These are the best places to travel this summer

Dodecanese

Greece Travel Guide

Shop

Get even more with a Lonely Planet guide.

Shop Book
Island village of Kastellorizo, two miles from Turkish coast on Southern Agean.

Mark Read

LONELY PLANET’S RECOMMENDED eSIM

Stay connected in Dodecanese

with

Saily is an affordable eSIM service that helps you stay connected and secure, anywhere in the world.

Get your eSIM

Overview

Ever pined for the old Greece, where timeless islands beckon modern-day adventurers just as they did Odysseus and Alexander? Enter the far-flung Dodecanese archipelago, curving through the southeastern Aegean parallel to the ever-visible shoreline of Turkey. The footprints of everyone from Greeks and Romans to crusading medieval knights, and Byzantine and Ottoman potentates to 20th-century Italian bureaucrats, are found here. Beyond better-known Rhodes and Kos, enigmatic islands beg to be explored.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Ruins of the ancient temple on the Acropolis of Lindos. 1513583801 acropolis, acropolis of lindos, ancient, antique, archeology, architecture, classical, clouds, colonnade, column, columns, destination, dodecanese, dorian, doric, europe, excursion, fortress, greece, greek, heritage, historic, history, island, landscape, lindos, monument, old, old lindos, old rhodes, old town, rhodes, ruins, temple, temple of athena, tourism, travel

    Acropolis of Lindos

    Lindos

    A short, steep-stepped footpath climbs the rocky 116m-high headland above the village to reach Lindos’ beautifully preserved Acropolis. First fortified in…

  • Courtyard at the Archaeological Museum of Rhodes.

    Archaeological Museum

    Rhodes Town

    A weathered, sun-kissed stone lion, visible from the street, invites visitors into the magnificent 15th-century Knights' Hospital that holds Rhodes’…

  • Aerial of the Stefanos volcano crater on Nisyros Island, with the Aegean sea in the background. 1513319564 aegean, aerial, cliff, crater, dodecanese, drone, greece, island, landscape, mountain, nature, nisyros, photo, rock, rocky, sea, stefanos, volcano

    Caldera

    Dodecanese

    A visit to the caldera is like stepping into a science fiction movie, cows grazing amid strange coloured rocks in what resembles a lunar landscape.

  • The ancient town of Kamiros.

    Ancient Kamiros

    Rhodes

    Cradled in a natural hillside amphitheatre 1km up from the sea, the remarkably complete ruins of ancient Kamiros stand 34km southwest of Rhodes Town…

  • Tourist boat anchoring at beautiful Apella beach on Karpathos island, Greece; Shutterstock ID 1194560110; your: Erin Lenczycki; gl: 65050; netsuite: Digital; full: POI 1194560110

    Apella Beach

    Karpathos

    However determined you may be to reach Olymbos, allow time to take the precipitous spur road that drops seawards from the east-coast highway 17km north of…

  • Asklepieion

    Asklepieion

    Kos

    The island’s most important ancient site stands on a pine-covered hill 3km southwest of Kos Town, commanding lovely views across towards Turkey. A…

  • Monastery of St John the Theologian

    Monastery of St John the Theologian

    Dodecanese

    As this immense 11th-century monastery-cum-fortress remains active, only a small portion is open to visitors. The entrance courtyard leads to a…

  • Monastery of the Apocalypse

    Monastery of the Apocalypse

    Dodecanese

    Nestled amid the pines halfway to Hora, the Monastery of the Apocalypse focuses on the cave where St John lived as a hermit and received his revelation…

View more attractions

Plan with a local

Experience the real Greece

Let a local expert craft your dream trip.
Get started

Get a book. Get inspired. Get exploring.

Explore all books

in partnership with getyourguide

Book popular activities in Dodecanese

Go Beyond

Dodecanese and beyond

Beyond Dodecanese