Why go
A visit to Rhodes Town explains the island’s fortified medieval chapter, but the older settlements show why its story began elsewhere. Read the capital alongside Lindos or Kameiros for a clearer sense of how power and trade shifted across the island.
The full story
In antiquity, Lindos, Ialyssos and Kameiros were three important Rhodian cities. They later joined in founding Rhodes Town at the northern end of the island, a location suited to maritime trade. The new city developed as a commercial and cultural center whose influence reached around the Mediterranean. The Colossus of Rhodes belongs to this ancient chapter, although it no longer stands. Centuries later, the Knights of Saint John ruled the island and built the defenses that define the medieval Old Town today. Their walls make Rhodes Town an unusually tangible historical stop: streets and fortifications remain part of the visitor’s route. The older sites add a different view, with Lindos on the eastern side and Kameiros on the northwest coast. Seeing one of them after the capital helps separate ancient Rhodes from the medieval city rather than blending both into a single story.