Rhodes New Town, known locally as Neohori, is the modern northern face of Rhodes City. Built up from the 16th century onward and shaped significantly by Italian urban planners, it blends broad coastal avenues with café-lined squares, art deco municipal buildings, and a relaxed residential rhythm that the walled Old Town simply cannot offer.
Located in Rhodes, Greece
Rhodes New Town is where the island's everyday life actually happens: morning coffee at pavement cafés, evening strolls along the waterfront, and the kind of unhurried Greek street scene that disappears the moment you step through the medieval gates. It is modern without being generic, and far more interesting than most visitors expect.
Rhodes New Town occupies the northern tip of Rhodes City, wrapping around the exterior of the UNESCO-listed Medieval Old Town walls. Think of it as a crescent pressed against the north and northwest face of the walled city, with the Aegean Sea on three sides. To the east, the coastline curves past Mandraki Harbour and the landmark fortress of Saint Nicholas before opening onto Elli Beach at the island's northernmost point. To the west, the shore faces toward the Turkish coast and drops down through the Kritika district toward the resort strip of Ixia.
The clearest boundary to the south is the Old Town wall itself, pierced by gates that connect the two halves of the city. The Gate of Freedom, facing Mandraki Harbour, is the most-used crossing point. To the southwest, New Town tapers into the Marasia district and then into the Kritika neighborhood, a quiet coastal strip of low houses originally built for Muslim refugees who arrived from Crete in the early 20th century.
Further inland and slightly elevated, the hill known as Monte Smith anchors the southern edge of New Town's hinterland. The Acropolis of Rhodes sits on its summit and provides the clearest mental anchor point for anyone trying to understand how the modern city sits in relation to its ancient past. From that hilltop, the entire layout of New Town, the harbour, and the Old Town walls becomes immediately legible.
The Italian occupation of Rhodes between 1912 and 1943 left its most visible mark here. While the Ottomans shaped the Old Town's minarets and hammams, the Italians redesigned the New Town with neoclassical municipal buildings, wide palm-lined boulevards, a grand theatre, and an administrative quarter that still gives the area a distinctly Mediterranean-European feel. The Governor's Palace, the courthouse, and the post office buildings around Kyprου Square are the clearest examples: solid, symmetrical, built to project authority.
At street level, New Town moves to a different pace from the tourist-heavy Old Town. In the early morning, before nine, the neighbourhood belongs to its residents. Café owners set out chairs, delivery trucks idle outside bakeries, and locals on motorbikes navigate the grid of one-way streets with practised ease. The Aegean breeze comes in off the water consistently enough that even on the hottest July afternoons, the coastal promenades feel several degrees cooler than the interior streets of the walled city.
By midday in peak season (July and August), the tourist footprint grows significantly along the Mandraki waterfront and around Elli Beach. Sunbeds appear, excursion boats load passengers, and the strip between the harbour and the casino fills with people in a way that can feel overwhelming. The residential streets even two blocks back from the water, however, retain a quieter character throughout the day.
After dark, New Town develops a genuinely local evening scene. Greeks eat late, and the restaurant and bar strip that runs inland from Mandraki comes alive properly after nine. This is not the concentrated nightlife zone of Faliraki to the south, which caters almost exclusively to package tourists; New Town after dark has a more mixed crowd and a less aggressive energy.
💡 Local tip
If you want to experience New Town's most authentic daily rhythm, walk the Kritika coastal path in the early evening. Locals use it for their volta (the traditional Greek evening stroll), and it is one of the few stretches of Rhodes City waterfront that feels genuinely unhurried.
The area's highest-profile natural attraction is Elli Beach, the long sandy stretch that curves along the northeastern tip of the island. It is central, walkable from most New Town hotels, and backed by the kind of café and sunbed infrastructure that makes it convenient rather than peaceful. In midsummer it fills early; by late afternoon it empties somewhat as day-trippers move on. The water is clean and the shallow entry makes it good for families.
The more rewarding cultural excursion from New Town is the walk up to Monte Smith and the Acropolis of Rhodes, which includes a partially restored ancient stadium, a small theatre, and the columns of the Temple of Apollo. The site is rarely crowded, admission is free, and the views across New Town to the Aegean and toward the Turkish coast are exceptional. Bus number 5 connects Monte Smith to the New Town centre, but the walk up is only around 20-25 minutes and passes through pleasant residential streets.
At the northern tip of the waterfront, the Rhodes Aquarium sits inside a striking Italian-era building and provides a well-organised introduction to Aegean marine life. It is particularly good for a morning visit before the heat peaks, and worthwhile if you are travelling with children. Nearby, the Modern Greek Art Museum holds one of the most significant collections of 20th-century Greek art outside Athens, and it is consistently overlooked by visitors who spend their entire stay in the Old Town.
Mandraki Harbour itself, which borders New Town on the east, is worth an hour of your time even if you are not taking a boat trip. The three restored medieval windmills, the bronze deer statues (the symbols of Rhodes) flanking the harbour entrance, and the sight of Fort of St Nicholas across the water create one of the more photogenic waterfronts in the Greek islands. The site attributed to the Colossus of Rhodes is here too, though there is nothing physically to see beyond the deer statues and a stretch of water.
New Town's food scene is more varied and generally better value than the heavily tourist-oriented restaurants inside the Old Town walls. The main concentration of restaurants runs along and around the streets behind Mandraki Harbour, with a secondary cluster near the central market building (a circular Italian-built structure modelled loosely on the Knights' architecture). Prices here tend to be moderate: expect to pay 12-20 euros per person for a full meal with a carafe of house wine at a mid-range taverna.
The food on offer reflects standard Greek island cooking: grilled fish, octopus, lamb dishes, moussaka, and an abundance of meze. For guidance on what to actually order and where to find the best local specialties, the full guide to eating in Rhodes covers the island's culinary traditions in much more detail. In New Town specifically, look for restaurants that display their fish by weight at the entrance, a reliable sign that the catch is genuinely fresh rather than frozen.
For morning coffee and breakfast, the pavement cafés around the main squares in New Town are considerably cheaper than anything you will find in tourist-facing Old Town establishments. A Greek coffee, a tiropita (cheese pie), and a glass of water typically costs under three euros at a neighbourhood café. The same order can cost double or more on the cobblestones of the walled city.
The waterfront strip along Elli Beach has the expected range of beach bars and fast-casual spots: good for a cold drink and a snack, less good for a serious meal. The central market area is worth visiting in the morning for its fresh produce section even if you are not self-catering: the stalls give a clear picture of what is genuinely in season, and the surrounding cafés do solid breakfasts at honest prices.
⚠️ What to skip
The row of restaurants immediately facing Mandraki Harbour is heavily tourist-oriented, with pricing to match. Walk one or two streets back from the water and you will find the same quality of cooking at noticeably lower prices with a more local clientele.
Rhodes International Airport Diagoras (RHO) is approximately 14 kilometres southwest of New Town. A taxi takes around 20 minutes in normal traffic and costs in the region of 25-30 euros (verify current rates as these change seasonally). The public bus connection is significantly cheaper at around 2.50-3 euros and takes 25-30 minutes, depositing you at the main bus terminal near Mandraki Harbour. For full details on arriving and navigating the island, the Rhodes airport guide covers all transfer options.
Within Rhodes City, New Town is extremely walkable. Elli Beach at the northern tip, Mandraki Harbour on the east side, and the entrance to the Old Town via the Gate of Freedom are all within comfortable walking distance of each other, roughly 10-15 minutes between any two points. The walk from New Town into the heart of the walled Old Town takes around 20 minutes at an easy pace. Local buses connect the main New Town streets to the port and to outlying areas. Bus number 5 is the most useful for reaching the Monte Smith Acropolis. For exploring further afield, hiring a car is practical since New Town has far easier parking than the Old Town.
Taxis are available throughout New Town and can be hailed on the street or found at ranks near Mandraki and the main square. For day trips to destinations like Lindos or the interior of the island, the main island bus service (KTEL Rodou) departs from the Eastern Bus Terminal near the port area, just a short walk from New Town.
ℹ️ Good to know
Rhodes has no metro or tram system. The island relies entirely on buses, taxis, and private vehicles. If you plan to explore beyond Rhodes City, check current bus schedules at the terminal or online before planning your day, as frequency varies significantly by route and season.
New Town is one of the most practical bases on the island for most travellers. Hotels here range from budget guesthouses and mid-range three-star properties to upmarket seafront hotels along the Elli Beach strip. The area immediately around Elli Beach and the northern waterfront has the highest concentration of accommodation and the most direct sea views, but also carries more noise from beach bars and late-evening foot traffic in summer. For a fuller breakdown of where to stay across the island, the Rhodes accommodation guide compares all the main options.
For couples or travellers who want a quiet night's sleep alongside easy access to both the Old Town and the beach, the streets two or three blocks back from the waterfront (roughly in the direction of Monte Smith) are the sweet spot. You get genuine neighbourhood character, walking distance to all the major sights, and the Elli Beach waterfront in one direction and the Old Town gates in the other. These streets also tend to offer better value than the premium seafront addresses.
Families with children tend to find New Town particularly convenient: the beach is flat and accessible, the streets are wider and easier with prams or young children than the cobblestones of the medieval quarter, and there are several child-friendly attractions within walking distance. The Rhodes with kids guide has more on making the most of the island with younger travellers.
New Town will never be the headline reason anyone visits Rhodes. The medieval walled city, the clifftop drama of Lindos, the beaches further down the coast: those are the obvious draws. But New Town is not competing with them. It is the practical, liveable part of Rhodes City that makes a stay in the urban north of the island genuinely comfortable rather than merely atmospheric.
The honest drawback is the tourist strip along Mandraki and Elli Beach in peak summer. From roughly mid-July through August, the northern waterfront is congested, prices at waterfront venues are inflated, and the beach itself is packed by mid-morning. If you are visiting in this window, set your expectations accordingly for those specific areas. The rest of New Town, and the island more broadly, is significantly more manageable.
For travellers visiting in May, June, September, or October, New Town is genuinely excellent: the weather is warm without being punishing, the accommodation prices drop considerably, and the neighbourhood returns to something closer to its year-round character. The best time to visit Rhodes guide breaks down all the seasonal trade-offs in detail.
Perched on Monte Smith hill 3 km southwest of the city center, the Acropolis of Rhodes is an open-air archaeological site dating to the 5th century BC. It holds the partially reconstructed Temple of Apollo, a 210-meter Hellenistic stadium, an odeon, and broad views over the Aegean. Entry is free, crowds are light, and the site rewards visitors with a genuinely atmospheric sense of ancient Rhodes that the medieval Old Town cannot offer.
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The Ancient Stadium of Rhodes sits on Monte Smith Hill, part of the larger Acropolis of Rhodes complex. Dating to the 3rd century BC, this restored Hellenistic track once hosted the Haleion Games in honor of Helios. Entry is free, the views are exceptional, and the site is far less crowded than the medieval attractions in the city below.
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One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Colossus of Rhodes was a 33-metre bronze statue of the sun god Helios, built to celebrate a famous military victory. No physical trace survives today, but understanding its story transforms how you see the harbour, the city, and Rhodes itself.
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Elli Beach stretches 400 metres along the northern tip of Rhodes Town, sitting between Mandraki Harbour and the Rhodes Aquarium. With free entry, water sports, beach bars, and clear Aegean water, it serves as the island's urban beach hub. It is not a desert island escape, but for convenience and character, few beaches in the city come close.
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Standing at the tip of Mandraki Harbour's breakwater, the Fort of St Nicholas is a 15th-century Knights Hospitaller fortress that has guarded the northern approach to Rhodes for over 550 years. Free to visit from the exterior; currently under restoration with limited access, it offers some of the most photogenic views on the island, framing the medieval Old Town against the open Aegean.
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The Governor's Palace, known in Italian as the Palazzo del Governatore, is one of the most architecturally impressive remnants of the Italian occupation of Rhodes. Standing in the New Town near the seafront, this two-storey building blends Venetian, Gothic, and local Aegean masonry traditions into a quietly commanding facade that most visitors walk past without realising its significance.
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Mandraki Harbour is the historic heart of Rhodes' waterfront, where bronze deer statues stand guard at the entrance once said to have been straddled by one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Free to explore, open around the clock, and lined with Italian-era architecture and departing excursion boats, it offers more depth than a first glance suggests.
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The Museum of Modern Greek Art of the Municipality of Rhodes is one of the most significant collections of post-independence Greek painting and printmaking in the country. Spread across three buildings in the Old Town and New Town, it rewards visitors who want more than sun and ruins.
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The Mosque of Murad Reis is one of the most atmospheric and historically layered sites in Rhodes New Town. Free to visit, largely overlooked by tour groups, and home to over 200 graves spread beneath mature trees, it rewards travelers who slow down long enough to actually look.
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Occupying a striking Art Deco building at the northernmost point of Rhodes Town, the Rhodes Aquarium is one of Greece's oldest marine research stations. Its basement cave-like tanks display Aegean and Mediterranean species in an atmosphere that feels more like a natural history museum than a modern aquarium. A compact but rewarding stop, especially on a hot afternoon.
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Casino Rodos operates inside the Grande Albergo delle Rose, a landmark Italian-era palace near Elli Beach. With 278 slot machines, 47 table games, and a 24-hour door policy, it offers a genuinely atmospheric evening out. But the building itself is as interesting as anything happening inside.
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Rodini Park is a shaded, stream-fed green space just 3 km south of Rhodes Town, free to enter and open year-round. Claimed as one of the world's earliest landscaped parks, it has roots stretching back to ancient Greece and was once home to a celebrated rhetoric school. It is a genuine change of pace from the island's beaches and medieval monuments.
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Perched on the Acropolis of Rhodes atop Monte Smith hill, the Pythian Temple of Apollo is a partially reconstructed Doric shrine dating to the 3rd–2nd century BC. Free to enter with no set hours, it offers one of the most atmospheric ancient sites on the island, with panoramic views across the Aegean.
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