Lindos Full-Day Boat Trip with Swim Stops from Rhodes Town

Mandraki Harbour, Rhodes Town

Mandraki is the historic harbour of Rhodes Town, just outside the walls of the medieval Old Town. Its entrance is guarded by two bronze deer on tall columns, the symbols of the island, standing where tradition places the giant Colossus of Rhodes, one of the wonders of the ancient world. Along the harbour wall stand three old windmills, and at the tip of the breakwater rises the round Fort of St Nicholas, built by the Knights of St John.

On this Lindos day trip from Rhodes the bus from your pickup point brings you to the boat, so you avoid parking and timing worries. Take a moment on deck as the boat leaves to look back at the Old Town walls and the Palace of the Grand Master, one of the finest views of the city.

Ladiko and the east coast of Rhodes

Heading south, the boat follows the east coast past the elegant domes of the Kallithea Springs, a spa built in the 1920s, and the long beaches of Faliraki. The first swim stop is a small, sheltered cove near Ladiko, where pine-covered rocks frame water so clear you can see the seabed several metres below. It is one of the most beautiful swimming spots on the island and very hard to enjoy in peace by land in high summer.

Floats are provided on board, and the crew lowers a ladder so you can climb in and out of the water easily. If you prefer to stay dry, the open sundeck with its sunbeds and the air-conditioned lounge give you plenty of space to relax and enjoy the coastal scenery.

Lindos village

Lindos is the most beautiful village on Rhodes, a cascade of white houses spilling down the hillside below its acropolis. Its narrow, car-free lanes are paved with black and white pebble mosaics, and many of the grand captains' mansions from the seventeenth century still show carved stone doorways and hidden courtyards. In the centre, the Church of the Panagia is decorated inside with colourful frescoes.

You have about three hours of free time here, enough to explore the village, have lunch at your own cost and swim at the main sandy beach below the village. The boat anchors in the main bay, and the walk from the beach up into the lanes takes only a few minutes. Is Lindos worth visiting? It is the most memorable stop on any Rhodes island tour.

The Acropolis of Lindos and St Paul's Bay

Above the village, the Acropolis of Lindos crowns a rock about 116 m above the sea. Inside the walls of the Knights' castle you find the long Hellenistic Stoa, a monumental stairway and, at the summit, the Doric Temple of Athena Lindia, with views that are among the finest in the Aegean. The climb from the village takes around 15 to 20 minutes, and you should allow about an hour inside.

The Acropolis entrance fee is not included, and Lindos Acropolis tickets are bought at the site, so bring cash or a card. From the top, look south to St Paul's Bay, a small round lagoon almost closed by rocks, where tradition says the apostle landed on his way to Rome. Wear good shoes, a hat and carry water for the climb.

Tsambika Blue Lagoon

On the way back to Rhodes Town the boat stops at Tsambika, a wide bay with one of the longest golden sand beaches on the east coast. The water here is shallow and turquoise near the shore, earning it the name Blue Lagoon, and it is the perfect place for a last relaxed swim before the return cruise.

Above the bay, the small white Monastery of Panagia Tsambika sits on the summit of a steep hill and can be seen from far out at sea; it is a much-loved pilgrimage site for Rhodians. The best time to visit Tsambika by boat is in the afternoon, when the light turns the water bright blue. After the swim the boat heads north, arriving back in Rhodes Town in the late afternoon for your bus transfer.