During our week-long trip to Rhodes (check out the blog post here), we spent a good part of a day exploring Rhodes Old Town. We parked by the harbour, in one of the free harbour parking lots, and then walked into the Old Town. We entered the old town via the New Acandia Gate, which takes you right past the fortress- the Bastion Del Carretto and the old theatre- the Roman Triconch Building.
The Old Town is very walkable, full of history, cobbled streets, lots of shops, restaurants and cafes, and quite a few museums too. Overall, we would recomend spending some time exploring the streets of the Old Town, stopping for a coffee or a drink and having lunch here. For anyone looking for food and drinks here- you will be spoilt for choice, and many restaurants serving very similar dishes of good quality. After some wandering around, we came across a good, small restaurant called Golden Olympiade Rhodes– with a good menu and delicious dishes- read more below.
After lunch, we walked around a bit more, before heading to the check out the Archaelogical Museum of Rhodes and the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes.
There is quite a lot to see and do in the Old Town, so this posts just focuses on our favourite parts and things we think you should not miss!
Roman Triconch Building
Archaelogical Museum of Rhodes
Located in the Old Town, the museum can be found in building that used to be the hospital of the Knights of Rhodes. Construction began in 1440, and it took around half a century to be completed. The building is absolutely stunning and in Gothic style, and the architecture is impressive and grand.
The museum is not too big- we spent perhaps an hour or so walking around and visiting the various collections. Here you can find various finds from excavations, vases, jewellery, sculptures- both from Rhodes and nearby islands. Whilst there are not too many signs and information boards dotted around, it is still worth visiting and seeing the culture and history of the island.
We also found the museum to have a really nice, well designed garden at the back of the museum, which seemed a million miles away from being in the middle of a busy city! The garden also has some nice mosaics on the walls and we spent some time enjoying the greenery whilst escaping from the sun.
Some of the archaelogical displays
Columns in the museum
Above: Grave statue of a Lion
Left: The hidden garden
Plan of the Archaelogical Museum of Rhodes
The tickets for the entry to the museum were around 6 euros, and there are a number of days where there is free admission. There is also an option to buy a combined ticket for around 12 euros, giving you the opportunity to also visit the Palace of the Grand Master and a few other museums/art collections. The combined ticket gives you a good discount- even if you only visit two of the places.
Do check out the website for more information and to see the opening times.
Mosaics in the garden of the Archaelogical Museum of Rhodes
Street of the Knights of Rhodes
Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes
Getting to the Palace is very easy, as some of the crowds you come across will most likely be heading there. To get there, we walked along the Street of the Knights of Rhodes– a narrow and cobbled street, incredibly well preserved for a medieval streets. As you walk along the street, you will come across seven inns- representing each of the seven countries the Knights came from. The street then leads you straight to the impressive entrance of the Palace.
Having gone through substantial restoration in the 1930s, the Palace is stunning- from the grand staircase to many mosaics decorating the floors, as well as antique decor. There is a one way tour visitors can go on, which takes you through all of the main rooms where you can admire various medieval furniture, statues, fireplaces, paintings and much more. Some of the rooms also offer incredible views towards the harbour and the sea, and it is clear why this particular spot was chosen as the Palace.
Entrance to the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes
Similar to the Archaelogical Museum of Rhodes, there are some days when you can get free admission, otherwise tickets cost 8 euros or a combined ticket around 10 euros. To find out more about visiting and opening times, click here.
Above: The courtyard
Right: Mosaics in the Palace
Map of ancient Rhodes from the Archaelogical museum of Rhodes
Golden Olympiade Rhodes restaurant
Whilst walking around, we saw many restaurants, all with similar menus. However, one particular menu item we were keen on trying was the Symi shrimp. Unfortunately we weren’t able to visit Symi island due to bad weather, so had to settle for having this dish in Rhodes itself, but this did not disapoint. Whilst walking around the Old Town, not many places actually served Symi shrimp but Golden Olympiade Rhodes did- and it was delicious!
The other dishes we had here were equally as good, so would certainly recommend a visit here.
Above and left: dishes at Golden Olympiade Rhodes
Rhodes windmills
Colossus of Rhodes and the harbour
The Colossus of Rhodes was a statue to the sun-god Helios, and was erected on Rhodes. It was one of the seven wonders to the world. Believed to have been destroyed by an earthquake in around 220 BC, the statue was never rebuilt, althought in recent years there have been plans (yet to be realised) to rebuild the statue.
With the original statue believed to have been stood in the Mandrákion harbour, visitors these days can visit the harbour and see two coloumns on either side of the harbour which some say were perhaps used as the mounts for the Colossus. Each of these columns are now topped with a statue of a doe and a stag (see photo at the top of the page). Whilst these are not quite as impressive as the Colossus, they are still worth seeing! The statue of the doe in paricular offers a really nice viewpoint back towards the harbour, with the Saint Nicholas Fortress and the Rhodes windmills in the background.
There are many other things to see and do in Rhodes Old Town- such as the Acropolis of Rhodes, an ancient Olympic Stadium, Synagogues and churches. This blog post mentions just some of the things to see and do in the Old Town and on the island overall.
To read more about our trip to Rhodes and see our other recomendations, read our main blog post here which is coming soon.
Right: Bastion Del Carretto
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