Last updated August 27, 2026

The cobbled Street of the Knights, lined by the stone Inns of the Hospitaller Knights, in Rhodes Old Town

Julian Lupyan / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0

Rhodes

Where to Stay in Rhodes Old Town, Rhodes

Rhodes Old Town is the walled medieval heart of Rhodes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built mainly by the Knights Hospitaller between 1309 and 1523 and still lived in today rather than preserved as a museum piece. The Street of the Knights, its best-known lane, climbs past the stone Inns of the Knights' different langues to the Palace of the Grand Master, the fortress-palace that anchors the upper town. The lower town holds a denser mix of eras — the old Jewish Quarter around the Kahal Shalom Synagogue and the Ottoman-era Suleymaniye Mosque, among others — alongside the restaurants, jewelry shops, and bars that make Old Town Rhodes' busiest visitor base.

What it's actually like to stay here

Busy and pedestrian-focused by day, with narrow lanes filling up around the main sights and shopping streets; it stays lively into the evening thanks to a dense concentration of restaurants and bars, especially around the strip locally known as Bar Street, which runs loud into the early hours in peak season. Side lanes a block or two off the main routes are noticeably quieter.

Stay here if

Best for first-time visitors and couples who want Rhodes' most historic, walkable base — the Street of the Knights, the Palace of the Grand Master, and the old town's restaurants and shops all within a short walk of most hotels.

Stay elsewhere if

Consider Ixia or Faliraki instead if direct beach access or a resort pool matters more than history — Old Town has no swimmable beach inside the walls, and its cobbled, stepped lanes make wheeled luggage and stairs-only buildings a real consideration.

Walkability
Very walkable — the old town's core is pedestrianized and compact, with the main sights, restaurants, and shops all reachable on foot. The cobblestones are uneven underfoot, though, which is tougher on sandals, ankles, and wheeled suitcases than it looks.
Noise at night
Can be genuinely loud late at night around Bar Street and the main restaurant lanes in peak season, with some venues running past 3-4am on summer weekends; quieter on residential side streets a block or two back from the busiest routes.

Best Hotels in Rhodes Old Town, Rhodes

Cava d'Oro

★★★★
  • 🏆 Our overall pick
  • 🏛️ Best for architecture & design

Our take A small hotel inside a genuinely old building — stone walls and vaulted spaces a purpose-built hotel can't replicate, without giving up comfort.

Highlights

  • Set in a roughly 800-year-old building atop the ancient market's ruins
  • A large courtyard against the medieval city wall, used for breakfast
  • A flat walk to the Street of the Knights, the harbour and the restaurants

What to know

  • Some rooms are reached by stairs, with no elevator in the historic building
  • Old Town's cobbled streets right outside make wheeled luggage slower going than on a paved street
Check availability on Booking.com

Trinity Boutique Hotel

★★★★
  • 🏛️ Best for architecture & design
  • ❤️ Best for couples

Our take A tightly run small hotel that leans into its building's real history rather than smoothing it over, with Old Town character in a quiet setting.

Highlights

  • A late-15th-century Knights-era building with limestone walls, beamed ceilings, and granite details
  • An Ottoman-era upper floor added after 1522 gives it layered, multi-period architecture
  • On Perikleous Street, with most of Old Town's sights a short walk away

What to know

  • Because it's small, it books out quickly in peak season
  • As with most Old Town buildings, expect stairs and uneven historic floors rather than a fully modern, accessible layout
Check availability on Booking.com

Transportation & practical information

Old Town sits right next to Mandraki Harbour and the New Town's shops and bus stations, both reachable on foot in around 10-15 minutes. Rhodes International Airport is about 13-14km away, roughly a 25-minute taxi or bus ride; buses to Lindos and other island destinations depart from stations just outside the walls.

Skip a rental car if you're staying in Rhodes Old Town or Ixia and mostly sticking to the town, a couple of organized beaches, and the KTEL bus to Lindos. Consider one if you want to explore the south coast, inland villages, or quieter beaches on your own schedule — public buses cover the main Lindos and Faliraki corridors well but thin out elsewhere.

Frequently asked questions

Is Rhodes Old Town too noisy to stay in?
It depends on the hotel and time of year. Rooms near Bar Street and the main restaurant lanes can be loud until the early hours in July and August; hotels tucked into the quieter residential lanes, a block or two off the main routes, are calmer while still being an easy walk from the sights.

Related areas

Faliraki's beachfront hotel strip along the sandy coast, seen from above with the sea and hills behind

Pjotr Mahhonin / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Faliraki

Best for: Beach time, Families, Nightlife

Ixia's beachfront resort strip and windsurfing bay on Rhodes' northwest coast, seen from the hillside above

Norbert Nagel / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Ixia

Best for: Beach time, Families, Budget travelers

The Doric columns of the Temple of Athena Lindia on the Acropolis of Lindos, overlooking Lindos Bay

seligmanwaite / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Lindos

Best for: Architecture lovers, Couples, Luxury travelers

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