Europe · Beach and resort guide
A long season, substantial resorts and a proper historic old town.
Is it right for you?
A strong fit for
Families, couples and hotel-led holidays.
We would think twice for
Travellers who want to be steps from lively streets on the island's west side, because the west coast is the windier, quieter one, and its hotels suit self-contained stays rather than strolling evenings.
What we would want you to know
East and west coasts feel different and wind can influence beach choice.
Our research-led view
Rhodes is an island we know from research and enquiry work rather than a stay of our own. The first thing we settle for any family is the coast: the calm east with its long beaches and big hotels, or the windy west that suits windsurfers and self-contained stays.
We have not been here ourselves yet and will never pretend otherwise. This advice comes from the operator, mapping, hotel and transfer research we do for real enquiries.
Map and areas
Staying inside the medieval walls means cobbled lanes, quiet mornings before the day-trippers arrive and dinner a few steps from your door. Most hotels are small and many have no pool, and cars cannot reach much of the town, so pack light. Elli beach is a walk away.
A string of large hotels on the west coast just outside Rhodes Town, handy for the Old Town by bus or taxi. The beach is pebbly and the afternoon wind is strong, which is exactly why windsurfers come. For lazy swimming, the east coast is kinder.
A long sandy bay with watersports, a water park and the island's busiest nightlife street behind it. It is far calmer than its early-2000s party reputation suggests, and hotels at the northern and southern ends of the bay sit well away from the bars.
A spread-out resort of mid-sized hotels along a sand-and-shingle shore, with Tsambika beach and the Seven Springs close by. Evenings are low-key and there is no real village centre, so it suits families who expect to eat in the hotel most nights.
White houses stacked beneath the acropolis, with lanes too narrow for cars and small hotels rather than big resorts. It is at its best in the evening once the coaches have gone. Families with pushchairs struggle with the steps and slopes, and a stay costs more than on the east-coast strip.
The quieter south-east, where newer large hotels line long, open beaches with little in between. It is a long drive from the airport and from Rhodes Town, and it works for people after a pool, a beach and not much else; Lindos is the nearest lively evening out.
Weather and seasons
Rhodes warms early and stays warm late. By May the east coast is averaging 25°C, comfortable for walking the Old Town before the heat builds, and in October it still manages 26°C, with the sea around 24°C and often warmer than in June. July and August bring the crowds, the strongest sun and a steady northerly wind down the west coast, so plan the Old Town and Lindos for the first hours of the morning. From late May into September the Valley of the Butterflies fills with moths. Winter is quiet: most resort hotels close from November to April.
Worth timing a trip around
Rhodes Town marks the day in 1948 when the islands formally joined Greece, with a parade and flags across the town.
Pilgrims climb to the hilltop monastery above Tsambika beach, some women barefoot in hope of a child, followed by music, dancing and food in nearby Archangelos.
| Month | High | Low | Sea | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 16°C | 10°C | 18°C | 101 mm |
| February | 17°C | 11°C | 17°C | 66 mm |
| March | 18°C | 12°C | 17°C | 62 mm |
| April | 21°C | 15°C | 18°C | 11 mm |
| May | 25°C | 18°C | 20°C | 18 mm |
| June | 28°C | 22°C | 23°C | 1 mm |
| July | 31°C | 25°C | 25°C | 0 mm |
| August | 31°C | 25°C | 27°C | 0 mm |
| September | 29°C | 23°C | 26°C | 5 mm |
| October | 26°C | 20°C | 24°C | 31 mm |
| November | 22°C | 16°C | 22°C | 52 mm |
| December | 17°C | 12°C | 19°C | 145 mm |
Temperatures are 2015 to 2024 averages from NOAA records for Diagoras, 13 km away at 6 m. Rainfall is from the same station and shows the typical (median) month, so one freak storm does not skew it. Sea temperatures: NOAA OISST, 1991 to 2020.
Sand, shingle and swimming
A long curve of soft golden sand below a hilltop monastery, shallow for a good way out and lined with sunbeds and watersports. The road down is steep, and it fills up by late morning in summer.
A small rocky cove of clear green water near Faliraki, named after the actor who filmed The Guns of Navarone nearby. Excellent snorkelling, but little sand and limited space, so arrive early.
An almost enclosed bay beneath the acropolis with a small white chapel on its shore, where the water stays calm on windy days. Sunbeds are limited and the walk back up to the village is steep.
At the southern tip a sand spit joins Rhodes to a small islet, with the Aegean on one side and the Mediterranean on the other. Kitesurfers love the wind; for a swim, the flatter eastern side is kinder.
Rhodes Town's own beach at the northern tip of the island, sand and shingle with a landmark diving platform and cafés along the promenade. Handy on an Old Town day, and busy with locals in summer.
Things to do
The Street of the Knights climbs to the Palace of the Grand Master, rebuilt by the Italians in the 1930s, and the walls wrap round a town that people still live in. Allow a full day and wear shoes with grip: the pebble paving is polished smooth.
A clifftop citadel with the Doric temple of Athena Lindia looking out over the sea. Walk up at opening time and carry water, because there is little shade on the climb or at the top.
A shady wooded valley where thousands of Jersey tiger moths rest on the trees in summer, at their peak in July and August. Keep voices low and never clap or shake branches: each disturbance costs the moths energy they need.
A cool glen of plane trees and springs inland from Kolymbia, where you can wade through a narrow, dark tunnel of ankle-deep water to a small lake. Not for the claustrophobic; wear shoes you do not mind soaking.
A restored 1920s Italian spa of domes, pebble mosaics and colonnades above a small rocky cove. Swimming off the rocks is lovely, and it is at its quietest in the morning.
A hilltop monastery above Ialyssos, with peacocks in the pine woods and a path of the Stations of the Cross leading to a huge cross that looks down the west coast.
The ruins of a whole ancient town laid out on a hillside above the west coast, with streets, houses and a great water cistern. Quieter than Lindos, and easy to pair with a fish lunch on the coast below.
A castle of the Knights of St John on a single rock above the south-west coast, with sunset views and Fourni beach below. It is a long drive, best combined with the wine villages around Embonas.
Boats from Mandraki harbour cross to Symi, a small island of pastel neoclassical houses stacked round a harbour, for a day of lunch and wandering. Choose a calm day, as the crossing can be lively.
Food and drink
Rhodian fritters of chickpeas with onion, tomato and mint, served hot as a meze across the island.
A bar of toasted sesame and honey with almonds and spices, traditionally handed out at weddings and christenings and now sold everywhere.
A strong, clear spirit distilled from grapes, the Rhodian cousin of raki. Sip it slowly; it is stronger than it tastes.
Tiny red shrimp from the waters around Symi, fried and eaten whole, shells and all. Look for them in Rhodes Town and on the island itself.
Whites from the Athiri grape and reds from Mandilaria, grown on the slopes of Mount Attavyros around Embonas, where several wineries offer tastings.
Money
The coast you pick shapes the bill. Between Faliraki and Kolymbia the big family hotels compete hard on price, and all inclusive works well there. Lindos is smaller, prettier and dearer, with few large hotels and a longer, costlier transfer. May and October give good value while the weather still behaves. Extra money is well spent on a hotel within walking distance of a sandy beach, which matters more here than an upgraded room.
Flights and transfers
Direct seasonal flights run from Leeds Bradford, Manchester and Newcastle, roughly May to October. Transfers depend heavily on your resort: the east coast strip is straightforward, while Lindos is a longer run down the island that is absolutely worth it for the right trip.
Flights from UK airports
Route check September 2026. Some routes are seasonal and schedules change, so we confirm the live options when we quote.
Practical details
2 hours ahead of the UK
Euro (€)
Greek
Type C and F, 230V
On the right
Generally safe but hard and heavily treated; most hotels advise bottled for drinking
Round up, or around 10 percent for good taverna service
Entry for British passport holders
Visa. No visa needed for tourist stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen area.
Passport. Issued less than 10 years before you arrive, and valid for at least 3 months after the day you leave the Schengen area.
The EU Entry/Exit System is now in use, so you may be asked to register your fingerprints and photo at the border on your first visit. It is free.
Summarised from the FCDO travel advice on gov.uk, checked 29 September 2026. Rules change: read the current entry requirements and the full travel advice before you go.
Questions we get asked
The east. The coast from Faliraki down to Lindos and Kiotari is sheltered from the prevailing wind, so the sea is calmer and the sand better. The west coast, around Ixia and Ialyssos, is breezier with pebble beaches, which suits windsurfers and anyone happy by the pool.
Both work. Staying in Lindos suits couples who want character and evenings in the village, but it is hilly, quiet for children and dearer. Most families are happier on the east coast with a day in Lindos, arriving early to beat the heat and the coach tours.
About 4 hours 15 minutes from Leeds Bradford. That is longer than Spain or the Balearics, because Rhodes sits in the far south-east of the Aegean, much closer to Turkey than to Athens.
It is hot, with highs around 31°C, but a sea breeze usually takes the edge off on the coast. Plan sightseeing for the early morning and choose a hotel with shade around the pool for young children. May, June and late September are gentler.
Much less than its reputation. The bar street is still there for groups, but most of Faliraki today is family hotels and a long sandy beach. We place families at the quieter ends of the bay and groups nearer the centre.
For two or three days, yes: the west coast, Monolithos and the wine villages are hard to reach otherwise. Buses run the east coast between Rhodes Town and Lindos, so a resort stay does not need a car every day.
Photographs
Also worth a look
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