A visit to Lindos, Rhodes

Back in September 2014 I was lucky enough to visit Rhodes and enjoy a day trip to the picturesque, ancient village of Lindos which has a spectacular Acropolis towering above the town.
The Acropolis sits atop a natural citadel and offers spectacular views of the surrounding harbours and coastline, although the climb to the top is not for the faint hearted, or young children.
Once one of Rhodes’ ancient and important cities, Lindos grew to prosperity under the Knights of St. John and much of medieval Lindos has survived for all to see which narrow paved streets and beautiful buildings around every corner.

No vehicles other than motorbikes, small delivery vans and the donkeys which carry tourists to the acropolis are allowed on the paved streets and little or no changes can be made to the buildings, many of which have survived since the 15th Century. The maze of streets is wonderful to explore with dozens of little shops selling souvenirs, jewellery, art and more.

Lindos is famous for its facades, doorways and windows with their elaborate carvings, although I think much of it was hidden with laces for sale.

The climb up to the Acropolis was quite tiring and I would recommend you wear comfortable shoes and take a bottle of water with you. At the top you are charged an entrance fee of €6 but it is more than worth it.

If climbing sounds far too exhausting  you can ride a Donkey to the top for a small charge, although I wasn’t brave enough to try it.

Through an ancient old gate you enter the world of the magnificent acropolis; on the first level you can see more recent buildings like the 1317 Castle of the Knights of St John, which was built on the foundations of an older Byzantine fortification. There is also the Greek Orthodox Church of St John, built on the ruins of an older church.

The Knights significantly strengthened the fortifications of the acropolis, turning Líndos into a powerful fortified castle. On the second level to the south you can marvel at the remains of the 300 BC Doric Temple of Athena Lindia, which was built on the site of an earlier temple. At the entrance to the acropolis there is a Hellenistic stoa (covered walkway) where vaulted constructions that were once underground water storage tanks are still visible.

A monumental staircase leads to the upper level of the sanctuary consisting of the 4th century BC buildings: the Propýlea (gateways) that were built in the same style as the Athenian Propýlea.

The best part of getting to the top of the Acropolis is not just the historic buildings, but the sweeping views of the Aegean which take your breath away!

When we visited there was scaffolding up as they are currently doing lots of restoration work, but it didn’t detract from the beauty of the place. The ground was very uneven in places and the stone stairs were very steep and had no hand rail which I would take into consideration if you visit with children.

The walk back down was a little easier on the legs and I recommend you find one of the small bars and treat yourself to a refreshing drink once you are at the bottom.

We found one that had a gorgeous view over the bay below.

Have you visited Lindos – did you climb by foot or donkey?

• Acropolis
• Greece
• Lindos
• Rhodes