It is a difficult task to make a list of the most beautiful beaches of Rhodes. The island is very large and its coast is dotted with magnificent beaches of all sizes, from kilometers of coastline to tiny coves known only to locals. There are so many that even just concentrating your vacation in one area is not guaranteed to see them all!
This great quantity goes hand in hand with the variety: in Rhodes you can find sandy, pebble or rocky beaches; those with deep sea prevail, but there are also beaches with seabed that slopes slowly suitable for small children and inexperienced swimmers.
There are beaches equipped with umbrellas, sports fields and bars for those who in addition to the hotel-beach route does not want to take an extra step and wild beaches without any service for those who put nature at the top of their priorities.
How then to choose the best beaches of Rhodes? Inevitably you have to do a wrong to some beautiful beach or bay and exclude it from the list and include only those beaches that you really can not help but see.
Of course, tastes are tastes and of the 15 recommended beaches in Rhodes that we propose below some will be perfect for you and for the type of vacation you dream of, others instead will not be for you. Don’t worry, because this list is just a beginning: in the largest island of the Dodecanese, all you have to do is turn on the car and drive a few kilometers to find dream beaches!
Although they can’t be called the most fascinating on the island, the beaches of Rhodes Town are surprisingly beautiful, and so are those along the stretch of coastline that extends from the city towards the airport.
The advantage of these beaches is that they are easy to reach and are therefore ideal for those who love both city life and beach life and do not want to spend their vacation moving here and there.
Among these there are also some beaches that stand out for their beauty or quantity of services.
Elli Beach would deserve to enter the list of the 10 most beautiful beaches in Rhodes ever, yet it is known only to tourists who book their hotel in this area.
Everyone else ignores it completely, leaving this beautiful, fully equipped beach to all-inclusive vacationers and Rhodes citizens. A secret revealed that we suggest you treasure!
The beach of Ixia represents a stretch of sandy beach more than 10 km long west of Rhodes town. The wind conditions and the seabed, less shallow than in other beaches in the area, make it a perfect beach for surfing.
It is also the recommended beach for those who love sunsets: the position to the north-west is perfect to admire an evocative sunset with fiery tones.
The area is full of hotels and all inclusive resorts, but the beach is also frequented by many locals and is therefore a good point of observation of local life. There are many stores, bars and restaurants so those wishing to stay past sunset will find many places to spend the evening.
The northern part of the east coast of Rhodes is the one where the largest number of beaches are concentrated, including the most famous and frequented of the island… as well as the most beautiful. The coast is varied, with sandy and rocky stretches: some beaches are kilometers long, others are tiny coves hidden between headlands and forests.
Here are the beaches not to be missed in this long succession of dream places where you can lay your towel and forget all the problems of everyday life.
The most photographed beach of Rhodes is undoubtedly the Bay of Anthony Quinn, a corner of paradise on earth capable of bewitching even a Hollywood star who certainly had already seen quite a bit of the world.
Now renamed after the American actor who fell in love with it, it is a rocky beach squeezed between two promontories covered with vegetation and washed by an emerald sea. The rocks form natural terraces, ideal for those who love basking in the sun for hours without annoying grains of sand on the skin. For the crystal clear waters and the seabed rich in marine flora and fauna, this beach is also recommended for snorkelling enthusiasts.
Many tourists visit it fleetingly as a stop on a daily tour of Rhodes: a pity, because this beauty deserves much more than half an hour. If you like the scenery but are bothered by the confusion move to the nearby beach of Ladiko: the same beauty with much less people.
A typical seaside resort that developed following the tourism boom, Faliraki is the beach for young people and families in Rhodes. Services, entertainment and a great choice of hotels and apartments are the reasons for its success, attracting both young and old vacationers.
The first come here for the number of clubs and parties on the beach; those traveling with children love this long sandy beach of golden sand largely equipped for the convenience of having everything at hand and for the shallow waters thanks to which you can swim safely. The beach is a long stretch of golden sand.
Lindos is the most romantic town of Rhodes as well as the most visited after the capital. Its main beach, which includes two areas sometimes referred to by the single name of “Lindos Beach” sometimes with separate names (Main Beach and Pallas Beach), is an enchanting sandy beach bathed by calm waters of a beautiful blue color.
The scenery is fairytale: behind the beach stands a hill on which are clinging the typical white houses of Lindos, dominated by a fortress that hides a thousand-year-old acropolis; there is also an abundant Mediterranean vegetation.
The beach of Lindos is perfect for a memorable day trip: you start with a visit to the town and its cultural attractions, you dive into the sea and then on the sun bed to relax, you return to town for a tasty dinner in one of the delicious typical restaurants with rooftop terrace.
On the opposite side of the hill from the main one is another beach immersed in an enchanting natural setting. It is the bay of Saint Paul, so called to remember a legend according to which the saint landed here to save himself from a storm.
In this stretch of sea, protected by rocks that seem to close in an embrace, the waters are as calm as those of a lagoon. A place not to be missed if you want to have a nice swim in blue waters or take breathtaking souvenir photos.
A real gem is Kalithea, a tongue of sand set in a bay where the colors of nature triumph: the green of the pines and the green-blue of the sea. The seabed is rocky and immediately deep, so not suitable for small children, but the beach is equipped with rental umbrellas and bars.
Famous and always crowded, Kalithea can be a bit claustrophobic but its beauty is an irresistible attraction that we invite you not to ignore. To relax on the beach you can combine a visit to the Kalithea spa: it is not a spa as the name would suggest, but a building in arabesque style built in the early twentieth century by the Italians on the site where once flowed a hot spring.
Afandou is a mixed beach of sand and pebbles which extends for more than 4 km. It is a typical beach “for all”, which alternates areas equipped with services and kiosks, perfect for those looking for comfort, to other free areas with a wilder aspect, perfect for those who want a corner for themselves.
The sea is deep, with green-blue waters very transparent: do not leave at home mask and snorkel!
The soft golden sand is the feature that has made Agathi beach famous, as witnessed by the other names with which it is frequently called: Golden Beach or Golden Sand.
This expanse of soft sand bathed by the beautiful Aegean Sea is located in a picturesque bay behind the mountains.
Also in this case you can combine hours of well-deserved idleness on the beach with cultural visits in the surrounding area, in particular deserve to be seen the castle of Feraklos and the fishing village of Haraki.
Located between the two popular beaches of Faliraki and Afandou, Trafangou is the perfect destination for those who want to escape mass tourism without having to reach the distant beaches of the south coast.
It is a beach of white and silver pebbles that with the rays of the sun are colored with enchanting colors. The waters are calm and very clear, while the promontory of white and light-grey rock creates an evocative frame; at the northern end of the beach there are some sea caves.
Partly equipped, it remains a little known beach and little frequented by international tourists: a secret for connoisseurs.
The majority of tourists explore only the northern part of the coast of Rhodes, going at the most a little bit south of Lindos. Those who continue discover wonderful beaches almost never mentioned in the guidebooks.
It actually takes longer to reach them because the distances are considerable (consider that the length of the island of Rhodes is about 100 km), but if you have the opportunity it is worth reaching the beaches that we recommend below.
Prassonisi is the southernmost beach of Rhodes, marking the southern limit of the island. The peculiar charm of the borderlands would be enough to include it in the list of unmissable beaches in Rhodes, but Prassonisi can also boast a particular shape: it is a long narrow strip of sand that fits between the Aegean Sea to the north and the Mediterranean Sea to the south forming two bays, mirroring each other.
In this area the winds are strong and in fact Prassonisi is frequented almost exclusively by fans of kite surfing and windsurfing, but we also recommend it to anyone who loves fairytale landscapes.
Remote and solitary, Plimiri (or Plimmiri) is the top for those looking for a beach to enjoy in complete solitude and for those who love nature: bordered by sand dunes behind, this picturesque sandy beach offers natural shelters from the sun thanks to the rich vegetation.
Without services and little frequented, it is an oasis of relaxation and peace that will seem light years away from the fashionable resorts of the north.
Wide spaces that allow the eye to scan an infinite horizon and very few people: Gennadi is another beach where you can enjoy peace and silence surrounded by nature.
It seduces with its wild appearance and its completely relaxed atmosphere. Perfect for those who dream of resting in the sun without being disturbed and for long walks by the sea.
The west coast of Rhodes is generally the prerogative of those who book an all inclusive vacation in a village or resort. In fact, there are many structures that have been built in this area, once much less touristic than the east coast: this is certainly due to the large spaces available and the proximity of the airport, which is located on this side of the island.
The beaches of the west coast of Rhodes are definitely windier than those of the east coast and are often the typical surfing beaches, very loved by those who practice this sport and by those who love wild landscapes.
One of the most beautiful beaches in the west coast of Rhodes is Glifada, situated in the center-south of the island at a considerable distance from the capital (about 72 km). Remote and wild-looking, ignored by mass tourism, it is a charming pebble beach surrounded by lush vegetation.
Recommended for those who love snorkelling.
Another jewel along the little explored west coast of Rhodes is Fourni, a tongue of sand and pebbles hidden between headlands of light-colored rock on which grow here and there some bushes. Behind the beach rise some of the highest mountains of Rhodes; along the coast there are some sea caves.
Not very touristy, it is a quiet beach, with essential services.
In the following map you can see the location of the main places of interest mentioned in this article.