The acropolis is open in summer Mon 12:30pm to 7pm;Tues-Sun 8am-7pm; and the rest of thye year Tues-Sun 8:30am-3pm; 6euros). The Knights of St. John ripped apart a lot of Hellenistic structures when they fortified this one. It was excavated during the early 20th century by Danish archaeologists and later restored (badly) by the Italians. The Greek restoration program is now in progress. The way up is very steep, and is walkable or by hired donkey. On the way you'll see embroidered and other hand-crafted goods for sale. Lindos was known for its embroideries back in the time of Alexander the Great. Watch out for factory -made goods along with the handcrafted ones, and be aware that almost everything is overpriced.
The prow of a trireme (5th century BC) is carved into the rock just before the Knights' stairway, the prow once serving as a podium for a statue of a priest of Poseidon. There are vaulted rooms at the top and the ruins of the church of St. John (13th century). The stoa of Lindian Athena is next, Athena the patron goddess of the city. The 'stairway of Heaven' leads up from here to the foundations of the Propylaea and to the Doric Temple of Athena (much restored since the 1980s) on the edge of the cliff . Seven columns remain. These were both built by Cleoboulos, rebuilt in 342 BC after a fire, and later reconstructed by the Italians. There is a sanctuary in the rock openings where small bulls were sacrificed to the goddess. The bay below is known as St Paul's Bay where he landed in AD58. The Grand Harbor is below this, with the town beach and the Pallas Beach where the ancient Lindos navy moored its 500 ships.
Pefkos (pine trees) just south of Lindos, has a sandy beach with the trees that give it its name. Though lower-key than Lindos it is still very much a package resort, with all the usual accouterments, though it has a large beach and some coves.
More about Rhodes page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18