A week on Rhodes can pass entirely between a sunbed and a taverna, and nobody would blame you. But this island is large, the fourth biggest in Greece, and some of its finest moments hide an hour or two from the resorts. A ferry to a pastel harbor, a walk through a cool tunnel of running water, a castle balanced on a cliff above an empty sea. These are the day trips that earn their place on the itinerary.
Symi: the day trip everyone remembers
The fast boat from Rhodes Town reaches Symi in about an hour, and the arrival is the point. The harbor rises around you like a theater, tier after tier of neoclassical houses in ochre, terracotta and dusty blue, restored with a care you rarely see on busier islands. Climb the Kali Strata staircase for the view, then come down for lunch and order the local specialty, tiny Symi shrimp fried whole and eaten like popcorn. Most excursions also call at the Panormitis monastery on the island's south side, whose bell tower guards a horseshoe bay. Book the earliest departure you can find; the light on the harbor is best before the crowds thicken.
Seven Springs: a walk through the mountain
About twenty six kilometers south of Rhodes Town, seven springs seep out of a pine slope and gather into the Loutanis stream. The Italians channeled the water through a tunnel in the 1930s, roughly 150 meters of narrow darkness with a cold stream running over your feet, and walking it has become the island's most peculiar small adventure. You emerge blinking at a green lake framed by plane trees. Entry is free, the shaded taverna by the springs does solid grilled food, and peacocks patrol the car park as if they collected the tickets. Wear shoes you do not mind soaking.
The Valley of the Butterflies
Petaloudes, on the island's northwest side, is a damp, shady gorge of storax trees where thousands of Jersey tiger moths gather from June to September to rest through the summer heat. Wooden walkways and bridges climb past small waterfalls, and when the insects lift from the bark in a rust-and-black cloud, the forest briefly flickers. Go early, keep quiet and do not clap to make them fly, however tempting; every takeoff costs them energy they need to survive the season. The walk pairs well with a swim afterward on the west coast.
South to the castles and the empty coast
Past Lindos the tour buses thin out and Rhodes becomes a different island. The village of Monolithos, near the southwest tip, guards a Knights' castle perched on a 236 meter rock above the sea, a short climb rewarded with one of the great sunset views of the Dodecanese. Further north along the west coast, the ruined castle of Kritinia looks across the strait to the island of Halki. Combine either with lunch in Embonas, the wine village on the slopes of Mount Attavyros, and you have a full day that most visitors to Rhodes never discover. On the way, the village of Siana is worth a stop for its honey and souma, poured for tasting straight from the family doorstep.
Filerimos and ancient Kamiros
Two half-day trips fill the gaps nicely. Filerimos hill above Ialyssos, fifteen minutes from Rhodes Town, stacks a Gothic monastery, the remains of an ancient acropolis and a cypress-lined avenue leading to a giant cross with views across the island's northern tip; peacocks wander the grounds as if they held the deed. Further down the west coast, ancient Kamiros is the quietest of the island's three classical cities, a hillside grid of streets, houses and cisterns abandoned in antiquity and excavated during the Italian era. It has none of the crowds of Lindos and all of the atmosphere, especially late in the day, when the stones turn honey-colored and the sea below goes flat.
Planning the week
- Symi deserves a full day and calm seas; check the forecast, since the meltemi can make the return choppy.
- Seven Springs and the Valley of the Butterflies fit together into one relaxed inland day with a rental car.
- The butterflies are only present from roughly June to September; outside those months the valley is a pleasant but empty walk.
- For Monolithos and Kritinia a car is essential, and the west coast road itself is half the pleasure.
- Keep one day unplanned. Rhodes rewards aimless driving more than almost any Greek island.
Three excursions across a week is a comfortable rhythm, with beach days in between to recover. WAYLY packages to Rhodes start from 1330 ā¬ with flights and hotel covered, which leaves your planning energy for the fun part; current dates are on our packages page. And if boat trips are what you loved most, islands built for hopping such as Santorini or the sheltered bays of Halkidiki deserve a spot on next summer's list. Rhodes, though, makes a strong case for a second visit before you even leave.
