Rhodes

In classical times, the island of Rhodes was dominated by three city states – Ialyssos, Kamiros and Lindos – which united to found the city of Rodos in 408BC. There are still relics of that era to be seen, especially in the Archaeological Museum of Rhodes on Platia Mousiou (+30 22410 31048), but it is Rhodes’s medieval and later history that makes the Old Town really fascinating. Sadly, though, nothing remains of the Colossus of Rhodes, the huge statue of the sun god Helios/Apollo (the island’s patron deity) that was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Rhodes passed through the hands of Romans, Byzantines, Saracens, Venetians and Genoese until it was acquired in 1309 by the Knights of St John. They held it against all comers until 1522, when they were ousted by the Ottoman Turks, who ruled until 1912, when they in turn were chucked out by the Italians.

They all left their mark on the old city. The Knights built the splendiferous Palace of the Grand Masters (+30 22410 31048), which dominates the Old Town and was rebuilt for Mussolini in the 1920s. It now houses an opulently vulgar array of mosaics from ancient villas, Hellenistic statuary and Renaissance furnishings. Next to the palace, you can climb the medieval clock tower for a panoramic view of the Old Town, and leading from the palace down to the waterfront is the Inn of the Knights, where each of the eight ‘tongues’ or chapters of the Order had their lodgings. The Knights also surrounded the Old Town with a moat (now dry) and a ring of ramparts and bastions that defied the Turks for years – you can still see huge stone cannonballs embedded in the walls.

The Turks endowed the old quarter with several mosques, including the grand, pink-painted Suleyman Mosque. Still used by the island’s small Muslim community, it is open to all from 1pm-2pm daily, while another 16th-century relic of the Ottoman era, is the Mustafa Pasha Hammam or Turkish baths, (Rhodes Public Baths, Platia Arionos, +30 22410 27739); note that there are separate rooms for men and women, and you should bring your own towel.

A more modern town surrounds the old core, with an esplanade of grandiose Italianate buildings along the harbour – including the fanciful Nea Agora (New Market) – built in a style best described as Arabian Nights meets art deco. Walk along this esplanade to the north end of Mandraki Harbour (where you can take a boat trip around the island or go scuba diving for the day) to find a surprisingly clean sweep of sand at Elli Beach, which has loungers, beach umbrellas, showers, and a plethora of handy bars and cafés.

Local history

The Dodecanese islands were the last to be united with Greece in 1947. Before that they had been ruled by the Italians, and therefore many of the older residents still speak, or at least understand, the Latin-based language. Recent political thaws with neighbouring Turkey have also opened sea routes for tours to Marmaris, 30 nautical miles away.

Local politics

Rhodes relies heavily on tourism, but the type of tourist the island attracts has come under scrutiny in recent years. Overshadowing Rhodes’s many other attractions has been the beach resort of Faliraki, notorious in both Greece and the UK for its excesses. Both tour operators and islanders are making efforts to improve the holiday atmosphere for all.