Sunny and hospitable Rhodes can almost be considered a whole year destination, and is also good, because of its airport, as a springboard to other Dodecanese islands. Many will consider Rhodes just a "tourist" island (whatever that is), but it is so big that you should find something for your taste, regardless. The island is nicely green, and offers a good selection of rather easy walks and pleasant strolls.
The island is just terrific for sightseeing, and Rhodes Old Town offers excellent dining if you know where to go. I can personally recommend "Yannis" for Greek fare, he has e.g perhaps the best Moussaka I have ever tasted, and just about everything has that little bit of extra flair at this place. Some of the best food in town you can get at the Bistro l'Auberge which serves what can best be described as French/Mediterranean food. But the place is difficult to find! Excellent fish (at a price) can be had at Alexis. What they serve is really not fish, it is HEAVEN.
There are quite a few very interesting hotels in the Old Town. I have stayed a couple of nights at the former Hotel Sydney (now Domus Rodos) which was good value. I also know that S. Nikolis is excellent, but the place is very expensive. A real treat is the hidden away Camelot Hotel which is by appointment only. The hotel has just three rooms, and requests first class clients. Many thanks to Nina for letting me stay in her little castle!
Old Town is also known for shopping, and you find e.g liquor and leather shops all over. When it comes to leather, I would hunt around in the back streets, or go straight to Ada & Petros at 57 Fanouriou street.
Getting around by bus on Rhodes takes some time to figure out. There are two bus stations in town. The "West" bus station actually functions rather well, the information kiosk has all time tables posted (even with return times) and the personnel helpful. Most bus stations in Greece can feel a bit chaotic at first, but it is usually a kind of organized chaos that work well in practice. This one follows that pattern. The "East" bus station however, only a hundred meters away, is a nightmare. The buses depart from BOTH sides of a VERY busy street, and buses seem to have no useful signs. If marked with anything than "Rodos" they all got "Lindos", maybe three of them at a time, but they will in fact follow different routes. The information kiosk personnel are little interested in more than getting all the tourists to Líndos as efficiently as possible and do not care much about anything else. So if you are bound for Kolímbia or Archángelos it is dependent on only luck to find your bus before it quickly leaves again.
Selected walks: For walks on the island, see Walk & Eat Rhodes by Brian and Eileen Anderson (referred to below as "/Anderson/") and Rhodes Karpathos Kos Southern Dodecanese by Dieter Graf (referred to below as "/Graf/"). Some now outdated books are Trekking in Greece by Marc Dubin (out of print) and Landscapes of Rhodes by Noel Rochford (also out of print, but referred to below as "/Rochford/", actually the 2nd edition). There was also a booklet by Lance Chilton called "Walks in the Lindos & Pefkos Area", but even this is out of print.
◉ 1 KOLÍMBIA - EFTÁ PIGÍS - ARCHÁNGELOS (net walking time 1h46): This was walk 9 in /Rochford/. A very easy walk in all respects. A similar walk is walk 4 in /Anderson/.
Beware that the bus information in /Rochford/ is misleading. Even if all the Líndos buses pass the Kolímbia turnoff they will still claim that this is the wrong bus, as Kolímbia now has "its own" bus route (with a lot fewer departures), a bus that it is almost impossible to find (see comments above). Good grief. Apart from that there are no difficulties en route here. Just be sure also to get OFF the bus at the right spot, there are not a lot of signs easily visible, follow the progress of the bus carefully on the map. Especially if you are on the "wrong bus" you cannot expect a lot of help finding your stop. At Eftá Pigís, if you take the path back from the reservoir, you do not need to go back to the restaurant area, instead turn left on the road instead of crossing it. The path for Archángelos is just a minute away (on your left).
◉ 2 PETALOÚDES - ÁGIOS SOULÁS - SORONÍ (net walking time 3h27): This was walk 8 in /Rochford/. Another easy walk that is easy to find and follow. A similar, but shorter walk is walk 3 in /Anderson/.
However, there more tracks to ignore than those mentioned in /Rochford/. And just out of the valley, when you reach the track, disregard the instructions in book, and follow instead the new marked path up to the Monastery, turning left just a few meters along the track. Shortly after the 1h58 point in /Rochford/ there is a new track down right. Just after the T-junction ignore a track down left. Be sure to spot (how can you miss it?) the concrete water tank on your right where you must exit down left to Ágios Soulás, actually only a couple of minutes away. When you have reached Soroni there is no bus shelter anymore, but the bus stops across the road from the school, just by a bar or something with a few round blue tables by the sidewalk.
◉ 3 VLICHÁ BAY - LÍNDOS (my total time about 3h): This was walk 13 in /Rochford/. It is also walk 8 in /Anderson/ and walk 11 in /Graf/.
Rougher walk this one, very stony. The initial track you follow have been expanded since /Rochford/ was written, but you will soon see where the marked path takes off in the river bed (or you can follow the track even further, if you want). The path is marked by red blobs of paint, as well as cairns, so really only an idiot could go wrong here. So I did. Just after the pass (the view backwards here is seen on the picture above right), keep following the marked path left. I just disregarded all instructions in the book here, as well as the map! I mean, I could "clearly see" where I was going, right? I thought the book was insane and just continued downwards for the peninsula straight ahead. It was the WRONG peninsula... So I wasted an hour here, having to walk the boring road back to Lindos. So do as I say, and not as I do... Do not stray from the marked paths. As an excuse I can blame it on the fact that my (electronic) compass was not functioning, lacking battery power, and that the map in /Rochford/ was cut off so that the only interesting feature here, the coastline, was actually missing. But I am still embarrassed by this one.
Líndos itself was a bit of a disappointment, I thought that this village was actually better preserved, and not filled to its bursting point with tavernas, bars and all kinds of tourists shops. MIND: The bus back does NOT go from the square, as indicated in /Rochford/, you will have to walk up to the road (or take the free shuttle bus).
◉ 4 KÁMIROS ROUND TRIP (net walking time 3h20): This was walk 6 (Alternative walk) in /Rochford/. Another easy walk that is easy to find and follow, but there are a few tracks not described in the book, that you must ignore.
The bus goes all the way up the "Ancient Kámiros" so you will only have to walk the road between the ruin village and the main road once. Try to walk on the times given in the book, they are very consistent and a good way to pinpoint your turnoffs at any time. As I understand, the timings given in /Rochford/ are from where you take off on the dirt track.
You will probably have a lot of time to spare before catching the last bus back from Kámiros. You cannot do better than spending this time at one of the big tavernas by the waterfront here. The sea and the beaches are not too interesting, but the food and wine is nice.
◉ 5 ARCHÁNGELOS - STEGNÁ - TSAMBÍKA - MONÍ TSAMBÍKA (net walking time 2h55): This was walk 10 in /Rochford/. A similar walk is walk 13 in /Graf/. The original route to Stegná is now walk 5 in /Anderson/.
Only one of up to three Líndos bound buses departing at the same time will actually go into the village of Archángelos. Usually on the hour, not the "half past" buses. A great little walk this, with EXCELLENT beaches and EXCELLENT views.
Shortly after Archángelos, the track that you follow has been expanded, so it is very difficult to follow the instructions in /Rochford/. The route is marked however, so you can just disregard any instructions and follow the red paint blobs. Shortly before Stegná Bay it is better to wait until AFTER the mentioned building, passing both it and the boulder, and then turn left immediately. This is because the road down to the bay has been widened a lot and makes it difficult to squeeze through the other way. There is hardly anything left to walk on. You will have the water through on your left in less than 30 secs. At Stegná Bay there is another very small and idyllic hidden bay just to the south, below a picturesque cliff standing by itself partly out into the sea. Back on the main route, the initial path for Tsambíka is clearly signed. After the pass, do keep right of the olive grove and walk slightly downwards to find the ongoing path towards the "sand-slide" (see picture above right). This path is not marked. The slide itself is a little scary, take care here! Depending of course on which exact route you choose, but by following that path of "least resistance", you will probably be deposited on a shelf, having a small scramble down the last bit.
◉ Good starting points: • Rhodes Old Town - close to the harbour, good value small hotels, good places to eat (if you can find them...) and close to the two bus stations that will provide transportation to most of the island
◉ How to get there: • By air • By ferry from other islands • By ferry from the mainland
◉ More info: • Hellenic Tourism Organization - Directorate For The DODECANESE ISLANDS by E.O.T • Rhodos Travel Revue - All kinds of information about Rhodes
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