12 Best Sights in Rhodes and the Dodecanese, Greece

The medieval fortress of Monolithos—so named for the jutting, 750-foot monolith on which it is constructed—was built by the Knights of St. John in 1480 and rises above a fairy-tale landscape of deep-green forests and sharp cliffs plunging into the sea. Inside the stronghold (accessible only by a steep path and series of stone steps) there is a chapel, and the ramparts provide magnificent views of Rhodes's emerald inland and the island of Halki. The small pebble beach of Fourni beneath the castle is a delightful place for a swim.

This historic cobblestone lane, known in Greek as Ippoton, runs east from the Palace of the Grand Master to the harbor, and was once part of a longer path that wound its way to the Acropolis. During its medieval heyday it became a residential quarter. It is bordered on both sides by the seven Inns of the Tongues, auberges where visiting Knights of the Order of St. John were domiciled according to their spoken language. These were heavily renovated during the 1930s, under Italian occupation, and today mostly hold consulates and government institutions. They are nevertheless wonderfully atmospheric to wander. The most elaborate example is the Inn of France, whose ornately carved facade bears heraldic patterns, fleur de lis, and an inscription that dates the building to 1492 and its commission by Emery d'Ambroise.

A deeply shaded glen watered by seven mountain springs (epta piges in Greek) is made all the more photogenic thanks to the imported peacocks that flaunt their plumage in the woods around the pools. The waters are channeled through a 164-yard-long tunnel, which you can walk through, emerging at the edge of a cascading dam and a small man-made lake where you can swim. Here an enterprising local shepherd began serving simple fare in 1945 and his sideline turned into the busy waterside taverna and tourist site of today. Despite its many visitors, the beauty of the springs remains unspoiled.

Incorporating fragments of an ancient acropolis within its walls, the castle was built by the Knights of St. John in a short-lived attempt to expand their holdings in Rhodes. A church and several chapels dot the sparse hillside around the remnants of its walls. The hilltop view takes in both sides of the narrow peninsula that Chorio crowns, with the villages of Yialos and Pedi (and their sparkling harbors) far below.

This ruined-yet-still impressive fortress, built by the Knights of St. John in the late 15th century, rises high above the sea on the coast just north of Mt. Avrios, with good views in every direction. Above its entrance you can still make out the engraved coats of arms of two Grand Masters.

What was once the main harbor, in use since the 5th century BC, adjoins the commercial harbor on the east side of Old Town and is home to the city's municipal buildings and an open-air bazaar. Inter-island catamarans sail from here now, but it was once said to be the site of one of the greatest acheivements of antiquity. Today, two bronze deer statues mark the spot where legend says the city's famous Colossus, a huge bronze statue of the sun god, Helios, once straddled the Mandraki Harbor entrance. Completed by the sculptor Chares of Lindos in the late 3rd century BC, the 110-foot-high figure only stood for around 50 years. In 227 BC, an earthquake razed the city and toppled the Colossus. After the calamity, the Delphic oracle advised the Rhodians to let the great Colossus remain where it had fallen. So there it lay for some eight centuries, until AD 654 when it was sold as scrap metal and carted off to Syria, allegedly by a caravan of 900 camels.

Soaring vaults are all that remains of what was once a magnificent Gothic church, completed by the Knights of St. John in 1456. The knights believed that Mary, the mother of Jesus, provided them and Rhodes special protection against the ever-present threat of a Muslim invasion; now kids play among the scattered ruins and musical events are sometimes held here.

About 2 km (1 mile) to the west of Rhodes's town center, atop Mt. Smith, are the freely accessible ruins of the Acropolis of Rhodes, a fine example of the stately sanctuaries that the ancient Greeks built atop many of their cities. The complex includes a theater that the Italians restored in the early 20th century, a stadium, three restored columns of the Temple of Apollo Pythios, the scrappy remains of the Temple of Athena Polias, a Nymphaia, and an Odeon. For a dramatic view, make your way to the westernmost edge of the summit, which drops via a sharp and almost inaccessible cliff to the shore below, now lined with enormous hotels.

Also known as the Muslim Library, or Hafiz Ahmed Agha Library, this institution holds a rare collection of Turkish, Persian, and Arab manuscripts, including many rare Korans. Founded in 1793, this remains a striking reminder of the Ottoman presence. The collection and the adjacent Mosque of Süleyman are still used by those members of Rhodes's Turkish community who stayed here after the 1923 population exchange, a mass repatriation of Greek and Turkish migrants.

These excavations, laced through a quiet residential district, have uncovered a portion of one of the main Roman streets and many houses, including the House of the Europa Mosaic, and part of the Roman baths (near main Roman street) that was later converted into a basilica. The gymnasium is distinguished by its partly reconstructed colonnade, and the so-called Nymphaion is a lavish public latrine that has been restored. In the Odeon, 18 rows of stone seats remain intact. The West Excavations are always open, with free access, and significant finds are labeled.