Rhodes by public transport
In May, when the sea is cold and stormy, and before you swim, you are advised to "drink a little", it's time for a sightseeing holiday on the sunniest island of Greece - Rhodes. And I will tell you that a trip to Rhodes and the nearby islands can be taken as happiness. Everything is new, everything is interesting, unique and exciting.
Old city. In the city of Rhodes, there is where to roam among the mass of attractions - the port of Mandraki, deer on the site of the Colossus of Rhodes, the fort of St. Nicholas, the Church of the Annunciation and so on and so forth. But the largest among them is a huge, surrounded by 12-meter fortress walls, a very beautiful old knight's city, built by the orders of St. John. You can walk here every day and still leave with the thought that you haven’t seen everything yet.
Part of the city is built up with well-preserved buildings of the knightly era, including the Palace of the Grand Masters. There is an archaeological museum with frescoes, mosaics and other interesting exhibits, including the Lacoon sculpture group, a fresco with a Gorgon Medusa, and so on. Entrance - 6 euros.
Monte Smith Hill. Our hotel was a 5-minute walk from another attraction of the city - Monte Smith Hill. There you can see the ruins of the ancient Acropolis - the columns of the temple of Apollo, the ancient stadium (which is still used for sports), as well as the theater. I highly recommend - in addition to the historical spirit, a beautiful panorama of the coast of Rhodes opens from there.
Simi. If we talk about organized excursions, then we took a boat trip to Symi. 25 euros per person, or 45 euros for two. Tickets bought on the waterfront. Initially, we planned to go on our own by ferry with a stop at the Panormitsky Monastery. But there were no tickets for the ferry we needed. There were only tickets for another catamaran - 16.5 e one way and 12 the other. Excursion from the tour operator - 60 e per person.
The island of Symi itself is beautiful and very colorful. We can say that you will not see this anywhere. The sea is clean, you can see dolphins. According to the program, 3.5 hours are allotted to get acquainted with the local architecture, have lunch, take beautiful shots and even, if desired, sunbathe. We went to the top of the island by train (5 euros) - fun, beautiful views and on the way you can see where the beach is located, where you can sunbathe in the heat (unlike Rhodes, Symi was very hot). If you want to save money, just go in the direction in which this same train is going. If you want to have a bite, then choose a cafe by the sea and more expensive, or away from the sea and cheaper. The Greek salad cost us 6 euros, the praised king prawns of Symi Island (4 pcs. ) - 16 euros.
The tour program also included a visit to the Panormitsky monastery for 1 hour. It is also very beautiful here, you can light a candle (they are free, but at least a small charitable contribution is welcome). It is not customary to cover the head there, it is necessary to cover the knees. If you come in a mini, you will be given a skirt.
Around 18.00 we were already in Rhodes.
By the way, a little advice, perhaps only for tourists vacationing in May: take warm clothes for a boat trip, the winds were blowing remotely. The entire upper deck was empty within 10 minutes of our journey to Symi Island. Saved only windbreakers.
Lindos. We also went to Lindos, which left no one indifferent. We traveled on our own by bus. We drove from the bus station, which is located about 50 meters from the bus station of Roda. Our journey took 1.5 hours. Buses run every 30 minutes. Upon arrival in Lindos, if you don’t want to walk, a local donkey will take you (5e), but it’s much more pleasant to walk these 100 meters yourself, especially down. Although, given that it is already hot there in early May, in July it is probably a real hell. Entrance to the Acropolis - 6th, the queue is long, but it passes very quickly. The landscapes from the Acropolis are breathtaking, the spirit of ancient Greece is felt like nowhere else. If you go on your own, take your bathing suits with you - below there is a cove with a very warm sea and white sand. It will be very pleasant to swim after a hot excursion.
Tsambika. Monastery and beach. The Rhodes-Tsambika Beach bus leaves at 9.00 and returns for you at 16.30. One-way ticket 3.5 e. Drive - 40-60 minutes. If you want to leave the beach earlier or later, you will need to climb up 2 km to the highway (along the same road that the bus descended to the beach). If you want to go to Tsambika Monastery first, you can take a bus to Lindos. I think that it is quite realistic to combine a trip to the monastery and a trip to the beach. The monastery is worth seeing. The beach did not touch me to the core, there was a strong wind lifting the sands, the water was colder than on the windy beach of Rhodes, the infrastructure, as for staying all day, is weak. Attention: you can’t hide in the shade of trees, so 8e for 2 sunbeds and an umbrella is quite an expedient waste of money.
Rodini is a park in the city of Rhodes itself. Bus number 12 from the Roda bus station runs to it every 15 minutes, but we decided to go on foot. It took 40 minutes to drive from the Belvedere Beach Hotel (landmark - Monte Smith Hill). The park is quiet, shady and beautiful. It is mostly run by locals. In the middle of the park there is a turquoise stream in which there are impressive fish and turtles. Original wooden bridges are thrown across the stream. Lizards and ducks are not uncommon in the park. And of course, the main attraction is luxurious peacocks pacing at regular intervals. You will find them by focusing on screams. They sit high in the trees, or peacefully chew young leaves on the bushes.
About transport. Runs on a regular schedule. Very comfortable, air conditioned. Don't be afraid to take the wrong bus. I witnessed several times when bus drivers called their colleagues from neighboring routes and transferred tourists to them. At the same time, a trip on a bus that took you to the right transport was completely free. It will also make your journey easier by giving the driver the name of the point of interest you want/stop at the entrance to the driver.
