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Updated: April 23, 2025
Rhodes Town is home to one of the best-preserved historical gems in Europe: its medieval walled city, named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. But that’s not all – right next to it is Mandraki, the island’s old port, where you’ll find unique buildings built by the Italians.
In this article, I share the best things to do in Rhodes old town and in Mandraki, with all the highlights you shouldn’t miss and a handy map at the end of the post.
If you don’t have time to read the whole article, this medieval city walking tour is a great way to dive into its history and hidden corners. And if you’re only spending one day on the island, this tour for cruise visitors is perfect. It includes Rhodes old town and the Acropolis of Lindos.
A Bit of History
Rhodes was the first refuge of the Knights of the Order of Saint John after they were forced out of the Holy Land. They arrived in 1309 and stayed until 1523. They built walls around the city and added palaces, churches, and fortresses.
The island had already been a wealthy place in ancient times, and it flourished again thanks to the Order’s riches and Rhodes’ strategic spot between Constantinople and Egypt. That wealth caught the eye of the Ottoman Empire, which conquered the island in 1522 under Suleiman the Magnificent.
The Ottomans ruled for almost four centuries, and later the Italians took over, especially during the years between the two world wars. The Germans and British also passed through during World War II.
So yeah, Rhodes has a long and fascinating mix of influences – and that’s what makes it so special.
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Rhodes Medieval City
1. Wander around
Inside the walls, you’ll find a maze of cobbled alleys full of tavernas, shops, mosques, and palaces. The best part is how Gothic, Byzantine, Ottoman, and even Baroque styles all blend together.
And then there are the little details: engravings from the Knights' time, fountains with Arabic writing, wooden balconies… even the colorful bougainvillea. The old town is packed with photo-worthy spots.
👉 My two cents: If you don’t feel like walking too much, try this e-bike tour around the old town. If you join it in the afternoon, you will catch the sunset too.
2. Palace of the Grand Master
This palace was the headquarters and fortress of the Knights and looks like something out of a movie. In fact, parts of The Guns of Navarone were filmed here. And it’s one of the top Rhodes must-sees spots.
It’s believed to be built on top of an ancient temple dedicated to Helios, the sun god – maybe even where the legendary Colossus of Rhodes once stood. The palace is Gothic (pretty rare for Greece) and has massive halls with Roman mosaics from the 2nd to 5th centuries BC, brought over from the island of Kos. You’ll also see carved wooden furniture and old chests that make you want to peek inside and see if there’s any hidden treasure.
🕒 Opening Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. from April to October, and 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m the rest of the year.
💶 Entrance Fee: 20 €
🎧 You can get a audio-guided ticket here, or grab this combo ticket, which includes the Lindos Acropolis.
3. Street of Knights
This is one of the best-preserved medieval streets in Europe. It connects the Palace of the Grand Master to the Church of Our Lady of the Castle. It's paved with cobblestones, lined with old lanterns, and decorated with stone-carved coats of arms.
Walking down this street feels like stepping back in time — you can almost picture a knight showing up around the corner.
4. Archaeological Museum
The Archaeological Museum of Rhodes is inside a 15th-century building that used to be a hospital when the Knights were here.
The museum's collections include objects brought from archaeological excavations on the island, and other nearby islands like Nisyros and Karpathos.
Some of the highlights are sculptures from the Acropolis of Kamiros (from the 8th to 6th century BC) and a couple of beautiful Aphrodite statues from the Hellenistic period.
🕒 Opening Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from April to October, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. the rest of the year.
💶 Entrance Fee: 10 €
5. Walls, Moat & Gates
The city walls stretch nearly 4 km and have 11 gates, most named after Grand Masters or saints. In some sections there are still remnants of the old Byzantine wall.
Rhodes was already a walled city before the Knights came, since it was wealthy and pirates had been a threat here since the 9th century.
You can walk along a 2 km section of the wall, from Cannon Gate (1) near the Palace to St. John’s Gate. You can also explore the moat.
On the map at the end of the article, I’ve marked all the gates in blue, along with the two moat entrances I’ve found so far.
🕒 Wall Opening Hours: Monday to Friday from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
💶 Entrance Fee: 3 €
🔹 Some gates worth checking out:
- Ambrose Gate (the Grand Master) (3): The closest to the palace, with a triple defense system.
- St. Athanasius Gate (4): Locals also call it St. Francis Gate because it’s near the Catholic Church of St. Francis of Assisi. The Ottomans used it to conquer the city, and it stayed closed for 400 years until the Italians reopened it in 1922.
- St. Paul's Gate (11): It is one of the most beautiful gates in the old town and my personal favorite – it leads straight to Mandraki harbor.
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6. Medieval Clock Tower
The Clock Tower, or Roloi, is one of those charming spots you shouldn’t miss in the medieval city of Rhodes. Even though it’s called “medieval,” it was actually built in the 19th century on top of a 7th century Byzantine tower.
The current tower has a Baroque style and a wooden staircase that takes you to the top. From the windows, you’ll get 360° views of the Rhodes old town rooftops, the city walls, and even Mandraki Harbor. It’s not very tall, but the view is definitely worth it.
The visit is quick, and since your ticket comes with a drink, you can relax afterward at the terrace at the base of the tower with a coffee or a cold beer.
🕒 Opening Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
💶 Entrance Fee: 5 €
7. Suleiman Mosque
The Suleiman Mosque is the most important mosque in Rhodes, with its tall white minaret and distinct Ottoman style. It was built in the 1500s to celebrate Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent’s conquest of the island, right after the Ottomans forced out the Knights of St. John.
Like many buildings in Rhodes, it reused parts of older structures — for example, the columns and arches on the outside came from an old Christian church.
Unfortunately, it’s not open to the public. But you can get great photos from different angles, especially from the Clock Tower, where you can see the dome and its surroundings really well.
8. Stroll down Socrates Street
Socrates Street (Sokratous) is the main shopping street in Rhodes Old Town. You’ll find jewelry, leather shoes, Greek gourmet products, souvenirs, and even medieval swords. You can even buy a full suit of armor if you feel like stepping into the world of knights. 😄
This pedestrian street connects the Suleiman Mosque to Hippocrates Square. It’s definitely touristy, but still charming — especially early in the morning or at sunset.
9. Mehmet Aga Mosque
Right on Socrates Street, there’s a standout building with a wooden front painted in soft pink and yellow. I fell in love with it the moment I saw it. There’s no sign, and it’s not in most guidebooks, but it’s the Mehmet Aga Mosque, built in 1820.
It’s a pretty unusual mosque — there’s no minaret or dome, just a wooden roof and a small tower. It originally had both, but they were damaged during World War II and later removed.
One interesting detail is that the building isn’t aligned with the street. Instead, it faces Mecca, as required by Muslim tradition. Next to the entrance, there’s an old Ottoman fountain from 1875 with carved inscriptions. It was used for ritual washing and also as a drinking fountain.
The mosque is closed today, and the ground floor is now used as shops. It’s hard to find information about it (it doesn’t even show up on Google Maps by name), but if you look closely, it’s one of the prettiest buildings on the street.
10. Hippocrates Square
At the end of Socrates Street, you’ll reach Hippocrates Square — the heart of Rhodes’ old town. It’s where several busy shopping streets come together, filled with stores, tavernas, and bars. It’s a great place to meet up, day or night.
In the center, there’s a ornamental fountain that’s perfect for a medieval-style selfie. One of the most eye-catching buildings here is the old Court of Justice of the Knights Hospitaller, built in the 14th century. It’s a souvenir shop now, but the façade is still impressive.
11. Jewish Martyrs Square
If you keep walking down Aristotle Street, you’ll get to the Square of the Jewish Martyrs, one of the most meaningful places in the Jewish Quarter. There’s a plaque here honoring the more than 1,600 Jews from Rhodes who were deported to Auschwitz by the Nazis in 1944.
You’ll also see a decorative fountain with seahorses — symbols of marine life and resilience — that’s become another tribute to the community. The square is lined with cafés, and the big shady trees make it a perfect spot to take a break with a coffee (or a cold Mythos).
12. Kahal Kadosh Shalom Synagogue
In the heart of the Jewish Quarter, you’ll find the Kahal Kadosh Shalom Synagogue, which means "Congregation of the Holy Peace." Built in 1577, it’s the oldest surviving synagogue in Greece and the only one still active in Rhodes, even though the local Jewish community is now very small.
In the 1930s, around 4,000 Sephardic Jews lived on the island. Today, only about 35 remain, but the synagogue still hosts services on special occasions.
The building is beautiful, with traditional Sephardic architecture and black-and-white pebble floors like the ones you’ll see throughout the Old Town. Inside, there’s a small museum with some very special pieces, like a 16th-century Torah and ceremonial clothing brought by families expelled from Spain during the Inquisition.
🕒 Opening Hours: Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
💶 Entrance Fee: 6 €
13. Church of the Virgin Mary of the Burgh
The Church of the Virgin Mary of the Burgh (also called Panagia tou Bourgou) was one of the biggest churches built by the Knights in the 14th century. Sadly, it was badly damaged during World War II bombings.
Today, only three Gothic apses are still standing, but the place has a unique and almost magical vibe. It’s one of my favorite — and most photogenic — spots in the Old Town, especially at sunset when the light shines through the ruins.
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Mandraki & Surroundings
14. Mandraki Harbor
Mandraki is the oldest harbor in Rhodes. During the time of the Knights of St. John, it was used as a military port. Its name, Mandraki, actually means “stable” — the ships used to enter in a neat row, like horses, to fit inside the pier safely.
These days, it’s one of the island’s main marinas, where you’ll see everything from tiny sailboats to huge yachts. You can even rent a boat here — some even without a license.
🔹 Here are a few cool spots to check out along the pier:
- Rhodes Windmills: Only three are left today, but back in medieval times there were thirteen. They were used to grind grain brought in by ship. Even now, they look great in photos.
- Fort of St. Nicholas: At the very end of the breakwater is this round fortress, once a key part of the port’s defense. It began as a tower and later had a bastion added around it. It’s named after Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors.
- Deer Statues: At the entrance to the harbor, you’ll see two columns — one with a stag, one with a doe. They’re believed to have marked the entrance to the ancient port. Some say this was where the Colossus of Rhodes once stood, though other theories place it near the Palace of the Grand Master. Either way, the deer are a symbol of the island — and super photogenic (spoiler: you’ll see them everywhere).
🔹 Curious about the Colossus of Rhodes?
It was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World — a massive statue of the sun god Helios, about 32 meters tall on a 15-meter marble base.
It was built in 292 BC and stood for only 66 years before being destroyed in an earthquake in 226 BC. No one knows exactly where it stood, but the legend lives on.
🐱 For cat lovers: Between the windmills and St. Nicholas Fort, there’s a colony of stray cats. There’s usually a kind man there who feeds and looks after them. If you’re a cat person and want to help, you can leave a small donation. He told me he takes care of this colony and over 100 cats around the island.
15. New Agora
The New Agora (or "new market") is in the modern part of the city, between the Old Town and Mandraki Harbor. It was built by the Italians in the 1920s during their occupation, and the building mixes Mediterranean and oriental styles, topped with a very photogenic central dome.
It used to be the island’s fish market, but now it has clothing shops, souvenir stands, and a few restaurants. It’s a nice spot to walk around or take a break with a drink in the shade. And if you’re shopping, you’ll find some nice souvenirs.
16. Dodecanese Prefecture
Right across from Mandraki Harbor is this impressive building that looks like it came out of a movie set in Venice—no surprise, since it was built by the Italians in the 1920s as the governor’s residence. It’s clearly inspired by the Doge’s Palace in Venice.
Today, it houses the local government offices, but what really makes it stand out is the architecture: elegant arches, columns, and decorative details that are definitely photo-worthy. You can’t go inside (unless you’re applying for a government job), but it’s worth stopping to admire it from the outside.
17. Church of the Annunciation
This Orthodox church looks like something out of a fairytale. It was also built by the Italians during their occupation and now serves as Rhodes’ Orthodox Cathedral.
The bell tower and the interior frescoes are what really catch your eye. If it’s open, step inside—it’s small but beautiful, with painted ceilings and a peaceful vibe that makes you want to slow down.
If you pass by during a wedding or celebration, you might catch a glimpse of a really lovely moment. Don’t miss the small courtyard on the right side of the church, where you’ll find the bell tower and a very photogenic fountain.
There’s also a pretty fountain right in front of the church—the Fontana Grande—which adds to the charm of the square.
18. Ronda
At the end of the Mandraki promenade, right where Elli Beach starts, you’ll see a round white building that really stands out. It has a total retro vibe—no surprise, it was built by the Italians in the 1930s as part of their plan to modernize Rhodes. It used to be public baths and still keeps that elegant Mediterranean look.
These days, it’s home to two popular spots: Elli Nightclub, perfect if you feel like dancing with a sea view, and Ronda, a restaurant and beach club that’s great for a chill beach day. During the day, it feels like a stylish beach bar, and at night it becomes one of the liveliest places around.
Even if you’re not planning to grab a drink, it’s worth checking out. It’s one of those places where history, cool architecture, and good vibes all come together.
Best Rhodes Town Tours
- Walking Tour: If you want to discover the hidden corners and stories of the medieval town. I recommend this tour. I join it when some relatives came to visit and it was a great experience—really complete, fun, and informative.
- E-Bike Tour: This tour is perfect if you want to see the top sights without getting tired. You’ll ride through the medieval town and other key spots with no effort—and enjoy the breeze along the way!
- Hop-on Hop-off Bus: If you’re looking for something more relaxed, this sightseeing bus is a budget-friendly and easy way to get around Rhodes without the hassle.
- Cruise-friendly tour: Only have one day on the island? This express tour is designed to make the most of your time. It covers the medieval town and the stunning Lindos acropolis. Great if you’re arriving on a cruise or short on time.
Map
🤑 If you want to save on your next adventure, use this link from Booking to get 15% off your stay.
Final Thoughts
These are the best things to see in Rhodes medieval city and Mandraki—full of history and charm, and perfect to explore at your own pace.
If you have any questions, leave me a comment below and I'll help you as much as I can. If you found the article useful, share it with other travelers. Have a good trip! 😘
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Hello, I’m Andrea, the creator and writer of Viajeros Activos (Active Travelers). I’m a nomad, so I consider myself a full-time traveler. I’m passionate about good food and always looking for new adventures.