First time I went to Rhodes was end of August for a 4 day trip and I straight away realised that it's not enough time to explore the island, so I went back in September for another week:)
Rhodes is the 4th biggest out of Greek islands, the principal town is Rhodes town and approximately 125'000 people live on the island. It offers several beautiful beaches with clear blue water, even mountains, ancient sites to feel the long history of Greek culture and of course delicious Greek food.
I think it's a great destination both for families, couples and solo travellers as the island is safe. I left my bag under the sunshade when I was swimming alone and nothing happened, of course still advise to keep an eye on your belongings:)
As expected, the weather is sunny and hot during summer months, it was about 30°C in August and around 27°C in September during the day. It hardly rains during summer months. The tourist season starts from April and lasts until November, during low season some hotels and restaurants are closed.
When landing in the Diagoras airport, it's easy to take a public transport bus nr 50 which takes you to Rhodes town in only 30-40 minutes and the ticket costs only 3.5 EUR one way.
If you want a full rounded experience I recommend to start with staying in Rhodes town, this way you have beaches close by, can walk to the medieval city and other landmarks and find many restaurants nearby. If you want more chilled beach experience or fun family experience, then Faliraki is the best sea resort area for you. If you want more romantic stay, then Lindos.
There are plenty of restaurants to choose from, if you want to try typical Greek food then moussaka, souflaki, pita gyros and of course all kinds of seafood dishes are offered in every restaurant. The prices for meals are reasonable compared to other top summer destinations.
Here are my favourite places during my visit:
Lindos
It's a hilly town about 35 km away from Rhodes town, takes around 1 hour 15 minutes by public bus (ticket costs 5.5 EUR one way) and the buses go quite often from Rhodes bus station, every 30 minutes from early morning until late evening.
The highlight is the Acropolis of Lindos that is quite well preserved and offers great views over the town and whole coastline. The town itself has white houses and romantic narrow streets to wander around, reminds me of Santorini Oia. It is quite a hike up and down the streets, so be prepared:)
Since during the days it can get very hot, a refreshing swim in Lindos beach next to the town, is highly advised.
Overall I recommend to take minimum one whole day for the visit and many tourists prefer it for a romantic getaway, popular wedding spot:)
Medieval City of Rhodes
The medieval city of Rhodes is a World Heritage Site and I must say I was really amazed how well it has been preserved and how big area it is. The main masterpiece is the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights (Kastello), if you want to visit the ticket costs 8 EUR and you can see palace interior design and restored artefacts from different periods.
Other than that I recommend to have a walk along the Street of the Knights, enjoy ice cream at the Hippocrates square and just watch people passing by. You will definitely notice also the Clock Tower and Mosque of Suleiman.
Acropolis of Rhodes and ancient stadium
The Acropolis of Rhodes is located within the town of Rhodes so you can even walk up there, it will take you approximately 30 minutes though. Currently the visit is free of charge and as a pro tip I recommend to time your visit before sunset as just next to it is a cliff where you can enjoy the most beautiful sunset views.
The Hellenistic stadium takes you back in time and you can imagine how the athletic events took place in the past. It takes approximately 2 hours for the visit.
Tsampika and Agathi Beach
These were my favourite beaches that I managed to visit during my stay.
Tsampika beach is a bigger beach that has a famous Monastery on top of a hill next to it and the beach area is quite stretched and water is shallow and calm, so perfect for families, and it has separate area for nudists:)
Agathi was my favourite as it's more tranquil, it's situated in a cove, the water is so blue and calm and sand so golden that it feels like a bliss to spend the day there.
During my first visit I stayed in STAY Rhodes hotel, my room had a beautiful seaview. The hotel is centrally located, beaches are 5 min walk and old town is 15 min walk away and you can find many restaurants nearby. Downstairs has a great restaurant for breakfast and lunch.
For my second stay I chose Downtown apartments. Really great stay with welcome gifts and all the essentials provided by the lovely host, highly recommending for a stay.
Overall Rhodes left me a very good opinion with its positive and safe vibe, the island offers variety of things to do, you can enjoy beautiful beaches and good food, great vacation getaway:)
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