Rhodes, Greece Cruise Port Guide Info
Rhodes, or Rodos, as locals call it is the fourth largest of the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea (1400 square meters) and the largest of the Dodecanese Islands. With 300 sunny days in the year, it’s no surprise that over two million people visit annually. As we enter the historic harbor, the walls of the fortified town seem to tell a story. Rhodes is built upon layers of civilizations: Italian, Greek and Turkish, with a dash of medieval crusader stories from all over Europe, tossed in. Today, luxury yachts crowd the harbor.
The island’s main city, also called Rhodes, was one of the great cities of antiquity. The famed statue called Colossus of Rhodes, once stood above the city. Ancient Greeks believed that this piece of land, where the rising sun first kiss soil, was the home of the Sun God, Helios, so they honored Helios by building a colossal statue. Tall hundred feet, was one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World. But it was destroyed by an earthquake a couple hundred years BC and today, nothing survived. Two thousand years later the Knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem fortified the city, protecting its inhabitants from Turkish invaders.
The town of Rhodes is divided into two distinct districts; the New Town to the north and west, and the Old Town, surrounded by medieval fortress walls. Within these walls lies the pebbled streets and ancient alleyways filled with souvenir shops, goldsmiths and small cafes.
Places to visit in Rhodes:
1. The Hospital of the Knights is an Archeological Museum, located on Museum Square is the largest public building of the Crusaders. It contains various collections of archaeological artifacts from various parts of Rhodes and the neighboring islands, including the Statue of the Crouching Aphrodite (1st century BC), also the Head of Helios.
2. The Palace of the Knights of St. John, also known as Kastello and the Palace of the Grand Masters, located on Kleovaulou Square-has 300 rooms, a moat, drawbridges, watchtowers and colossal battlements. Items on exhibit include coins, illuminated manuscripts, icons, sculptures and mosaics.
3. The Mosque of Suleyman, built after the Ottoman conquest of Rhodes in 1522, and named by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. Its plaster is rose-pink. It can be visited only on certain days.
4. The Byzantine Church of Panagia
5. The Byzantine Church of Panteleimon
6. The Temple of Aphrodite is one of two pre-Roman sites in the area. This temple was completed in the 3rd century BC and stands inside the old town near Symi Square.
7. Platia Martyron Evreon (Square of the Jewish Martyrs) also called Sea Horse Square, because there is a charming sea horse fountain located there. The square’s Holocaust Memorial pays tribute to the 1,604 Jews of Rhodes that were sent to die at Auschwitz.
8. Rhodes Aquarium is located at the northernmost edge of the island, is the ideal place for those wishing to get acquainted with the marine wealth of the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. It is fashioned in the form of an underwater cave.
9. Temple of the Apollo, from where the views are superb, in spite of its irreparable ruins.