Difference between revisions of "Lindos"
Revision as of 13:14, 17 July 2012Lindos is a medieval village on the Greek island of Rhodes. It has only seven hundred inhabitants, greatly outnumbered by tourists in the high season. Being one of the main attractions on the island it is often overcrowded in the mornings when the tourist coaches arrive. These usually depart by 12noon, whisking their patrons off for lunch and the next destination. UnderstandLindos provides a mix of history and beaches. The village has many historic houses (known as "Captains" houses) often dating from 16th, 17th or 18th century. The village itself is situated on a network of cobbled streets - all of which are entirely pedestrianised. The only modes of transport possible are donkeys and mopeds. The houses are small, whitewashed and sit beautifully on the hillside making it one of the most beautiful places on the island. The charm of this village is maintained by a preservation order which forbids any unauthorised building work to change it. Legend has it that the village was set up by one of the divine sons of Zeus. It was in fact established by Dorians around 1000BC. Get inBus service from Rhodes city is 56 km (35 mi) away). A ticket costs €5.00, 1-way. Lindos can also be reached by boat from the Mandraki harbour in Rhodes. Good tour operators for Lindos include Direct Greece and Olympic Holidays and - all of which have a wide range of apartments and villas for all different family groupings. (Be warned that tour operators Kosmar & Libra have gone into liquidation.) You can park outside the city. There are blue "non-free spaces" intermixed with free spaces beyond the large "supermarket" parking. To get to the city, once you are at the "supermarket" parking, go down and after a while you'll have to choices at the last parking plaza: enter the city through a small side street, or go down to the beach, walk to the other end and climb up to the city. Get aroundLindos is a small town, so walking around on foot is a decent option. However, as Lindos is built on the side of a steep hill, the roads can be quite difficult, and climbing up to the acropolis is definitely an effort. There are two alternatives. A bus will bring you down from the main arrival bus stop outside the center of the city to a square closer to the sea - it's not far, but quite a change in elevation. If you wish to go on top of the acropolis, you can rent a ride on a donkey for about € 6. SeeThe main attraction of Lindos is the town itself, winding paths between small traditional whitewashed buildings. Be brave and leave the main streets and explore the backstreets! Free maps can be picked up from the tourist information centre. These are obviously incredibly useful, but for some reason the map is without street names, and so it's still very easy to get lost. Dotted around Lindos you will stumble across many Captain's Houses. These date from the 1400s and are particularly attractive. Double points if you can enter them as well as find them! Visit the ruins of the Acropolis and the (still unfinished as of mid-2009) reconstructed temple of Lindian Athena. Entrance fee to the Acropolis itself is €6, but you do have a nice view from there. It's open till 6:40PM from March to December. There is also the remains of an Ancient Amphitheatre carved into the slope of the Acropolis. If you wish to avoid the tiring climb you can hire a donkey at the entrance of the town. Walking up the road that leads high up to the acropolis, the first ruins you will encounter are the medieval walls. In the early 14th century the Crusaders built fortifications upon the remains of earlier defenses, from both the Byzantine era and more ancient times. There are a few towers along the medieval walls which follow the natural contours of the high ground.
You can also see St Paul's Bay where the saint supposedly crashed on the island and brought Christianity with him. DoLindos has some of the few sandy beaches on Rhodes, but these beaches are easily crowded. Unfortunately, sometimes there is rubbish and litter such as cigarette butts to be seen. The bay has a lot of boats many of them serving the tourism industry and including a glass bottom boat.
EatLindos has many restaurants, all catering to tourists, and featuring food from every nationality you can think of. All staff are English speaking and menus are written in English. Most bars serve breakfast up until mid-afternoon so there is plenty of variety and choice. In terms of convenience food, there are several snack bars and several 'crepe houses' serving both sweet and savory crepes - made fresh before your eyes - at very reasonable prices. Supermarkets stock an excellent array of foods and lots of imported English food. Visitors from the UK never need to be stranded without favorite items should they require them.
DrinkLindos has a wealth of different bars catering to all tastes. Many have rooftop gardens where you can watch the sun go down (or come up!) as you drink.Lindos By Night Bar especially has several roof gardens where you can watch the night go by. All bars are welcoming to children and there are many who have restaurants also. There are two nightclubs within the village itself and an open air club which can be accessed by a short taxi ride and which stays open until the very early hours of the morning.
SleepThere are a large number of studios, apartments and villas - most with spectacular views - and all very close to the centre of town. You are best to get self-catering accommodation within the village itself for the best experience of Lindos as some of the Lindos hotels are located outside of the village meaning that you will need transportation to get you to the beach, restaurants and nightlife.
ContactThere is an Internet cafe in Lindos called Lindianet [7]. Get outFrequent buses run from Rhodes city all up and down the east coast of the island, including to and from Lindos, though they can be slow because of frequent stops. For drivers, the road between Lindos and Rhodes city is a modern highway.
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