Rhodes was once home to the Colossus of Rhodes, a bronze statue counted among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and destroyed by an earthquake in 226 BC, nothing of it survives today, but the island's medieval old town, built by the Knights Hospitaller in the 14th century, remains one of the best-preserved fortified medieval towns in Europe.
The Medieval Old Town
The Street of the Knights, a cobbled avenue lined with the former inns of the Knights Hospitaller's different national divisions, is one of Europe's best-preserved medieval streets, largely closed to traffic and lined with Gothic facades built between the 14th and 16th centuries.
The Palace of the Grand Master, rebuilt in the 1930s during Italian occupation over the ruins of the original Byzantine and Knights-era fortress, houses an extensive collection of mosaics gathered from around the island.
Beyond the Old Town
Lindos, on the island's east coast, combines a hilltop acropolis with commanding sea views and a whitewashed village below, though it draws considerable crowds in peak season, visit early or in shoulder season for a quieter experience of the acropolis.
The island's beaches range from the popular, developed stretches near Faliraki to quieter coves on the west coast, Tsambika Beach and the twin bays at Anthony Quinn Bay, named for the actor who fell in love with the spot while filming nearby, are among the more scenic options.
Recommended Stay · Rhodes · Old Town
Marco Polo Mansion
A restored 15th-century Ottoman mansion inside the old town's walls, with a lush courtyard garden and rooms furnished with antique textiles and rugs.
