Rhodes is a popular Greek resort with a mild subtropical climate. The beach season here lasts from June to October, and you can simply relax and see the sights all year round.
The uniqueness of Rhodes is that strong winds almost always blow from one side, from the west coast. There are excellent surfing opportunities here. But on the east side, the sea is always warm and calm, waves are very rare - these places are great for families with children. The main resort areas are located precisely on the east coast, but there are also many hotels in the west.
There are different beaches in Rhodes: sandy, pebbly, and rocky. They are all municipal. You will have to pay for using a sunbed, and you can relax with your own umbrella and towel in the free areas, usually located behind the sun loungers.
Areas of Rhodes
The main city and administrative center of the island is the city of Rhodes itself. It is quite large, and it has a historical part, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and there is a resort, where the main hotels and beaches are located. On the west coast, the most popular resorts are Ixia and Ialyssos, and several resorts are located along the east coast.
So, we can highlight the following tourist areas, where it is best to choose a hotel for yourself:
- The historical part of the city of Rhodes;
- The resort part of the city of Rhodes;
- Ixia;
- Ialyssos;
- Filiraki;
- Lindos;
- Kallithea;
- Kolimbia;
- Prasonisi.
In fact, there are more resort villages in Rhodes, but these are the largest and most interesting.
Historic center of Rhodes city
The main attraction of the city is the huge Rhodes fortress, built in the 15th century by the Hospitallers. It fell in 1522 after a siege of many months, and then it was used by the Turks. Now it is a museum with a huge territory: two rings of walls, a citadel, a palace, and several towers have survived. Part of the fortress has been restored, and part is half-abandoned and serves as a picnic spot for locals and tourists. The fortress has restaurants, shops and several hotels, which are valued mainly for their surroundings: they are located in old buildings, but they are small and, as a rule, have almost no territory of their own. The noise around them does not subside, but it takes a long time to get to the beaches from them. In front of the fortress, there is a tiny section of the municipal beach where you can swim, but it is so small that it simply does not fit any infrastructure.
These are not cheap places, there are no large supermarkets with food in the fortress itself, but the city market is located very close. This variant of the settlement is for those who prefer rest in places "with history" and are ready to engage mainly in the study of sights.
The resort part of the city of Rhodes
The main beaches and resort infrastructure of Rhodes are located north of the historic center on the promontory. Here you can clearly see the difference between the east and west coast of Rhodes, and even have their own "kiss of two seas": the Aegean and the Mediterranean. This is the point at which the small oceanarium is located, on the northernmost promontory.
There are both beach hotels and hotels in the heart of the city. When choosing a hotel on the second or third line, just figure out on the map which beach it will be easier for you to get to: to a calm, but crowded, east or quiet, but windy, west. There are also hotels on the first line on one and the other side of the cape. The main shopping, shopping and restaurant streets are located approximately in the middle, shops are everywhere, so the difference here is really only in the preferences regarding the beach and entertainment. As everywhere in resort towns, food on the waterfront is more expensive than in the depths of the block, and the further into the city, the cheaper housing.
Ixia and Ialyssos
Two towns located almost next to each other on the west coast of the island just south of Rhodes. This coast is washed by the Aegean Sea, it is windy here, there are big waves, so these towns are centers of windsurfing. The strongest winds blow here in summer, while spring and autumn are quieter, so the best time for beginner surfers is autumn: the sea is warm and the wind is not strong.
The hotels here are mostly chain and expensive, five- and four-star, which, on the one hand, provide everything possible for practicing water sports, and on the other, well-equipped large swimming pools where you can relax with children. But for lovers of traditional swimming in the sea, these resorts are definitely not suitable. But the unconditional pluses are the uncrowdedness of these places and the proximity to Rhodes: there is where to go for a walk and what to do in the evening. The beaches at these resorts are mostly pebbly, with a few sandy areas. The beaches of Ialyssos are Blue Flag. Between these two resorts is Mount Filirimos, which has a monastery and an observation deck. There are ancient ruins here - the city of Ialyssos was once the center of one of the largest states in Rhodes.
Kalithea (or Kalithea)
The closest resort to Rhodes on the east coast. It has its own specialty - former thermal springs. Once there were ancient baths, since 1929 - an Italian sanatorium, but in the middle of the XX century the springs dried up. Now all this has been turned into a huge modern SRA-complex, with its own beach, it is very beautiful, this is one of the best places for photo shoots in Rhodes. The beach at this complex is pebbly, several beaches in Kalithea itself are sandy, but keep in mind - there are large stones there, and the depth begins almost immediately from the coast. It has its own diving school, several large supermarkets, but in general the place is very quiet and calm, suitable for romance and relaxation.
Faliraki
The next resort to the south is the exact opposite of the quiet and dignified Kalithea. The noisiest, funniest, most youthful and party place in Rhodes. The nightlife here does not subside, so the larks are uncomfortable here: in the morning the city is almost deserted, everyone sleeps off after a stormy night. The first cafes and shops start working at about noon, in the morning there is simply nothing here. In addition to nightclubs and bars, there are daytime entertainment: an amusement park, a water park, an observation deck over the city. There is a comfortable nudist beach - Mandomata Beach, not wild, but with normal infrastructure. In general, the local beaches are considered the best on the island and are also marked with blue flags.
There is a supermarket where you can buy food and drinks. The closest big natural attraction to Faliraki is the famous Butterfly Valley near the village of Parasidi. This is a nature reserve where amber trees grow and in the summer season they attract thousands of bear butterflies with their scent.
Kolymbia
The next resort town. It is also very beautiful here: the main local attraction is the eucalyptus alley, which stretches along the entire coast. There is also a nightlife: many people celebrate the Memoris nightclub with a cabaret show.
Kolimbia is located in close proximity to the attractions of the southern part of the island. Nearby, 3 km away, is the Valley of Seven Springs. This is a spring that has seven outlets: the water flows down from the cliff with picturesque waterfalls, and then goes into a concrete tunnel, through which those who wish can walk along the cold stream.
The second attraction is the famous Tsambiki monastery with the miraculous icon of the Mother of God, which helps women from infertility. The monastery has two levels - an upper and a lower one; a rather steep staircase leads to the upper one. And below it is the picturesque sandy beach of Tsambiki. But the beaches in Kolimbia itself are mostly pebbly.
Lindos
Mini Santorini in Rhodes: a completely white city on a hillside. The most beautiful - and therefore the most tourist and crowded place. On the mountain above the city are the ruins of the ancient acropolis, very picturesque, they offer views of the closed bay, mountains and the sea.
The beach here is sandy, but not very large and also crowded, and in general the place is noisy and not cheap - more expensive than Rhodes itself. But ideal for lovers of beauty and tourist shopping: the whole center of Lindos is one large souvenir shop. The restaurants are delicious but also expensive. There are few large hotels, but there are many small cozy villas with beautiful views.
Prasonisi
The Prasonisi peninsula is connected to Rhodes by a narrow sandbar, which is completely hidden under water during the winter season. This is the same "kiss of two seas", the southernmost cape. The place is loved by kiters and surfers precisely because of this uniqueness: there is always a strong wind here, but strong waves are only on one side of the cape, the western one.
In the east they go for kiting, in the west - surf, and all this is a hundred meters from each other. There are several training and equipment rental centers. Prasonisi is primarily a youth sports center: there are only a few simple hotels, the places in which are bought in advance by the fans of these two sports, but the huge territory on the cape is given over to camping. Suitable for young active people for whom sports and parties are more important than five-star comfort.
