Rhodes ferries

Rhodes has always been associated with the powerful myth of Zeus and Helios, the God of the Sun. According to legend, after Zeus defeated the Giants, he gave a part of the world to every god, except Helios, who was not present at the gathering and was thus forgotten. When he later came back to claim his share, Zeus informed him that all land had already been divided and nothing was left. Helios then made Zeus promise that the next land to rise out of the sea would be his, and even as he said it, Rhodes emerged out of the water. Helios immediately coveted it for himself and made it the most beautiful island in the Aegean. Of course, this story didn’t happen in real, but it was an explanation of the ancient Greeks why Rhodes was such a beautiful island.

Along its history, Rhodes was first inhabited by the Phoenicians. Under their rule, it became an important commercial center, but it soon came under the control of the Minoans, who led a peaceful and quiet life on the island. But after the Achaeans took over, the island soon became a powerful center. It soon joined up with other Doric cities to form the Doric Hexapolis, a union of six powerful city-states based on agriculture and trade. Remains of these towns can still be seen today in the archaeological sites of the island. The development continued in the Hellenistic and the Roman times, where arts were also popular. That time the famous Statue of Colossus of Rhodes, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was built to “guard the harbor”.

In the Byzantine times, Rhodes was a strategically important island. When it was conquered by the Venetians in the 13th century, the famous Medieval architecture of Rhodes town was formed and many Castles were constructed to keep the island safe from pirates and enemies. After being conquered by the Turks and the Italians, too, Rhodes was finally integrated to the Greek State in 1948.

Today, the island is picture perfect, complete with gorgeous beaches, amazing villages, ancient and Medieval sights. Rhodes town is known for its Medieval Old part and the picturesque harbor. In fact, the Old Town of Rhodes is the oldest inhabited medieval town in all Europe. There you will find Byzantine churches, traditional fountains, mosques and oriental motifs, alongside tiny shops and cafeterias. A bustling tourist spot now, the most famous tourist resort on Rhodes is Faliraki, which is said to have the wildest nightlife on the island. Also famous are the beaches of Afandou, Ladiko, Lindos and Ialysos. Apart from well-organized beaches with water sport facilities, there are also other sports to enjoy some calmness.

Tourist facilities on the island are affluent and of all categories, as Rhodes is a fully-developed island in terms of tourism. Tours can also be organized either to Turkey, only an hour away by boat, or to nearby Greek islands, such as Simi, Kos, Tilos or Halki. Rhodes is easy to access in 1 hour by plane from Athens or 13 hours by ferry from Piraeus.

Normal ferries :
Rhodes is well connected to many Aegean islands and the main ports of Greece. It takes about 12 hours to go from Piraeus to Rhodes by normal ferry. Rhodes is also connected by ferry to the ports of Alexandroupoli and Thessaloniki, nothern Greece, but the trip is much longer and the itineraries not so frequent.

Ferries from Rhodes also go to many Cyclades, Dodecanese and Eastern Aegean islands.

Hydrofoils :
Hydrofoils sail from Rhodes to Heraklion (the trip takes 1 h) and Simi (30 min).

Excursion boats :
Frequent excursion boats from Rhodes go to Marmari Turkey as a daily trip.

Links for Rhodes
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