Old Town of Rhodes (Medieval Town)

Inside a ring of massive walls on the northern tip of the island, the Old Town of Rhodes, also called the Medieval Town, is one of Europe’s largest inhabited medieval towns, and UNESCO recognised it as a World Heritage Site in 1988. The walls stretch for about four kilometres, studded with towers, bastions and gates, and are surrounded for much of their length by a deep dry moat that is now a park. Rhodes was the base of the Knights Hospitallers, also called the Knights of Rhodes, from 1309 until the Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent captured the city in 1522.

The layout is easiest to read from the main street. The Street of the Knights, a straight, cobbled lane climbing toward the Palace of the Grand Master, is lined with the stone inns where knights from different 'tongues', or national groups, lived. Facades carry coats of arms, and the Hospital of the Knights, now an archaeological museum, has a courtyard and vaulted wards. Beyond this stretch, the quarter changes character: Ottoman mosques, hammam buildings, balconied houses and a Jewish quarter around the Square of the Martyrs show how later rulers and communities adapted the medieval plan.

The lower town is a maze, with fountains in small squares, workshops, tavernas with tables in the lanes, and gates that open to the harbour. Walking the top of the walls on a guided route is one of the best ways to understand the defensive design, and the Marine Gate near the harbour gives a dramatic entrance. Visitors who are interested in history can combine the walk with a visit to the palace, while others will find that simply wandering at dusk is rewarding.

The old city also ties in with a much older story from the Ancient world. The Colossus of Rhodes, a bronze statue of the sun god Helios and counted as a Wonder of the Ancient World, rose at the harbour in the third century BC and was toppled by an earthquake around 226 BC. Nothing of the figure survives, and its exact location is unknown, but the legend lingers over the harbour.

The cobbles are uneven and the summer heat is strong, so comfortable shoes and an early start make a difference. Evenings are lively, though the quieter back lanes retain a village feel. Today, travelers should note that the Old Town is walkable only, with cars largely excluded, which is a large part of its charm.