Dodecanese

A group of islands in the southeastern Aegean right next to the Turkish coast: the Knights' old town on Rhodes, the holy sites of Patmos and the colourful harbour of Symi each have their own character.

This region is the Dodecanese part of the South Aegean region, corresponding to the pre-2011 Dodecanese prefecture. It includes the municipalities of Rhodes, Kos, Kalymnos, Leros, Patmos, Lipsi, Agathonisi, Astypalaia, Symi, Tilos, Nisyros, Halki, Karpathos, Kasos and Kastellorizo, the easternmost. The Cyclades to the west form another region in the same scheme.

The islands were under Italian rule from 1912 to 1947, and before that were territories of the Knights of St John and the Ottomans, giving them layered architecture. Rhodes is the capital and largest island, and Rhodes Old Town is a well-preserved medieval fortified city (a World Heritage Site), with the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights and the Street of the Knights; on the east coast, the white town and hilltop acropolis of Lindos and the kitesurfing beach at Prasonisi are both worth a visit. The Monastery of Saint John and the Cave of the Apocalypse on Patmos are also World Heritage; the neoclassical colourful houses of Symi harbour are instantly recognisable; Kos has the ruins of the Asklepieion; on Nisyros you can walk into a volcanic crater; Kalymnos is a rock-climbing destination; and the village of Olympos on Karpathos preserves traditional dress and dialect.

Allow 7–10 days starting from Rhodes, heading north via Symi and Kos to Patmos. Rhodes, Kos, Karpathos and other islands have airports, there are ferries and high-speed boats between islands, and Piraeus also has long-distance services; from Rhodes and Kos you can also take boats to and from Marmaris and Bodrum in Turkey (subject to the entry and exit rules of both countries).

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