Rhodes: The Magic Isle of Roses
The moment you step onto the soil of Rhodes, it’s immediately clear why they call it the Island of the Sun. The clear sky, the unreal sea color that ranges from turquoise to dark blue, high waves that seem to send out the message that you have come to the place so alive, where nature shows off with all its beauty and strength! Also, it’s almost always sunny.
What to See in Rhodes
The view of this iconic Greek Island from the sea is spectacular as we sailed into Mandraki Harbour, Rhodes main port. Immediately we’re enchanted and intrigued by the medieval nature of the city. Yet there’s no denying its classical heritage, for in this very harbor at the end of 4th century B.C. the 110-foot-high bronzed statue of Helios towered majestically greeting incoming vessels to the port. Known as the Colossus of Rhodes, it straddled the harbor entrance and is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Places of Grand Master
From the outside, this magnificent castle like palace looks much as it did when erected by the 14th-century Knights Hospitaller. During the 19th century, however, it was devastated by an explosion. So the interior is now an Italian reconstruction, completed in the ’18th year of the Fascist Era’ (1940). Dreary chambers upstairs hold haphazard looted artworks. The most interesting sections are the twin historical museums downstairs, one devoted to ancient Rhodes and the other to the island’s medieval history.
The ancient section holds some lovely pottery from the 6th century BC, along with all sorts of everyday domestic objects and even glassware.
Archaeological Museum
Aweathered, sun-kissed stone lion, visible from the street, invites visitors into the magnificent 15th-century Knights’ Hospital that holds Rhodes’ superb archaeology museum. Exhibits range through several upstairs galleries, and across beautiful gardens to an annexe that’s open shorter hours in summer (9am to 4.50pm). Highlights include the exquisite Aphrodite Bathing marble statue from the 1st century BC, a pavilion displaying wall-mounted mosaics, and a reconstructed burial site from 1630 BC that held a helmeted warrior alongside his horse.
Ancient treasures unearthed all over Rhodes, including some wonderful ceramics and a sleek carved dolphin, trace 7000 years of local history. The annexe is especially strong on the Mycenean era, at its peak in the 14th and 13th centuries BC.
Jewish Quarter
The Jewish Quarter, an enclave of narrow lanes in the Old Town’s southeast corner, centres on Plateia Evreon Martyron (Square of the Jewish Martyrs). Now all too quiet and dilapidated, it was home a century ago to a population of 5500. Half fled in the 1930s, while 1673 Jews were deported to Auschwitz in 1944; only 151 survived. The Jewish Museum of Rhodes, entered via the 1577 Khal Shalom Synagogue, the oldest synagogue in Greece tells the full story.
Hora
The Old Town’s central commercial and residential district, south of the Street of the Knights, is known as the Hora. Having acquired its current appearance following the Ottoman takeover of 1522, it’s also called the Turkish Quarter. The most important of many churches that became mosques is the colourful, pink-domed Mosque of Suleyman. It is at the top of Sokratous. Across the street, there is the Muslim Library, founded in 1793 by Turkish Rhodian Ahmed Hasuf. It is the house of Persian and Arabic manuscripts handwritten.
Street of the Knights
Austere and somewhat forbidding, the Street of the Knights (Ippoton). It was home from the 14th century to the Knights Hospitaller who ruled Rhodes. The knights were divided into seven ‘tongues’, or languages, according to their birthplace, England, France, Germany, Italy, Aragon, Auvergne and Provence each responsible for a specific section of the fortifications. As wall displays explain, the street holds an ‘inn’, or palace, for each tongue. Its modern appearance, though, owes much to Italian restorations during the 1930s.
Other Best Village to Visit in Rhodes
During your trip to Rhodes, you will certainly go to Rhodes city and Lindos. But don’t miss the other villages of the island!
- Archangelos and its colorful old houses
- Koskinou, a picturesque village with authentic Rhodian houses
- Ialyssos and its neo-classical mansions
- Afantou, one of Rhodes’ oldest villages
- Kritinia, where you can visit the castle I mentioned above
- Kattavia, the closest village to Prasonisi beach.
Accomodation in Rhodes
A vacation to Rhodes for one week usually costs around €757 for one person. If you’re traveling as a family of three or four people, the price person often goes down because kid’s tickets are cheaper and hotel rooms can be shared. If you travel slower over a longer period of time then your daily budget will also go down. Two people traveling together for one month in Rhodes can often have a lower daily budget per person than one person traveling alone for one week.
Best Months To Go To Rhodes
The conditions are not too harsh and one can enjoy a pleasant vacation all year round. But the best time to visit Rhodes would be between the months of April and October. To avoid crowds, the months of September and October are perhaps the best, with April and May a close second.
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