Rhodes
Rhodes is the largest of Greece's Dodecanese islands and their historical capital, as well as the ninth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.
Administratively, Rhodes constitutes a municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the South Aegean administrative region. The principal town of the island and seat of the municipality is the city of Rhodes, home to 50,636 inhabitants according to the 2011 census. By 2022, the island's population had grown to 125,113 people. Located northeast of Crete and southeast of Athens, Rhodes is referred to by several nicknames: "the Island of the Sun" after its patron sun god Helios; "the Pearl Island"; and "the Island of the Knights", a reference to the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem, who ruled the island from 1310 to 1522.
Getting to Rhodes
Rhodes is accessible via ferry from Symi, Tilos, and Bodrum, Fethiye, Datca and Marmaris in Turkey. Cruise ships dock at the Commercial Port, east of Rhodes's Old Town. All ferry and high-speed ferry companies: schedules, connections, availability and prices, between Rhodes, other Greek islands, Turkey (Fethiye, Marmaris or Bodrum) and Piraeus port (Athens) is here.
Worth seeing
No trip to Rhodes is complete without at least briefly seeing the walled fortress of medieval Rhodes. A UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the best preserved medieval walled towns in Europe, the crusading knights were based here for a while before the city was captured by the Ottomans.
Things to do
Sunbathing Horse Riding Swimming Snorkeling Diving Hiking Surfing and kitesurfing on the west coast and especially on the south end of the island Many hotels will offer activity programs Most tour operators will offer excursions Climb Mt Attavyros. A challenging 2-3 hr climb to the island's highest point (1215 m).
Where to eat
See the Eat section under each town or region of Rhodes for specific listings.
Getting around Rhodes the local way
- Get inRhodes is accessible via ferry from Symi, Tilos, and Bodrum, Fethiye, Datca and Marmaris in Turkey.
- Get inAll ferry and high-speed ferry companies: schedules, connections, availability and prices, between Rhodes, other Greek islands, Turkey (Fethiye, Marmaris or Bodrum) and Piraeus port (Athens) is here.
- Go nextMany daily excursions via boat to all the Dodecanese Islands (Symi, Tilos, Halki, Kos, Leros, Kalymnos, Kastellorizo and other islands are offered from Rhodes city A ferry to Marmaris in Turkey is also available
From Wikivoyage: Rhodes, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-07.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Tsui (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.