Faliraki, Rhodes, Symi (independent travel). Rhodes by car: what to see on your own Rhodes reports on independent travel

A week after our arrival, we decided to take a car and see the island, especially since there are more people on the beach on weekends because of locals vacationing.

On Friday we visited three rental offices, but Apollo offered us the best conditions. For two days, a car in the cheapest price category is for 50 Euros (unlimited mileage, 100% insurance coverage, no additional payments for a second driver). At the same time, since we planned to leave on Saturday around 7 am before the office opened, we agreed that we would arrange everything and receive the keys at 9 pm the day before, leaving the car in the parking lot in front of the Apollo office (2 minutes walk from our apart-hotel). For this price we were promised a Hyundai i10, but in the end they gave us a more expensive category - the Hyundai i30. Without bargaining, such a car costs 35 euros per day or 70 for two days. We didn’t really bargain - the cheapest category was immediately offered to us not for 30+30 euros, but for 50 euros for two days, and we upgraded ourselves due to the lack of simpler cars. I received a silver car, there were no problems, the return was also very calm, no one really looked or checked anything, they only asked how much gas was in the tank as it was when received (a quarter of a tank)? So I highly recommend Apollo in Faliraki (the staff speaks Russian).

In two days we covered 450 kilometers. 250 on the first day and 200 on the second. In addition to the many good asphalt roads in the mountains and along the coast, every day they drilled into a deep dirt road)) You can probably drive around the entire island in a day, but that’s if you don’t stop almost anywhere. We had a very busy program, we saw absolutely everything that was interesting to us, stopping every day to take a dip and cool off at a couple of new beaches. Wherever we wanted to walk, we walked for as long as we wanted, but at the same time we moved quite dynamically.

If you want more beaches or spend more time on them, and not 20 minutes at a time, like we did, it’s better to spread out your acquaintance with the island over three days. We deliberately skipped some of the “top” attractions such as the Butterfly Park, the ancient ruins of Kamiros and the Seven Springs. Every day we started at 7.15. On the first day we returned home at 19.15, on the second at 20.15.

First day route (east and south of Rhodes) : Faliraki – Lindos – St. Paul’s Bay – Tharri Monastery – Asklipeio Castle – Gennady – Arnitha – dirt road through the mountains to Messanagros – Skiadi Monasteri – Sousounia Beach – Prassonissi – Lachania – St. Paul's Bay – Archaggelos – Faliraki

Routesecondday(centerAndwestRhodes) : Faliraki – Eleousa – Church of Ag. Nikolaos Fountoukli – Profitis Ilias (Villa Mussolini) – route through vineyards and gardens from Salakos to Kamiros – Skala Kamirou – Kritinias Castle – Fourni Beach – Monolithou Castle – Monolithos – Siana – Ag. Isidoros – Embonas – Profitis Ilias – Eleousa – Tsampika Beach – Tsampika Monastery – Antony Quinn, Ladiko Bay – Faliraki

First day

Faliraki – Lindos – St. Paul’s Bay – Tharri Monastery – Asklipeio Castle – Gennady – Arnitha – dirt road through the mountains to Messanagros – Skiadi Monasteri – Sousounia Beach – Prassonissi – Lachania – St. Paul's Bay – Archaggelos – Faliraki

Lindos. In principle, it would be possible to go to Lindos from Faliraki by bus, but we didn’t want to bother with boarding a passing bus on the highway, which might not have seats, and we also wanted to be in Lindos as early as possible, because... the city is very touristy, and already at 9.30, when we were about to leave, there were continuous crowds going up the stairs to the acropolis!

The most obvious parking in Lindos is paid, but there is free dirt parking on the highway opposite the Acropolis (between the two asphalt exits down into town), plus there is good free parking at the exit to St. Bay. Paul, and right next to St. Bay. Paul – parking there is probably the best way to immediately get to the Old Town, and on the way back to refresh yourself in the crystal clear water with stunning views. And for beautiful panoramic shots, stop at the top of the highway. We learned about free parking on the way to the bay and at the bay later, so we parked on a dirt lot between two exits to the city, so we had to first go down to the city and then go up to the highway, but on the way to the central tourist street we pretty much zigzagged along the beautiful and completely non-tourist streets of snow-white Lindos.

The city is protected from the western winds by high mountains, and from the wind from the sea by the rock with the Acropolis, so during the day it is very hot in Lindos, it was stuffy even at 8 in the morning, when we wandered almost completely alone around the Old Town and climbed the stairs to the Acropolis. We didn’t go to the Acropolis itself, because... reviews that there was nothing special to see inside were not encouraging. Instead, we walked under the fortress walls and went out to the top of the cliff to stand over the cliff above the incredibly beautiful colored sea.

Lindos is beautiful not only as a town, but also as a place - there is a rugged high coastline, bays and coves with turquoise water all around!

Then we went down from the Acropolis to the Old City, and on the second attempt I broke into a beautiful snow-white church, which was unusually inhospitable. At the entrance, the evil grandmother made it clear with a hand gesture that it was forbidden to go in - neither at 8.30, nor after 9, when I made the second raid. Although official visiting hours begin at 9 o'clock. But I asked permission from an aunt with an unkind look who was selling church souvenirs, she appreciated my dress code and allowed me to go inside.

Inside, the entire small space of the church is covered from floor to ceiling with beautiful ancient frescoes. At 8.30 the priest very mournfully read a prayer in the complete absence of parishioners, now at 9 in the morning some kind of ceremony was being prepared for the evil grandmother, who did not let me in both times, and a couple of other women. My persistence was not in vain - the church is very beautiful and atmospheric. And the local residents, who so zealously protect the holy place, can be understood when thousands of tourists pass by the church every day, and most of them are eager to inspect the interiors in shorts and T-shirts...

Then we walked along a narrow central street with numerous opened souvenir shops to the town square, where there is one of the paid parking lots for cars, as well as parking for the poor donkeys that transport lazy tourists to the mountain with the Acropolis. There are a lot of donkeys, and there is very little space on the narrow street, so the donkey stall was made in a house called Alpha Bank))

Having wandered up the non-tourist streets with beautiful carved portals and thresholds lined with multi-colored pebbles, we went up to our car and decided to slide down to St Paul's Bay, which is considered one of the most beautiful places in Rhodes to freshen up after going up and down the stuffy Lindos before a long journey.

We arrived at the bay before 10 am, but there were already quite a lot of people. The place is beautiful, but it’s better to arrive as early as possible or closer to 6 pm - during the day there is a hellish hell of crowds of people, and the beach is tiny on one side and on the other, which we stopped at in the evening. The water is clean, transparent, there are stones at the bottom, you can see whole schools of fish, although they are of a rather ordinary silver color. There are high cliffs around, stunning views of the white houses of the city and the rock with the Acropolis. From the walls of the Acropolis, they say, the bay looks like a heart - this is perhaps the only thing that we did not see in Lindos, having saved 12 Euros on entrance tickets to the Acropolis.

After Lindos we headed deeper into the island, drove past the village of Laerma and taxied into Tharri monastery, where a church built in ancient centuries with beautiful frescoes is surrounded by a fruit and olive garden and it was quiet and peaceful, despite the minibus with a Russian-speaking group of pilgrims and tourists.

After the monastery, good asphalt led us to Asklipieio village, dear, but after Nikia on the island of Nisyros, no village seems beautiful enough to us. The main attraction of the village is the fortress located on the mountain, or rather the ruins of the fortress, from which a beautiful view of the mountains and the eastern coast opens. Everyone leaves their cars in the parking lot in the center of the village and goes up on foot, although in general there is quite a good road leading to the fortress itself - either a dirt road or a concrete road. If only we had known, we would have driven there instead of walking in the heat. It’s good that by mid-day there were thin clouds hanging over the center of the island, so the sun wasn’t so hot. What remains of the fortress is a beautiful impressive entrance, walls and part of the tower. Not much, but still beautiful and interesting, especially free, like most of the fortresses in Rhodes.

In Asklipieio we had lunch at Tavern Nikolai, highly recommended by people on TripAdvisor. If you are in those parts, avoid this place! There was our most tasteless lunch, and the soup of the day for 4 euros was powdered mushroom soup from a bag. Somewhere high in the mountains of Nepal, in a village remote from civilization on a mountain trekking route, I would forgive the Nepalese for soup “ala Rolton”, because nothing grows there, and they feed on what the Sherpas and mules brought. But in the center of abundant Greece, feeding tourists powdered soup - I have no explanation for this.

After walking around the village and looking at the beautiful church, we moved to the coast, picking up a hitchhiker at the exit from the village and dropping him off at the main island highway.

In the town Gennady We drove along an unremarkable pebble beach, turned north and drove through the narrow and winding central street of the village with snow-white houses and completely devoid of people and open shops/taverns, apparently due to the siesta. I was too lazy to go out and walk, but driving along the narrow central street in one car was very cool!

After Gennady, we again rushed deeper into the island, drove past Vati, turned towards the village Arnitha, which the road runs along the edge, but we were not too lazy to turn towards the village and drive through it, fortunately it consists of three streets, and we examined all of them right from the car window.

And then the dirt section of the path began - from Arnitha to Messanagros we climbed along a shaking dirt road of a mountain serpentine to a pass with windmills, stopped to admire the beautiful view of the western part of the island and the coast, then drove through the pass, admired the views of the eastern half and went down to the highway near Messanagros.

Next stop was about Skiadi monastery– it offers a very beautiful view of the western coast, the monastery itself is outwardly nice, but inside all the frescoes are new and there is no special atmosphere.

When, after the monastery, we rolled down a good asphalt serpentine road to the sea, I only dreamed of plunging into the cool water. I didn’t care that the Aegean Sea is supposedly always with wind and waves, that the beaches are mostly pebbly. At that moment I was so stuffy, even with the windows open, even with the air conditioning, that I just wanted to immerse my whole body in wet and cold!

Therefore, as soon as we rolled onto the coastal highway and turned south, we immediately stopped at the first approach to the sea. Sousounia beach It turned out to be completely wild, pebble and not very clean - a lot of useful things were washed ashore by the strong surf: shoes, items of clothing, plastic. At some point, I even thought that there might be things here from the Egypt Air flight that crashed at the end of May, because... The last time contact with him was near the island of Karpathos, which was exactly opposite our beach and which was perfectly visible...

And although the beach was not picturesque, the water was a very beautiful turquoise color, and the waves were not strong. True, it was not easy to enter the water over large pebbles that were rolled by the surf. But after 15 minutes in the water, I felt like a human again.

After driving along a very beautiful coastal road with views of the Aegean Sea, we turned off the ring road to the southernmost part of Rhodes - Cape Prassonissi.

I was expecting the wilderness of the far south, so I was surprised by the very busy passing and oncoming traffic. From a hill a kilometer before the cape, a stunning view opened up in front of us: a narrow isthmus between the calm Mediterranean and the wavy Aegean Sea, behind which Cape Prassonisi itself rises, and the entire water of the Mediterranean Sea is dotted with wind and kite surfers. Descending from the hill onto the isthmus, we found several mini-hotel buildings, taverns and a huge parking lot of cars with license plates from all over Europe. Closer to the island, windsurfers ride in the water, closer to the cape, kite surfers. There are a lot of both of them, and you could watch them for hours, but the wind was blowing so strong that we froze pretty quickly. It’s amazing how surfers who are constantly in the water don’t freeze. In such a wind and with a not very high water temperature, it seems to me that even a wetsuit cannot save you... The atmosphere on Prassonissi is very pleasant, relaxed, the place reminded me very much of the Egyptian Dahab. Beautiful people with strong bodies come from all over Europe to follow the wind to this far south of the Greek island.

After Cape Prassonissi, the last obligatory point of the program awaited us - the traditional village of Lachania. There were no more villages in Serega, and after a short walk around the main square, the church and a couple of neighboring streets, he got into the car, and I set off with my camera to get lost in the narrow snow-white streets. It was amazing that real flower beds were planted next to many of the houses. Overall the village is very beautiful and completely non-touristy. And of all the villages in Rhodes that we saw over these two days, I probably liked Lachania the most.

Driving back north along the coast road we passed many pebble beaches, realizing what a rare beast our sandy beach at Faliraki is. Since there were still a couple of hours left before sunset, before Lindos we turned towards St. Paul's Bay, this time deciding to visit the beach on its opposite side. At 17.30 there was still sun and quite a lot of people there. Changing rooms and toilets are available. And a wonderful view of Lindos and the Acropolis. True, I liked the entrance to the water and the sea itself less than on the beach under the Acropolis. But maybe the water was simply disturbed by numerous swimmers during the day.

Then we stopped in different places to photograph the handsome Lindos from different sides and rushed home.

Along the way, we only had time to drive up to the Haraki fortress and, appreciating the steepness of the climb, gave up the idea of going up. And also drive through Archaggelos, which lies slightly off the road. By the way, it also contains the remains of a fortress, but we already had a fortress today, and as many as two were planned for tomorrow + climbing one mountain, so we decided that we had enough for the day.

Second day.

Faliraki – Eleousa – Church of Ag. Nikolaos Fountoukli – Profitis Ilias (Villa Mussolini) – route through vineyards and gardens from Salakos to Kamiros – Skala Kamirou – Kritinias Castle – Fourni Beach – Monolithou Castle – Monolithos – Siana – Ag. Isidoros – Embonas – Profitis Ilias – Eleousa – Tsampika Beach – Tsampika Monastery – Antony Quinn, Ladiko Bay – Faliraki

The second day was completely different from the first - we did not have walks through traditional villages, but there were very picturesque roads through pine forests along mountain serpentines and along the sea, an abandoned hundred-year-old villa, two fortresses, a beautiful beach on the Aegean Sea and many other beauties !

Departing from Faliraki to the south, we turned to Eleusa village, which turned out to be a village located in a beautiful place in the middle of a pine forest and high rocky mountains! In the village, on the main square, on one side there is an abandoned building, on the other side the same one has been restored. On the outskirts there is a huge working fountain, which could easily be used as a swimming pool.

At 8 am we stopped at an ancient Nikolaos Fountoukli churches. There was no one in the church and the door was closed, but it opened easily. There are beautiful ancient frescoes inside. Around the church there are ancient olive trees and fragrant eucalyptus trees. Amazing place!

Then we arrived at a place called Profitis Ilias, consisting of two beautiful old hotels surrounded by pine-covered mountains. And again, no one, and the place is just for us!

Stone steps go up from the road - there is a building abandoned back in the 40s. villa, built in the 30s by the Italian governor of Rhodes for Mussolini. It was assumed that the Italian dictator would rest here after his retirement. But fate decreed otherwise, and the owner never got into the villa.

The wood and stone building is in a terrible state, but its former grandeur is still very noticeable. The house has two floors + attic, many rooms, terraces, balconies, bathrooms. The restrooms still have tiles on the walls and bathrooms, broken plumbing fixtures, and soap and toilet paper holders firmly glued to the walls. There are still tiles on the ground floor floor. There is parquet on the second floor. There is still glass in the windows, although it is pretty broken. You need to walk very carefully: broken glass, protruding beams, falling shutters. We didn’t dare go up to the second floor, although one of the stairs looked good – we were alarmed by the sight of the collapsed ceiling in several rooms on the first floor. There is a hill behind the house, we climbed it to look into the second floor windows.

This is a very interesting place for lovers of abandoned houses and history. And we were lucky that we wandered around it completely alone for an hour. On the way back, when we passed by at 16:00, a whole Russian-speaking bus group was heading from the parking lot to the house. I can’t imagine how tour operators risk taking people to such a dilapidated building. And, by the way, I was very upset that most of the vandal inscriptions on the walls of the rooms were made in Russian (such as “Sveta from Ivanovo, 2016”).

After Mussolini's Villa, a beautiful winding road leads to the west coast, first climbing into the mountains and then descending. We decided that we needed to add some extreme, and at the entrance to Salakos we turned onto the dirt road indicated on the offline map, going down to the sea past the ruins of the ancient city of Kamiros. We wandered around quite a bit, and if it weren’t for the offline map and GPS, we would definitely have gotten lost, because there were a lot of dirt roads. First we drove through the forest, then through olive and orchards, through vineyards, potato and other vegetable plantations. The road was very narrow, it was impossible for two cars to pass each other, but it was interesting to drive through the fertile valley, otherwise yesterday we had the impression that Rhodes was continuous arid mountains with rare olive groves, but today it seemed that there were also mountains with pine forests , and that's kind of all. But no!

We deliberately did not go to Kamiros, because we had already seen more impressive ancient ruins.

The western coastal highway turned out to be very picturesque, much more picturesque than the eastern one, because... the western coast is mostly wild, hotels are located only near the city of Rhodes and the airport, then there are only rare villages, and the main part of the coast is occupied by wild beaches and inaccessible cliffs.

In front of the village Skala Kamirou Huge greenhouses with red tomatoes appeared on both sides of the road. And the village itself turned out to be several houses, taverns, a parking lot and a huge pier from which a ferry runs to the island of Halki almost every day. Surprisingly, the entire pier was crowded with many cars, but there was no ferry on Sundays, and there were no people in the surrounding taverns either. Judging by the fact that some of the vehicles had trailers attached, we thought that the Greeks had arrived with their sailboats and went out to sea.

Then the road left the coast inland, and we approached Kritinias fortress. The parking lot is located directly under the walls of the fortress; there is an easy climb up the steps to the fortress. The walls remain, seemingly recently restored. The fortress looks beautiful from the outside, not so much from the inside, but inside from the top of the rocks there is a breathtaking view of the sea, islands and turquoise sea in small bays. So it’s worth visiting the fortress at least for the view alone. Yes, and entry is free.

By this point, the stuffiness began to be oppressive, and more than anything in the world I wanted to be wet and cold, so we drove past the fortress and began to wind along a beautiful serpentine road to Fourni Beach. I only briefly read about this beach in LP and thought that we would be alone on it, but from the fortress itself there are several signs leading to this beach, so the traffic down to the beach and up is quite busy. First there is one picturesque beach, after 500 meters the road ends at the parking lot in front of Fourni Beach. Despite the remoteness of the place from civilization, there are changing cabins, a non-working tavern and a shower tap without water))

There are about 10 people on the entire beach, the beach is picturesque and large, so you have the feeling of being at the end of the world. Interesting sand formations hang over the beach to the right and left. We didn't have the energy to walk along the beach in the scorching sun, so we simply plunged into the turquoise waters. The entrance to the sea is pebbly, but the pebbles are small, and the surf was weak, so it’s quite possible to do without slippers.

Having thoroughly refreshed ourselves in the sea, we again went up to Monolithou fortress, Seryoga decided to stay in the car, and in a couple of minutes I climbed the stone stairs to the ruins. Inside the preserved walls there is a small newly built white chapel, there are a couple of beautiful window openings in the walls, an arch and the ruins of an ancient chapel. And a beautiful view all around. Admission is free and the place is beautiful, so it's definitely worth a visit.

After the fortress we turned back and at the entrance to the village Monolithos We stopped for lunch at the Panoramico tavern with a beautiful panoramic view of the village, mountains and sea. The chicken soup was tolerable, the eggplant rolls with cheese would have been fine if not for the terrible taste of the batter in which they were fried. But the lamb for the main course was delicious. In the end, the impression was spoiled by the addition of 1.5 Euro to the bill for some unknown reason (they couldn’t explain it to us, they didn’t offer to remove it). As a result, we were left without a tip, or rather, we thought that let these 1.5 euros be a tip.

IN Siana village with many souvenir shops we stopped in the square near a beautiful church. Inside, however, the frescoes turned out to be quite new, although there were also funny stained glass windows in the tiny windows.

Having decided to go around the highest mountain in Rhodes, Attavyros, and on the other side, we headed to the traditional village of Ag. Isidoros, however, we didn’t stop and walk, we just passed through it in transit - all these white and white-blue villages after the fifth already look the same.

We stopped by Embonas wine village, or rather a whole small town, quite nice and with its own wine atmosphere: wineries, wine shops. It seems like there is even a free tasting somewhere.

Since we really liked the morning serpentine through the pine forest, Profitis Ilias and Eleousa, we decided to return to the east coast the same way, again passing our favorite places in the morning.

On the coast we turned to Tsampika beach and arrived at it at 17:00. On Sunday, even at this time there were tons of people on the beach. I read on the Internet that this is one of the best beaches in Rhodes, and if we had not been able to get to it by car, we would have come here by bus. What a blessing it worked out. The beach is a huge disappointment! There is a four-row parking lot along the entire beach, and columns of dust rise from passing cars. Music blares from beach restaurants. The entire beach is densely packed with sun loungers and umbrellas; in the sea, some areas are marked with stupid flags. Lots of parked boats, catamarans and other water activities. At the same time, there are no hotels near the beach, that is, all these millions of tourists come here in their cars on purpose. The beach is sandy, the entrance to the sea is also, i.e. the initial data is the same as that of Faliraki. Therefore, I don’t see the slightest point in moving here from Faliraki. The only thing that distinguishes Tsampika beach from Faliraki for the better is the high mountains framing the beach on both sides. It's beautiful, yes. There are not enough beautiful views around the sea in Faliraki.

After swimming and sitting on the beach for about an hour, we reached the start of the climb to Tsampika Monastery, which is on a beautiful high rocky mountain above the beach. Fortunately, more than half of the way up can be covered by car. 300 steps lead further up. 300 is not much, however, for a good half of the way each of these steps is six steps in length))) So in this case, 300 steps is quite a lot!

The top offers stunning views of the beach below and the entire east coast. There is a small and very atmospheric chapel, with poorly preserved frescoes, the smell and smoke of candles, and locals praying. Small figurines of babies are hung from a particularly revered icon - it is believed that this place helps couples who have been unable to give birth to a child for a long time. The pile of candles in the form of baby figures looks very surprising - some are life-size...

On the way back to Faliraki, we experimented a couple of times with gas stations and 5 euros worth of petrol so that we could return the car with the same quarter of a tank we received it with. The first two times we were underfilled, the third time we overfilled. And since there was still time before sunset, we decided to stop by to see what the famous Anthony Quinn and Ladiko Bay beaches, which we are all going to and still can’t get there on foot from Faliraki. We stopped by and had a look. It’s beautiful, but obviously it will be very crowded and crowded during the day. The sun had already disappeared behind the mountain, it became cool, so we refrained from swimming.

A very narrow path along the cliff leads to the parking lot next to Anthony Quinn - both times we had difficulty passing on it with oncoming cars...

By 20.20 we returned to Faliraki and returned the car. It turned out to be a very eventful and interesting two days, which cost us 107 euros (50 for the car and 57 for gasoline). Probably, a short day excursion on a sightseeing bus would cost about the same))

Anthony Quinn and Ladiko Bay beaches on foot from Faliraki

These two beaches were 3.5-4 kilometers from us, and we went there a couple of times in the morning on foot (it took 45 minutes from our hotel). At 8am there was not a soul on Anthony Quinn so we went to the far end and took a sandy spot under a huge rock which provided us with shade until 11.30am. Most of the people arrive after 10 am. At noon, when we left, the part of the beach closest to the parking lot was packed, but the farther part was still free - apparently, people were too lazy to walk forward a hundred meters.

Anthony Quinn beach is small, rocky, there is only a few meters of sandy space for bedding, and after 12 there is no natural shade at all. Renting two sunbeds and an umbrella costs 10 Euros per day.

The bay is very beautiful, framed by a high rocky mountain, clear water, rocks overgrown with algae and a number of not very bright fish. Every swim I took with me a mask and snorkel - this, of course, is not Indonesia, Egypt or even the Caribbean, but at least it’s something.

We left the sun-drenched beach at midday and lunched on surprisingly edible burgers at a cafe with panoramic views of the bay.

Then we went down to Ladiko beach, which we liked much less. The beach is sandy and larger, so there are a lot of people and children on it - just like at the height of the season on the beaches of the Krasnodar region.

The local tavern had an even worse selection than the Anthony Quinn cafe above the beach - seafood and salads. Therefore, next time we took food with us to the beach. ration in the form of boiled eggs, fresh tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers to last until late lunch at your favorite restaurant after returning to Faliraki by bus at 14.30))

Opposite the main Ladiko beach there is a more secluded “beach” with sun loungers and umbrellas on a concrete slab poured near the shore. A coniferous forest grows on a hill above it - there we escaped from the scorching sun before the bus going to Faliraki (1.20 Euro) and Rhodes (2.40 Euro) at 14.30 (last bus at 15.45).

Overall the place is very beautiful, but two times was enough for us to visit. There are a lot of people, but there are few fish under water.

Tourists are offered various excursions, during which they can get acquainted with the beauties and amazing places of the island. As a rule, if a tourist does not arrive on the island on his own, but by purchasing a tour, the tour operator offers several excursions to choose from, and in general they do not differ from one travel agency to another. There is a standard set of places where tourists are taken. We were assigned the so-called hotel guide Ekaterina, a meeting time was set at the hotel, during which she told us everything about the rules and requirements for tourists while staying in Greece, as well as about the excursions offered. Excursions are booked immediately and paid for immediately (this is my least favorite moment, since when canceling excursions the rules are very strict - it is almost impossible to get a full refund).

You can also choose an excursion yourself by contacting excursion centers, of which there are plenty in every locality. It's cheaper here, but, as it turns out, not entirely reliable.

Excursions in Rhodes

So, what excursions were offered to us?

Firstly, there are excursions to the nearby islands: Symi, Kos, Nisyros, Kalymnos. The most popular excursion is to the island of Symi, famous for its colorful houses in a neoclassical style and natural sponges that are mined off the coast of the island. The excursion takes the whole day, it begins in the port of Rhodes, from there tourists go on a yacht to the island, calling first at Panormitis - the harbor at the monastery of the Archangel Michael, and then to the main harbor, with disembarkation and a walk around the island. This is one of the most expensive excursions offered to us - the price is 80 euros per adult, 60 per child, the price also includes lunch on the yacht.

Among the excursions around the island itself, the most popular are: the city of Rhodes, Lindos, the valley of the Petaloudes butterflies and a sightseeing tour of the island.

Excursions in Rhodes

An excursion to Rhodes - the main city of the island - involves getting to know the Old Town - a fortress built in the Middle Ages by the Knights - St. John (Hospitaliers), visiting the port of Mandraki (where, according to one version, stood the famous Colossus of Rhodes) and visiting Mount Filerimos. This mountain is notable for the fact that there is a large cross on it (it can be seen from the plane when you arrive on the island), there are also remains of the acropolis (the ancient city of Ialis) and Byzantine architecture, as well as the monastery of the Virgin Mary with a miraculous icon. Cost – 50 euros per person.

Excursions in Rhodes

Another excursion is to the city of Lindos. This is a very beautiful place, here is the second largest and most important acropolis in Greece after Athens, a medieval fortress, and the city itself is a snow-white miracle with narrow picturesque streets along which you can get lost. In addition, there is St. Paul's Bay. According to legend, it was to this bay that the apostle arrived to bring Christian teachings here. The bay is shaped like a heart, so newlyweds often come here for their honeymoon.

Excursions in Rhodes

The excursion to Lindos is offered in two options: sea and bus. The boat excursion includes visits to the most beautiful bays of the island, including Ladiko and Anthony Quinn bays (with swimming), and the price also includes lunch on the yacht. Price – 60 euros per person. The bus tour also includes a visit to the seven springs with a “cleansing of sins” tunnel. It costs a little cheaper - 40 euros per person, but its price does not include lunch.

Excursions in Rhodes

A sightseeing tour of Rhodes (island) is one of the longest. If all the others end somewhere at 14.00, then this one ends at 18.00. It includes a trip along the coast of the island with visits to various attractions: the Byzantine chapel of St. Nicholas, the chapel of St. Elijah (nearby is also the beautiful Elafos Hotel and the so-called “Mussolini's cottage”), a visit to a traditional Greek house with a tasting of wine, honey and olive oil oil (included in the price), a visit to the village of Embona with lunch (also included in the price), an excursion to the Church of St. Panteleimon - the healer in the town of Sianna, as well as swimming in Prasonissi - a place in the very south of the island where two seas meet - the Aegean and the Mediterranean . This excursion costs 60 euros per person.

My review of the sightseeing tour of Rhodes

There is also a special tour of the Orthodox shrines of the island, the program of which, in addition to the attractions already listed, includes a visit to the Tsambiki Monastery and several other sites. But we were not offered this excursion.

Excursions in Rhodes

In addition, the guide immediately advised against programs such as fishing and diving, although they were included in the advertising booklet. She explained this by saying that tourists will be disappointed - there is very little living life off the coast of the island (by the way, this is why seafood dishes are very expensive in Rhodes). She didn’t recommend the Petaloudes Butterfly Valley (there is also an ostrich farm there), although when planning a trip to Rhodes, I wanted to visit there. According to the guide, this excursion is interesting for children, but adults get less impressions than expected. Although, there are no comrades for the taste and color.

Excursions in Rhodes

I would like to immediately note that excursions are very expensive, for example, in the Czech Republic or Germany they cost an order of magnitude cheaper (almost 2 times), but, apparently, this is due to the fact that tourism is practically the only source of income on the island. Please note that tickets to the sites are not included in the price of the excursions.

From all that was offered, we immediately booked a sightseeing tour of the island, reasoning that it was possible to go to Rhodes and Lindos on our own, but we could only take a sightseeing tour with a tour group (although, if you wish, you can do it yourself in a rented car). We were not disappointed in our choice - the excursion called “Fantastic Rhodes” was truly wonderful - very eventful and interesting, not at all tiring.

We went to the city of Rhodes on our own. It was possible to go by bus (this trip costs only 2.2 euros per person one way), but we teamed up with a couple from Odessa who lived in the same hotel and went by taxi. They called a taxi for us at the hotel, the trip from Faliraki to Rhodes costs 20 euros one way (but we paid 10 each), in the end it cost us 20 euros both ways + the price for entrance to the Palace of the Grand Masters (6 euros each person, total 12) and a delicious lunch (25 euros) - total 47 euros (half the price!). We had plenty of time to walk around the city and see all the sights, not at a gallop like on a tour, but slowly and carefully. We were very pleased with the trip, the only negative was that we didn’t go to Filerimos.

Excursions in Rhodes

On the same day, our friends in Rhodes bought an excursion to the island of Symi from a local travel agency (costs 35 euros, while at a travel agency - 80 euros per person), but they arrived disappointed: the yacht rocked all the time, in addition, it was overcrowded, We dropped them off on the island and gave them time to walk, but it was very hot and the walk didn’t go well. So they did not advise contacting local travel agencies.

We also planned to take an excursion to Lindos, but then again we went on our own - on a regular bus, and did not regret it at all. We had so much time that we were able to enjoy the ancient ruins, get lost in the narrow streets of Lindos and get a lot of impressions. And we did one more excursion on our own - we went to 7 springs on a regular bus.

Detailed story about the trip to 7 springs

Excursions in Rhodes

The conclusion is this: you can spend a lot of money on organized excursions, or you can save a lot by going to many attractions on your own. Read about these attractions in advance on the Internet or in specialized literature, and you won’t need any guide. Getting to them is very easy; there are no problems with public transport on the island.

Rhodes is the main island of the Southern Sporades (Dodecanese) archipelago, located in the Aegean Sea, off the coast of Turkey. There is a legend that when Rhodes rose from the sea, Apollo, the god of light, was so fascinated by its beauty that he bestowed his blessing on the island.

Magnificent nature and climate, many architectural monuments of various periods, from ancient Greek to modern, attract many tourists from all over the world. And, indeed, a holiday in Rhodes is an excellent alternative for those who want to combine business with pleasure. Here you can immerse yourself in the era of the ancient Greeks, touching historical cultural monuments, enjoy the wonderful views of small forests spread throughout the island, and also soak up the quiet sandy beaches of the Aegean Sea.

You can get to this paradise of the planet by plane or by ferry. You will have to travel around the island itself using public transport or a rented car. The experience of experienced tourists suggests that traveling by car around Rhodes is preferable, especially since there are no problems with renting.

Car rent

So, if you decide to travel around Rhodes by car, you need to know that:

— You don’t need an international license to drive a car, a regular license with duplicate full name in Latin will do.
— You can order a car through your Russian guide. He will give you the necessary documents, which you will need to present to the car rental manager, right at the hotel where you are staying. After signing all the papers and the insurance contract, you can safely pick up the car at 9.30 am.
— You can also independently find a car that is convenient for you. Moreover, there are more than enough companies that offer to rent a car. The choice of cars is not very rich, but quite acceptable.
— In both cases, you can be offered a compact car at a price of 40 EVRO per day (this is the price price). Moreover, if you rent a car for a long time, then you have the opportunity to get a discount. For example, if a car is rented for a week, it will cost you 25-35 EVRO per day.
— Choose a car with air conditioning and preferably a navigator, as it won’t take long to get lost on the Rhodes serpentines.
— Don’t forget to pay attention to the amount of gasoline in the tank. The rental conditions are such that, as much fuel as there is, that’s what should be there when the car is returned to the company. And gasoline in Rhodes is expensive, about 1.8 EVRO per liter. There are plenty of gas stations in Rhodes, and you can pay for gasoline in cash or by bank transfer.

Finally, all formalities are settled, you are behind the wheel and are your own master and guide. You can travel by car around Rhodes both day and night, admiring the magnificent views of nature. You can think over a rich excursion program yourself and then slowly travel around the most worthy, in your opinion, monuments of ancient Greece.

Before you go, you should know that:

— When traveling by car in Rhodes, you will certainly be informed that Greek law enforcement officers are very strict with violators on the roads. But, in fact, during your entire vacation on wheels, you are unlikely to encounter them. So, local drivers and foreigners do not hesitate to overtake through double solid roads, even ignoring mountain turns!
— The roads in Rhodes are good, with clear markings. This fact does not detract from your need to be extremely careful on the road, as the terrain on the island is mountainous. Sharp ascents and descents, sharp turns make up the mountain serpentine of Rhodes.
— At the beginning of the journey, you will have to get used to the new car and the peculiar driving style on the island. Be prepared for the fact that there are not always signs along the way with the names of the villages when entering and leaving them. In the settlements themselves, the roadway is quite narrow and there are no parking pockets, so drivers park their cars directly on the roadway.
— In the capital of Rhodes, be careful when parking. If you stop in the wrong place, you will have to pay a hefty fine.
— There are quite a lot of cars, so the traffic in the city is like in the center of Moscow and it is not always possible to find a free space. Parking is paid.
— Pay attention to the traffic lights. Instead of the usual one arrow, there are three of them - red, yellow and green. And 100 meters before the traffic light there is a warning sign flashing yellow.

Thanks to the car, you can visit:

The Valley of Butterflies, which is located 30 km from the capital near the village of Kalamonas. This is a unique natural reserve, which is filled with the life and movement of thousands of butterflies.

If you are a fan of extreme recreation, visit the tourist center of Kallithea - Faliraki. It is one of the island's most popular resorts, known for its beaches and hotels, as well as excellent surfing opportunities. Two more famous resorts of the island - Ialyssos and Ixia - are famous for excellent conditions for surfing - good waves and suitable wind.

If you come on vacation with children, then visit such tourist areas as Lindos, Embona, Archangelos, etc. They are distinguished by sandy beaches and quiet coves.

Rhodes is washed by two seas - the Aegean and Mediterranean. The first is notable for its strong waves and pebble beach, the second for its sandy beaches and smooth sea surface. At the confluence of two seas, an isthmus is formed, called the kiss of the seas. This is another natural wonder of Rhodes.

Of particular interest is Lindos with the ruins of the Temple of Athena. Leave your car at the top, away from the main road, in the free parking lot and go down to the gate, then climb to the highest point and enjoy magnificent views of the Mediterranean bays, including the inverted heart-shaped St. Peter's Bay. The grandeur of the acropolis, the walls of the knight's castle, and the early Christian church are certainly worthy of your attention.

It would take a long time to list all the sights of Rhodes that are worth looking at or even touching. In the excitement of tourism, you can travel around the entire island more than once. Thanks to the car, you will successfully combine a vacation on the beaches, a rich excursion program, and also feel the breath of antiquity from the magnificent ancient buildings of Greece.

If you have a few days on the island of Rhodes and cannot rent a car or motorcycle, I have good news for you. The bus service on the island is good; you can see a lot of interesting places by traveling only by public transport.

CITY OF RHODES

You can get to the island's capital by bus from anywhere, and this is the first place you need to go. What to see in Rhodes?

1. Old Town of Rhodes
The city of Rhodes is divided into old and new, the old one is surrounded by a fortress wall and resembles European medieval towns, living for tourists, and very attractive. The first thing you see at the entrance is the towers of the old fortress

Of course, you can go to the fortress on a guided tour, but if you are short on time, I recommend just walking around the city, it is completely pedestrian. There are a lot of souvenir shops, beautiful open-air restaurants and unexpected pleasant places.

Old town street

Restaurant under a big tree

2. New town of Rhodes
The new town is like all the small southern towns in Greece, Spain and Italy - shops, restaurants and bars on every corner. We had a very successful few hours of shopping and went to a tavern for lunch

Tavern in the new part of the city

3. Rhodes Aquarium. Never go here!
If you reach the northern point of the city and go out to the beach, the thought arises of looking into the Rhodes Aquarium, especially since the entrance costs only 5 €. Don't make this mistake, the aquarium in Rhodes couldn't be worse! If you snorkel in Anthony Quinn Bay, you'll see pretty much the same thing. Except, perhaps, for a lonely rooster fish and a small octopus, but who would be surprised by this?

4. Picturesque cliffs on the west coast

If you live on the west coast of the island, then, when approaching the city by bus, you will notice very beautiful places - a high rocky coast, a turquoise sea, waves crashing on rocks. It’s quite nice to walk around these places - there is a special path there. But I don’t recommend swimming - it can be dangerous.

Rocky coast in the western part of the city

ANTHONY QUINN'S COVE

If you have been snorkeling in the Red Sea or in Asia, then I warn you right away: you will not see anything special on the reefs of Rhodes. But if snorkeling is simply a pleasure, and especially feeding schools of small fish with bread, I recommend stopping by Anthony Quinn Bay, one of the most beautiful small bays on the island. Located on the east coast, near the village of Faliraki.

LINDOS

Lindos is located on the east coast, 50 kilometers from Rhodes. The bus costs about 5€ and takes an hour and a half. By the way, you will pass the very village of Faliraki, so you can combine the trip with a visit to Anthony Quinn Bay. Although Lindos has its own bay, which is also very beautiful.

1. City of white houses and terraces
Lindos seemed to have stepped out of a picture. I haven't been to Santorini, but I think it's something similar - hilly, pedestrian, consisting of whitewashed houses and terraces with wicker chairs, where you can drink wine and watch sunsets over the bay.
Be sure to take a walk around the city, it is quite small. In addition to the mass of taverns and souvenir shops, there are also some antiquities - for example, the Acropolis. You can go up to it and inspect everything up close.

2. Turquoise Bay of Lindos

When you get tired of walking around the city, I advise you to go down to the beach. Lindos Bay is beautiful - calm and warm. Although there are no reefs here and there’s nothing special to see with a mask, it’s worth just swimming. If you wish, you can also take a ride on a boat or something like a water sofa.

3. Donkey riding
To return from the bay to the city, you will have to stomp uphill in the heat. This is where the main transport of Lindos - donkeys - comes to the rescue. For 6 € per person we were allowed to get to the upper square of the city. If you want, you can go straight up to the Acropolis, it will cost 8€. It’s a very pleasant and unusual feeling to ride a donkey along small white streets, past souvenir shops and cafes.

KITESURFING AND WINDSURFING IN RHODES

We lived on the west coast in the Kremasti area, so I’ll say a few words about it. Compared to the east, it is less warm and calm - the water is pleasantly cooling, the waves allow you to jump in them and frolic. The beaches are deserted, since not everyone likes cool water and waves, but water sports - kite and windsurfing - flourish.

If you already know how to ride, then renting a sail with a board will cost 20 € per hour. A lesson with an instructor costs about 50 €.

If you walk along the coast, you will come across a lot of stations where you will find everything you need for classes.

WHAT IS THERE IN RHODES?
And traditionally, I’ll write a few words about local cuisine.
As elsewhere in Greece, for meat dishes it is worth trying sulvaki - small kebabs on wooden skewers, as well as gyros.
If you don’t want meat at all in the hot weather, I advise you to order a plate of Greek salad - most likely, it will be enough for two

Also, being by the sea, it’s a sin not to eat seafood - the most popular here are mussels and octopus.

Locals prefer iced coffee as a daytime drink - it perfectly refreshes and tones. Almost any eatery will prepare it for you to take with you. Enjoy your walks around the island!

10.05.11, Tuesday, 1st day by car. Today we plan to make our first trip outside our village. There are no specific plans. As they write everywhere, the island is small (78 km long, 37 km wide). In this regard, to begin with, we decide go around his round. You have to make sure this is an island. 🙂

On map The red line indicates our entire driving route for this day. This is how the balloon or fungus turned out. 🙂

In the morning, traditional swimming and breakfast. Around 10 o'clock we go to the rental office to pick up our car. In 5 minutes they explain to us how it works, where and what buttons are pressed. So we get into our green Suzuki Splash(PN POT-5540). Initial mileage 20567 km. Back view:

At 10.00 departure to the mainland. It just so happened that we went on a trip around the island counterclockwise: from the north along the west coast to the south, then along the east - to the starting point.

Roads on the western side there are very good ones, although there are only 2 lanes, so overtaking on the island was difficult. On the section from the capital of Rhodes to the airport there is a continuous flow of cars, in small villages there are narrow streets, everyone drives slowly, no one overtakes. After the airport the road became much clearer. There are names on the signs that are still unfamiliar to us: Kremacity, Paradisi, Soroni. Along the road there are fields, olive groves, and somewhere in the distance you can sometimes see the sea. Beauty!

We decide not only to observe the diversity of the plant world from the car window, but to touch it even closer. We stop at a small church located near the road. We inhale the fantastic air, filled with the crazy aromas of blooming flowers and trees, grass soaked in the sun. We hear the singing of birds and the chirping of grasshoppers. And no extraneous sounds disturb this natural harmony, except for occasional passing cars (after all, we stopped on the main road).

To begin with, let's come to church. There is a small but well-groomed area around. The door is closed, but there is a key in the lock. We open it and go inside. Twilight and coolness, several candles are burning out, crackling. Apparently, someone was already here a little earlier than us. A small altar and iconostasis, several icons, chairs, candlesticks and a box with candles (there is a box hanging next to it where you can put money for candles).

Having joined the heavenly harmony, we again come to the earthly harmony. Next to us is a field with various herbs and flowers. All this looks so fascinating and elegant!

Well, we here, too, seem to be no worse. 😉

And they grow a little to the side olive trees.

Their branches are strewn with small but very fragrant flowers. And the smell... only the bees can tell you how delicious it is. But they are busy with work. I wonder if there is olive honey?

visible in the distance sea. I really want to get closer to him. We turn onto a country road going in the right direction. We are driving through some fields and vegetable gardens. In the end, the road leads us to a dead end. But this dead end turns out to be a small house with a stunningly beautiful garden. I have never seen such gorgeous rose bushes almost 2 meters high. This really fits the definition of “bush”.

We return to the track and continue our journey. Soon sea coming straight to the road. Along the coast there are rocks in some places, and normal beaches in others.

Near Kamirosa(blue circle on the map) we decide, after all, to stop and take a swim. It's not hot outside at all. The temperature is +21C, but a cold wind blows from the sea and it seems even colder. We reassure ourselves that the water temperature is also +21C, so we need to “try” the sea in another place. The beach is unfamiliar, so we don’t risk walking on rocks in the water for a long time and almost immediately fall into the waves. 20 seconds of active swimming to warm up, and then... a complete thrill! The water no longer seems scorchingly cold, the waves no longer seem so stormy, and you can’t feel the wind in the water at all.

Having swam To our satisfaction, we continue moving further south. But now the road becomes a little different. It goes through the hills, winding around with small serpentines. There are even fewer cars in this part, however, the speed of movement drops sharply. This doesn’t upset us at all, because now another beauty appears around us: mountains, overgrown with grass and trees, stone rocks on which it is unclear how flowers grow.

From above there are fantastic views of the neighboring mountains,