Greece · Guide

Rhodes

The largest of the Dodecanese islands, with long beaches, medieval towns and clear water.

The island

Where everything is.

N ↑

Kolympia's bay and plain, seen from the hills of Tsambika

BeachRead the guide

Kolympia Beach

5 min walk from the villas

The long beach in front of the villas, with a sheltered bay just south.

Photo: Böhringer Friedrich / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.5

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Beaches

Beach

5 min walk

Kolympia Beach

The long beach in front of the villas, with a sheltered bay just south.

Beach

≈ 10 min

Tsambika

Golden sand below a hilltop monastery.

Beach

≈ 10 min

Stegna

A quiet bay lined with fish tavernas.

Beach

≈ 10 min

Traganou

Pebbles, clear water and sea caves at the north end.

Beach

≈ 15 min

Grande Blue

A cliff-backed cove with a seafood terrace and great snorkelling.

Beach

≈ 15 min

Anthony Quinn Bay

A small green cove of clear, deep water.

Beach

≈ 15 min

Ladiko

A small sandy bay right next to Anthony Quinn.

Beach

≈ 20 min

Agathi Beach

Soft golden sand and shallow water in a sheltered bay.

Beach

≈ 25 min

St Paul's Bay

An almost-closed bay of still, clear water.

Beach

≈ 25 min

Elli Beach

The town beach, with its old diving tower.

Beach

≈ 25 min

Vlycha Bay

A sheltered bay just north of Lindos.

Beach

≈ 25 min

Lindos Beach

The main beach, right below the village and its acropolis.

Beach

≈ 30 min

Pefkos

Small sandy coves just south of Lindos.

The sandy cove of Glystra, south of Lardos

Beach

≈ 35 min

Glystra

A small sandy cove of calm, clear water south of Lardos.

Beach

≈ 40 min

Kiotari

A long, quiet beach on the south-east coast.

Beach

≈ 1 hr

Fourni

A long, quiet beach below Monolithos, with caves cut into the rock.

Villages & towns

Archangelos below its hills, with cypress trees in front

Village

≈ 10 min

Archangelos

A big, proud village with a castle, potters and its own dialect.

Afandou Beach, looking south along the bay

Village

≈ 10 min

Afandou

A 4 km beach, the island's only golf course, and a village hidden from the sea.

Village

≈ 15 min

Haraki

A fishing village below a crusader castle.

The bell tower of Agios Loukas in Koskinou

Village

≈ 20 min

Koskinou

Colourful houses and pebble courtyards in an old village above the coast.

Village

≈ 25 min

Lindos

A white village under its acropolis.

The New Market on Mandraki harbour, Rhodes Town

Village

≈ 25 min

Rhodes Town

Mandraki harbour, the New Market and the town beach, just outside the walls.

Village

≈ 25 min

Kremasti

A big village by the sea, with one of the island's best-loved August festivals.

Village

≈ 30 min

Lardos

A village square of tavernas, just inland from Lindos.

The Byzantine church of the Dormition in Asklipio

Village

≈ 40 min

Asklipio

A quiet hill village with a frescoed Byzantine church.

The church of Agios Panteleimon in Siana

Village

≈ 45 min

Siana

A hillside village known for its honey and souma.

The square under a plane tree in Lachania

Village

≈ 50 min

Lachania

A sleepy whitewashed village in the far south.

Nature

A spring-fed pool under the trees at Seven Springs

Nature

≈ 10 min

Seven Springs

A tunnel walk through spring water, in a shaded valley.

Waterfall in the Valley of the Butterflies

Nature

≈ 20 min

Butterfly Valley

A cool ravine of streams, bridges and summer moths.

The Elafos lodge among the pines of Profitis Ilias

Nature

≈ 30 min

Profitis Ilias

Pine forest, 1930s mountain lodges and a pond of rare fish below.

Mount Attavyros, the highest mountain on Rhodes

Nature

≈ 35 min

Mount Attavyros

The island's highest summit: a trail from Embonas to the ruins of a sanctuary of Zeus.

The reservoir lake at Apolakkia among wooded hills

Nature

≈ 1 hr

Apolakkia Lake

A quiet reservoir lake in the pine hills of the south-west.

History

History

≈ 20 min

Kallithea Springs

A restored 1920s spa above a swimming cove.

The Street of the Knights in Rhodes Old Town

History

≈ 25 min

Rhodes Old Town

Europe's oldest inhabited medieval town, inside its walls.

History

≈ 25 min

Palace of the Grand Master

The Knights' palace at the top of the Street of the Knights.

The arcaded courtyard of the Archaeological Museum of Rhodes

History

≈ 25 min

Archaeological Museum

Ancient Rhodes, displayed in the Knights' great hospital.

Columns of the Temple of Apollo on the Acropolis of Rhodes

History

≈ 25 min

Acropolis of Rhodes

Temple columns, an ancient stadium and the town's best sunset.

History

≈ 35 min

Filerimos

A hilltop monastery among pines, with views over the coast.

A pine above the ruins of ancient Kamiros and the sea

History

≈ 35 min

Ancient Kamiros

A Doric city laid out above the west coast.

The courtyard and church of Thari Monastery

History

≈ 40 min

Thari Monastery

One of the oldest monasteries on Rhodes, hidden in the forest, with layers of frescoes.

The walls of Kritinia Castle on its hill

History

≈ 45 min

Kritinia Castle

A Knights' castle above the west coast, looking out to Chalki.

Monolithos Castle on its rock at golden hour

History

≈ 50 min

Monolithos Castle

A knights' castle on a sheer rock above the sea.

Things to do

The long beach at Faliraki, curving north

Nightlife

≈ 15 min

Faliraki

A long sandy beach by day, the island's liveliest strip by night.

Activity

≈ 15 min

Faliraki Water Park

Slides, wave pool and a lazy river for a full family day.

A sea bream in a tank at the Rhodes Aquarium

Activity

≈ 25 min

Rhodes Aquarium

Mediterranean sea life in a 1930s building at the island's northern tip.

Waves on the beach at Ixia, on the west coast

Activity

≈ 25 min

Ialysos & Ixia

A breezy west-coast beach and the island's windsurfing centre.

Embonas below the slopes of Mount Attavyros

Food & wine

≈ 35 min

Embonas

The island's wine village, under its highest mountain.

Octopus drying over the tables of a taverna at Plimmiri

Food & wine

≈ 55 min

Plimmiri

A remote bay with a fish taverna and octopus drying in the sun.

Activity

≈ 1 hr 10

Prasonisi

Two seas, one sandbar, and some of Europe's best kitesurfing.

Getting here

Rhodes Diagoras Airport has seasonal flights across Europe and year-round connections via Athens, about an hour away. Kolympia is about 25 minutes by car from the airport.

Area guideKolympia StayThe villas in Kolympia