Ancient Ialysos was one of three cities that joined to create the new city of Rhodes in 408 BC. Its flat hilltop site, 12km southwest of Rhodes Town, can be reached by a signposted drive or a demanding but enjoyable 5km hike from nearby Ialysos, but there’s surprisingly little to see. A paved walkway, lined by trees, climbs the final 100m to the Byzantine Monastery of Filerimos that now occupies the summit, alongside the ruins of a small Athena temple.
Ancient Ialysos
Rhodes
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
21.26 MILES
A short, steep-stepped footpath climbs the rocky 116m-high headland above the village to reach Lindos’ beautifully preserved Acropolis. First fortified in…
5.62 MILES
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13.14 MILES
Cradled in a natural hillside amphitheatre 1km up from the sea, the remarkably complete ruins of ancient Kamiros stand 34km southwest of Rhodes Town…
5.57 MILES
Essentially an occupying army, the Knights of St John transformed the northern segment of the Old Town during the 14th and 15th centuries, to create what…
5.51 MILES
From the outside, this magnificent castle-like palace looks much as it did when erected by the 14th-century Knights Hospitaller. During the 19th century,…
5.57 MILES
Austere and somewhat forbidding, the Street of the Knights (Ippoton) was home from the 14th century to the Knights Hospitaller who ruled Rhodes. The…
5.47 MILES
The Old Town’s central commercial and residential district, south of the Street of the Knights, is known as the Hora. Having acquired its current…
6.2 MILES
The so-called Valley of the Butterflies, 7km up from the west coast, and 32km southwest of Rhodes Town, is a major day-trip destination for package…
Nearby Rhodes attractions
4.89 MILES
Now known as the Acropolis of Rhodes, the site of the ancient Hellenistic city of Rhodes stretches up the slopes of Monte Smith, 1km west of the Old Town…
5.32 MILES
If St Athanasios Gate is your exit rather than entry point for a walk in the moat, you need to keep your eyes peeled to spot this access route, which…
5.33 MILES
Watched over by a sturdy round tower, this is said to be the gate through which the conquering Ottoman sultan entered the city in 1522.
5.39 MILES
Italian architect Pietro Lombardi constructed this opulent art deco spa, on the site of ancient thermal springs, in 1929. Its dazzling white-domed…
5.43 MILES
Behind its plain exterior, this 500-year-old Ottoman bathhouse is spectacular, with a finely wrought star-pierced ceiling that allows light to radiate…
5.43 MILES
This peaceful little library, founded in 1793, sits in an inviting little garden courtyard opposite the Mosque of Süleyman. Visitors can only enter the…
5.44 MILES
Rhodes' Old Town bears many legacies from its Ottoman past. Many churches were converted to mosques during the Turkish era, and even more Muslim houses of…
5.45 MILES
Commanding the highest point in the Old Town, this sturdy clocktower offers a tremendous panorama. Dating originally from the 7th century, it was damaged…