Destination guide · Λίνδος
Lindos
A white village wrapped around the foot of a rock, a fortified acropolis on top of it and a bay on either side. It is the place on Rhodes that almost every visitor goes, and the one that punishes an unplanned arrival hardest.
What there is to see
Three things, and they are three separate visits. The acropolis is the reason most people come: a Doric temple to Athena Lindia on the summit, enclosed centuries later by a crusader fortification, with the coast laid out on both sides. The village below it is a knot of whitewashed lanes closed to traffic, and the grander houses in it were built by the shipowners who made the place rich — several keep pebble-mosaic courtyards behind their doorways. Then there are the two bays, one under the village and one under the acropolis, and they are not the same kind of swim at all.
What it costs
The village, the lanes and both bays are free to walk into. The acropolis is a ticketed archaeological site and admission is charged at the gate; a handful of the old captains’ houses also open their courtyards for a small charge. We do not print any of those amounts here. They are not published by either bus operator, they have changed before, and a stale price is worse than no price — you would plan around it. On the beaches, the sand is free and the loungers are not.
The climbs, and what they are actually like
Nothing drives into Lindos. Buses and coaches set down on the road above the village and everyone walks in from there, downhill on arrival and back up at the end of the day, usually in the heat. From the square, the route to the acropolis climbs through the lanes and finishes on a stepped approach cut into the rock, in full sun and with nowhere to sit. Donkeys work the lower part of that route in season, which some visitors find helps and others would rather not use. There is no vehicle access to the top and no alternative to the steps at the end.
Swimming
The main bay sits directly below the village: sheltered, shallow a long way out, organised with loungers and boats, and the easier of the two to reach with children. St Paul’s Bay is round the other side, under the acropolis — a nearly enclosed cove entered through a narrow gap in the rock, reached on foot and back up the same way. It is the better swim and the harder walk, which is roughly the trade the whole village runs on.
When to go
Early or late. The lanes are at their best before the middle of the day, and the acropolis is exposed enough that the last hour of opening is kinder than the first hour after lunch. Through the middle of the day the village takes the coach parties as well as the bus, and the one stepped street up to the acropolis is where that shows.
Getting here
By bus from Rhodes Town
Lindos is on the KTEL Rodou east-coast corridor, the busiest tourist run on the island, from Bus Station 1 – Mandraki. The bus sets you down on the road above the village rather than in it. What decides the day is the last departure back, not the first one out — the route page has the operator’s current schedule and where the stand is.
Rhodes Town to Lindos by busHow long to allow
A full day, if you want the acropolis, the lanes and a swim. Half a day covers the acropolis and the square and not much else — and the walk back up to the stop is part of the day whichever you choose.
Checked against KTEL Rodou — official schedule ↗ on 18 August 2026. Timetables change with the season — confirm before you travel.
About Lindos
Is Lindos worth a whole day?
For most people, yes. It is three separate outings stacked on one rock — the acropolis, the village lanes and a bay — and each one involves a climb in the open. Visitors who allow half a day almost always end up cutting the swim, which is the part they were looking forward to.
Can I see the acropolis if I cannot manage steps?
Not really. There is no vehicle access, and the final approach is a stepped path cut into the rock with no way round it. Donkeys work the lower stretch in season. The village square and the flatter lanes are reachable on foot from where the bus sets you down, but that walk is itself downhill on the way in and uphill on the way back.
Is there a beach at Lindos?
Two, and they are both on foot from the square. The main bay under the village is sheltered and shallow and has loungers and boats on it. St Paul’s Bay, under the acropolis, is a small enclosed cove with clearer water and a steeper walk in and out. Neither charges you to walk in.
Elsewhere on the island
All destinations →Every corridor out of Rhodes Town has a route page with the operator that runs it and where it leaves from. Guides like this one are being written a destination at a time, so the routes index is the fuller picture for now.