Rhodes

Street of the Knights, Mandraki and a Monte Smith sunset over two days

Rhodes town needs two days. On the first, walk the Street of the Knights early to the Palace of the Grand Master, buying the combined ticket, see the Archaeological Museum in the old hospital and lose yourself in the Old Town lanes; on the second, walk to Mandraki's windmills, swim at Elli and end on Monte Smith at sunset.

Buy the combined ticket at once to skip a second queue, and spend the late morning in the Archaeological Museum in the old hospital, which has more to see than the palace and allows photos. Lose yourself in the lanes after lunch, with coffee at Mevlana on Sokratous street, and eat fish at Mikes in the evening.

On day two, walk out to Mandraki to see the deer statues and the windmills, then swim at Elli beach and continue to the aquarium at the northern tip. Mid-morning or early afternoon, check whether the walk along the city walls is open, as its hours are short. In the late afternoon, take a taxi or walk the 2 km up Monte Smith for the stadium, the Temple of Apollo and the sunset.

Mikes, Hatzikelis and the lanes off Sokratous

Avoid the touting restaurants on the Old Town squares and eat a lane or two away. Mikes, a hole-in-the-wall off Sokratous, cooks fresh fish simply, Hatzikelis on Solomou Alhadef is known for stuffed roast aubergine, and Laganis keeps to traditional mezedes; look for pitaroudia chickpea fritters and melekouni sesame bars.

The squares of the Old Town are lined with restaurants touting for passers-by; the better meals are a lane or two away. Mikes, a hole-in-the-wall with outdoor tables in a quiet backstreet off Sokratous, cooks fresh fish simply and serves it with salad and wine. On Solomou Alhadef, Hatzikelis puts its own spin on Greek dishes, its stuffed roast aubergine above all, while Laganis across the street keeps to traditional mezedes. Pizanias on Sofokleous is another Old Town address for seafood.

Look for Rhodian specialities too: pitaroudia, chickpea fritters served as a meze, and melekouni, a sesame and honey bar sold in bakeries and gift shops. Outside the walls, the New Market by Mandraki harbour is a ring of cafes and snack bars where locals stop for coffee. For a final drink, Mevlana on Sokratous serves Turkish coffee in a room that recalls Ottoman Rhodes.

Lindos by KTEL bus and the beaches down the east coast

Rhodes town is the hub for the whole island. KTEL buses reach Lindos, 40 km south, in about 1 hour 15 minutes, with day boats from Mandraki, Faliraki and Kallithea are short rides down the east coast, and summer boats cross to Marmaris and Fethiye in Turkey, so carry your passport.

Rhodes town is the hub for the whole island, and its bus stations by the walls make day trips easy. Climb its acropolis early and swim at St Paul's Bay in the afternoon.

Weather is easy to plan around. July and August average 31C with no rain, so do the walls and the lanes in the morning and swim at Elli at midday. April and October, at 20C and 26C, are best for long walks. Winter stays mild, with January highs of 16C, but December and January bring the year's heaviest rain, over 100 mm each.