Rhodes, Greece is a HUGE island with a ton to do, no matter who you are. If you’re a beach lover then this island is for you as there are a TON of beautiful beaches to enjoy all around the island. If you like hiking there are unlimited hikes with beautiful views of the coastline and stunning cliffs. And if you’re a history buff … this is your spot. Rhodes Old Town is one of the best preserved and most historic Old Towns in all of Europe. ✨ In fact, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Christians, Muslims, and others have been sparring for right to the terrain on Rhodes for thousands of years! 📜 🇬🇷 🏛️
We rented a car and spent a week exploring this lovely Greek island. We’ve come up the absolute top things to do in Rhodes when you come here, as well as a proposed itinerary for you, assuming you want to get the most out of the island.
Here are some other Rhodes posts you might be interested in … ⬇️
Book NOW for Rhodes 🇬🇷
- 🏨 hotel (we recommend staying near Faliraki)
- 🚗 rental car (a MUST to explore the island – Rhodes is huge!)
- 🛳️ ferries (to/from Rhodes)
Top Things to Do in Rhodes
Here are our top things to do when you come to the Greek Island of Rhodes! (in order of importance of course) 😉
1 – Visit Lindos
Lindos is about 45 minutes South of Old Town Rhodes, and is the main attraction on the island. This is the spot you don’t want to miss when you come to Rhodes. There is a ton to see and do in Lindos. We recommend you plan to spend one whole day here.
If you don’t have a car for your trip to Rhodes, Lindos is very accessible by public bus. From Old Town Rhodes it should take about 1 – 1.5 hours to get to Lindos (and 1.5 hours to get back). We recommend you rent a car to make this trip more comfortable. (We got one for 22 euros per day on Discover Cars)
When you come to Lindos by car there are plenty of free and paid places to park. We recommend you go with the free parking lots as they are not much farther away from where you want to go, and we think it’s worth it to save money in this category. Lindos is pretty hilly, so be prepared to walk! Make sure you bring some proper shoes to walk up and down the hills when you visit.
➡️ Read: Ultimate Greece Island-Hopping Itinerary (Cyclades)
Within Lindos there are a lot of things to do. Here they are…
1 – Visit The Acropolis
**Entry Fee – 12 Euros **
The Acropolis is located atop a steep hill right next to Lindos – about a 10 minute walk up the hill from the town. The walk is paved with steps, so nothing to worry about here.
This Acropolis was dedicated to Athena Lindia. The main structure up here is the Temple of Athena Lindia which was built around the 6th Century BC. There are also some ancient Roman Baths up here, as well as other things.
There are some beautiful views to be had from up here overlooking the town of Lindos, Lindos Beach, and St. Paul’s Bay.
🚗 We recommend to rent a car through Discover Cars. Book your rental car here!
2 – Lindos Beach
**free to enter**
Once you visit the Acropolis, head down the hill to relax at Lindos Beach. Lindos Beach is a very large and wide sandy beach and a beautiful place to relax after time spent climbing and exploring the village. For us, Lindos Beach is special because it is just sand, no rocks. This is very unusual for Rhodes as most beaches are very rocky and hard to walk barefoot in. Not Lindos Beach. You can take your shoes off here and enjoy the comfort of the soft sand!
3 – Explore the Village
The village of Lindos is what you picture when you see Greek Villages online. A white-washed cluster of houses built into the mountains, right next to the Sea. Inside the village of Lindos the streets are narrow, and there are tons of clothing shops, cafes, and restaurants. For Kelsey, this place was shopping heaven, as there are tons of handmade linen and cotton clothing stores here. You could easily spend an hour or two wandering the streets of Lindos.
➡️ Read: Top 7 Things to Do in Paros, Greece 🇬🇷
4 – St Paul’s Bay
** free to enter **
This was our favorite part of Lindos, and the most beautiful spot in all of Rhodes in our opinion! Just South of Lindos there is a beautiful, picturesque bay named St Paul’s Bay that must be visited when you come to Lindos. This is the perfect place to snorkel and swim in the calm waters. If you want, you can swim to the place where the bay meets the ocean, and feel the difference between the choppy waves of the sea and the calm waters of the Bay!
2 – Anthony Quinn Bay (Rhodes Ladiko Beach)
**free parking, free to enter**
This Bay is named after the Mexican actor Anthony Quinn, who filmed the Guns of Navarone here back in 1961. (about WWII) Quinn bought the bay and wanted it to be a place for actors and artists to convene from all around the world. It never quite became the place that Anthony Quinn wanted it to, but over time the locals started calling it ‘Anthony Quinn’s Bay’ and the name stuck…
This is a beautiful, rocky, little bay/beach to relax and swim on. There isn’t much space to “lounge” here, so if that’s what you’re looking for we recommend going somewhere else. But Anthony Quinn Bay is a beautiful place to explore and go for a swim. This is also a beautiful place for snorkeling, there are people outside selling snorkeling gear for you to use if needed. There is also a trendy cafe and restaurant on site.
Anthony Quinn Bay is located on the East Side of Rhodes, about 10 minutes South of Faliraki.
There is also a beautiful hike from Faliraki to Anthony Quinn if you are interested. (link here)
➡️ Read: Complete guide to hiking vikos gorge in northern greece 🇬🇷
3 – Monolithos Castle + Fourni Beach
These are much less visited because they are on the West side of the island, however I would definitely say you have to come here. This place is absolutely beautiful, and it’s not loaded with tourists like the East side of the island.
The Monolithos Castle was built in 1480 to protect the island from invaders. From here (and this whole area), you can clearly see Karpathos, which is the closest decently-sized island to Rhodes and generally lies between Rhodes and Crete.
When you come to the castle, we recommend you do a hike (link here) starting near the castle that takes you up and down the surrounding hills. This area is absolutely stunning. You’ll find tons of coastal spots to sit and stare at the cliffs all by yourself. You’ll find packs of goats walking up the mountain. We recommend you come here later in the afternoon and into sunset for the most picturesque scene you could ever imagine.
After you visit the Castle and hike around the area, head down to Fourni Beach, the most secluded and beautiful beach on Rhodes that we found. The beach is rocky and the 15 minute drive from the Monolithos Castle to Fourni Beach is absolutely stunning. You don’t wanna miss this drive.
Hiking around the castle and visiting Fourni Beach is the most memorable thing that we did on Rhodes (we spent a week driving around Rhodes). The secluded nature of this place, plus the untouched beauty, elevated this to our favorite experience during our time in Rhodes!
➡️ Read: Top 8 Things to Do in Milos 🚤
4 – Agathi “Golden Sand” Beach
Agathi is about 30 minutes South of Faliraki. It’s a beautiful “Golden Sand” beach with tons of space to relax. As the name suggests, this beach is a sand beach with a specific glow to it which can be considered Golden.
Driving to Agathi, the last few minutes you will have to drive down a gravel hill. (not paved) There were plenty of small cars that made it to the beach just fine, but just something to be aware of. If you don’t want to drive your car down the gravel, there are plenty of spots to park atop the hill for free.
Entrance and parking are free here!
🏨 Book your stay in Rhodes here!
5 – Visit the Tsambika Monastery
This old church was built in the 18th century on the top of a hill with great views of Tsampika and Kolymbia. The walk up consists of 300 steps and takes about 15-20 minutes. Best to do this in the morning or evening, however we did it in the middle of the day in May and were perfectly fine.
The monastery is free to enter. You get a great view of the sea and Tsambika Beach from up here. You can drive your car all the way up to the start of the steps if you would like.
After you hike up to the Monastery, head down to Tsambika Beach to chill and relax on this beautiful sand beach!
🛳️ Book your ferries for the Greek islands with Ferryhopper here!
6 – Old Town Rhodes
From 1309 to 1523, Rhodes was occupied by The Knights of St John of Jerusalem, who had lost their last stronghold of Palestine in 1291. They transformed the island capital into a fortified city able to withstand attacks from the Muslims of Egypt. Rhodes finally fell in 1522 after a six-month siege from Suleyman II.
This city is very well preserved. You can enter the “castle walls” at various points and wander around the cobblestone streets, admiring the Medieval architecture. There are maps showing which structures were built by the Byzantines, which were built by the Ottomans, etc.
🚗 We recommend to rent a car through Discover Cars. Book your rental car here!
Within the “castle walls”, there are plenty of restaurants and shops to enjoy. These streets are the peak of Rhodes tourism, and you will no doubt encounter Greeks outside every restaurant begging you to come eat at their restaurant!
7 – Visit Prasonisi (Southern-most point on Rhodes)
Prasonisi is all the way at the South of Rhodes, about a 1.5 hour drive from Old Town Rhodes. Depending on the time of year you visit, Prasonisi is either an island or a peninsula. (In high tide Prasonisi becomes an island, low tide (summer) it becomes a Peninsula)
At Prasonisi, you are at the intersection of the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas. Meaning when you’re standing on the beach, on one side you can swim in the Aegean and on the other side you can swim in the Med. Pretty cool. This is also a prime place for wind-surfing as the conditions are perfect.
Unfortunately, during our time in Rhodes the beach of Prasonisi had a ton of trash on it. Apparently a lot of trash from the Mediterranean ends up washing up on the beach here, which makes the beach not a fun place to visit. We recommend checking the Google Reviews of Prasonisi before you visit. If they’re negative because of all the trash washed up on the beach – maybe don’t come here.
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8 – Visit Butterfly Valley
This is a nature park about 30 minutes Southwest of Old Town Rhodes that is very popular amongst tourists. This valley is known for the variety of butterflies that fly around during the summer months.
For us, this didn’t sound exciting enough as it seems like every island in Greece has a butterfly valley, so we decided to skip it. We included this in our guide because we know its very popular with tourists who come to Rhodes.
We recommend checking the Google Reviews before you come to make sure the butterflies are out in full force.
READ 👉 Top 9 Things to Do in Kos, Greece
9 – Faliraki Beach
Faliraki is what I call a “vacation beach”. Meaning its big and spacious, it’s near a lot of restaurants and bars, plenty of people stay here, etc. In terms of things to “do” at Faliraki, it’s not much besides laying on the spacious beach and taking in the sights.
If you’re looking for a chill beach day on Rhodes, this is your spot. You can park close by and you’ll have everything you could want right at your fingertips.
💡 Check out our best beaches in Rhodes here.
How to Divide and “Conquer” Rhodes
Rhodes is a HUGE island. Driving from the top (Old Town Rhodes) to the bottom (Prasonisi) takes about 1.5 hours – just so you can get the scale of things. You are going to want a plan of attack before you come here, otherwise you won’t be able to see all there is to see.
Most of the popular sites are bunched up in the corridor from Old Town Rhodes heading South until you get to Lindos. If you want to be in a convenient place, stay somewhere in this area.
A pro’s strategy would be to spend about 3 days near Old Town Rhodes, then another 3 days near Lindos in the Southeast. This would cut down on your driving as you could visit Old Town, Faliraki, and some other spots in the North all together, then you could relocate to Lindos and visit all the spots, beaches, and hikes that this area has to offer. Also, don’t forget about Monolithos Castle and Fourni Beach on the West!
➡️ Read: Things to Do in Pamukkale, Turkey 🇹🇷
Rhodes Sample Four Day Itinerary
The ideal amount of time on Rhodes would honestly be at least a week. Anything less and you are going to feel as if you didn’t get to see everything the island has to offer. There is something for everyone on this island – whether it be pristine beaches, beautiful hikes, shopping, historic sites, … the possibilities are endless on Rhodes.
However, not everyone has a full week so here is a sample four day itinerary.
Day 1 Old Town + Surroundings
Day 2 Faliraki Beach, Anthony Quinn Bay, Agathi, Tsambika Monastery + Beach
Day 3 Lindos (Acropolis, Beach, St Paul’s Bay, Explore the Town)
Day 4 Monolithos, Fourni + Prasonisi
Renting a Car on Rhodes 🚗
We definitely recommend you rent a car 🚙 when you come to Rhodes, unless you’re just coming in for a few days from the UK to lay on the beach in Faliraki and relax. (it seems like many people do this – just wait until you get here…)
In Mid May of 2024, we paid 22 euros per day for our Toyota CRV, which we felt like was a very good deal. We have heard the prices double or triple in high season (June, July, August) so make sure you book ahead of time.
Here’s a picture of our wheels in Rhodes. We booked through Discover Cars which we highly recommend.
🚗 Check rental prices through Discover Cars here!
Where to Stay in Rhodes
We have a detailed post on this topic here. But, if you want the quick answer…
- Old Town Rhodes – Good for history, restaurants, cafes, easy to get around with public transport
- Faliraki – Good for partying, huge open beaches, cafes, gyms, restaurants
- Lindos – Coolest place on Rhodes. White-washed village, beautiful beaches, but far from airport.
🏨 View all your hotel options in Rhodes here!
Summary – Things to Do on Rhodes
As a quick summary, there is a ton to do in Rhodes. You are going to want to rent a car for your time here so you can experience all that the island has to offer. Don’t forget to checkout the Southwest Area of the island near Monolithos Castle! This area is a true hidden gem, most tourists don’t come here.
💡 Also, checkout out our post on a Greece Road Trip to the North! The North of Greece is MUCH less touristy, and has some absolutely amazing sights that most have never even heard of. (Vikos Gorge, Meteora Monasteries, etc.) 🇬🇷
We hope you enjoy your trip to Rhodes! Spend as much time as you can here – the island is huge and you’re going to want time to explore.
