Must-see attractions in Dodecanese

  • Ruins of the ancient temple on the Acropolis of Lindos.
1513583801
acropolis, acropolis of lindos, ancient, antique, archeology, architecture, classical, clouds, colonnade, column, columns, destination, dodecanese, dorian, doric, europe, excursion, fortress, greece, greek, heritage, historic, history, island, landscape, lindos, monument, old, old lindos, old rhodes, old town, rhodes, ruins, temple, temple of athena, tourism, travel

    Acropolis of Lindos

    Lindos

    A short, steep-stepped footpath climbs the rocky 116m-high headland above the village to reach Lindos’ beautifully preserved Acropolis. First fortified in…

  • Courtyard at the Archaeological Museum of Rhodes.

    Archaeological Museum

    Rhodes Town

    A weathered, sun-kissed stone lion, visible from the street, invites visitors into the magnificent 15th-century Knights' Hospital that holds Rhodes’…

  • Aerial of the Stefanos volcano crater on Nisyros Island, with the Aegean sea in the background.
1513319564
aegean, aerial, cliff, crater, dodecanese, drone, greece, island, landscape, mountain, nature, nisyros, photo, rock, rocky, sea, stefanos, volcano

    Caldera

    Dodecanese

    A visit to the caldera is like stepping into a science fiction movie, cows grazing amid strange coloured rocks in what resembles a lunar landscape.

  • The ancient town of Kamiros.

    Ancient Kamiros

    Rhodes

    Cradled in a natural hillside amphitheatre 1km up from the sea, the remarkably complete ruins of ancient Kamiros stand 34km southwest of Rhodes Town…

  • Tourist boat anchoring at beautiful Apella beach on Karpathos island, Greece; Shutterstock ID 1194560110; your: Erin Lenczycki; gl: 65050; netsuite: Digital; full: POI
1194560110

    Apella Beach

    Karpathos

    However determined you may be to reach Olymbos, allow time to take the precipitous spur road that drops seawards from the east-coast highway 17km north of…

  • Asklepieion

    Kos

    The island’s most important ancient site stands on a pine-covered hill 3km southwest of Kos Town, commanding lovely views across towards Turkey. A…

  • Monastery of St John the Theologian

    Dodecanese

    As this immense 11th-century monastery-cum-fortress remains active, only a small portion is open to visitors. The entrance courtyard leads to a…

  • Monastery of the Apocalypse

    Dodecanese

    Nestled amid the pines halfway to Hora, the Monastery of the Apocalypse focuses on the cave where St John lived as a hermit and received his revelation…

  • Archaeological Museum

    Dodecanese

    This showpiece modern museum, on Mandraki’s main pedestrian street, displays a fascinating collection of Hellenistic and Roman pottery and sculpture, as…

  • JUNE 19, 2017: Visitors at the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights in Rhodes.
691741795
aegean, architecture, beautiful, castle, city, destination, dodecanese, editorial, fortress, grand, greece, greek, harbor, island, knight, landmark, mandraki, master, medieval, mediterranean, old, palace, rhodes, sea, summer, tourism, tourist, town, travel

    Knights’ Quarter

    Rhodes Town

    Essentially an occupying army, the Knights of St John transformed the northern segment of the Old Town during the 14th and 15th centuries, to create what…

  • Palace of the Grand Masters, Rhodes Town, Rhodes, Greece

    Palace of the Grand Master

    Rhodes Town

    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,…

  • Street of the old town with shops in Turkish quarter in Rhodes city.

    Hora

    Rhodes Town

    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…

  • Walking in the Valley of Butterflies, Rhodes Island, Greece.

    Valley of the Butterflies

    Rhodes

    The so-called Valley of the Butterflies, 7km up from the west coast, and 32km southwest of Rhodes Town, is a major day-trip destination for package…

  • Evreon Martyron Square, Jewish Martyrs Square, in Rhodes.

    Jewish Quarter

    Rhodes Town

    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…

  • The Street of the Knights - the most famous street in Rhodes old town, Rhodes island, Greece; Shutterstock ID 691512550; your: Sloane Tucker; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI
691512550

    Street of the Knights

    Rhodes Town

    Austere and somewhat forbidding, the Street of the Knights (Ippoton) was home from the 14th century to the Knights Hospitaller who ruled Rhodes. The…

  • Kallithea Springs on the Island of Rhodes.

    Kalithea Thermi

    Rhodes

    Italian architect Pietro Lombardi constructed this opulent art deco spa, on the site of ancient thermal springs, in 1929. Its dazzling white-domed…

  • Suleyman Mosque

    Mosque of Süleyman

    Rhodes Town

    Rhodes' Old Town bears many legacies from its Ottoman past. Many churches were converted to mosques during the Turkish era, and even more Muslim houses of…

  • The Plane Tree of Hippocrates. Platanus orientalis.

    Hippocrates' Plane Tree

    Kos Town

    North of the Ancient Agora is the lovely cobblestone Plateia Platanou, where you can pay your respects to the Hippocrates' plane tree, under which…

  • View inside the Neratzia Castle, a former fortress of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, at Mandraki harbour, Kos-Town, Kos, Greece

    Castle of the Knights

    Kos Town

    Due to damage caused by an earthquake in 2017, Kos’ magnificent 15th-century castle is currently closed. Nevertheless, given its extraordinary location at…

  • Western Excavation Site

    Kos Town

    This open archaeological site, south of the centre, holds ancient ruins uncovered by an earthquake in 1933. Its real treasures are the mosaics of the…

  • Moni Taxiarhou Mihail Panormiti

    Symi

    Near Symi’s southern tip, beyond the scented pine forests of the high interior, spectacular Panormitis Bay is home to this large monastery. Monasteries…

  • Horio

    Symi

    Climbing calf-crunching, knee-knobbling Kali Strata, the broad stair path that sets off from the alleyways behind the harbour, will bring you in a mere…

  • Modern Greek Art Museum

    Rhodes Town

    The main gallery of the four-part Modern Greek Art Museum, near the New Town’s northern tip, holds paintings, engravings and sculptures by some of Greece…

  • Ladiko Beach

    Rhodes

    One of Rhodes’ loveliest (and busiest) beaches, Ladiko Beach consists of two back-to-back coves, indenting either side of a small peninsula 3km south of…

  • Moni Agios Panteleimon

    Dodecanese

    The beautiful Monastery of Agios Panteleimona, located up a steep, winding road (not for weak of heart), is one of the most important sites in Tilos, and…

  • Casa Romana

    Kos Town

    Reopened to the public in 2015 after years of restoration, Casa Romana is believed to have been constructed during Hellenistic times and remodelled until…

  • Acropolis of Rhodes

    Rhodes Town

    Now known as the Acropolis of Rhodes, the site of the ancient Hellenistic city of Rhodes stretches up the slopes of Monte Smith, 1km west of the Old Town…

  • Ancient City Wall

    Dodecanese

    Dating from the 4th century BC, the ancient walls above Nisyros, accessed from the path behind the monastery and medieval castle, are one of the Aegean's…

  • Ancient Agora

    Kos Town

    Exposed by a devastating earthquake in 1933, Kos’ ancient centre – an important market, political and social hub – occupies a large area south of the…

  • Plateia Platanou

    Kos Town

    The warm, graceful charm and sedate pace of Kos Town is experienced at its best in this lovely cobblestone square, immediately south of the castle…

  • Pandeli Castle

    Dodecanese

    A steep, stony stepped path zigzags up from Platanos to reach the hilltop ruins of Pandeli Castle. The castle's oldest, innermost sections date back 1000…

  • Kastro

    Dodecanese

    Astypalea’s imposing castle was built by the Venetian Quirini family early in the 15th century. For the next 300 years, up to 4000 people lived within…

  • Rhodes Aquarium

    Rhodes Town

    Standing splendidly alone at the island’s northernmost tip, the New Town’s modest aquarium is housed in a 1930s’ art deco hydro-biological research…

  • Mikro Horio

    Dodecanese

    When pirates prowled the Dodecanese, this medieval settlement was Tilos’ main population centre. Its last inhabitants only left after WWII and it now…

  • Paleokastro

    Dodecanese

    Best reached by a lovely 20-minute hike through the fields, along a trail that starts southwest of the monastery, this astonishing Mycenaean-era acropolis…

  • Muslim Library

    Rhodes Town

    This peaceful little library, founded in 1793, sits in an inviting little garden courtyard opposite the Mosque of Süleyman. Visitors can only enter the…

  • Paradise Beach

    Kos

    Despite the fact that it's one long 12km stretch of golden sand, Paradise Beach, the pearl of the island's beaches, is broken down into a number of…

  • Prasonisi Beach

    Rhodes

    Accessible via a windswept road that snakes for 10km south from Kattavia, Prasonisi Beach extends to form a tenuously narrow sandy isthmus that connects…

  • Old Town Walls

    Rhodes Town

    Rhodes' Old Town is rare indeed in retaining its 500-year-old fortifications all but intact. On weekdays, visitors can grasp their sheer scale by walking…