Must-see attractions in Dodecanese

  • Ruins of the ancient temple on the Acropolis of Lindos.
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    Acropolis of Lindos

    Lindos

    A short, steep-stepped footpath climbs the rocky 116m-high headland above the village to reach Lindos’ beautifully preserved Acropolis. First fortified in…

  • Courtyard at the Archaeological Museum of Rhodes.

    Archaeological Museum

    Rhodes Town

    A weathered, sun-kissed stone lion, visible from the street, invites visitors into the magnificent 15th-century Knights' Hospital that holds Rhodes’…

  • Monastery of St John the Theologian

    Dodecanese

    As this immense 11th-century monastery-cum-fortress remains active, only a small portion is open to visitors. The entrance courtyard leads to a…

  • Monastery of the Apocalypse

    Dodecanese

    Nestled amid the pines halfway to Hora, the Monastery of the Apocalypse focuses on the cave where St John lived as a hermit and received his revelation…

  • Aerial of the Stefanos volcano crater on Nisyros Island, with the Aegean sea in the background.
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    Caldera

    Dodecanese

    A visit to the caldera is like stepping into a science fiction movie, cows grazing amid strange coloured rocks in what resembles a lunar landscape.

  • The ancient town of Kamiros.

    Ancient Kamiros

    Rhodes

    Cradled in a natural hillside amphitheatre 1km up from the sea, the remarkably complete ruins of ancient Kamiros stand 34km southwest of Rhodes Town…

  • Tourist boat anchoring at beautiful Apella beach on Karpathos island, Greece; Shutterstock ID 1194560110; your: Erin Lenczycki; gl: 65050; netsuite: Digital; full: POI
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    Apella Beach

    Karpathos

    However determined you may be to reach Olymbos, allow time to take the precipitous spur road that drops seawards from the east-coast highway 17km north of…

  • Asklepieion

    Kos

    The island’s most important ancient site stands on a pine-covered hill 3km southwest of Kos Town, commanding lovely views across towards Turkey. A…

  • St Valsamidis

    Kalymnos

    This unorthodox collection is the life's work of a local Kalymnian man, Stavros Valsamidis, who for 48 years undertook private dives, and amassed items…

  • Archaeological Museum

    Dodecanese

    This showpiece modern museum, on Mandraki’s main pedestrian street, displays a fascinating collection of Hellenistic and Roman pottery and sculpture, as…

  • JUNE 19, 2017: Visitors at the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights in Rhodes.
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    Knights’ Quarter

    Rhodes Town

    Essentially an occupying army, the Knights of St John transformed the northern segment of the Old Town during the 14th and 15th centuries, to create what…

  • Palace of the Grand Masters, Rhodes Town, Rhodes, Greece

    Palace of the Grand Master

    Rhodes Town

    From the outside, this magnificent castle-like palace looks much as it did when erected by the 14th-century Knights Hospitaller. During the 19th century,…

  • The Street of the Knights - the most famous street in Rhodes old town, Rhodes island, Greece; Shutterstock ID 691512550; your: Sloane Tucker; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI
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    Street of the Knights

    Rhodes Town

    Austere and somewhat forbidding, the Street of the Knights (Ippoton) was home from the 14th century to the Knights Hospitaller who ruled Rhodes. The…

  • Street of the old town with shops in Turkish quarter in Rhodes city.

    Hora

    Rhodes Town

    The Old Town’s central commercial and residential district, south of the Street of the Knights, is known as the Hora. Having acquired its current…

  • Walking in the Valley of Butterflies, Rhodes Island, Greece.

    Valley of the Butterflies

    Rhodes

    The so-called Valley of the Butterflies, 7km up from the west coast, and 32km southwest of Rhodes Town, is a major day-trip destination for package…

  • Evreon Martyron Square, Jewish Martyrs Square, in Rhodes.

    Jewish Quarter

    Rhodes Town

    The Jewish Quarter, an enclave of narrow lanes in the Old Town’s southeast corner, centres on Plateia Evreon Martyron (Square of the Jewish Martyrs). Now…

  • Kallithea Springs on the Island of Rhodes.

    Kalithea Thermi

    Rhodes

    Italian architect Pietro Lombardi constructed this opulent art deco spa, on the site of ancient thermal springs, in 1929. Its dazzling white-domed…

  • Moni Taxiarhou Mihail Panormiti

    Symi

    Near Symi’s southern tip, beyond the scented pine forests of the high interior, spectacular Panormitis Bay is home to this large monastery. Monasteries…

  • Ladiko Beach

    Rhodes

    One of Rhodes’ loveliest (and busiest) beaches, Ladiko Beach consists of two back-to-back coves, indenting either side of a small peninsula 3km south of…

  • Blue Cave

    Kastellorizo

    Located on Kastellorizo’s remote southeast shore, this extraordinary cave is famous for its mirror-like blue water. To get there, you must take one of…

  • Kastro

    Dodecanese

    Astypalea’s imposing castle was built by the Venetian Quirini family early in the 15th century. For the next 300 years, up to 4000 people lived within…

  • Prasonisi Beach

    Rhodes

    Accessible via a windswept road that snakes for 10km south from Kattavia, Prasonisi Beach extends to form a tenuously narrow sandy isthmus that connects…

  • Old Town Walls

    Rhodes Town

    Rhodes' Old Town is rare indeed in retaining its 500-year-old fortifications all but intact. On weekdays, visitors can grasp their sheer scale by walking…

  • Monolithos Castle

    Rhodes

    Monolithos’ 15th-century castle crowns an isolated pinnacle 2km west of the village towards Fourni Beach. Beside a cafe at a curve in the road, a short…

  • Old Town Moat

    Rhodes Town

    The moat beneath the Old Town ramparts was simply a defensive ditch, never filled with water. Now landscaped as a park, with spacious lawns and lush…

  • Pallas Beach

    Lindos

    Tucked just below Lindos village, pocket-sized, taverna-fringed Pallas Beach is reached by a footpath that drops down near the start of the mule trail up…

  • Lindos Main Beach

    Lindos

    The larger of Lindos' two superb beaches stretches north along the innermost shoreline of the bay, north of the village. Known logically enough as Main…

  • Suleyman Mosque

    Mosque of Süleyman

    Rhodes Town

    Rhodes' Old Town bears many legacies from its Ottoman past. Many churches were converted to mosques during the Turkish era, and even more Muslim houses of…

  • The Plane Tree of Hippocrates. Platanus orientalis.

    Hippocrates' Plane Tree

    Kos Town

    North of the Ancient Agora is the lovely cobblestone Plateia Platanou, where you can pay your respects to the Hippocrates' plane tree, under which…

  • View inside the Neratzia Castle, a former fortress of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, at Mandraki harbour, Kos-Town, Kos, Greece

    Castle of the Knights

    Kos Town

    Due to damage caused by an earthquake in 2017, Kos’ magnificent 15th-century castle is currently closed. Nevertheless, given its extraordinary location at…

  • Western Excavation Site

    Kos Town

    This open archaeological site, south of the centre, holds ancient ruins uncovered by an earthquake in 1933. Its real treasures are the mosaics of the…

  • Horio

    Symi

    Climbing calf-crunching, knee-knobbling Kali Strata, the broad stair path that sets off from the alleyways behind the harbour, will bring you in a mere…

  • Modern Greek Art Museum

    Rhodes Town

    The main gallery of the four-part Modern Greek Art Museum, near the New Town’s northern tip, holds paintings, engravings and sculptures by some of Greece…

  • Moni Agios Panteleimon

    Dodecanese

    The beautiful Monastery of Agios Panteleimona, located up a steep, winding road (not for weak of heart), is one of the most important sites in Tilos, and…

  • Casa Romana

    Kos Town

    Reopened to the public in 2015 after years of restoration, Casa Romana is believed to have been constructed during Hellenistic times and remodelled until…

  • Acropolis of Rhodes

    Rhodes Town

    Now known as the Acropolis of Rhodes, the site of the ancient Hellenistic city of Rhodes stretches up the slopes of Monte Smith, 1km west of the Old Town…

  • Ancient City Wall

    Dodecanese

    Dating from the 4th century BC, the ancient walls above Nisyros, accessed from the path behind the monastery and medieval castle, are one of the Aegean's…

  • Ancient Agora

    Kos Town

    Exposed by a devastating earthquake in 1933, Kos’ ancient centre – an important market, political and social hub – occupies a large area south of the…

  • Plateia Platanou

    Kos Town

    The warm, graceful charm and sedate pace of Kos Town is experienced at its best in this lovely cobblestone square, immediately south of the castle…