Aerial view of blue and white parasols on the rocky coast of Rhodes, an island in Greece

© Amazing Aerial Agency/Offset by Shutterstoc

All Rhodes lead to the beach

Welcome to sunny Rhodes, Greece, an island of stunning beaches and steeped in history. Rhodes sits just off the coast of Turkey and has been occupied for more than 3,500 years by a parade of empires, from Minoans and Persians to Greeks, Romans, and Arabs, and even a Catholic order of knights. It is still famous for being the site of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World—the Colossus of Rhodes—even though there's no visible trace of the statue since it was destroyed by an earthquake in 226 BCE, having stood for just 54 years.

In 1948, Rhodes became a part of Greece and today is one of the nation's most-visited islands. People come for the sun, the Greek and Roman ruins, the lush Valley of Butterflies, and especially Rhodes City, the largest medieval town in Europe. Its wonderfully preserved stone walls and gates, cobblestone streets, and Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes all contributed to its designation as a World Heritage site in 1988.