EXCURSIONS
The Walled City — A Slow Day Inside Old Rhodes
A half-day inside the UNESCO walls — Knights, Ottomans, a 1577 synagogue, and the sunset above it all from Mount Smith — done before, between, and after the cruise crowds.
Duration
5 hrs
Group Size
1–4 / 1–8 people
From
€210/ per vehicle
Minivan: €260
The Medieval Town of Rhodes was a fortress for the Order of St John from 1309 to 1522, an Ottoman quarter for nearly four centuries after, a Jewish neighbourhood with five thousand residents into the early 20th century, and an Italian colonial restoration project under Mussolini. All of that is still legible in the stone. The trick is timing: cruise crowds peak between 10:00 and 14:00. We work either side of them. The day moves on foot inside the walls in the morning, walks the Mandraki harbour quay at midday, and finishes on Mount Smith at the hour the western sky goes molten.
The route
- 1
Medieval Town — Palace & Street of the Knights / Παλιά Πόλη
Drop-off at d'Amboise Gate, 08:30, just as the Palace of the Grand Master opens. The Palace itself is technically a 1937–1940 Italian reconstruction over the original medieval shell — Mussolini's intended summer residence — and is decorated with ancient mosaics relocated from Kos. From there, down the Street of the Knights: the seven national inns of the Order's "Tongues," sloping toward the Hospital of the Knights (now the Archaeological Museum).
- 2
Jewish Quarter / Εβραϊκή Συνοικία
A short walk through the Ottoman bazaar streets to the Square of the Jewish Martyrs, with its seahorse fountain and the black marble memorial inscribed Never Forget in five languages. Kahal Shalom Synagogue, built 1577, is the oldest in Greece. The community of around 5,500 in the early 1900s was reduced to 151 survivors after the 23 July 1944 Auschwitz deportation. This is the quieter, weightier counterweight to the Knights' triumphalism.
- 3
Mandraki Harbour / Μανδράκι
Lunch in the New Town side (we have suggestions), then walk the quay. The three medieval mills, the Fort of St Nicholas at the harbour mouth, the bronze deer columns marking where the Colossus is believed (and disputed) to have stood. The Italian-era civic buildings curve around the bay — government, post office, theatre — all 1924–1936, in the rationalist idiom that defines Rhodes's modern face.
- 4
Mount Smith / Acropolis of Rhodes / Μόντε Σμίθ
Late afternoon, west of the city. The hill takes its name from British Admiral Sir Sydney Smith, who used it as a Napoleonic-Wars lookout. The Doric Temple of Apollo Pythios, the partially reconstructed Hellenistic stadium, the small odeon — all set above the western coastline. We arrive in the hour before sunset. It is the closing photograph of the day.
Duration & pacing
- 08:30 — Pickup from accommodation
- 09:00 — Drop-off at d'Amboise Gate, Old Town
- 09:00 — Palace of the Grand Master (75 min)
- 10:15 — Street of the Knights, walked down (20 min)
- 10:35 — Walk through Ottoman bazaar to the Jewish Quarter (30 min)
- 11:05 — Jewish Quarter, Kahal Shalom Synagogue, Square of the Jewish Martyrs (30 min)
- 11:45 — Walk to Liberty Gate, exit walls, lunch in the New Town
- 13:00 — Walk Mandraki quay (45 min)
- 13:45 — Drive to Mount Smith (~10 min)
- 13:55 — Mount Smith Acropolis (45 min)
- 14:30 — Drop-off
- We deliberately schedule this as a morning-into-early-afternoon tour. If you prefer a sunset-anchored version that runs 13:00–18:00, we can flip it — Mount Smith becomes the closing chapter and we time the Acropolis for the actual golden hour. Mention at booking.
Included
- Mercedes E-Class sedan (1–4 guests) or Mercedes Vito minivan (up to 8 guests)
- Your chauffeur for the full duration (the chauffeur stays with the vehicle while you walk the Medieval Town — drop and pickup at Liberty Gate / d'Amboise Gate)
- Cold bottled water in the vehicle
- Full route flexibility — including the option to flip the schedule for a sunset finish
- Door-to-door pickup and drop-off
Not included
- Palace of the Grand Master admission: €20 adult. Free for EU under 25 and non-EU under 18, since 1 April 2025. Closed Tuesdays in winter.
- Kahal Shalom Synagogue & Jewish Museum: approximately €6 adult (entirely run by the local Jewish community — exact donation depends on the year; check at the door).
- Mandraki Harbour, the walled town's outer alleys, and Mount Smith Acropolis: all free.
- Lunch and drinks
Best for
Travellers who want to read a city as well as photograph it. Couples spending a single full day in Rhodes Town before a Lindos-day on a different morning. Travellers with mobility considerations (the route minimises hill-climbs — Mount Smith has direct vehicle access, the Old Town is flat, the Acropolis of Lindos is not on this day's plan). Particularly suited to guests who are already aware of the island's Jewish history and want it included properly, and to guests for whom 5 hours is the right length of day.
Seasonal notes
The Old Town runs year-round; off-season (November to March) is genuinely beautiful — the bazaar streets quiet, the Palace less crowded, lower light angles working in your favour. Palace of the Grand Master winter hours are 08:30–15:30, closed Tuesdays. The Mount Smith Acropolis is unfenced and open 24/7, every day of the year. In July and August we strongly recommend the morning version of this tour and an early dinner afterwards; the midday city is hot, and the Old Town's narrow alleys hold heat into the evening.
Your chauffeur
Local Host & Navigator
Your chauffeur on this route is your Local Host and Navigator. They drop you at d'Amboise Gate and meet you at Liberty Gate (or vice versa, depending on direction); they don't accompany you inside the walls, where Greek law reserves narration for licensed guides. You walk the Old Town at your own rhythm — into the Palace courtyard for as long as the mosaics hold you, down the Street of the Knights, into the synagogue, into a shop on Socratous if something catches you. If you'd like a licensed Old Town walking guide for the morning section, we can arrange one in advance (typically €120–€180 for 2–3 hours) — request at booking.
EXCURSIONS
The Walled City — A Slow Day Inside Old Rhodes
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