Rhodes is one of the favorite islands of Greece for vacationers, because a vacation here combines the joys of beaches, walks to places of medieval and ancient monuments, traditional delicious food, as well as nightly fun. The sea coast of the island is about 250 kilometers, while the beaches here are different: pebble, sand, rocky. Well, it’s hard to describe beauty with words, for starters you can see a photo of Rhodes. Greece as a whole is full of amazing places.
The whole island can be traveled in just a couple of hours - it is slightly larger than the northern capital of Russia. But do not rush. Everything needs to be done: carefully examine the fabulous Lindos, take a walk in the Butterfly Valley through the park, and also climb to the top of Filerimos mountain. In addition, plunge into the nightly vibrant life of Faliraki, take a sail, and, finally, lie on any of the beaches.
Many of our compatriots are interested in Greece. Rhodes is no exception. Initially, you should go to Cape Filerimos. On the left is the emerald Aegean Sea, which is a real paradise for surfers: in this place there is always a wave and a breeze. But on the right is the calm and majestic dark blue Mediterranean. Alternately swimming in these two seas, you can go to the Old Town.
You can wander around the city for many days. There is a feeling that you are among the scenery for some historical film. At the same time, everything is alive, real, so tours to Rhodes are becoming more and more popular with vacationers. Small streets, paved with polished sea pebbles, are so narrow that you can touch the walls of houses facing each other, just spread out your arms to the sides. People live here, as they did 700 years ago. Only the Palace of the Grand Master is uninhabited in the city. In this place there were only the shadows of the founders of the Order of Malta, the ionite knights.
The nature of the island of Rhodes
Everyone knows how rich Greece is in the sights. Rhodes, in addition to the most important monuments of antiquity, conquers its guests with amazing nature. There is a place called “Kiss of the Two Seas” - a narrow spit that separates the Aegean and Mediterranean seas, washing this island.
Also attracted by tourists is the Valley of the Seven Streams. There is a legend that those who follow their course are given complete cleansing from sins.
But in the summer you can witness a stunning sight: a huge number of butterflies of the Dipper family flies to Petaloudes. They are attracted by the aroma of flowering styrax, as well as the coolness that all kinds of streams give.
Weather in Rhodes
The Mediterranean climate pleases everyone who loves Greece. Rhodes attracts tourists both in summer and in winter (the weather is humid and mild, while the thermometer almost never drops below 5 degrees, due to which there is no snow, but it rains abundantly, turning the island into a paradise rich in greenery).
The sea breeze blowing from the Aegean during the summer season provides easy coolness. Due to the constant wind, the weather of the island of Rhodes is comfortable for many vacationers, as it is devoid of sweltering heat.
The average summer temperature in the city is about 30 ° C. But the sun's rays on the body can cause burns, therefore, going to Rhodes in July, you must have a protective cream, a hat and glasses.
Rhodes: map of the island
Rhodes is divided into 2 parts, which received specific names - Old (Medieval) and New Town. The old one, surrounded by the fortified walls of the fortress, was built by knights. There is a feeling that time stands still here: narrow streets paved with cobblestones, in small squares of mosques and churches, a synagogue and various knightly buildings are shrouded in mystery of bygone times.
Also, for everyone who is interested in Rhodes, a map of the island will show that it is divided into 2 internal parts, previously separated by a wall. They received the names of Chora and Collakio. The latter was the abode of knights in the Middle Ages, and today there are various buildings that preserve the memory of everyday life of those times.
In part of the Choir, public buildings and houses of the local population of the city were previously located. It could not do without a synagogue and various churches.
Almost all the inhabitants of the city live in houses whose age is more than one hundred years old, while at the moment some of the ancient buildings are quite nice pensions and hotels.
Local kitchen
Riding around the island with excursions is an empty matter, as is listening to stories about Fr. Rhodes. Greece is full of amazing sites to see for yourself. In this place you need to take a car, stop near any picturesque bay, medieval castle and church, wander along dusty trails, swim in bays of incredible beauty ... Look for villages, snow-white houses with colorful patterns located on the walls in the mountains, unique taverns, in addition , unshaven old men in old caps who peacefully sip retsina or ouzo. You need to park the car in such villages (such as Siana and Archanelos), go to any tavern and give yourself a real national food.
For starters, try olives, crisp bread, olive oil, tzatziki (light yogurt with garlic, cucumbers and herbs). Further dolma, moussaka (hot casserole of meat and vegetables) and, of course, Greek salad.
All this can be tasted by abundantly flavoring with soft Emery wine or ouzo and raising your glass with interruptions of 5 minutes, with each glass shouting louder: “Yamas!”
Donkeys lindos
A donkey on an island is a bit of a taxi. If you don’t want to climb the acropolis, please visit the free donkey, which can be found right on the central square. They stand sadly inspecting the walking people and twitching their ears. No need to familiarize yourself with these animals - they have a well-developed sense of pride.
Lindos itself is a small town near the bay, in which the Apostle Paul found refuge. Where he once stepped ashore, there is a white church. At the same time, a cliff is visible above the surface of the sea, at its peak there is a medieval castle, in which the ancient Acropolis of Athens is located (Christianity with antiquity is pretty cool here, at the same time there is a feeling that they constantly flow into each other). The streets of the town are paved with kohlakia mosaic, classical for Greece, which looks amazingly blue and white - on the island of Rhodes, the sea is blue and white huts. White linen dresses are splashing in the windows, like sails. Myths say that once the ancient gods were able to overcome chaos, establishing peace on the whole Earth. On the island there is a feeling that this is actually so ...
Beaches
Truly incredible is able to give Greece a vacation! Rhodes is washed from the eastern part by the Mediterranean Sea, and from the return - by the Aegean. These seas are not alike: for example, the Mediterranean is quiet, and the Aegean is rough. They have equally different fans: some who value a relaxing family vacation, while others are windsurfers who praise the wind and waves.
When choosing the best beaches of Rhodes, one should take into account that pebbles are typical for the coast of the Aegean Sea, but mostly sand is found on the Mediterranean, therefore, the main resorts - Faliraki, Kolymbia, Lindos, Kallithea - are concentrated in this place. Tsambika, the most popular sandy beach, is located near Kolymbia. Here are views, as if from a postcard: a wide golden line of the beach and a deep blue sea. At the same time, this place has enough space for sunbeds, fun games, as well as the construction of sand castles.
Near the beach on the mountain is the monastery of the Virgin Tsambiki. Women from all over Greece who are unable to get pregnant come here. Babies born after visiting the monastery are usually called Tsambika or Tsambik - and there are many such names on the island. At the same time, there is another miracle in the courtyard - a rare hybrid of boxwood and oak: for example, on one branch of a tree jagged and even leaves grow simultaneously. This unique hybrid, which in principle should not be, is already about 2000 years old.
Near Kolymbia there is a reserve "7 sources". A long dark tunnel filled with ice water leads here. Residents of the resort are sure that, having overcome fear and walking ankle-deep in the water through this tunnel, there is an opportunity to be cleansed of 7 sins, and then leave a changed person.
Rhodes in history
Everyone knows how rich in events Greece is. Rhodes, like every major island in Europe, located in the warm seas, is prone to regular changes of owners and is covered in secrets. Rhodes, first of all, is famous for the Colossus - a statue of Helios, whose height is 35 m. The sculptor Hares placed it at the entrance to the harbor. The lifespan of this miracle of the world was short-lived: it stood for 56 years, falling during an earthquake, but having managed to give rise to fashion for huge statues. By the will of the oracle, which forbade the restoration of the ruin, the remains remained untouched for about a thousand years, after which they disappeared or were sold to the Arabs, while leaving the phrase "Colossus with feet of clay" to humanity.
Rhodes periodically changed his masters. Greece, the map of which was always curious, more than once gave the island to one owner or another. The most striking of them can be called the Order of the Hospitallers, better known as the Maltese. Starting from the protection of pilgrims, after the death of Gerard, the founder, he expanded his own functionality to the protection of the Holy Sepulcher, then began the fight against infidels. After that, he took an active part in the Crusades. Further, the order was in Cyprus, and only then in Rhodes. Here he was in the period 1309-1522. It can be assumed that the Master’s Palace would become the main decoration of the old part of the city if it had not been blown up in 1856 by the Turks, who drove out the hospitaliers from here. At the moment, in its place is a grand palace created for Mussolini in the thirties of the last century.
Resort architecture
In the historical center of Rhodes, there is something to see besides the palace. A special reason for pride is the perfectly preserved medieval walls. Inside them there are about two hundred small streets without a name, diverging in cobwebs from large ones, such as the streets of Socrates or the Crusaders. The latter was laid in place of the one that once led to the port. At the beginning of the sixteenth century, there were courtyards of various "languages" of the Order, in a certain way of branches - German, English, French, Italian and others. The distinctive features of each nation are reflected in the architecture, for example, on the French compound you can see the elegant bourbon lilies, which can also be seen in the photo of the island of Rhodes. Greece has a rich and unique history, so this is not surprising.
In Lindos, the second most important resort city, the Acropolis is not so well preserved, but it is located on a rock. It offers stunning views of the bay, which bears the name of the Apostle Paul. Not far from the ruins of the temple of Athena Lindia, noble pensioners and cats relax, heroically defeating the many stairs leading upstairs. In the middle of the way, the silhouette of a trireme carved in stone catches your eye - a warship of the local ancient inhabitants. Their descendants prefer to have other means of transportation on the farm - donkeys willingly rented out to tourists who storm the Acropolis. In addition, locals sell souvenirs: miniature statues of the Colossus, shells and scarves.
Wild sponges
But among all this funny nonsense there are no washcloths - the main souvenir attraction of the Dodecanese. They are made from absolutely wild sea ​​sponges. Dodecanese is an archipelago; apart from Rhodes, it also includes 150 small islands and 11 large ones. There is an active hunt for sponges on the island of Symi, where you can get on a two-decked huge ship from the port of Rhodes, which is called a pleasure boat for some strange oversight. In Symi, the houses are painted in bright enough colors in order to at least somehow compete with the saturated color of the sea. At the same time here in restaurants they treat him with gifts. On the other hand is the monastery of the Archangel Michael, the formerly the center of Orthodoxy in the country.
Having returned from here with a sponge and therefore being in a good mood, you can wash your purchase in any of the many cafes and bars of the resort of Faliraki, which is located fifteen kilometers from the capital. It is the center of the island’s nightlife, but it’s also interesting here during the day: there is a water park and all the necessary conditions for water sports. Not far from the water park is a four-star hotel Louis Colossos, whose advantages are the clean sea and green areas, but this is what many Greece, Rhodes like. 4 star hotels here have an excellent level of service. So, an alternative to Louis Colossos may be Blue Sea 4 * - it serves national cuisine and Greek evenings.
Raise the sails
There are two resorts that are loved by windsurfers around the world - Ialyssos and Ixia. Wind, pebbles and waves - these are 3 components of success, which provide resorts with an enviable reputation. The first is the Procenter, whose staff will help arrange the best surfing holidays in the world. And when the wind is capricious, there is the opportunity to go to see the ruins of the temples of Athena and Zeus, reminiscent of the period when Ialyssos was still the largest Doric city. Incidentally, the Acropolis of Ialysos is located on Mount Filerimos, near the modern city. You can go up there in order to appreciate the panorama of Rhodes. But Ixia boasts a huge selection of hotels, so here you can meet both surfers and people in formal business suits who got here at the conference. By the way, Greece, Rhodes are ideal for business people. 4 star hotels here can be found without any problems, while the level of service will not disappoint anyone.
City nightlife
In Rhodes, the best resorts are the towns of Faliraki and Ialyssos, located on the East Coast, fifteen kilometers from the capital. It’s quiet in the towns during the day. Near the church of St. Nectarius, the gentle meltemi wind in a sultry haze lazily chases a descended soccer ball. Together with the fresh breeze and cool at night, a new interest in life manifests itself. Faliraki and Ialyssos turn into a giant nightclub. Dance floors, discos, strip bars, dance halls, cafes, restaurants. Decibels are booming, and parking a car is a problem. By the way, Ialyssos is the best place for fans of windsurfing. This place has a school, board rental, short-term courses, etc. for all who are looking for new experiences. But don't worry. There are respectable streets in Faliraki, where it is quiet and calm.
What to see at the resort
Rhodes is one of the most popular islands in the country. It attracts tourists with the amazing beauty of the coast, stunning nature, as well as a huge number of historical attractions. You can learn about many of them from our article about Fr. Rhodes.
Greece for the majority of guests provides an ideal way to explore the island through excursions that are equally interesting to both adults and children. They take place at a fairly lively pace and using comfortable buses. It is also quite easy to find a tour with a guide who speaks Russian. The cost of excursions depends on the duration of the trip and the number of objects included in the program. For example, tours that are designed for half a day will cost 30 euros. If the walk takes the whole day, then it will cost 60 euros. The cost of a children's ticket is basically half the total cost.
So, what are the attractions of Rhodes, whose map is so diverse?
Mount Filerimos
At the very top of the hill is an architectural reserve, which includes the ruins of the city of Ialyssos, as well as the monastery of Our Lady of Sorrows. The mountain is crowned by a huge cross, which can be climbed by a spiral staircase located inside. This unusual observation deck offers amazing views of the island. On Mount Filerimos in a souvenir shop you can buy a strange greenish liquor - it is made by nuns.
Butterfly Valley
In the picturesque place of the island you can always hide from the heat and see a huge number of black and yellow butterflies, which with their flocks completely cover the old tree trunks. Visitors to the Valley of the Butterflies usually combine a visit with a visit to a beekeeping company, which is nearby. At this place, you can observe the process of collecting honey, as well as receiving all kinds of beekeeping products.
Rodini Park
When planning a vacation in Rhodes, you need to pay attention to this calm and comfortable place where you can take a walk while watching the peacocks freely walking here. You will also see incredibly beautiful ponds; miniature wooden bridges are thrown over them. In addition, you can appreciate archaeological sites: the aqueduct and the ancient cave burial.
Kallithea
On Rhodes, the east coast was known in antiquity for its beating thermal spring. Today, many tourists immerse themselves in healing waters with pleasure, so skin diseases are treated in local sanatoriums.
Lindos City
This city is the second most important tourism object of the island. It pleases the eye with a huge number of fishermen's snow-white houses, a majestic fortress located on a hill, and winding narrow streets. Behind its walls lie the ruins of the ancient Acropolis, as well as the temple of Athena, which was one of the most revered in ancient Greece. The Acropolis rises on a rock washed by St. Paul’s Bay. There is a legend that it was in this place that the holy apostle came ashore, bringing the local faith the Christian faith. The Greeks in his memory erected on the shore a chapel bearing his name. Going to Lindos, many tourists stop at the "7 springs" park, where you can run through the tunnel with a cold stream, tasting healing water.
Rhodes city
The history of such a unique country as Greece is incredibly eventful. Rhodes (whose photo is presented in this article) makes it possible to touch it within the capital of this island. Almost all excursions on Rhodesberut originate in the port, where, according to legend, the Colossus of Rhodes once stood . From here you can go to the gates of the so-called Old Town, which is surrounded by high fortified walls. In this place is the Fortress of the Knights of the Hospitallers, well preserved to this day. The structure is so carefully thought out that even a few defenders could repel an attack by hordes of the enemy. A lot of emotions among tourists causes a visit to the Palace of Masters, in which at the beginning of the 20th century there was a local municipality. In the surviving building there is an opportunity to inspect household items and furniture of those times, beautiful statues located in the courtyard. In Old Rhodes, on Torgovaya Street, there are colorful taverns and souvenir shops, while it is completed by Ippokratus Square with a decorative fountain and Suleyman Mosque. A wonderful continuation of the tour will be a visit to Monte Smith Hill, from here a stunning panorama of the New and Old Towns opens. In this place there is an ancient huge stadium, as well as an ancient theater, in which Cicero once studied oratory. Nearby you can see the ruins of the temples of Aphrodite and Apollo.
Kamiros
Here are the ruins of the Acropolis, not inferior in scale to the ancient Pompeii. The main part of all buildings dates from the sixth century BC. e. At this place, the temple of Athens and water storage tanks have been preserved. The city collapsed due to an earthquake, and only a few centuries later, local peasants were able to discover some burials. This find became an excellent incentive for excavations and made it possible to discover the ancient city to the world.
Fans of outdoor activities will love excursions in Santorini. Here you can appreciate the unique architecture of the Cyclades, having familiarized yourself with the rich history of this Greek island. You can also walk through a variety of souvenir shops and enjoy a cup of coffee at a local cafe.
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