When booking Rhodes shore excursions for your Mediterranean cruise port of call on the Aegean island of Rhodes, your choices are many, ranging from walks in the medieval capital town of the same name, to modern day beach breaks at unspoiled seaside towns, to a fantastical world where butterflies flourish.
The island of Rhodes sits serenely off the coast of Turkey, the largest of the 12 Dodecanese islands, and soon as you set foot on the island’s soil, you’ll be walking in the footsteps of the knights of the Middle Ages. Get a feel for the town and its medieval history, by scheduling one of the guided Rhodes cruise tours for an Old Town experience, where the knights of St. John of Jerusalem lived and worked. See the town’s most impressive building, Palace of the Grand Masters, and walk down the Street of the Knights of Rhodes, marveling at the facades of the seven inns representing the seven countries from which the orders of knights originated. See Christian mosaics and well-preserved churches and visit the Jewish Quarter, a small section that details Jewish presence in the city dating back to the 2nd century B.C.
If you “dig” archeology, book one of the Rhodes shore excursions to the town of Lindos, a charming village on St. Paul’s Bay, where with an expert guide, you can climb to the top of its ancient Acropolis and see the ruins of the Doric Temple of Athena built in the 4th century B.C., the remains of a Roman temple, and the two towers that remain of the Castle of the Knights of St. John, built before 1317. Enjoy panoramic views of the harbor and hear myths and mysteries of the temples. If you’re more of a go-it-alone explorer, enjoy a scenic ride to the town, then spend time exploring the Acropolis as well as the charming “sugar cube” houses, Greek shops, and popular restaurants.
For those who want to experience as many fabulous Greek island beaches as possible, schedule Rhodes shore excursions to the island’s southern beach at Faliraki, where you’ll chill out on a chaise set on a white sand beach with views of an impossibly blue Mediterranean Sea.If you’re a traveling as a family, there’s delight for every member on an excursion to the Valley of the Butterflies, a nature park with a lake, waterfall, and lush vegetation that create an ideal climate for butterflies to congregate.