Rhodes Walking Tour: 50 Free Video Stops

This Rhodes walking tour links 10 sights and 50 short video stops narrated by Clarissa, from the gates of the medieval Old Town to the clifftop Acropolis of Lindos and the windswept sandbar of Prasonisi. Some stops sit inside the city walls and some are a bus ride or drive away, so the notes below group them into practical days, with timing, transport, etiquette and the free sights worth knowing. For official visitor information, also check Visit Greece, the official site of the Greek National Tourism Organisation.

Route 1, the knights’ city (stops 1, 2 and 6). Start at the Old Town of Rhodes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and play the videos as you pass through the gates of the medieval city, the Sokratous Street bazaar, the old Jewish Quarter and the walls and dry moat. Climb to the Palace of the Grand Master, the seat of the Knights of St John, with its grand courtyard and mosaic floors. Then walk down the cobbled Street of the Knights, past the inns of the national tongues and the Inn of France, to the Hospital of the Knights. This is the heart of any Rhodes walking tour.

Route 2, the New Town and the sea (stops 4, 5 and 10). Leave the walls through the Liberty Gate and follow the water to Mandraki Harbour, where two columns topped with bronze deer guard the entrance and three medieval windmills line the breakwater, ending at the Fort of St Nicholas. Continue north past the Italian-era buildings to Elli Beach, with its old diving platform and the Grand Albergo delle Rose, and finish at the northern tip with the Rhodes Aquarium in its 1930s Art Deco building. The whole loop is flat and easy on foot.

Route 3, Lindos (stop 3). Give Lindos a morning of its own. The village of white houses lies on the east coast, roughly an hour from the city by bus or car. A steep path climbs through the lanes to the Acropolis of Lindos, with the Doric Temple of Athena Lindia and the walls of the knights’ castle, and the view drops straight down to Saint Paul’s Bay. Go early, because the climb has little shade and the summit gets crowded by late morning.

Route 4, the island day (stops 7, 8 and 9). The last three stops are spread out, so a hire car or a full day of buses works best. Seven Springs is a shaded valley in the hills where you can wade through a narrow tunnel to a small lake. Prasonisi, at the far southern tip, is where a sandbar joins an islet to the island and two seas meet on windy days. Kameiros, on the west coast, is one of the three ancient Dorian cities of Rhodes, with its main street climbing to a long stoa.

For photos, the best free viewpoints on this Rhodes walking tour are the walls above the moat, the end of the Mandraki breakwater beside the windmills, the lanes leading up to the Lindos acropolis and the sandbar at Prasonisi. The Street of the Knights is quietest early in the morning, before tour groups arrive from the cruise port.

If you have three days, spend the first on Routes 1 and 2, the second on Lindos with a swim afterwards, and the third on the island loop. With only one day, keep to the Old Town and Mandraki, the core free walking tour Rhodes visitors can do entirely on foot.

Late spring and early autumn are the most comfortable seasons for a Rhodes walking tour. July and August are hot and busy, so walk the Old Town early, rest in the middle of the day and return in the evening, when the lanes are cooler and the walls glow in the low light. In winter some beach businesses close and buses run less often, but the Old Town stays lively.

Cruise ships dock beside the Old Town, so the Palace of the Grand Master and the Street of the Knights are busiest from mid-morning to early afternoon on ship days. Opening days and hours for the palace, the Lindos acropolis and Kameiros change with the season, so check them on the official site before you set out, and allow time for ticket queues in summer.

Inside the city, walking is the easiest way to get around, and the Old Town is largely car-free. For the outer stops, regional buses leave from the stations near the New Market, just outside the walls by Mandraki. Buses to Lindos run along the east coast, and buses along the west coast pass the turn for Kameiros. Prasonisi and Seven Springs have few direct services, so a car, a scooter or an organised day trip is more practical for that part of the Rhodes walking tour.

Diagoras Airport lies on the west coast, south-west of the city, with buses and taxis into town. Ferries from Piraeus and the other Dodecanese islands arrive at the port next to the Old Town, so if you arrive by sea you can start this Rhodes walking tour within minutes of stepping ashore.

Churches and monasteries on the island expect covered shoulders and knees, so carry a light scarf or wear long trousers if you plan to step inside. Speak quietly in religious buildings and ask before photographing a service. At the archaeological sites, stay on the marked paths, do not climb on the ancient stones and drink plenty of water, because shade is limited at Lindos and Kameiros.

Greek meal times run late, and many tavernas fill from nine in the evening. Try fresh fish by Mandraki, meze in the Old Town lanes, and pitaroudia, chickpea fritters often linked to Rhodes. Tipping is not required, but leaving a little extra for good service is common. Tap water is generally safe in the city, though many visitors prefer bottled water on hot days.

Rhodes is a safe island, but watch your bag in the busy bazaar of Sokratous Street and on crowded buses. The Old Town is paved with uneven pebble mosaics and worn stone, so wear supportive shoes for every Rhodes walking tour, and use sun cream and a hat between stops. At Prasonisi the wind can be strong; swim only where it is calm and keep away from the kite and windsurf zones.

Many sights on this Rhodes walking tour are free to enjoy from outside. Walking the Old Town lanes, the Street of the Knights, the Jewish Quarter, the moat paths, Mandraki Harbour with its windmills and Elli Beach costs nothing. Seven Springs is free to visit, and Prasonisi is a public beach. You pay only for the sights you go inside, such as the Palace of the Grand Master, the Acropolis of Lindos, Kameiros and the Rhodes Aquarium.

Greek state museums and archaeological sites have a few free-admission days each year, and children and young EU citizens often enter free or at a reduced rate with ID. These rules change, so always check current prices and free days on the official ticketing pages before your Rhodes walking tour, and buy only from official ticket offices or websites.

Accessibility takes planning. The Old Town streets are cobbled and uneven, the Lindos path is steep and stepped, and Kameiros climbs a hillside, so these stops are hard for wheelchair users. The Mandraki waterfront, the New Town promenade and Elli Beach are the flattest parts of the island for wheelchairs and strollers. Ask at each ticket office about step-free routes before you go.

After this Rhodes walking tour, carry on with more free walks in Greece and the eastern Mediterranean: the Athens walking tour, the Thessaloniki walking tour and the Istanbul walking tour, or another island with the Palma de Mallorca walking tour. You can browse every city on the Free City Tours home page.