from 318 reviews
5 hours
Daily Tour
4 people
English
We will see the Old Town, Mandraki harbour together with the area where the Colossus of Rhodes once stood. Then you will walk through the ancient Acropolis of Rhodes and see the remains of the temple of Appolo. After that, we will continue on the East coast of the island and reach the white village of Lindos, 50km away.
The lovely village of Lindos is one of the most attractive and beautiful villages of Rhodes located south of the capital. It is dominated by a magnificent and imposing acropolis that lies on top. Lindos stands out for its fabulous location beautiful on the slopes of the hill at the top of which lies the ancient acropolis overlooking the picturesque bay.
You will have more than an hour stay to explore its narrow streets and visit the beautiful Acropolis on the top. Then we will return back to your starting point.
We will start our excursion with a drive around the walls of the Old Town of Rhodes – the biggest inhabited medieval town in Europe. It was built in 1300s from the knights of the order of St. John. The Medieval Town of Rhodes is inscribed in the World Heritage Sites List of UNESCO. This list recognises the exceptional value of a cultural site so that it may be protected for the benefit of all Humanity.
If you want we can extend the duration of the excursion with 1 hour and you can have also some free time to go through the Old town and explore it on your own.
Mandraki port is situated in the new part of the town where you will see some very impressive monumental buildings built by the Italians. Here at the harbour entrance is believed that once stood the great statue of the Colossus of Rhodes – one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World.
We will stop for pictures of the area and you will be able also to enter and see the Church of the Annunciation which is the most famous church in Rhodes Town. Located north of Mandraki, the old port of the town, this church was constructed in the 1920s, during the Italian occupation of the island.
The Church of the Annunciation celebrated on March 25th with a large religious festival.
One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Colossus of Rhodes was a gigantic statue of the god Helios. Erected by the sculptor Chares of Lindos, it was under construction from 292 BC till 280 BC and was considered as the tallest building of its time, standing at 30 feet.
Built in memory of the defeat of the Roman Army, which was trying to take control of Rhodes, this giant statue represented a man holding a bow on one hand and a torch of light on the other. The statue of Colossus was put in the port, with its two feet standing on the edges of the entrance. The ships would pass under him.
But in an area prone to earthquakes, the inevitable soon happened. In 226 BC, only 56 years after its construction, an earthquake hit Rhodes and the statue fell down. Snapping at the knees, the statue fell onto the land and broke in giant pieces.
A sad end for what must have been a majestic work of art.
Now we will continue through the city and see more of the great Italian architecture. We will stop for pictures also at the Northern tip of the island where the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas meet each other.
Then we will drive to Monthe Smith Hill where you can enjoy exceptional panoramic views of the city and the seashore, and also visit the ruins of the Temple of Apollo, the impressive open-air ancient Stadium and the Amphitheatre.
Little before we reach the beautiful village of Lindos we will stop at a place for a panoramic view of the village together with its Acropolis on the top.
Before the village we will also visit the picturesque St. Paul’s Bay. It is claimed that St Paul landed here in the year 51 AD to preach Christianity to the Rhodians. There is a small church built there after his name.
We will make a stop for pictures to capture this stunning view.
You will have at least one hour stay to explore the village and to visit its famous Acropolis.
The Acropolis in Lindos is the second most popular Acropolis in Greece after the Parthenon in Athens.
Upon request, during your excursion, you can also have a stop at a pottery factory.
You will be able to see how beautiful ceramics are made. Rhodes has a long history of pottery going back many centuries at least to the time of the ancient cities.
Replicas of designs produced in those times are still been manufactured today together with new modern designs in a younger generation.
We will return back to the city of Rhodes and we can leave you directly to your hotel or ship or at any point of interest
Nannie