Best Place to Stay in Rhodes, Greece – Where to Stay in Rhodes

Rhodes is a huge island and the public transportation isn’t very reliable, thus where you choose to stay in Rhodes makes a huge difference. Since Rhodes is so big, there is something for everyone on this island. The “Best Place to Stay” really depends on what you’re looking for, as there are tons of Things to do in Rhodes.

If you want to be near the tourist crowds and the historical sights you should stay near Old Town. If you’re in the mood or a relaxing beach vacation you should probably stay near Faliraki or Kolymbia. Looking to explore the island, do some hikes, and explore Rhodes’ top beaches? You’ll want to stay somewhere central on the East side of the island to cut down on driving. Most (but not all!) of the cool spots are located on the East! (Checkout our Top Tips for Traveling to Greece)

These are all things to consider when coming to Rhodes. In this post we’ll break down the best places to stay in Rhodes based on what kind of trip you’re looking for.

Best Place to Stay in Rhodes

Quick Overview: Here are the best areas to stay in Rhodes depending on what you’re looking for. I go into more detail below. ⬇️ ⬇️

Old Town Rhodes – Walkable, Best for History

🏨 View all your accommodation options in Old Town 🇬🇷

The most historic place on Rhodes. Old Town Rhodes is fortified by castle walls built in the Byzantine Period. You’ll be strolling amongst historic stone buildings. There are loads of shopping, restaurants, and cafes here.

If you’re staying in Old Town you technically don’t need to rent a car as you can pretty easily get to the important places by public bus. Or you could just rent a car or ATV for the day if you’re looking to explore.

🚗 We recommend to rent a car through Discover Cars. Book your rental car here!

I would recommend Old Town for 2-3 days but not more. If you’re coming in for a long weekend Old Town is a good option. It’s walkable and central, plus you don’t need to rent a car.

There’s not really a swimmable beach near Old Town. If you don’t have a car or motor-bike/atv, you’re going to have to rely on the public buses. In our experience, the buses on Rhodes get very crowded and are often late. (it’s Greece)

READ 👉 Best Beaches in Rhodes 🌊

Kallithea

🏨 View your accommodation options in Kallithea ☀️

Kallithea Springs is about 15 minutes South of Old Town Rhodes. (so pretty close) This place is home to a calm beach and some thermal springs. It’s pretty quiet at night here so if you’re looking for action plan on going into Old Town most nights.

Kallithea is perfect for a relaxing vacation pretty close to Old Town with a decent, calm beach and thermal springs located nearby. Plus you’re close to a lot of the top spots on the East side of Rhodes.

Faliraki

🏨 View your accommodation options in Faliraki 👈

Faliraki is the quintessential vacation destination. Long, white, sandy beaches with tons of space. Tons of restaurants, cafes, and gyms. Tons of bars to go out at night. Good location (Northeast part of the island) and central to a lot of the beaches and spots on the East side of the island.

If you want to explore Rhodes while staying in Faliraki you are going to want to rent a car. Overall, if you can find a nice place to stay in Faliraki and plan on exploring the island Faliraki would be a good location to base yourself out of. You have a lot going on in Faliraki itself, but are also close to the important spots on the East side of the island.

SEE 👉 Top 9 Things to Do in Rhodes

Kolymbia

About 10 minutes further South from Faliraki. Kolymbia is a quiet place to stay with a bunch of all-inclusive resorts in the area. There is a nice, calm swimmable beach here.

This is another good option for families and people looking for a peaceful vacation.

READ 👉 Naxos or Paros – Which is Better?

Lindos

🏨 View your accommodation options in Lindos 🇬🇷

Visiting Lindos is our top thing to do on the whole island of Rhodes, so if you stay in Lindos you’ll already be right here. You have two beautiful beaches on your doorstep (St Paul’s and Lindos Beach), a beautiful town to explore (Lindos), tons of shopping and restaurants, plus tons of hikes in the surrounding mountains.

The only downside to Lindos is that it’s in the Southeast of the island, about an hour from Old Town, and an hour from the airport. In my opinion that’s not a downside as I’d rather spend my time on Rhodes exploring and getting out of the tourist traps (Old Town), but it’s something to consider.

SEE 👉 Top 8 Things to Do in Milos

The public bus to Lindos from the airport is going to take a long time. (about an hour) 🚌 Consider this when booking a hotel. Either get a hotel with airport transfer, or rent a car right at the airport to avoid the long public bus commute.

We recommend staying in Lindos when you come to Rhodes. ✨

Ialyssos

🏨 View your accommodation options in Ialyssos 🇬🇷

Located on the Northwest of the island, this is the budget destination on Rhodes. You’re 15 minutes outside of Old Town and you have a swimmable (but rocky) beach on your doorstep. Faliraki is 20 minutes to the East, etc. Plus, the airport is only 10 minutes away.

There are some really good deals to be had in this area. If you’re going to have a car anyway, we think Iallysos is a good place to stay as you’re going to want to explore different parts of the island. No need to break the bank with a stay in Old Town or Lindos when you can visit these places by car anyway.

We stayed at an Airbnb in Iallysos for a week when we came to Rhodes. We had a car and visited all parts of the island, so we just wanted to stay somewhere cheap because we knew we’d be driving around the island all day anyway!

SEE 👉 Top 9 Things to Do in Kos, Greece

How to Get Around on Rhodes

It is possible to get around via the public bus. Most of the important spots are on the outside of the island, and the public bus can get you there. We saw loads of people use the public bus to visit Lindos in the South while staying in Old Town (North).

However, we definitely recommend a car. The buses are late and unreliable on Rhodes. We got a beautiful Toyota CH-R for 24 euros a day through Discover Cars. Having a car will allow you to make the most out of your time and see all that you want to see.

🚗 We recommend to rent a car through Discover Cars. Book your rental car here!

How to Get to Rhodes

Most people fly into Rhodes from Europe or Athens. There are direct flights to Rhodes from all over Europe. Rhodes was loaded with people from the UK when we were here in May of 2024.

You can also get a ferry to Rhodes from Kastellorizo, which is the small greek island right off the coast from Kas, Turkey. (a must-visit)

We took the ferry from Fethiye, Turkey which was about 2 hours.(40 euros per person) If you’re thinking of visiting Turkey before your trip to Rhodes we highly recommend it. The South of Turkey (Turkish Riviera) is absolutely stunning. Plus you can just ferry on over to Greece without flying into Athens then back out to the islands.

After Rhodes we took the ferry to Kos, Greece on Blue Star Ferries for 14 euros.

💡 Book your ferries to and from Rhodes with Ferryhopper here!

Summary – Best Place to Stay in Rhodes

Overall, we would recommend Lindos as the best place to stay in Rhodes. You have two of the best beaches on Rhodes right at your door step (Lindos Beach, St Paul’s Bay), you have a walkable Greek town to enjoy shopping and restaurants, you’re away from the hustle and bustle of Old Town Rhodes, plus you’re on the East Side of Rhodes close to a lot of other fantastic beaches. The only downside is that you’re 1 hour away from the airport. However, if you’re visiting Rhodes you’ll end up driving to the East side basically every day anyways, so I don’t see this as a negative when it comes to basing yourself on the East side of Rhodes (airport is on the West).

➡️ Read: 13 Tips for Traveling to GREECE! 🇬🇷

Rhodes is a BIG place. There is something here for everyone. We recommend you put some real thought into what you want to get out of your trip, because it will make a huge difference on how you experience the island.

We hope you enjoy your trip to Rhodes! We were surprised with some of the amazing, untouched spots we were able to find on the island. If you have any questions about Rhodes feel free to leave them in the comments. We’d be happy to help.