Rodes

Rodes (Rodos) is the largest island of the Dodecaneso, in the southeast of the Aegean Sea, near the coast of Turkey. The city of Rodes lies at the northern tip and contains the island's most famous sights: the medieval walled city, built by the Cavaleiros de São João between 1309 and 1522 and recognized as a World Heritage Site. Inside the walls, the Palácio do Grão-Mestre, the Rua dos Cavaleiros and the old hospital, now the Museu Arqueológico, make up the knights' quarter. The rest of the old town mixes minarets, Ottoman baths and houses with enclosed wooden balconies.

Outside the walls, the port of Mandraki, with its three windmills and the Forte de São Nicolau, is a reminder of the Colosso de Rodes, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, which stood for just over fifty years before the earthquake of 226 BC. The new city, built by the Italians between 1912 and 1943, has light-stone buildings, the covered market and the catedral da Anunciação. On the top of monte Smith, the ancient acropolis brings together the temple of Apollo, the stadium and a small odeon.

The east coast is where the sandy beaches and resorts are: Kallithea, Faliraki, Anthony Quinn bay and Tsambika, up to Lindos, 47 km away, where a village of white houses clings to a rock crowned by the templo de Atena Lindia and a knights' castle. On the west coast, with stronger winds, are the airport, monte Filerimos, the ruins of Kamiros and the Vale das Borboletas, which usually hosts the moths from June to September.

The island is about 78 km long, and a rental car helps to reach sites and beaches in the south, such as the castle of Monolithos and the tip of Prasonisi. Those who stay only in the city and in Lindos can manage everything with regional buses that depart from the center. English is common in hotels and restaurants; in Greek, kalimera means good morning and efharisto means thank you.

European summer, from June to August, brings strong heat and sun all day; archaeological sites have little shade and lots of smooth stone, so closed shoes and a hat make a difference. In winter, from November to March, many hotels and seaside restaurants close, and sites operate on reduced hours.

This destination brings together 1 city: Rodes.