RHODES OUT OF SEASON

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"....Rhodes in the autumn, winter or spring - the ever changing seasons & the dramatic sea & mountain views will unfold before your eyes......"

Image: A warm January afternoon, January 2008

On this page read why a visit to Rhodes out of the main tourist months is very much recommended...

Rhodes out of the main season is simply stunning and has much more to offer than you may expect. You will actually find that Rhodes is the perfect winter destination.

It is something of a myth that the island of Rhodes closes out of the main holiday season. Remember people live on the island and life very much continues.

Make no mistake that Rhodes becomes cooler and rain can be more prevalent. But such conditions, coupled with a far quieter island, can make for a much more intimate Rhodes experience. But even in the coolest of months, January and February, it can still be warm and far more often than not is very sunny.

Here are the temperatures (high average) out season:

November: 68 F (20 C) December: 61 F (16 C)

January: 58 F (14 C) February: 59 F (15 C)

March: 62 F (17 C) April: 68 F (20 C)

Source

Such temperatures do represent an irresistible opportunity to enjoy Rhodes with a milder climate. Such times are ideal for exploring the plethora of wonderful places, sites and monuments the island offers. All remain open - all are far quieter and relaxed. The countryside is lusher, more alive - a truly delightful time to enjoy this Greek Island.

If you are an Artist or Poet you could find much inspiration in this period.

Bird watching on Rhodes is also highly regarded, anytime of year.

A walking holiday on Rhodes is possible at any time of year, but the time that we really recommended is off season. During these months the temperatures have become less intense, the countryside has taken on a more lush and green appearance - an abundance of colourful flowers emerging with the milder climate. The days are still accompanied by plenty of sunshine, perfect conditions to enjoy such walks.

In the towns and the city you will still find bars and restaurants open on Rhodes and the little secret here is that such places are the ones the locals enjoy all year round! You are far more likely to find the best straight away as most tourist restaurants are closed out of season.

Rhodes changes out of season and many locals will say it is the winter months they like the best. Rhodes continues to be a paradise and the atmosphere is just as rich and vibrant.

The main city on Rhodes remains open - as cosmopolitan and as exciting as ever.

Looking for stunning walks on Rhodes? CLICK HERE for more details

Image: The walk out to the Helenistic Tomb of Kleoboulos

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Our cousins, Sue and Charles, on their visit ro Rhodes:

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"What we soon discovered about holidaying on Rhodes “out of season”, in November, is that here we find an island that is winding down from the main tourist season. Our 10 days on Rhodes seemed like a sleepy time for the locals – unwinding after looking after the crowds. We always suspected “out of season” did not mean everything was closed down and the weather would suddenly have turned bad…far from it in fact.

Firstly we found that although direct flights (from UK) finish at the end of October for a few months, it was still very easy to take a flight to Athens (a shorter flight initially than to Rhodes) and then get a connecting flight to Rhodes (50 minutes Athens – Rhodes). It all added to the adventure and added only a couple of hours on to our flying time. When we do this trip again we plan to turn it to our advantage and at Athens stop and stay over for one night, taking in the sights for a day before heading to Rhodes.

Car hire was also greatly reduced in price, with it being out of season we managed to get car hire for 200 EURO – just 20 EURO a day, over our 10 days!

The weather was glorious for the whole of those 10 days. We left a wet, grey and cold UK to be greeted to a Rhodes daily temperature of around 27C at its best, and it was hot and sunny everyday. As lovely as it was to see everything so quiet it was also a shame to think that many miss out on this period. But their loss was our gain….

To our surprise, everything was still very much alive! Big resorts such as Pefkos were of course closed, but Lindos remained open, still quite busy and some bars and shops were still open. We also enjoyed returning some evenings to explore the lovely streets of the village (and we even got lost around the winding streets one evening, taking a long time to get back to the car! All part of the fun of it all!) The Acropolis was open as normal (closed Mondays) and we felt lucky we could explore such a place with only a handful (rather than coach loads) of tourists. We found time to walk over to the Ancient Theatre of Lindos and also spend time at the gorgeous St.Pauls bay.

This picture below shows a magnificent barbecue that the locals were having out on the streets of Lindos. Amazing!

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We had also been advised by Pete and Phil that although, at this time of year, the Old Town of Rhodes is closed if we found a timetable of when the big cruise ships were in then this would be the time to visit. We discovered (on this occasion anyway) that cruise ships were in Wednesdays and Saturdays – and as a result most of the quaint shops of the Old Town open up to the public. So we were treated to still being able to view the Old Town fully open and showing itself off to its full potential. We also visited the Palace of the Grand Masters and the museum within that (open all year around, regardless of cruise ships). Walking around the streets it was a real delight to stumble across such things as the Arsenal of the Grand Master (1454-1461) – a large room, well preserved, that housed a vast stash of weaponry in its day! We enjoyed Rhodes City so much that we returned on three other occasions, exploring the new and the old – enjoying the quaint shops, the nice bars, Mandraki harbour and even the likes of Marks & Spencer (in the new town)!

With quieter roads this time of year we found the whole process of adjusting to driving on the opposite side easier. We explored plenty, although the allure of the villa kept us from driving too far away as we also wanted to enjoy that equally as much as Rhodes itself! We visited some of Pete and Phil`s recommendations – including the spa at Kalithea (we loved it), Glistra Beach (we were two of only four enjoying this amazing beach all to ourselves). We also had a lovely run out to Prassonisi, enjoying the beautiful scenery – enhanced even more by our car being virtually the only one on the roads.

This is the two of us at Kalithea:

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We visited the Ancient City of Kamiros, but arrived there late in the afternoon, 20 minutes before closing time, so we had to rush around this fascinating ruin. We have made a mental note to return when we next visit Rhodes as it was a place you need to explore and take in – it was vast!

We took the steep hill (with jaw dropping views) up to the Monastery at Filerimos. It was a very tranquil place to explore on a warm afternoon.

We were also pleased to discover a little village called Haraki. We stumbled on this by chance and we were pleased to have found a place that was so welcoming, with a few lovely tavernas along the sea front – enjoying gorgeous sea views in it own private harbour. This is another place we want to return to and have made a note to visit and explore Feraklos Castle, which looks down on the village.

In Lardos it was brilliant to see restaurants open for the locals (and the occasional tourist like ourselves). At Lardos we had the pleasure of dining at “Roulas”! It was excellent.

It was so relaxed. The weather so warm. So beautiful. So friendly and so quiet. Just what we wanted.

We can strongly suggest trying Rhodes out of the main season. It will not disappoint."

Sue and Charles