Rhodes / The verdict
Where to stay in Rhodes: which base?
Rhodes Town for first trips and car-free touring, Lindos for a slower village stay if you accept day-boat crowds and steps, and the east or west coast resorts for beach-first trips.
By The Real Traveler Experiences team. We earn a commission if you book through our links. It never changes a verdict.
The Rhodes story
Rhodes is the Dodecanese flagship and the most complete island in Greece for a first visit: a walled medieval old town that works as a living city rather than a museum set, the acropolis-crowned white village of Lindos, a serious beach strip along the east coast, and ferries that put Symi and even Turkey inside a day trip. The Knights Hospitaller left the island its spine, and the Street of the Knights, the Palace of the Grand Master and the circuit of walls add up to Europe's best-preserved crusader city.
The verdict in 30 seconds
Our pick: Rhodes Town (runner-up: Lindos)
Rhodes Town for first trips and car-free touring, Lindos for a slower village stay if you accept day-boat crowds and steps, and the east or west coast resorts for beach-first trips.
Go if
- You are on a first trip and want history, restaurants and transport in one walkable base
- You are traveling without a rental car
- You would split a stay between the Old Town area and a beach town
- You want a romantic village stay and can handle steps, heat and midday crowds in Lindos
Skip if
- You want a quiet south-coast resort but will not rent a car: reports say you will be stuck
- You need a pool and a resort feel inside the Old Town walls, where most rooms have none
- You want a flat, low-cost base: Lindos is hilly and the island's most expensive area
The options
Rhodes Town Go
First trips, car-free touring, restaurants and history
Good
- Walkable Old Town with a New Town of bigger hotels and pools next door
- Hub for buses to Lindos and the boats to Symi
- Works without a car, per several travelers who stayed there
Watch out
- Most Old Town rooms have no pool
- Crowded in season, with a tourist strip that left one couple flat
- Beaches are not the point of the base
See hotels in Rhodes Town and the north coastpartner siteBook a Rhodes airport transfer to townpartner siteCheck rates and availabilitypartner site
Lindos Go
Couples and slower stays under the acropolis
Good
- The prettiest village on the island, per a couple who stayed five days
- Lindos Beach and St Paul's Bay on the doorstep
- Rooftop dinners and sunset at the acropolis
Watch out
- Busy from about 11am when the day boats dock, and hot
- Steps, cobbles and slopes almost everywhere
- The most expensive area on the island
See hotels in Lindospartner site
Faliraki and Kallithea Go
Beach-first stays with nightlife nearby
Good
- Walkable and on the bus network, so no car needed
- Quieter spots toward the edges of town
- A cheap bus ride from Rhodes Town
Watch out
- Still known as the island's party hub
- A spring-break feel by night, per one repeat visitor
See hotels in Faliraki and Kallitheapartner site
Ixia and Ialyssos Go
Beachfront hotels within easy reach of Rhodes Town
Good
- About 15 minutes from the Old Town, per a traveler who stayed there
- Plenty of beachfront hotels
- Well connected for sightseeing
Watch out
- Busier feel than Kolymbia, per a traveler who stayed in both
- The same traveler found better beaches in Kolymbia on a return trip
| Criterion | Rhodes Town | Lindos | Faliraki and Kallithea | Ixia and Ialyssos |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Character | Medieval Old Town beside a busier New Town | White village under the acropolis | Resort town with a party reputation | West-coast beachfront hotel strip |
| Car needed? | No | No | No | No |
| Main drawback | Old Town rooms rarely have pools | Day-boat crowds, steps and high prices | Party-hub reputation | Less quiet than the east coast |
| Best for | First trips and car-free touring | Couples and slow stays | Beach-first trips with nightlife | Beach hotels close to town |
What it costs
- KTEL bus, Rhodes Town to Lindos (one way): €6 (from the official 1 to 15 October 2026 timetable). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
- KTEL bus, Rhodes Town to Faliraki Beach (one way): €2.50 (fare on the operator's route page, whose timetable is dated the 2025 season; the October 2026 timetable does not list this fare). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
- Acropolis of Lindos entry: €20 (full ticket on the ministry listing). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
What travelers report
Based on 12 traveler reports (May 2025 to Aug 2026) and the official sources linked on this page. 0 were negative.
What people like
- Rhodes Town works as a walkable, car-free base for sights, food and transport (6 of 12 reports)
- Lindos and its edges make a memorable stay for couples (3 of 12 reports)
- Coast bases such as Kolymbia and Ixia give quieter beach stays (2 of 12 reports)
What people complain about
- South and east coast resorts need a car (3 of 12 reports)
- Lindos is hot, hilly and crowded by day (2 of 12 reports)
- Old Town rooms mostly lack pools and the town gets crowded (2 of 12 reports)
- Rhodes Town's tourist strip and nightlife feel generic to some (2 of 12 reports)
How to do it right
- Decide town-first or beach-first: reports split between a Rhodes Town base for sights, food and buses and a coast base for beaches and pools.
- In Rhodes Town, pick the Old Town for atmosphere or the New Town for pools: one couple chose the New Town because most Old Town rooms have no pool.
- Skip the car only if you base in Rhodes Town, Lindos, Faliraki or Ixia; one report says Kolymbia, Kalathos, Gennadi, Kiotari and the south need one.
- In Lindos, expect steps, heat and day boats from about 11am; one couple who stayed five days loved it anyway, and suggests flat, cheaper Pefkos nearby.
- Split the stay if it matters: a writer who lives on Rhodes suggests two days near the Old Town and the rest in a beach town.
- Use the bus from town: the official KTEL timetable lists Rhodes Town to Lindos at EUR 6.00 one way.
The trap to avoid
Booking a quiet south or east coast resort without a car. One couple who drove the island says that in Kolymbia, Kalathos, Gennadi, Kiotari and the south you will eat every meal at the hotel or spend heavily on taxis.
Why this pick
Rhodes Town wins on the reports because it removes the car from the plan. A two-time visitor stayed inside the Old Town walls both times so she could walk to restaurants and nightlife without renting, travelers based in the Old Town caught the first bus to Lindos, and a writer who toured the island with a local calls the New Town the sensible base for a car-free trip, with buses to Lindos and the Symi boats nearby. The catches are practical: one couple stayed in the New Town because most Old Town rooms have no pool, and a repeat visitor who loved two weeks in town one April found summer too hot and busy.
Lindos is the runner-up and the one real dissent. A couple who spent five days there call it the prettiest place on the island and would not stay in Rhodes Town at all, finding its tourist strip and food flat. They are also the clearest on the costs: heat, day boats from about 11am, steps and cobbles everywhere, and the island’s highest prices. Another couple staying at the back of the village found the hills a lot of walking in the heat, and a budget traveler stayed just outside in Krana instead.
The coasts suit beach-first trips. A traveler who stayed in Ixia found it about 15 minutes from the Old Town with plenty of beachfront hotels, then found Kolymbia quieter with better beaches on a second trip, and a family’s October week in a Kolymbia villa was peaceful. Faliraki still carries a party reputation, though one repeat visitor says it has calmed down a lot.
Timing and tickets
The deciding question is the car. The couple who drove the island say Rhodes Town, Lindos, Faliraki and Ixia work without one, while Kolymbia, Kalathos, Gennadi, Kiotari and the south do not. A writer who lives on Rhodes suggests splitting the stay: two days near the Old Town, the rest at a beach. From town, the official KTEL timetable lists Lindos at EUR 6.00 one way, and the Lindos acropolis is EUR 20 on the ministry listing.
Book or check times
KTEL Rodou official timetableVisit Greece: Rhodes official pageAcropolis of Lindos official e-tickets
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See hotels in Rhodes Town and the north coastpartner siteBook a Rhodes airport transfer to townpartner siteSee hotels in Lindospartner siteSee hotels in Faliraki and Kallitheapartner siteCheck rates and availabilitypartner site
Questions
Is Rhodes Town or Lindos better for a first trip?
Rhodes Town for most first trips: travelers who stayed there praise walking to restaurants, buses and the Symi boats without a car. One couple who stayed five days in Lindos would pick it instead, and found Rhodes Town's tourist strip and food flat by comparison.
Do you need a car where you stay?
Not in Rhodes Town, Lindos, Faliraki or Ixia, per one couple who drove the island. They say Kolymbia, Kalathos, Gennadi, Kiotari and the south need one. A forum traveler found a rental for the last day and a half the best decision of the trip.
Is Faliraki still a party resort?
Partly. One repeat visitor says it has calmed down a lot, and another couple calls it the party hub with quieter spots toward the edges of town.
Where should couples stay in Rhodes?
Lindos, per the couple who stayed there five days: rooftop dinners, wine bars and sunset at the acropolis. The trade-offs they list are heat, day-boat crowds from about 11am, steps everywhere and the island's highest prices.
Old Town or New Town?
The Old Town for atmosphere: a two-time visitor stayed inside the walls both times for car-free access. The New Town for pools and bigger hotels: one couple stayed there for a pool, about 15 minutes' walk from the Old Town.
Is the west coast a good base?
One traveler who stayed in Ixia on a first trip found it a good base, about 15 minutes from the Old Town with plenty of beachfront hotels, and found Kolymbia quieter with better beaches on a second trip.
Pack for it
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