Rhodes Revisited Again: Having the Entire Old Town to Myself

I had been to Rhodes at least half a dozen times, sometimes spending just one day or less or the island, sometimes a few days more. During the high season, the Old Town is almost without exception overwhelmed with tourists from all over the world, and it is always difficult to really admire the Old Town of Rhodes with so many people walking around.

This winter I had the chance to spend an extended period of time in northern Greece, and I decided to book a cheap flight from Thessaloniki to Rhodes and have a look how things are like on the island in winter. It was a Sunday when I arrived, and the whole of Old Town was virtually deserted: I have never seen things like that before during my previous visits to Rhodes. All shops inside the Old Town were closed for renovation, the main street which was usually crowded with cafes, restaurants, and ice cream parlours were all out of action. In fact the whole old town was so quiet and empty, with no one in sight, it actually feels a bit eerie walking around the older parts of the town. Only the usual street cats still patrol the old quarters.

The Many Harbours of Rhodes: A Simple Guide and Some Basic Orientations

There are several harbours in Rhodes Town: 

1. the Commercial Harbour (again divided into an International Arrivals Area and a Domestic Port)

2. the Mandraki Harbour

3. the Piraeus Port where normal passenger ferries operated by ANEK Lines, Bluestar Ferries, and Hellenic Seaways disembark. Do not confuse this harbour with the Domestic Port within the Commercial Harbour currently used by Dodecanses Seaways. This harbour is the furthest and most isolated of all harbours in Rhodes, located about 1km outside of the Old Town.

1) The Commercial Harbour: 

The Commercial Harbour of Rhodes is divided into two parts, the International Arrivals harbour, and the Domestic port. This paragraph deals with the International Arrivals areas of the Commercial Harbour. Passengers who arrive with catamaran, hydrofoil or normal car ferries from Turkey all disembark at this harbour. Passport control facilities are located in the white building with red curved roof in the centre of the photo. After disembarkation, passengers are required to proceed to international arrivals to have their passport stamped, after which they will pass through the customs and exit the Commercial Harbour areas through the main gate.