Rhodes Old Town or Lindos: Choose One Shore Day

Rhodes gives cruise passengers two of the great sights of the Dodecanese: the walled medieval town and the acropolis of Lindos. They are in different places, they ask different things of your legs, and the drive between them takes a good part of a port day. This guide uses the Greek Ministry of Culture, UNESCO and the Greek tourism sector's own pages to help you pick one.

1. Medieval city or hilltop sanctuary

UNESCO records that the Knights of St John held Rhodes from 1309 to 1523 and turned its capital into a fortified city. The medieval town lies within a 4 km wall, with the high town, built entirely by the Knights, to the north, and the lower town to the south-southwest; the Street of the Knights, lined with the inns of the Order, runs through the high town. Discover Greece adds that the Old Town has been a World Heritage Site since 1988, is almost car-free, and has Ottoman and Jewish districts with their own character.

Lindos is a village of white houses and narrow alleys below an acropolis whose temple of Athena Lindia stands, as Discover Greece puts it, 116 m above sea level, with views over the Aegean and St Paul's Bay. You climb the same path the ancients and the Knights used, and a grand staircase leads up to the Propylaea.

2. The transfer comes first

Discover Greece gives Lindos as around 47 km, or 55 minutes, by car or taxi from the Old Town and the airport. That is close to two hours of road time for the round trip before you have walked anywhere. It points to the regional bus company, KTEL Rodou, for bus services; we did not verify a timetable, so check one for your date.

The Old Town is in Rhodes Town itself. We did not find an official page giving the walk from the cruise berths, so ask your cruise line where your ship docks and how far it is to the nearest gate. Discover Greece notes there are seven gates in the walls, so you can start from whichever is closest.

3. Wandering Lindos is not the same as climbing it

The Ministry of Culture's page for the Acropolis of Lindos says access is from the village either on foot or on mules, and states plainly: 'No access to the acropolis for disabled people.' Discover Greece says there is very little shade at the site, the walk up to the temple is quite steep, and access is not suitable for visitors with mobility difficulties because of the hill. You can still spend a day in the village, with its shops, cafés and restaurants, without going up.

In the Old Town, Discover Greece describes walking as easy for the most part, but with some streets of staircases and cobblestones. The Palace of the Grand Master, it says, has a lift available for visitors with disabilities and opens 08:00 to 20:00 from April to October.

4. Rests and hot weather

Discover Greece advises avoiding the midday heat on Rhodes and, in July and August, starting an Old Town visit in the morning or early evening. At Lindos it recommends a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, a water bottle and comfortable footwear, and notes that basics such as snacks, drinks and toilets are available. In the Old Town, the museums are indoor places to pause: the Ministry of Culture lists Our Lady of the Castle as open Wednesday to Monday, 08:30 to 15:30, closed Tuesday, from 1 April 2026.

5. A return plan for the real all-aboard

Your ship's departure, not the attraction's closing time, sets the end of the day. Royal Caribbean, for example, guarantees that the ship will wait if a tour booked through Royal Caribbean is delayed, and arranges your return if it cannot wait, but says the ship will not wait for any guest faring on their own. That is one line's policy, not an industry rule; read your own line's. If you go to Lindos independently, build in the 55-minute drive each way plus a margin, using our all-aboard worksheet.

6. Two standalone days

For the wider port picture, see our Rhodes port guide, and for onward sailings the Rhodes ferries page.