Rhodes New Town and Old Town

The photograph above is of the Museum of Modern Greek Art in Rhodes New Town.

In early September 2024, my wife and I holidayed in Rhodes new town. We also visited Rhodes old town, and here are some of our holiday memories.

Key takeaways from our holiday in Rhodes New Town

Focus on exploring more shaded areas due to extreme heat.

Loved the peaceful Gabriel Charitos Square with its date palms and an excellent restaurant.

Notable tourist attractions in Rhodes’s new town: the Hydrobiological Station of Rhodes-Aquarium Museum and the Museum of Modern Greek Art.

Adjacent to the mediaeval old town is the splendid New Market, built during the 1920s.

Notable tourist attractions in the mediaeval area are the restored historical windmills and the 15th-century Saint Nicholas Fortress in Mandraki Harbour.

The winding alleys, courtyards, and historic buildings of the old town.

A smooth and enjoyable trip, which included our flights, transfers and hotel stay.

Lots of shaded streets and precincts in Rhodes New Town

To set the scene, the day temperatures averaged 32 degrees centigrade with constant sun so we concentrated on finding more shady spots in the town. We stayed in the most northern part of Rhodes new town.

Nikiforou Mandilara, shown in the photograph, is a charming and shaded pedestrianised precinct in Rhodes new town.

Nikiforou Mandilara is a charming shaded precinct in Rhodes new town.
Nikiforou Mandilara

Another view of Nikiforou Mandilara

Another view of Nikiforou Mandilara.
Another view of Nikiforou Mandilara

Gabriel Charitos Square

A three-minute walk from where we stayed is the peaceful and charming Gabriel Charitos Square. The square is named after the First Mayor of post-war free Rhodes. Gabriel Charitos was elected in 1946.

This rectangular square is beautifully laid out with a central recreational park surrounded by majestic date palms. The square is mostly surrounded by modern hotel blocks with some restaurants at the southern end. Of note is the excellent Olive Restaurant where we ate superb meals. This is not an affiliate link, but South Coast View is pleased to recommend places where the service and food are excellent.

Gabriel Charitos Square in Rhodes.
Gabriel Charitos Square

Gabriel Charitos Square was our go-to place for early morning and evening walks. This square is shaded from the sun on one side during parts of the day because of the tall blocks which you can see in the photograph above.

Many date palms in Gabriel Charitos Square in Rhodes New Town

The Museum of Modern Greek Art is in the background of this photograph.

A date palm in Gabriel Charitos Square,
A date palm in Gabriel Charitos Square

The Hydrobiological Station of Rhodes-Aquarium Museum

At the most northerly point of Rhodes island is The Hydrobiological Station of Rhodes-Aquarium Museum.

This imposing building has beautifully tended gardens, and in the background of the photograph, you can observe the mountainous coastline of southern Türkiye.

The Hydrobiological Station of Rhodes-Aquarium Museum.
The Hydrobiological Station of Rhodes-Aquarium Museum

Cats look for shelter from the sun

We found this small church tucked away close to the Nikiforou Mandilara precinct that I previously mentioned. Cats often frequent the grounds of churches in Rhodes, perhaps because there is less footfall from tourists to disturb their relaxation.

The grounds of some of these churches, like this one, are gated and often closed off when there is no church service. More peace for these cuties, I am sure.

A cat finding shelter from the sun.
A cat finding shelter from the sun

A holiday atmosphere prevails

We stayed in a busy area and this scene from our room is typical of the hotel, shopping and restaurant area of Rhodes new town.

Our hotel was the Mitsis Petit Palais and again, because of the excellent service we received, I am happy to give credit to this hotel. As always, South Coast View does not post affiliate links.

Street scene with holiday atmosphere in Rhodes.
Street scene with holiday atmosphere in Rhodes

Moving towards Mandraki Harbour in Rhodes Old Town

This photograph shows the busy Mandraki Harbourfront with its well-tended gardens in Rhodes old town. In the background, you can see the Saint Nicholas Fortress, which dates from the 15th century.

The fortress was built for the strategic defence of Rhodes City.

Mandraki Harbourfront.
Mandraki Harbourfront

The New Market in Rhodes Old Town

Opposite the Mandraki Harbourfront is the splendid 7-sided exterior of the New Market, built during the 1920s during the Italian occupation. The striking architecture is Moorish. Originally built as a marketplace, it no longer serves this purpose as it contains souvenir shops and eating establishments. Inside the market is an atmosphere of decay resulting from a lack of investment in the building’s fabric.

The New Market in Rhodes.
The New Market in Rhodes Old Town

The New Market viewed from Rhodes harbour

New Market viewed from Rhodes harbour.
The New Market viewed from Rhodes harbour

The Royal Museums Greenwich has a photograph from the 1930s showing the market’s former splendour. Don’t let my comments about the New Market put you off from visiting this important historical building.

The ancient windmills of Rhodes

The associated photograph shows three restored windmills dating from the 14th century.

These iconic windmills used to grind corn from vessels moored alongside the 400-meter-long breakwater jetty.

The jetty offers magnificent views across the harbour and towards Rhodes’s old town.

The restored windmills in Mandraki Harbour.
The restored windmills in Mandraki Harbour

Rhodes Old Town seen from the breakwater jetty

Rhodes Old Town and the New Market seen from the breakwater jetty.

Rhodes Old Town and the New Market seen from the breakwater jetty.
Rhodes Old Town and the New Market seen from the breakwater jetty

Rhodes New Town to Rhodes Old Town

It took us approximately 15 minutes to leisurely walk from our hotel on Griva Street to Rhodes old town. You can view the route map on Google Maps. The walking distance from where we stayed in Rhodes new town to Rhodes old town is 1.4 kilometres or 0.9 miles.

We finally made it to the spectacular medieval Rhodes old town dating from the 14th and 15th centuries.

The old town contains a fascinating labyrinth of alleys and courtyards with numerous shops and restaurants.

It was a blisteringly hot day, and whilst we loved the old town, we felt it best not to stay too long in the roasting heat.

I’ll let the photographs below speak for themselves.

Rhodes old town.
Rhodes old town

Photo Gallery – Rhodes Old Town

To cycle through the photo gallery you can click or touch any image below.

We thoroughly enjoyed our holiday in Rhodes new town. If you want to stay out of the sun, just choose your walks, as much as you can, within the many shaded streets and alleyways of the town.

How we got to Rhodes

We travelled with easyJet Holidays from Gatwick Airport in West Sussex, UK. The package included our hotel and mini-bus transfers (approx 50 minutes) to and from Rhodes Diagoras Airport. Every aspect of our holiday was perfect and we will be back in Rhodes new town for sure.

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