Rhodes cruise port guide

About Rhodes

Rhodes is the largest of Greece's Dodecanese islands and the ninth largest island in the Mediterranean, with a population of approximately 127,000. Known as the 'Island of the Sun' and 'Island of the Knights,' it was the site of the Colossus of Rhodes (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World) and has an extraordinary UNESCO-listed Medieval Old Town built by the Knights of Saint John. One of Europe's most popular tourist destinations, it combines ancient history, Byzantine and medieval heritage, and excellent beaches.

The Medieval Old Town's Street of the Knights is lined with the inns of the various tongues of the Knights Hospitaller—each nationality had its own building—and leads to the vast Palace of the Grand Master, which dominates the upper town. The 15th-century mosques, Ottoman fountains, Byzantine churches, and Venetian loggia that crowd the narrow lanes reflect the island's successive rulers. Lindos, 55 km south on the east coast, requires about 90 minutes round trip by coach; the acropolis itself is approached either on foot up 300 steps or by donkey, and offers spectacular views of St Paul's Bay where, according to tradition, Saint Paul landed in 51 CE on his way to Rome.