Overview

Warm sun, lots of beaches - and all the vast historical heritage of the Aegean? Well, chalk up one for Rhodes. On this Greek island, there's no lack of sandy bays, mega-resorts, and watersports (snorkeling, windsurfing, and sailing are familiar favorites). But you'll probably want a guidebook as much as a beach towel - and time to explore both ancient ruins and traditional mountain villages.

Start at the northern tip of the island in the medieval city of Rhodes, where the old town is a labyrinthine maze of cobblestone streets and castles built by the Crusaders in the Knights' Quarter along with the mosques and Ottoman architecture in the Hora district where the commoners once lived. From the city, it's less than 30 miles to the city of Lindos, where a horseshoe bay, beach, and picturesque, narrow, pedestrian-only streets leading up to an impressive Acropolis attract hordes of daily visitors.

Longtime visitors will say much of the island's shoreline now resembles the over-developed concrete world of the Spanish coasts, but this is a big island. If your world extends beyond beaches, take a car into the countryside, where another Rhodes still lives on.

 Plan Your Trip

BEACHES

The east coast is the beach coast on Rhodes. It's also the tourist coast, and the farther south you travel, the less crowded the sand is. Faliraki is the main resort, but Plymiri is the starting point if you are searching for a quieter strand (instead of sunbeds, parasails, jet-skis, and high-rise hotels). One bay on the way south worth a curiosity stop is Kalithea; it's a nice spot to go snorkeling, and the aging setting (which includes a once glamorous Italianesque art-deco spa) is a classic.

SIGHTSEEING

It's known as the Valley of the Butterflies, but the red-black-and-white fliers here are actually tiger moths. Found across Europe to the Channel Islands, the moths come by the millions in mid-summer to this valley near Petaloudes in the north-central part of the island. Tours here are a popular attraction - in fact, too popular. As the number of visitors has increased in recent years, the number of moths has been in sharp decline.

WINDSURFING

Blustery winds can put a damper on beaches along the West Coast, but for windsurfers, those breezes are a blessing at Prassonisi, a sandspit at the very southern tip of the island. Windsurfing is still a favorite pastime in the Greek Islands, and some of Europe's best board sailors come here to play (wave jumping) and practice (speed and slalom).

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