A History-and-Coast Explorer’s 9-Day Rhodes & Ithaca Island Journey

Explore the UNESCO-listed historic center on foot, paying attention to the massive defensive walls and the homes, hotels and family businesses still occupying centuries-old buildings.

Visit the Palace of the Grand Master at the highest point of the medieval city. Its present form reflects rebuilding after an explosion destroyed much of the original structure.

Walk the Street of the Knights, one of Europe’s best-preserved medieval streets, close to the Palace of the Grand Master.

Stroll Mandraki Harbour and the area traditionally identified as the location of the Colossus of Rhodes. The harbor is an easy complement to the Old Town’s medieval history.

Return to the medieval city after sunset. Floodlit walls and stone buildings create a markedly different atmosphere from the busy daytime streets.

Use Rhodes Town as the practical starting point for the island drive. Buses connect the main resorts, but a rental car makes it easier to combine beaches, historic sites and quieter inland areas.

Arrive early at this small, rocky bay for clear water, swimming and snorkeling. Space is limited and the cove fills quickly during summer.

Choose Faliraki for a full organized beach day: its long sandy shoreline has beach clubs, sunbeds, restaurants, watersports and shallow water.

Make a brief architectural and coastal stop at this historic seaside complex from the Italian occupation, known for distinctive buildings and sheltered coves.

Set aside most of the day for this broad golden-sand beach. Calm, shallow water, seasonal sunbeds, umbrellas, beach bars, tavernas and paddleboarding make it the east coast’s easy all-day option.

Climb to the small white chapel above Tsambika Bay for sweeping views along the eastern coastline. In July and August, go early to avoid stronger midday heat and parking pressure.

Explore the whitewashed village on foot; its narrow lanes were designed before cars and spill down the hillside beneath the Acropolis.

Climb to the Acropolis above Lindos for layers of Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Knights of St. John history, together with commanding sea views. Arrive early or late afternoon for a more comfortable ascent.

Swim or pause below the Acropolis at this sheltered bay, where rocky headlands enclose calm turquoise water and tradition connects the site with the Apostle Paul.

Stop at the 15th-century fortress of the Knights of St. John. Its elevated position offers broad views across the Aegean toward Halki and smaller islands.

Walk through the shaded pine setting to the small lake fed by natural springs, then experience the narrow tunnel through the hillside. The passage is dark and takes only a few minutes.

At the island’s southern tip, walk the sandbar separating the Aegean from the Mediterranean when weather and sea conditions allow. Windsurfing and kitesurfing fill the bay with sails in summer.

Use this southern coastal point as the final Rhodes landscape stop before the island-to-island transition. The unusual meeting of two seas is the visual centerpiece, even without entering the water.

Walk the waterfront and narrow streets of Ithaca’s main town, built around one of Greece’s largest natural harbors. Vathy retained much of its traditional character after being rebuilt following the 1953 earthquake.

View the small islet in the middle of Vathy’s harbor. Lazaretto takes its name from the former quarantine station used to isolate arriving ships and travelers.

Choose this accessible white-pebble beach close to Vathy for sheltered swimming and snorkeling beneath olive trees. A summer beach bar provides the only stated convenience, and the cove may be busy in high season.

Stop at the two pebble beaches of Sarakiniko, separated by a rocky outcrop. The quieter second beach is reached by a short footpath and both coves suit swimming and snorkeling.

Choose Skinos for a quieter, less serviced swim. Its multicolored pebbles and pine trees feel secluded, but the final road is unpaved and can be difficult, so drive carefully.

Reach Gidaki either by the approximately 25-minute footpath from Skinos or by boat from Vathy. Expect bright white pebbles, blue-green water and limited facilities rather than an organized beach setup.

Explore this small harbor village on foot. Traditional houses climb the hills around the water, while boats and waterfront restaurants line the harbor; the village is quieter and smaller than Vathy.

Use this group of smaller coves near Frikes for flexible swimming stops. Kourvoulia is not one large beach; its pebble bays offer clear water and a quieter atmosphere than Vathy.

Look across Afales Bay from its steep-cliff setting, then continue toward the remote beach below. Northern exposure means conditions can become rougher when the wind comes from the north.

Visit this remote white-pebble and rocky beach beneath Afales Bay only with appropriate supplies and careful access planning. There are no major facilities, and the open position can be rough in northerly winds.

Use Hulla as an additional northern-coast option when conditions permit. It is described as one of the smaller, more secluded coves around the bay rather than a developed beach.

Visit the Bronze Age settlement area near Stavros, one of the proposed locations connected to the kingdom described by Homer. The evidence is intriguing but does not establish a definitive palace site.

Continue the archaeological trail at the area known as the School of Homer. A clay fragment inscribed with a reference to Odysseus strengthens the island’s ancient literary identity without proving the exact location of his palace.

See the ancient monolith associated with Heracles as a final glimpse into Ithaca’s longer archaeological history beyond the Odyssey debate.