RHODES

One of the most popular and best-developed islands in the Mediterranean, Rhodes offers international-class hotels, varied nightlife and good sports facilities. It has 370km (230 miles) of coastline and a good, well-surfaced road network, with bus services linking most of the towns and villages. The island is most famous for a sight that no longer exists: the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. This enormous bronze statue of Helios, constructed in the 3rd century BC, once loomed over Mandraki Harbor as a testament to the island’s military power and a monument to the sun god. Sadly, sunset came quickly for the 33m tall Colossus—it stood for just over 50 years before collapsing in an earthquake. Superstitious Rhodians left the statue where it lay, and the pieces were eventually looted by Arab pirates and lost forever. Today, the Colossus exists only in the imagination, though more tangible ruins in Kamiros, Ialyssos, and Lindos reveal Rhodes’s bygone days as a Hellenic power, while the medieval fortress towns of Monolithos and Rhodes Town retain their architectural and historical majesty. The capital, Rhodes Town, lies almost at the northern tip of the island. It is made up of two distinct parts – an old town and a new town. The old town, contained within the walls of a medieval fortress, centers of the Avenue of the Knights, lined with magnificent medieval buildings, including the monumental 14th-century Palace of the Grand Masters. The 15th-century Knight’s Hospital now houses the Archaeological Museum. 2km (1.2 miles) west of the town walls lies the Acropolis of Ancient Rhodes. Many impressive ruins can still be seen, including the Temple of Apollo, and a theater and stadium dating back to the second century BC. Just out of town lie the main tourist complexes of Faliraki on the east coast, and Ixia and Ialissos (also known as Trianda) on the west coast, all with numerous hotels and good beaches. At Filerimos, 15km (9 miles) from Rhodes Town, lie the ruins of ancient Ialisos, and 25km (16 miles) southwest from here stand the remains of ancient Kameiros. 56km (35 miles) southeast of the capital stands the delightful town of Lindos, made up of winding streets and whitewashed buildings, crowned by a 15th-century hilltop fortress standing aside an imposing ancient Acropolis. Rhodes can be reached by ferry from Piraeus. There are regular flights to Athens and several other Greek islands, plus a number of European cities.