Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 22470 86700; Agiou Fanouriou, Old Town; adult/child €5/3; 9am-11pm)
Hidden in the
backstreets just off Sokratous, this new aquarium is packed with marine life - stingrays,
octopuses, eels, cuttlefish, starfish and more.
New Town
The
Acropolis of Rhodes
, southwest of the Old Town on Monte Smith, was the site of
the ancient Hellenistic city of Rhodes. The restored 2nd-century-AD tree-lined
stadium
once staged competitions in preparation for the Olympic Games. The adjacent
theatre
is
a reconstruction of one used for lectures by the Rhodes School of Rhetoric, while steps
above here lead to the
Temple of Pythian Apollo
. A small exhibition between the stadi-
um and the road details the history of the site and the reconstruction. This unenclosed site
can be reached on city bus 5.
North of Mandraki Harbour, at the eastern end of G Papanikolaou, is the graceful
Mosque of Murad Reis
. In its grounds are a Turkish cemetery and the Villa Cleobolus,
where Lawrence Durrell lived in the 1940s, writing
Reflections on a Marine Venus
.
adult/child €5/€2.50; 9am-8.30pm Apr-Oct, 9am-4.30pm Nov-Mar)
is an art deco building
constructed by the Italians in the 1930s. Check out the taxidermic tiger and thresher
sharks.
The town
beach
, beginning north of Mandraki Harbour, stretches around the island's
northernmost point and down the west side of the New Town. The best spots tend to be
on the east side, where there's usually calmer water and more sand and facilities.
Activities
A number of diving schools operate out of Mandraki, offering a range of courses, includ-
ing a 'One Day Try Dive' for €75 and three-day PADI open-water certification for €350
to €390. You can get information from their boats at Mandraki Harbour.
Waterhoppers Diving Centre
DIVING
( 6972500971, 22410 38146;
www.waterhoppers.com
)
Established for over 15 years, Water-
hoppers Diving Centre offers a range of diving courses, including two- and three-day
PADI open-water certifications. Choose from night, wreck and cave dives if you're an
advanced diver. You can get information at Mandraki Harbour.
