I’ve Visited Over 25 Islands In Greece And This 1 Is Still My Favorite

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Year in, year out, you can rest assured there’s one sun-drenched Mediterranean country I’ll be hitting: the home of feta, cradle of Western civilization, and a country whose coastline looks as if somebody dropped a dinner plate and watched it shatter into thousands of little fragments they call islands.

I’m a Parisian at heart, and now a staunch Italian to boot, but nothing tugs at my heartstrings quite like Greece.

Over 25 islands in, from the Gatorade-blue seas of the Ionian, down to the whitewashed labyrinths of the Cyclades, and all the way east to the sun-scorched Dodecanese, I keep finding my way back to one island most Americans keep sleeping on, either as a repeat visitor or while passing through on my way to neighboring islands lying in its vicinity.

One way or another, I’m never exactly mad at it, as this might just be the ultimate Greek island escape.

Amazing Beaches & Old World Sights In One Island

The fourth-largest island in Greece, and the cultural heavyweight of the Dodecanese, Rhodes is far more than your typical fly-and-flop long weekend.

In fact, if you think you can casually tack a visit to Rhodes onto two or three other Greek islands, you’re in for a big, big surprise.

Measuring roughly 48 miles from north to south and 23 miles at its widest point, this is less of a whistle-stop on a multi-island Aegean itinerary and more of a stand-alone destination in its own right.

All these years into travel writing, you know me well enough by now to know that I tend to favor cultural breaks over beach holidays and do-nothing retreats, and you’re probably fed up to the back teeth with me gushing over the next medieval town undiscovered by the masses.

What if I told you, however, that you can have both here?

Rhodes has beautiful coastlines, pine-forested mountains, fertile valleys, and enough history to fill several trips. My fellow European travelers will probably roll their eyes at this, as we’ve all been flying to Rhodes on package holidays for decades and are more than familiar with its resort strips and beach bars.

If you’re a casual traveler from America, however, you should know this is:

• One of Greece’s biggest tourism heavyweights, up there with Athens, Crete, Santorini, and Mykonos for international recognition and sheer visitor volume
• Again, the country’s fourth-largest island, so it has no shortage of beaches, mountain villages, and ancient ruins to explore
• A destination Europeans love partly because it experiences exceedingly long summers (but more on that soon)
• Remote enough to lie over 250 miles from mainland Greece, versus only 11 miles from the Turkish coast, yet still a convenient 3-to-4.5-hour flight from most major European hubs
• Proof that Greece isn’t all about $1,000-a-night Santorini villas and all-white, invite-only parties in Mykonos, Rhodes is about to flip the script on you

One Of The Best-Preserved Medieval Cities In Europe

Back to Rhodes, perhaps my favorite thing about the island is precisely the atmospheric, fully walled port capital it is named after.

The UNESCO-listed Rhodes Town just happens to be one of the prettiest medieval ensembles in Europe, and though it lies hundreds of miles from the continent, it feels like Europe in a nutshell.

I’m talking cobbled streets, vaulted passageways framed by arches, the ruined Gothic Church of the Virgin of the Burgh, and the Palace of the Grand Master, a full-blown, French-style château-fort unlike anything you’ll find elsewhere in Greece.

You know the kind: crenelated turrets, fairytale courtyards, cavernous halls, and mile upon mile of honey-colored ramparts.

Rhodes Town is the ultimate meeting point between East and West, and its proximity to Turkey is only half the story.

After the Knights of St. John fell in 1522, Rhodes spent nearly four centuries under Ottoman rule. Just look at the towering minarets, mosques, and Ottoman bathing houses scattered around the Old Town.

This is not the Greece of whitewashed cubes, blue-domed churches, and fly-and-flop beach clubs: it’s a living, pulsating, ocher-hue medieval maze.

The best part?

Touristy and busy as it may be, particularly during cruise season, this is still somewhere locals genuinely live, work, shop, and go about their daily business.

While places like Oia, on jam-packed Santorini, and Chania’s historic core have become increasingly geared towards short-term rentals and boutique stays, Rhodes Town feels lived-in. It still has its usual medley of olive-tree-shaded squares, where local grandads finish a game of tavli and idly watch the afternoon go by.

Family-owned tavernas serving proper, unmistakably Greek fare—not merely Instagram-friendly wellness plates—still outnumber the açaí and matcha joints, if you know what I mean.

I’m obsessed with the place, if you couldn’t already tell.

Check Travel Rules Going To Europe This Fall

Before we keep going, if you’re heading to Europe this year, make sure you’re up to speed with the continent’s fast-changing border and travel regulations.

Americans visiting for a short stay are now required to register their fingerprints and facial image when crossing an external border into the Schengen Area, a passport-free travel zone comprising 29 countries, including Greece.

Their arrivals and departures are then logged digitally under the European Union’s new Entry/Exit System, or EES.

This is designed in part to ensure tourists comply with the Schengen Area’s rules, most importantly, that they do not exceed the 90 days they’re permitted to remain within any rolling 180-day period across the entire zone.

We strongly suggest heading over to the Entry Requirement Checker, typing in your destination, and pulling up the comprehensive document list.

Rhodes Is One Of The Safest Sunny Spots Across The Pond

Rhodes Town also feels noticeably calmer after dark than larger Greek metropolises such as Athens or Thessaloniki.

Petty theft is still possible, particularly around crowded attractions, transport hubs, and nightlife areas—this is a major Mediterranean destination, not some crime-free utopia—but keeping your wallet and phone close and maintaining basic awareness is usually enough.

I’m not a woman traveling solo, mind, so I can only speak from my own experience as a male, but I’ve wandered into some properly dark, tucked-away lanes inside the walls—the lamppost-starved kind where your own footsteps are the loudest thing you hear—and never once felt on edge.

That is partly because the Old Town remains a lively residential quarter.

Lights glow behind curtains, televisions flicker through open windows, and somebody is almost always chatting from a balcony or terrace.

Even if you take a wrong turn, busier arteries such as the Street of the Knights and Sokratous Street, which climbs towards the pink-domed Süleymaniye Mosque, are only a few minutes away.

Greece currently remains a Level 1 destination under the U.S. Department of State’s Travel Advisory system, meaning Americans are advised to exercise normal precautions.

On Travel Off Path’s Traveler Safety Index, Greece as a whole scores 89 out of 100, indicating that recent visitors generally feel secure and at ease while traveling around the country.

The Prettiest Acropolis In Greece Isn’t In Athens

Rhodes Town is only the opening act.

A roughly hour-long, 30-mile drive from the capital, on the east coast, Lindos is a hillside cluster of chalk-white houses lying at the foot of a coastal acropolis.

If you think the Parthenon in Athens is the most dramatically positioned Greek temple you’ll ever see, wait until you’ve laid eyes on Rhodes’ Temple of Athena Lindia, perched high above a coastal cliff and the electric-blue sea.

Lindos is also arguably one of the most underrated foodie hotspots in the entire Aegean, with tavernas such as Mavrikos, a family-run institution on the main square, serving hand-rolled dolmadakia, Lindian-style octopus, seasonal vegetables, and freshly caught fish.

You could easily spend an entire weekend swimming, sightseeing, and eating your way through Lindos, down from the acropolis to the sheltered, golden-sand beach , and back up again through the winding alleys and stepped donkey paths, without ever tiring of it.

If you’re flying all the way from America to Greece, especially somewhere like Rhodes that will usually involve at least one connection, chances are you’ll want to see whether those postcard-ready turquoise waters genuinely look that blue in real life.

Spoiler alert: here in Rhodes, they do.

Best Swimming Spots In Rhodes Island This Fall

Rhodes enjoys an extended swimming season thanks to its southeasterly position in the Aegean, only a short hop from Turkey, so many popular beach bars and sunbed concessions keep going into October, weather permitting.

• Faliraki: a broad, resort-backed sweep of golden sand with shallow water, beach bars, sunbeds, and just about every water sport under the sun
• Prasonisi: a golden sandbar at the island’s southern tip where the wind-whipped Aegean meets the calmer Mediterranean, attracting windsurfers and kitesurfers from across Europe.
• Anthony Quinn Bay: a tiny, pine-backed cove of pebbles and rock, bathed by emerald water and framed by snorkeling-friendly ledges
• Ixia: a long pebble-and-shingle strip northwest of Rhodes Town, with stronger winds, choppier water, and the most spectacular sunsets
• Elli Beach: Rhodes Town’s lively main beach, mixing sand and pebbles with rows of loungers, beach bars, and its iconic offshore diving platform (all within walking distance of the Old Town)
• Kallithea Springs: a sheltered sea cove wrapped around an Italian Occupation-era spa complex, complete with domes, mosaics, and lush gardens

I could write an entire dissertation on Rhodes’ gorgeous beaches—and in fact, I might have churned out three or four articles on that already—but if you’re asking for my ultimate Rhodian highlights as a repeat visitor, I’ll have to go with either Prasonisi or Anthony Quinn Bay.

A Strip Of Sand Wedged Between The Aegean And The Med

Prasonisi is a strip of golden sand wedged between the Aegean and Mediterranean—side note, the Aegean is part of the Mediterranean, but they do love drawing neat little lines across bodies of water around here.

The Aegean-facing side has windier, rougher seas and is made for windsurfing and kitesurfing, whereas the Mediterranean-facing side is flatter, calmer, and far better suited to casual swimming.

Gorgeously wild and windswept as it may be, Prasonisi can be a bit of a faff to reach outside the height of summer unless you’re driving.

It’s located at the extreme southern end of the island, roughly 56 miles from Rhodes Town, and the journey there and back can easily turn into a full-day adventure.

The Easiest Turquoise Bay Within Easy Reach Of Rhodes Town Or Lindos

In that case, I’d bet my bottom dollar on Anthony Quinn Bay, this peaceful scoop of pebbles and rock bathed by the emerald-green Aegean and backed by Kounna Beach & Resto Bar, where they pour ice-cold coffees and signature cocktails overlooking the cove.

Rhodes remains largely open through mid-October, particularly around Rhodes Town, Lindos, Faliraki, and the larger resort areas.

Daytime highs average around 75°F in October, while the sea remains a pleasantly swimmable 73°F. Showers become more likely as the month progresses, and smaller seasonal businesses may start winding down, but summer is far from done and dusted.

My Greece Runner-Ups

Rhodes may be my all-time favorite Greek island, but several smaller gems have come dangerously close to snatching its crown:

• Folegandros: a windswept Cycladic island crowned by a cliff-edge Chora and the zigzagging path to the Church of Panagia. Quiet coves, empty trails, and no beach club in sight
• Kalymnos: a rugged island of limestone cliffs, pastel-colored Pothia, seafood tavernas, and world-class rock climbing. You can also sail across to tiny, road-free Telendos in a matter of minutes
• Symi: the ultimate harbor reveal, with tiers of pastel neoclassical mansions, narrow swimming coves, and the historic Monastery of Panormitis hidden away on the southern coast
• Corfu: a lush, Venetian-flavored Ionian island where fortress walls, Italianate lanes, cypress-covered hills, and turquoise coves all come together.
• Kos: sun-drenched and packed with history, best known for its walled port capital, the ruins of the Asklepieion, and the golden sands of Kefalos
• Chios: home to the fortified Mastic Villages of Pyrgi and Mesta, geometric façades, medieval stone lanes, black-pebble beaches, and a wild northern half even Greek tourists rarely ever see

I usually pick Greek islands for different reasons.

When I’m running on fumes and want a near-total escape from the noise of the modern world, Folegandros is my go-to. It’s rural, windswept, and virtually untouched by the masses.

When I’m after deep-cut history—the kind even Greek locals themselves are fiercely proud of—the Mastic Villages of Chios are the first things on my mind.

For affordable, family-friendly resorts and plenty of fun in the sun, Kos is a no-brainer.

It’s within easy reach for me, with seasonal nonstop flights from Paris taking just under four hours, and the sheer number of package holidays on offer helps keep the whole thing reasonably priced.

Now, if it’s an all-in-one island you’re looking for, featuring beautiful beaches, monumental ancient ruins, a fully walled medieval city, and weather that still feels like summer well into October, Rhodes is the be-all and end-all Aegean gem.

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