Rhodes New Town

The New Town
The main commercial area, known as the New Market, is back behind the waterfront at Mandraki Habor, which is lined with cafes and restaurants. Beyond Mandraki on the waterfront is the Evangelismos cathedral, which is a copy of St.John’s. On the other side of this boulevard are many public buildings built by the Italians, some of them Art Deco.

If one keeps walking one will eventually reach the Aquarium (also Italian-built) at the northernmost tip of the island, passing wall-to-wall tourists along the sandy beach that stretches interminably on the way. The only such aquarium n Greece, it is home to a pair of sea turtles over a century in age, fish tanks, and exhibits of stuffed fish. Aquarium Beach, in front of it, is popular with surfers and paragliders, as is Windy Beach, where swimming is better. There can be strong currents here, as the signs warn.

To the southeast of the modern city is the ancient acropolis, high on a hill named for English admiral, Monte Smith. Here are the remains of Hellenistic Rhodes;the 2nd century BC, Doric Temple of Pythian Apollo is here, as well as the 3rd century BC Stadium, some columns from temples of Athena and Zeus, and the Ancient Theater. A lovely, quiet place to wander around, with high views of the sea by the asphalt road nearby (and of the island’s tip, if one walks far enough to the north).

Rhodini Park, to the south of town on the road to Lindos, has a natural spring, ducks, penned peacocks, native Rhodian deer, pines, cypresses, maples, and oleaners, the park occupies the site of the Ancient School of Rhetoric. The 4th century, rock-cut Hellenistic Tomb of Ptolemy is nearby, as are ruins of an aqueduct; the Rhodes wine festival is held here in late July and early August.