Medieval castles, stunning beachside villas and rugged natural beauty feature on the island of Rhodes, located in the south-eastern Aegean.
With a colorful history dating back some 2,400 years, Rhodes (or Rodos in Greek) is the largest of the Dodecanese islands and caters to all lifestyles.
All the different races and peoples who passed through Rhodes have left their mark on its culture – in art, language, architecture – creating a captivating modern-day island.
Rhodes Old Town is a Unesco World Heritage Site and one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Europe, attracting millions of visitors every year. Stone-paved alleys and elegant mansions create a sense of having gone back in time, while the renowned Street of the Knights has been restored to the exact shape and size it had in the Middle Ages.
Visits to the imposing Acropolis of Lindos, the Valley of Butterflies, the Kallithea Springs and the monastery of Filerimos rank among the must-do activities on the island that is shaped like an ancient spearhead. The main town is located in the island’s north, next to ancient and modern commercial harbors that face Turkey.
Outside the city of Rhodes, the island is dotted with small villages full of white-washed homes and resorts, among them Faliraki, Lindos, Kremasti, Haraki, Pefkos and Afantou.
The interior of the island is mountainous, sparsely inhabited and covered with pine and cypress trees.
While the shores are rocky, the island has arable strips of land where citrus fruit, grapes, vegetables, olives and other crops are grown. Rhodes is also home to a large number of flowering plants.
With over 40 world-class beaches on the island, swimmers are spoilt for choice.
Spectacular beaches and sandy coves can be easily found at spots such as Tsambika, Saint Paul’s bay, Ladiko and Kallithea. The southernmost point of Rhodes, such as Prassonisi, is ideal for windsurfing and kite surfing.
Like most Greek islands, the local economy is dominated by tourism. Three quarters of jobs provided on the islands are tied to the hospitality industry while the rest mainly concern farming activities.
With a landmass of 541 square miles and over 115,000 year-round residents, it is a good choice for full-time living.
Campuses from the Aegean University and Advanced School of Tourism Education have drawn an active student population on an island which draws visitors from early spring through to well after the bustling summer months.
Social events pick up in the summer but also remain frequent during the winter months.
Music and film festivals, theater performances and sporting events make up the social calendar while food and dance are also at the center of food events such as the annual strawberry festival in May.
Outside of the urban centers, the living remains authentic for those wanting to take in the Greek traditions and lifestyle. This is most evident in the delicious Greek food which is made from local produce and often relies on recipes passed down from generation to generation.
Real estate
Rhodes has been drawing foreign buyers targeting a holiday home and a top performing investment. Investors from Germany, France, Switzerland and the US have been buying quality villas in the area as Greece remains a top destination for holiday homes.
The latest data highlight that foreign investors spent 1.17 billion euros on buying a Greek home in 2021, showing an increase of 34 percent from the previous year, with the market largely recovering from pre-pandemic levels.
The size of the real estate market in Rhodes provides an array of choices, catering to all budgets, with homes presenting top value, as prices are well below other popular spots in the Mediterranean such as Seville or Malaga in Spain.
Once owners have used the homes to relax over the summer period, the asset can keep performing for them as a rental property thanks to the strong demand for accommodation coming from the two million travelers that visit the island every year. This helps push up annual yields that rank among the highest in Europe, at around 4.5 percent, data shows.
Another factor adding value to the homes is the island’s improving infrastructure.
The Greek government is in the process of tendering off a project for improved road access between the airport and the main town in what is seen as a key project for the island. Additionally, a new 22-million-euro waste management plant is in the pipe works as is a new water supply project budgeted at 27- million-euros.
Accessibility to the island is very easy with new transport links being continually announced.
The flight from Athens takes less than one hour, and the recently improved international airport has charter flights from many European cities.
If you prefer ferry travel, there are one to two daily ferry crossings from Piraeus Port in Athens to Rhodes all year round. Due to the island’s close proximity to Turkey, many hop over to Fethiye or Marmaris in a trip that takes between one to two hours.
Weather
When it comes to soaking in the sun, Rhodes is one of the hottest islands in Greece. The island has typically a Mediterranean climate, featuring warm to hot summers and mild, tolerable, and mildly frosty winters. Rainfall in Rhodes is moderate and occurs mostly during the winters, rarely in summer when days providing 12 hours of sunshine are common. The sea is warm enough for swimming from May to October, reaching 26 °C in August.
