Rhodes Town (Rhodes, Greece)

Rhodes Town Reviews

Rhodes Town Photos

Property Rentals in Rhodes

Rhodes Town Information

Overview

Things to do

Country Info (Greece)

Slideshow of Photos

Measuring 1 ml from N to S and ¾ ml from E to W, Rhodes Town is the main town and largest resort on the island. It comprises 2 parts: New Town, which is the commercial centre, and the walled Old Town, which is picturesque and steeped in history.

Both are compact and easily explored on foot. New Town is cosmopolitan and spacious, with many tree-lined squares; its busy fruit and vegetable market overlooks bustling Mandraki Harbour, which is full of fashionable yachts and day-trip boats. Despite the growth in tourism, Old Town has retained much of its original character, and wandering its streets is like stepping back in time.

Much of its architecture dates from the time of the Knights of St John (14th to 16th centuries) and the period of Turkish rule (16th to 20th centuries). Rhodes Town has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Something to suit all tastes and budgets, but primarily appealing to history-lovers and those seeking sun, sea and sand.

Some lively night-time entertainment, but dedicated partygoers will be better off staying in Faliraki, 7 mls away.

Accommodation offers a wide range, from A-class hotels to very basic pensions in Old Town. Many hotels are well-established and are now showing their age. Rhodes Town is the main terminus for buses to all the villages and resorts. Taxis easily obtained anywhere in the city. Car hire shops can be found on every street.

Locality:

Rhodes town is situated on the North East tip of the island (5 miles North East of Ixia, 11 miles North East of the airport, 14 miles South of the Turkish coast). Rhodes Town occupies a relatively narrow point of land, with coasts facing East and West backed by undulating, barren countryside.

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There are 2 main beaches, with plenty of snack bars, showers and toilets: the one on the West coast is coarse shingle, the other, on the tip of the headland, is sand and shingle. Sunbeds and sun umbrellas available for hire. Daytimes can be spent lazing on the beaches. Water sports include windsurfing, pedalloes, jet-skis and kite-skiing.

Exploring Old Town, including the Street of the Knights, Palace of the Grand Masters, various interesting churches and mosques and the archaeological museum; Mandraki Harbour, with its old windmills, fortress and lighthouse; sound and light show at the municipal gardens; climbing Monte Smith Hill to see the ancient acropolis, stadium and Temple of Apollo while taking in the views; Rodini Park and Tomb of Ptolemy, aquarium.

The nightlife offers a wide selection of bars in New Town, numbering more per square yard than the centre of London, discos and numerous nightclubs ranging from the cheap and tacky to moreupmarket bouzouki (offering traditional musical entertainment), there is a casino and the famous tour of Rhodes Town by night.

Many restaurants offering international, Greek, Italian and Chinese are present but also a lot of fast-food options. Small sandwich bars on every corner.

Full day excursions include the charming town of Lindos, with its ancient acropolis, island tours, boat trips to islands of Symi or Nissyros and to Marmaris in Turkey, scuba-diving excursion; water park at Faliraki (courtesy bus transfer from Mandraki Harbour).

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Population: 10.668.400
Languages: Greek 99% (official), English, French
Currency: euro
Currency code: EUR
Local Times:
Greece - Athens

Country Dialling Code: +30
Voltage: 220V 50Hz
Electrical plugs:
2 Parallel circular prongs

2 parallel circular prongs with an earth connector

2 parallel circular prongs with a female earth connector

'Schuko' type with two earth connectors on the sides

Greece appeals to different types of tourist, and very few could fail to find somewhere to suit their taste. From bustling Athens to blindingly bright islands, ancient fragments abound - the belly button of the cosmos at Delphi, fallen columns galore on the sacred island of Delos, frescoed Minoan palaces on Crete and even, quite possibly, the remnants of Atlantis at Santorini. Greeks are fierce guardians of tradition, but that doesn't mean they don't know how to have fun. In addition, hot sun and limpid seas conspire to make Greece a perfect place to relax. Whether you're supping in a beachside taverna , sipping coffee in a shady plateia or disco-dancing till dawn.

The Olympic Games were spawned in ancient classical Greece, along with democracy and the fundamentals of philosophy, science and mathematics. Modern Greece is better known as a great place to vacation rather than a centre of learning and culture. Today the country attracts by offering simple pleasures: delicious food at reasonable prices, local wine, beautiful beaches, sunshine, quaint villages, a seemingly endless lacework of coastline and little islands full of scenic surprises.

The country exudes traditional charm, particularly on its ever-popular islands, which cling to their stereotypical architecture and way of life despite being often over-run by tourists. Black-clad women still deliver vegetables to island tavernas on panniered donkeys, while bronzed, lined fishermen sit in the sun, drink thick coffee, and play dominoes or dice. The tourist infrastructure has intruded in many respects, but the timeless aspect of whitewashed buildings clustered on hillsides around narrow pebbled alleys has been retained. The myriad islands in the Aegean Sea are easily accessible from Piraeus, the historic harbour of Greece's mainland capital, Athens, by ferry or hydrofoil, offering a unique chance for 'island-hopping'. Many of the larger islands also have airports with connections to Athens or seasonally with major European cities.

On the mainland the city of Athens in the south is sprawling, overcrowded and polluted but nevertheless enthralls visitors, while Thessaloniki in the north is vibrant and modern with a Byzantine flavour. Athens is dominated by its major landmark, the Parthenon: the remains of other wonders of the ancient Greek classical world are to be found mainly on the Peloponnese Peninsula, south of Corinth, the gateway to a veritable treasure trove of history.

Greece and Greeks welcome with open arms the thousands of visitors that flock to admire their national assets every year - no-one leaves without having been warmed, both by the sun and the hospitality.