Cheap Car Hire Rhodes

As Beautiful as a Rose

Rhodes is the main island of paradise that belongs to the Dodecanese group of islands.  According to mythology the island was named after the beautiful sea nymph Rhode.  In ancient Greek, Rhodes means rose which is reflected in the islands beauty. During the Neolithic period, the island was already populated.  Rhodes first established itself as a civilisation in 3000 BC.  During the times of Hellenism (336-30 BC) Rhodes town was an important trading port.  The rise of the Romans was at the same time the turning point for Rhodes town.  The Romans fell in love with the city on the Tiber and made the island part of their Empire. 

After the downfall of the Romans, numerous rulers followed, Byzantine, crusades of the Knights of St. John, Ottoman and Italians and each one left a piece of cultural treasure behind them.  The pretty old town of Rhodes town was built by the Knights of St. John and belongs to one of the World Cultural Heritage sites of UNESCO. 

A Range of Different Activities

Those of you that love the sun will adore this island.  Rhodes is one of the most sun rich regions in Europe with its 3000 hours of sunshine a year.  Visitors can enjoy a perfect holiday on the wonderful beaches.  Every thinkable water-sport activity is offered there so for those active holiday makers you will not have to lie lazily on the beach for one second!  Hikers and those of you that enjoy riding a mountain bike will find challenges on the island.  Pretty trails over the hills and through the woods, next to old ruins and plenty of choice for those of you that are sports enthusiasts. 

Historical Sites

It’s also great to explore in your hired car. Once you have lazed about enough or you have taken part in enough sport, we recommend that you jump into your rented car and set off on a drive around the island- you will definitely want to see some of the wonderful sights here.  The first stop on this island should be the “old town” – it is definitely a “must see”.  Surrounded by a metre long city wall from the 14^th century, visitors can quite easily stroll through the narrow streets with their typical fountains, squares and oriental elements.  Worthwhile seeing is the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of St. John in which you can see the marvellously decorated rooms and admire the old statues to be found there. 

For those of you that would like to find out more about the previous history of the island can visit each of the rooms in the palace where you will find exhibitions based around the topic.  Just next to here you will find Suleiman’s Mosque from the 19th century- a further symbol of the town.  It becomes gallant once again in Knight Street, west of the Mosque where the different Knights left behind their weapons.  The whole street is built in Gothic style and serves as a collection area for the international Knighthood.

Relax, Then Get a Bite to Eat

If you are feeling a little tired after your tour in your cheap car hire, pep yourself up in the Hammam- an original Turkish bath from the 18^th century.  Afterwards you will be distinctly hungry but don’t worry as Rhodes has plenty of fantastic fish restaurants in which you can enjoy tasty fish and seafood in a clean as well as rustic atmosphere.  You will find good restaurants on the harbour where you can look out to where one of the 7 wonders of the world stood.  The Colossus of Rhodes was destroyed by an earthquake in 227BC.

Picturesque Lanscape

For those of you that want to get a bit of fresh air after a trip in town, we recommend you visit Petaloudes Valley which is located just a few kilometres west of Rhodes which can be easily reached in your hired car- there you will find the pretty valley that is full of colourful butterflies.  This is also one of the reasons that Rhodes has the nickname “home of the butterflies.”