Where to stay · Rhodes · Greece
Where to stay in Rhodes
8 neighbourhoods compared, with the trade-offs hotel listings don't tell you.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: sailko, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
For a first visit, stay in Rhodes Old Town. Car-free medieval lanes, Knights' inns and boutique hotels in restored stone houses. Best alternatives — families: Ixia and Ialyssos; budget: Rhodes New Town; nightlife: Rhodes New Town.
Key facts
- First visit
- Rhodes Old Town
- Families
- Ixia and Ialyssos
- Budget
- Rhodes New Town
- Nightlife
- Rhodes New Town
Best area for each kind of trip
| Trip type | Area | Why |
|---|---|---|
| First-timers | Rhodes Old Town | Car-free medieval lanes, Knights' inns and boutique hotels in restored stone houses |
| Families | Ixia and Ialyssos | West-coast hotel strip with steady winds and sunsets over the sea |
| Couples | Rhodes Old Town | Car-free medieval lanes, Knights' inns and boutique hotels in restored stone houses |
| Budget | Rhodes New Town | Mandraki Harbour, Elli Beach and the island's main bar streets |
| Luxury | Ixia and Ialyssos | West-coast hotel strip with steady winds and sunsets over the sea |
| Nightlife | Rhodes New Town | Mandraki Harbour, Elli Beach and the island's main bar streets |
| Solo travellers | Rhodes New Town | Mandraki Harbour, Elli Beach and the island's main bar streets |
| Quiet stays | Kolymbia and Afandou | Quieter east-coast resorts between orchards, Seven Springs and Tsambika |
| Beach | Faliraki | Long sandy beach, water park and a busy summer resort strip |
Rhodes neighbourhoods in detail
$$$ · Best for couples, culture and first-timers
Rhodes Old Town
Inside the 4 km ring of walls, the Old Town mixes the Knights' quarter around the Street of the Knights and the Palace of the Grand Master with the livelier Bourg, where Sokratous Street, Hippocrates Square and the old Jewish quarter fill with shops and tavernas. Staying here means small boutique hotels in centuries-old houses, evening walks after the day-trippers leave and the town beach at Elli about 15 minutes away on foot.
- Good
- Atmospheric after dark; Walk to the main sights and the port; Distinctive small hotels
- Watch out
- Taxis cannot reach most hotels; luggage goes over cobbles; Bars around Sokratous Street can be noisy; No beach inside the walls
- Nearby
- Palace of the Grand Master, Street of the Knights, Archaeological Museum, Mandraki Harbour
$$ · Best for first-timers, budget, nightlife and solo travellers
Rhodes New Town
The Italian-era new town north of the walls holds Mandraki Harbour, the New Market (Nea Agora), the casino and Elli Beach on the island's northern tip. It has the widest choice of mid-range hotels, the bus stations for both coasts and boats to Symi and Lindos, plus the bars of Orfanidou Street. It suits travellers who want a town base with a beach on the doorstep.
- Good
- Transport hub for buses and boats; Town beach and Old Town within walking distance; Good-value hotels and apartments
- Watch out
- Busy traffic along the seafront roads; Elli Beach is crowded in July and August
- Nearby
- Elli Beach, Mandraki Harbour, Rhodes Aquarium, Monte Smith
$$$ · Best for families, couples and luxury
Ixia and Ialyssos
A long line of large resort hotels runs along the pebbly west coast between Ixia and Ialyssos, roughly 5–10 km from Rhodes Town. The afternoon wind makes it popular for windsurfing, and city buses run frequently into town. Filerimos hill, with its monastery and view over the coast, rises just inland of Ialyssos.
- Good
- Close to both the airport and Rhodes Town; Big hotels with pools; Sunset views
- Watch out
- Windy, with rougher sea than the east coast; Pebble beaches; Main road runs behind the hotels
- Nearby
- Filerimos, Rhodes Town, Diagoras Airport
$$ · Best for families, nightlife, budget and beach
Faliraki
About 15 km south of Rhodes Town on the east coast, Faliraki has a wide sandy beach with water sports, a large water park and a pedestrian centre of bars and restaurants. Its party reputation has calmed, and today many hotels cater to families. Anthony Quinn Bay and Ladiko Bay are small rocky coves just to the south.
- Good
- Sandy beach with calm water; Frequent buses to Rhodes Town; Plenty for children
- Watch out
- Built-up, package-resort feel; Late-night noise near the bar area in summer
- Nearby
- Anthony Quinn Bay, Kallithea Springs, Faliraki Water Park
$$ · Best for families, quiet stays and beach
Kolymbia and Afandou
Kolymbia is a low-rise resort strung along a straight avenue lined with eucalyptus trees, about 25 km south of Rhodes Town, with small sandy coves and a long pebble beach. Afandou to the north has a long beach and the island's golf course. Both are close to Seven Springs and Tsambika Beach, and are good for families who want calm water without Faliraki's buzz.
- Good
- Calm, family-friendly atmosphere; Central for touring the east coast; Many all-inclusive hotels
- Watch out
- Little evening life; Spread out; a car or bus is needed for most outings
- Nearby
- Seven Springs, Tsambika Beach, Tsambika Monastery
$$$$ · Best for couples, luxury, culture and beach
Lindos
Lindos climbs the slope below its acropolis, with 17th-century captains' houses decorated with pebble-mosaic courtyards and lanes too narrow for cars. Main Beach and St Paul's Bay are a short walk downhill. Accommodation is mostly small villas and boutique rooms, and the village empties of day-trippers in the evening, when rooftop restaurants face the floodlit acropolis.
- Good
- Beautiful setting and evening atmosphere; Beaches within walking distance; Excellent restaurants
- Watch out
- Very crowded from late morning to late afternoon; Steep, slippery lanes; Expensive, with few rooms
- Nearby
- Acropolis of Lindos, St Paul's Bay, Pefkos
$$ · Best for couples, quiet stays and beach
Pefkos
Pefkos (also spelled Pefki) is a low-key resort of villas, small hotels and tavernas spread among pine trees about 4 km south of Lindos. A string of small sandy coves has calm water, and Lindos is a short bus or taxi ride away. It attracts many repeat visitors, especially couples.
- Good
- Calm coves for swimming; Friendly, small-scale feel; Close to Lindos without its prices
- Watch out
- Small beaches fill up in peak season; About 1 hour 15 minutes by bus from Rhodes Town
- Nearby
- Lindos, Lardos, Glystra Beach
$$$ · Best for quiet stays, families, beach and luxury
Kiotari and Gennadi
South of Lardos, the coast opens into long sand-and-shingle beaches backed by big resort hotels at Kiotari and the village of Gennadi. It is the quietest of the east-coast bases, about 60–70 km from Rhodes Town, and convenient for exploring the rural south, Prasonisi and the mountain villages.
- Good
- Uncrowded beaches; Good base for the rural south; Resort hotels with space
- Watch out
- Far from Rhodes Town and the airport; Little to do outside the hotels without a car
- Nearby
- Prasonisi, Lindos, Asklipieio
Areas compared
| Area | Price | Nearby |
|---|---|---|
| Rhodes Old Town | $$$ | Palace of the Grand Master, Street of the Knights, Archaeological Museum, Mandraki Harbour |
| Rhodes New Town | $$ | Elli Beach, Mandraki Harbour, Rhodes Aquarium, Monte Smith |
| Ixia and Ialyssos | $$$ | Filerimos, Rhodes Town, Diagoras Airport |
| Faliraki | $$ | Anthony Quinn Bay, Kallithea Springs, Faliraki Water Park |
| Kolymbia and Afandou | $$ | Seven Springs, Tsambika Beach, Tsambika Monastery |
| Lindos | $$$$ | Acropolis of Lindos, St Paul's Bay, Pefkos |
| Pefkos | $$ | Lindos, Lardos, Glystra Beach |
| Kiotari and Gennadi | $$$ | Prasonisi, Lindos, Asklipieio |
Getting to your hotel
Diagoras International Airport (RHO) is at Paradisi on the west coast, about 14 km south-west of Rhodes Town. RODA buses run to the town in about 30 minutes, and taxis take about 20 minutes. Lindos and the south-east resorts are about 50–70 km away, roughly an hour or more by road.
Questions travellers ask
+What is the best area to stay in Rhodes for first-time visitors?
Rhodes Old Town. Inside the 4 km ring of walls, the Old Town mixes the Knights' quarter around the Street of the Knights and the Palace of the Grand Master with the livelier Bourg, where Sokratous Street, Hippocrates Square and the old Jewish quarter fill with shops and tavernas.
+Where should families stay in Rhodes?
Ixia and Ialyssos: Close to both the airport and Rhodes Town.
+Which area of Rhodes is best for a budget stay?
Rhodes New Town ($$): Mandraki Harbour, Elli Beach and the island's main bar streets.