Current Time in Ródos, Greece

Ródos, known in English as Rhodes, is the capital and principal city of the island of Rhodes in the Dodecanese island group of the southeastern Aegean Sea, situated at the northern tip of the island near the point where the Aegean meets the Mediterranean. Rhodes is Greece's largest island in the Dodecanese and one of its most historically significant, home to one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (the Colossus of Rhodes), the most complete surviving medieval town in Europe (a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988), and a sun-drenched landscape of exceptional natural beauty that makes it one of the most popular tourist destinations in the entire Mediterranean.

With a population of approximately 50,000 in the city, Rhodes (the city) receives millions of tourists annually, drawn by the extraordinary medieval walled city, the ancient acropolis of Lindos, exceptional beaches along both coasts of the island, and the reliable sunshine that makes the island one of the sunniest places in Europe. The island's position at the eastern edge of the Aegean near Turkey gives it a slightly exotic character compared to the more Aegean-oriented islands further north.

The history of Rhodes is extraordinary in its depth and variety. The island was unified in 408 BC when the three ancient city-states of Ialysos, Kamiros, and Lindos merged to found the new city of Rhodes on the island's northern tip in a remarkably planned urban grid. Ancient Rhodes rapidly became one of the wealthiest and most important commercial and maritime cities in the Hellenistic world, controlling extensive sea trade and producing the Colossus, a bronze statue of the god Helios approximately 32 meters tall erected at the harbor entrance to commemorate a victory over the forces of Macedon in 304 BC. The Colossus stood for only 54 years before being toppled by an earthquake in 226 BC, but it inspired the concept of such colossal harbor statues including the Statue of Liberty in New York.

After successive periods of Roman, Byzantine, and Arab rule, Rhodes came to its greatest medieval significance under the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem, the military religious order that seized the island in 1309 and ruled it until the Ottoman conquest in 1522. The Knights transformed Rhodes into one of the most powerfully fortified cities in the Mediterranean world, building the extraordinary walls, towers, gates, and the Palace of the Grand Masters that remain the defining monuments of the city today. The medieval Old Town of Rhodes, preserved within these walls, is the most complete and best-preserved medieval town in Europe, its cobblestone streets, Gothic and Byzantine churches, Ottoman mosques and hammams, and medieval mansions creating an atmosphere of extraordinary historical completeness.

The Street of the Knights (Ippoton), the most celebrated street in the old town, is lined with the Gothic hostels (auberges) of the seven langues (language groups) of the Knights, each building representing a national contingent of the order and presenting an unbroken facade of medieval Gothic architecture along a single street. The Palace of the Grand Masters at the top of the street, extensively and somewhat controversially restored by the Italians who occupied Rhodes from 1912 to 1943, houses important mosaics from the early Christian city of Kos and impressive period furnishings.

The ancient acropolis of Lindos, rising dramatically above the village of the same name on a clifftop on the island's eastern coast, contains a magnificently preserved Temple of Athena from the 4th century BC within a later medieval castle. The view from the acropolis over the deeply blue Aegean and the curve of the beach below is one of the most beautiful in Greece. The beaches of Rhodes, including Tsambika, Faliraki, and the quieter bays of the western coast, offer excellent swimming and water sports.

Rhodes International Airport connects the island to destinations across Europe, and ferry services link it to Athens, other Aegean islands, and Turkey. The combination of the Seven Wonders heritage, UNESCO medieval walled city, Knights of Saint John architecture, ancient Lindos acropolis, excellent beaches, and abundant sunshine make Rhodes one of the most historically layered and visitor-friendly destinations in all of Greece.