Rhodes, Greece: Where 6,000 People Still Live Inside 14th-Century Walls, and the Knights Never Really Left

By Elena Vasquez | Culture & History, Food & Drink

I spent three weeks in Rhodes in May, staying in a converted sea-captain's house inside the Old Town walls. Every morning I woke to the sound of the muezzin from the Suleymaniye Mosque mixing with church bells from the Catholic chapel near the palace. Every evening I watched the cruise groups drain out through the Marine Gate at 4:00 PM, leaving the cobblestones to the cats, the pensioners, and the restaurant owners who would spend the next four hours arguing football at outdoor tables. Rhodes is not a museum. It is a working city that happens to be wrapped in four kilometers of medieval fortifications — and that changes everything about how you experience it.

The Wall: Your First Reality Check

The ferries from Athens take twelve to seventeen hours, depending on whether you spring for the Blue Star overnight or the slower Dodekanisos Seaways connection through the smaller islands. Most visitors arrive by air instead, touching down at Diagoras Airport (RHO) in under an hour from the mainland. A taxi to the Old Town costs €25–30 and takes twenty minutes. Bus 19 runs every half hour for €2.50, though it deposits you at the New Town bus terminal, a ten-minute walk from the walls.

Either way, the first thing you notice is the wall. Rhodes Old Town is surrounded by a double ring of fortifications four kilometers in circumference, built and rebuilt between 1309 and 1522 by the Knights Hospitaller, then thickened by the Ottomans, then patched by the Italians. You cannot see the modern city until you pass through one of the eleven gates. This is the largest inhabited medieval town in Europe, and cars are banned inside. The exception is the occasional delivery van at dawn and the municipal garbage truck that threads through the alleys at 6:30 AM, its reverse beeper echoing off stone facades built six centuries ago.

Pass through the Gate d'Amboise on the northwest side, the most theatrical entrance, and you walk straight into the Knight's Quarter. The Street of the Knights (Ippoton) runs ahead of you for about 600 meters, paved with worn river stones and flanked by stone inns where the knights once lodged according to their native tongue. The Inn of France is at number 21, the Inn of Italy at number 24, each marked by carved coats of arms above the doors. The street is free to walk at any hour. Go early, before 8:00 AM, and you will have it to yourself. By 10:00 AM the cruise groups arrive, and the cobblestones fill with guided umbrellas.

The Palace of the Grand Master: A Fortress Built on Top of a Temple

At the top of the Street of the Knights stands the Palace of the Grand Master (Ippoton, Medieval City; +30 22413 65270). It looks more like a fortress than a residence, which was the point. Built in the 14th century on the foundations of a Hellenistic temple and a Byzantine citadel, it served as the administrative and military heart of the Order of St. John. The Ottomans converted it into a prison and barracks after 1522. An ammunition explosion in 1856 nearly destroyed it. What you see today is largely a reconstruction carried out by the Italians during their occupation from 1912 to 1943, designed to evoke the Palace of the Popes in Avignon. The result is architecturally faithful but historically layered — and the Italians knew exactly what they were doing.

The palace opens at 8:00 AM in summer (April through August) and closes at 8:00 PM, with last entry at 7:30 PM. From September the hours scale back gradually: September 1–15 until 7:30 PM, September 16–30 until 7:00 PM, October 1–15 until 6:30 PM, October 16–31 until 6:00 PM. From November through March it operates on winter hours: 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM, last entry 3:00 PM. The entry fee is €20 for adults, €10 reduced (seniors 65+, non-EU students). EU citizens under 25 enter free with ID. Tuesday is the closed day, along with major holidays: January 1, March 25, Easter Sunday, May 1, December 25–26.

The ground floor holds the permanent exhibition "Rhodes, 2,400 Years," showcasing finds from excavations across the ancient city, including mosaic floors from the 2nd century BC. Upstairs, the formal reception rooms contain Hellenistic and Roman mosaics brought from Kos and other islands by the Italians. The central courtyard is paved with marble from nearby quarries. Plan at least ninety minutes. The audio guide costs €3 and is worth it — the signage alone won't tell you which mosaics are authentic and which are Italian reconstructions.

The Hora: Where the Ottomans Rewrote the Map

South of the palace, the old town shifts character. You enter the Hora, also called the Turkish Quarter, where the alleys narrow and the houses press closer together. The Suleymaniye Mosque rises near the commercial center, built by Suleiman the Magnificent shortly after the 1522 siege. Its minaret was damaged in a 19th-century lightning strike and rebuilt by the Italians. Nearby, the former Church of the Holy Apostles (now the Murad Reis Mosque), with an Italian Renaissance portal added in the 16th century, also functions as a mosque. These conversions are not museum pieces. They are working buildings in a working neighborhood, surrounded by restaurants that cater to tourists but also by hardware stores, bakeries, and barber shops that serve the approximately 6,000 people who still live inside the walls.

The Archaeological Museum of Rhodes (Akti Sachtouri 8, Medieval City; +30 22410 75674) occupies the former Hospital of the Knights on Museum Square. The building itself is the draw, a 15th-century structure with an internal courtyard and a grand staircase. Inside, the collection includes a marble statue of the nymph Rhodes from the 1st century BC, funerary stelae from ancient Kamiros, and a small but significant collection of medieval armor. The museum is open daily in summer (April–October) from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM. In winter (November–March) it operates Wednesday–Monday 8:30 AM–3:30 PM, closed Tuesdays. Entry is €8 for adults, €4 reduced. EU citizens under 18 and students enter free. Plan two hours minimum — the building's architecture deserves as much attention as the artifacts.

The Jewish Quarter: A Community That Survived Until It Didn't

The Jewish Quarter sits in the southeast corner, smaller and quieter than the other districts. The Kahal Shalom Synagogue (Dossiadou and Simiou Streets; +30 22410 22364) dates to 1577, making it the oldest in Greece. It still operates for the tiny remaining community, though the Jewish population of Rhodes, once around 2,500, was deported to Auschwitz in July 1944. Of the 1,676 Jews deported, only 151 survived. Today fewer than 50 Jews remain on the island.

The synagogue is open Monday–Friday and Sunday, 10:00 AM–3:00 PM, April through November. It is closed Saturday and from December through March. Entry is €6, which includes the adjacent Jewish Museum. The museum occupies the former women's gallery (added in 1935) and displays photographs, ritual objects, and a 16th-century Sephardic Torah. The courtyard memorial lists every name of those deported — and marks survivors with an asterisk. There are very few asterisks. If Samy Modiano is there when you visit, talk to him. He is one of the survivors, and he will tell you things no plaque can.

The Italian New Town: Art Deco in the Aegean

Outside the walls, the New Town of Rhodes spreads in grid formation, built by the Italians during their occupation. The contrast is deliberate. The Italians planned Rhodes as a showcase of Italian colonial architecture, with art deco cinemas, rationalist public buildings, and broad avenues lined with palm trees. The Market of the New Town (Plateia Eleftherias), near Mandraki Harbor, is a 1925 structure with a concrete dome and arched galleries that still houses fishmongers, spice sellers, and vendors of local honey. It opens daily around 7:00 AM and closes by early afternoon.

Mandraki Harbor, just east of the Old Town, is where the Colossus of Rhodes supposedly stood. The bronze statue, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, toppled in an earthquake in 226 BC and was never rebuilt. The exact location remains uncertain — probably somewhere near the harbor entrance, though some scholars argue it straddled the entrance itself. What you see now are the three medieval windmills at the harbor entrance and the two columns topped with deer statues, added in the Italian era. The fort of St. Nicholas guards the harbor mouth. The area is free to walk, and the windmills make for a useful landmark if you lose your bearings in the Old Town's maze.

The Cesare Cafe (Plateia Rimini, New Town) retains its 1930s marble interior and serves a proper elliniko from a briki for €2.20. It is a local institution, not a tourist stop, and the elderly men who gather there at 10:00 AM will look at you with suspicion until you order in Greek.

Lindos: The Acropolis That Predates Everything

The ancient acropolis of Lindos, 50 kilometers south by bus or car, predates the medieval town by centuries. The Doric Temple of Athena Lindia sits at the summit, rebuilt in the 4th century BC. Entry costs €12 for adults, free for EU citizens under 18. The climb is steep — 292 steps — though donkeys are available for a negotiated fee of around €10 one-way. The white village of Lindos clusters below the rock, and the beach at St. Paul's Bay is accessible by a path from the main square. The bay is named for the tradition that Paul landed here during his voyage to Rome.

The bus to Lindos leaves from the terminal near the New Town market every half hour in season. The journey takes about an hour and costs €5.50. The same bus continues to Pefkos and other south coast villages. If you have time, the ancient site of Kamiros on the west coast, a 6th-century BC Doric city with a visible street plan and house foundations, receives a fraction of the Lindos traffic. Entry is €6. There is no bus direct to the site; you will need a car or a taxi from the village of Soroni.

Lindos is worth an overnight stay. The day-trippers arrive at 10:00 AM and leave at 4:00 PM. Between those hours, the village is a traffic jam of sunburned shoulders and selfie sticks. At 7:00 PM, it transforms. The rooftop restaurants open, the acropolis glows under floodlights, and the only sound is the wind in the bougainvillea. Book a room in one of the converted sea-captain's houses. Expect to pay €80–120 for a double in May or September, €150+ in July and August.

Where to Eat: Beyond the Tourist Menus

The food inside the Old Town is tourist-priced and generally mediocre. Walk ten minutes into the New Town and you will find better value. Here are the places I returned to:

Ta Kioupia (Plateia Kyprou, near the bus station) is a working-class restaurant that serves grilled sardines, fava, and chickpea stew for under €15 a head. It opens at noon and closes by midnight. The owner grills the fish on the sidewalk. Order the pitaroudia — chickpea fritters unique to Rhodes — and a carafe of house wine (€6 for half a liter).

Taverna Kostas (Sofokleous Street, Old Town) is one of the few authentic tavernas still operating inside the walls. It is known for simple, traditional dishes at fair prices: moussaka €10, grilled lamb chops €14, Greek salad €6. The menu is handwritten. The courtyard is shaded by a lemon tree. It fills with Greek families on Sunday afternoons.

Nireas Restaurant (Sofokleous 22, Old Town) is the exception that proves the rule about Old Town seafood. The grilled octopus (€16) is fresh, not frozen, and the baklava is made in-house. Tables spill out into quiet lanes. Dinner for two with wine runs €45–55.

Piatakia (New Town) serves Greek tapas-style small plates: slow-cooked lamb, creative meze, seasonal ingredients. Order 4–5 plates for two people and share. Budget €30–40 per person with wine.

Pizanias "The Sea Star" (Old Town) is the most reliable seafood inside the walls. They receive fish daily from local fishermen and will tell you honestly what's fresh. The grilled sea bream (€18) and fried red mullet (€14) are standouts.

Palladio (near Sokratous Street) makes what locals claim is the second-best ice cream in Europe. The pistachio and mastiha flavors are the reasons to visit. A single scoop costs €3.

Where to Stay: Inside the Walls vs. Outside

Staying inside the Old Town is the move if you want atmosphere. The trade-off is cobblestones, stairs, and the occasional 6:30 AM garbage truck.

Avalon Boutique Hotel (9 Charitos Street, Old Town; from €90/night) occupies a restored medieval building near the Street of the Knights. Roof terrace with acropolis views. No elevator — expect stairs.

Evdokia Old Town Hotel (75 Evdokou Street; from €75/night) is family-run, quiet, and five minutes from the palace. Rooms are simple but clean. The courtyard breakfast is excellent.

In Camera Art Boutique Hotel (Kodrou 9, Old Town; from €110/night) combines medieval architecture with modern design. Each room is themed around a different photographic era. The rooftop bar is worth a visit even if you don't stay.

Hotel Mediterranean (35 Kallithea Avenue, New Town; from €60/night) is practical, modern, and a five-minute walk from the walls. Better for travelers with mobility issues or heavy luggage. Pool, elevator, parking.

Lindos Blu (Lindos; from €180/night) is an adults-only boutique hotel on the hillside above St. Paul's Bay. The views are spectacular. Book well in advance for July–August.

What to Skip

The Valley of the Butterflies in July or August. The Jersey tiger moths are gone by mid-July, and what remains is a crowded, hot walkway through a gorge with no shade. Go in June, or skip it entirely.

Restaurants with laminated menus in six languages on the main squares. These are tourist traps by definition. The food is pre-made, the wine is from a box, and the bill will shock you. Walk two streets away and cut your dinner cost in half.

The hop-on hop-off bus tour. Rhodes Old Town is entirely walkable. The bus adds nothing except a soundtrack in three languages and a view of the New Town that you can get on foot in twenty minutes.

The "free" walking tour. It is not free. The guide works for tips, and the route hits only the most crowded spots. Buy a map and walk yourself, or hire a licensed guide through the tourist office for €80–100 for a two-hour private tour.

Faliraki in August. The water park is fine if you have children. The beach is a sea of sun loungers and pumping club music. There are better beaches twenty minutes in either direction.

Souvenir shops selling "handmade" ceramics and olive wood. These are mass-produced in Athens and shipped to every Greek island. The only genuinely local product is the honey from the interior villages — buy it at the New Town market from the producer.

Practical Logistics

Getting There: Diagoras Airport (RHO) receives flights from Athens (1 hour), Thessaloniki, and seasonal direct flights from major European cities. The ferry from Athens takes 12–17 hours (Blue Star overnight, from €45 for a deck seat, €85 for a cabin). Book at bluestarferries.com.

Getting Around: The Old Town is entirely walkable. For the rest of the island, buses leave from the New Town terminal near Mandraki Harbor. A taxi to Lindos costs €45–50 one-way. Car rental runs €30–45/day in season; book in advance for July–August. Scooters are €15–25/day but the interior roads are steep and winding — not for beginners.

When to Go: April, May, September, and October are ideal — warm weather, swimmable sea, manageable crowds. June is good but warming. July and August are brutally hot (35–40°C) and packed with cruise passengers. November through March many restaurants close, though the palace and museum maintain reduced hours. Winter is atmospheric but quiet — perfect if you want the Old Town to yourself.

Money: Greece uses the euro. ATMs are everywhere. Credit cards are accepted at most restaurants and hotels, but cash is king at tavernas, markets, and for small purchases. Tipping is not obligatory but rounding up or leaving 5–10% is appreciated.

Language: English is widely spoken in tourist areas. A few Greek phrases go a long way in the New Town tavernas: "Kalimera" (good morning), "Efharisto" (thank you), "To logariasmo, parakalo" (the bill, please).

Safety: Rhodes is extremely safe. The only real risk is petty theft in crowded areas when cruise ships are in port. Keep your bag closed and your phone out of your back pocket. The tap water is safe but tastes heavily chlorinated — most locals drink bottled.

About the Author

Elena Vasquez is a historian and travel writer based in Seville, Spain. She holds a master's in Mediterranean archaeology from the University of Granada and has spent the last decade documenting the layered histories of cities where multiple civilizations left their mark. Her work focuses on the spaces where daily life continues inside ancient structures — the mosques that are still mosques, the synagogues that are still synagogues, the markets that predate the nations that claim them. She came to Rhodes to study the Hospitaller fortifications and stayed for the chickpea fritters. Her previous guides include Istanbul, Granada, and Yangon.

Last updated: July 2026