindos | 1.5–2 hours with the climb | Mid-priced |
| Lindos village and St Paul's Bay | Lindos | Half a day | Free |
| Mandraki Harbour | Rhodes New Town | 1 hour | Free |
| Street of the Knights | Rhodes Old Town | 30 minutes | Free |
| Old Town walls and moat | Rhodes Old Town | 1 hour | Free |
| Archaeological Museum of Rhodes | Rhodes Old Town | 1–1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Monte Smith and the Acropolis of Rhodes | Rhodes New Town | 1–1.5 hours | Free |
| Kallithea Springs | Kallithea | 2–3 hours | Low cost |
| Anthony Quinn Bay | Faliraki | Half a day | Low cost |
| Valley of the Butterflies (Petaloudes) | Petaloudes | 1–1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Filerimos | Ialyssos | 1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Ancient Kamiros | West coast | 1–1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Kritinia Castle | West coast | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| Seven Springs (Epta Piges) | Kolymbia | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Tsambika Monastery | Kolymbia | 1 hour | Free |
| Rhodes Aquarium | Rhodes New Town | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| Kahal Shalom Synagogue and the Jewish Quarter | Rhodes Old Town | 45 minutes | Low cost |
The 18 best things to do
Palace · Rhodes Old Town
1.Palace of the Grand Master
The fortress-palace of the Knights' Grand Masters stands at the top of the Street of the Knights. It was wrecked by an explosion in 1856 and rebuilt by the Italians in the 1930s, who furnished it with Roman and early Christian mosaic floors brought from Kos. The ground floor holds exhibitions on ancient and medieval Rhodes.
Visit early in the morning before cruise-ship groups arrive, then walk down the Street of the Knights while it is still quiet.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Historic site · Lindos
2.Acropolis of Lindos
On a sheer rock 116 metres above the sea, the acropolis combines the Doric Temple of Athena Lindia, a Hellenistic stoa and the walls of a Knights' castle. At the foot of the final staircase, a relief of a warship's stern is carved into the rock. The views over St Paul's Bay and the village are the reason most people make the climb.
Climb as early as the site allows; the path from the village takes 15–20 minutes, has no shade and gets very hot by late morning.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours with the climb
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- History
- Views
- Photo spot
Neighbourhood · Lindos
3.Lindos village and St Paul's Bay
Lindos's whitewashed lanes hold captains' houses with carved doorways and black-and-white pebble-mosaic courtyards, and the Church of the Panagia with its frescoed interior. Below the acropolis, St Paul's Bay is an almost enclosed lagoon with a small white chapel, where tradition says the apostle Paul landed.
Stay for the evening if you can: once the tour buses leave, the lanes are calm and the acropolis is floodlit.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Couples
- Photo spot
- Architecture
- Iconic
Waterfront · Rhodes New Town
4.Mandraki Harbour
Rhodes Town's old harbour is guarded by bronze statues of a stag and a doe on columns at its entrance, where legend places the Colossus. Three medieval windmills stand on the mole, which leads to the Fort of St Nicholas, and excursion boats for Lindos and Symi line the quay opposite the New Market.
Walk the mole to the windmills and the fort at sunset, then eat souvlaki at the New Market stalls.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Iconic
- Photo spot
- After dark
- Kids
Street · Rhodes Old Town
5.Street of the Knights
Ippoton, the cobbled street running downhill from the Palace of the Grand Master, is lined with the inns where the Knights of St John lodged by language group, or 'tongue'. The façades still carry coats of arms, and the Inn of France is the most ornate. It is one of the best-preserved medieval streets in Europe.
Come back after dark, when the street is lit and almost empty.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Architecture
- Photo spot
- After dark
Historic site · Rhodes Old Town
6.Old Town walls and moat
The Knights' fortifications run for about 4 km around the Old Town, with massive gates such as the d'Amboise Gate and the Marine Gate. The wide, grassy dry moat between the inner and outer walls makes a shaded walk that shows the scale of the defences that held off the Ottomans until 1522.
Enter the moat near the d'Amboise Gate by the Palace of the Grand Master and follow it south; go in the morning or late afternoon in summer.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Outdoors
- Photo spot
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Museum · Rhodes Old Town
7.Archaeological Museum of Rhodes
Housed in the 15th-century Hospital of the Knights at the foot of the Street of the Knights, the museum displays finds from ancient Ialyssos and Kamiros, grave stelae and the marble Aphrodite of Rhodes, a small kneeling figure wringing out her hair. The arcaded courtyard and the infirmary hall upstairs are worth the visit on their own.
Combine it with the Palace of the Grand Master on a hot afternoon; the stone halls stay cool.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Art
- Rainy day
Historic site · Rhodes New Town
8.Monte Smith and the Acropolis of Rhodes
On the hill above the west side of town, the ancient acropolis has partly re-erected columns of the Temple of Pythian Apollo, a restored stadium and a small marble theatre. The open site is unfenced in places and the hilltop is the town's favourite sunset spot, looking out over the sea towards the Turkish coast.
Walk up from the Old Town in about 30 minutes or take a short taxi ride, and arrive an hour before sunset.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- History
- Couples
- Outdoors
Architecture · Kallithea
1.Kallithea Springs
About 9 km south of Rhodes Town, this restored 1920s Italian spa has a domed rotunda, pebble-mosaic terraces, palm gardens and a small rocky cove with sunbeds and clear water for snorkelling. It has appeared in several films and is a popular wedding and photo spot.
Bring a mask and snorkel; the cove's rocks are full of small fish, and the water is calm most mornings.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Architecture
- Photo spot
- Couples
- Outdoors
Beach · Faliraki
2.Anthony Quinn Bay
A small cove of rocks and pine trees just south of Faliraki, named after the actor who filmed The Guns of Navarone nearby in 1961. The water is deep, very clear and good for snorkelling, but the beach itself is tiny and fills up quickly in summer.
Arrive before 10am in July and August, or come late in the afternoon when the morning crowd leaves.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Nature
- Outdoors
- Photo spot
- Couples
Nature · Petaloudes
3.Valley of the Butterflies (Petaloudes)
A wooded gorge about 25 km south-west of Rhodes Town, with wooden bridges, small waterfalls and a stream shaded by oriental sweetgum trees. In summer, mainly July and August, thousands of Jersey tiger moths gather on the trunks, attracted by the resin's scent. Outside that season it is simply a cool, green walk.
Do not clap or shake branches to make the moths fly; disturbing them drains the energy they need to breed.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Nature
- Kids
- Outdoors
Viewpoint · Ialyssos
4.Filerimos
The hill above Ialyssos was the acropolis of ancient Ialysos. Today it holds the foundations of a temple of Athena, the Knights-era Monastery of Our Lady of Filerimos, peacocks in the pine woods and a Way of the Cross leading to a giant concrete cross you can climb for views over the west coast.
Walk the Way of the Cross path in the late afternoon for shade and the best light over the coast.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Views
- History
- Outdoors
- Off the beaten path
Historic site · West coast
5.Ancient Kamiros
One of the three ancient cities of Rhodes, Kamiros lies on a terraced hillside above the west coast about 35 km from Rhodes Town. Its street grid, houses, a large cistern and the remains of a Hellenistic stoa are laid out below you with the sea beyond, and it is usually far quieter than Lindos.
Pair it with lunch at the fish tavernas of Kamiros Skala and a stop at Kritinia Castle a few kilometres south.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Off the beaten path
- Views
Castle · West coast
6.Kritinia Castle
A ruined 15th-century castle of the Knights of St John on a hilltop above Kamiros Skala, built to watch the sea lanes. From its walls you look across to the island of Halki and down the wild west coast. The climb from the road is short.
Come for sunset; the west-facing ramparts catch the last light, and the road is quiet on the way back.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Views
- History
- Off the beaten path
- Photo spot
Nature · Kolymbia
7.Seven Springs (Epta Piges)
Inland from Kolymbia, springs feed a stream through a shaded plane-tree valley where peacocks wander. A narrow, dark tunnel built by the Italians to carry water to Kolymbia's farms can be waded through, ankle-deep, to emerge at a small reservoir lake; a footpath above offers a dry alternative.
Bring shoes that can get wet and a phone light if you plan to walk the tunnel; it is not suitable for anyone uneasy in tight, dark spaces.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Nature
- Kids
- Outdoors
Religious site · Kolymbia
8.Tsambika Monastery
A tiny whitewashed chapel crowns a rocky hill between Kolymbia and Archangelos, reached by around 300 steps from the end of a steep road. Pilgrims come to its icon of the Virgin to pray for children, and the view down over the golden curve of Tsambika Beach is one of the best on the east coast.
Climb in the early morning or towards sunset and bring water; there is no shade on the steps.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- Active
- Photo spot
Aquarium · Rhodes New Town
9.Rhodes Aquarium
The island's hydrobiological station occupies an Italian art deco building on the northern tip of Rhodes Town, next to Elli Beach. Its underground tanks show Mediterranean fish, moray eels, octopus and sea turtles under rescue care, and an upper floor displays preserved marine animals.
It takes under an hour, so combine it with a swim at Elli Beach next door.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Nature
Religious site · Rhodes Old Town
10.Kahal Shalom Synagogue and the Jewish Quarter
Built in 1577, Kahal Shalom is the oldest synagogue in Greece, with a pebble-mosaic floor and a small museum telling the story of the Sephardic community of Rhodes, almost all of whom were deported in 1944. The nearby Square of the Jewish Martyrs has a memorial and a fountain decorated with seahorses.
Look for the museum's family photographs and records; volunteers can often help descendants trace names.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Off the beaten path
- Rainy day
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Archaeological Museum of Rhodes |
| History | Palace of the Grand Master, Street of the Knights, Old Town walls and moat and Archaeological Museum of Rhodes |
| Views | Acropolis of Lindos, Monte Smith and the Acropolis of Rhodes, Filerimos and Ancient Kamiros |
| Outdoors and nature | Old Town walls and moat, Monte Smith and the Acropolis of Rhodes, Kallithea Springs and Anthony Quinn Bay |
| After dark | Street of the Knights and Mandraki Harbour |
| With children | Mandraki Harbour, Valley of the Butterflies (Petaloudes), Seven Springs (Epta Piges) and Rhodes Aquarium |
| On a rainy day | Palace of the Grand Master, Archaeological Museum of Rhodes, Rhodes Aquarium and Kahal Shalom Synagogue and the Jewish Quarter |
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Rhodes?
Palace of the Grand Master. The fortress-palace of the Knights' Grand Masters stands at the top of the Street of the Knights.
+What can you do for free in Rhodes?
Lindos village and St Paul's Bay, Mandraki Harbour, Street of the Knights, Old Town walls and moat and Monte Smith and the Acropolis of Rhodes. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Rhodes when it rains?
Head indoors to Palace of the Grand Master, Archaeological Museum of Rhodes, Rhodes Aquarium and Kahal Shalom Synagogue and the Jewish Quarter.
+What is there to do in Rhodes at night?
Street of the Knights and Mandraki Harbour are best after dark.