Mandraki Marina & Port

Mandraki has been the main harbour of Rhodes Town for well over two thousand years, and it still works as one today. It lies at the northern tip of Rhodes, the largest island of the Dodecanese, and its quays run right up against the walls of the medieval Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Few working marinas in the Mediterranean put a visiting crew this close to a monument on that scale.

The marina has 170 berths and takes vessels of up to roughly 40 metres. It is ringed by ancient and medieval structures: the bronze deer at the harbour entrance, three surviving windmills, the Fortress of Saint Nicholas, and the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes a short walk inland. Rhodes International Airport lies about 15 kilometres to the southwest, which makes Mandraki a practical place to change crew or begin a cruise.

Atmosphere and Adjoining Historic Sites of Mandraki

The marina looks out over the Aegean, with the fortifications of the Knights of St John rising behind the quay. Mandraki is also the harbour most closely associated with the Colossus of Rhodes, the bronze statue raised in the third century BC and toppled by an earthquake around 226 BC. The familiar image of it straddling the harbour mouth is a later invention; most scholars now place the statue on a single pedestal to one side of the entrance, possibly where the Fortress of Saint Nicholas stands, or on higher ground overlooking the port.

Where the Colossus is traditionally said to have stood, arriving boats are now met by two bronze deer on columns, Elafos and Elafina, one on each side of the harbour mouth. Near the northern entrance is the Fortress of Saint Nicholas, built under Grand Master Piero Raimondo Zacosta between about 1464 and 1467, which today carries a lighthouse.

Three windmills stand along the eastern mole. They are the survivors of a row of roughly thirteen medieval mills that once ground grain unloaded from cargo ships. The mole is used not only by marina guests but by the crowds walking out from the Old Town, and the medieval fortification walls stand only metres beyond the moored boats.

Wind, Water, and Anchorage Conditions of the Marina

Mandraki works well as a place to dock and refuel while visiting the sites of Rhodes. Facilities and services include water, fuel, electricity, showers, ATMs and wifi, along with a customs and immigration office. Supermarkets for provisioning and a wide choice of restaurants, tavernas and cafes are a short walk from the pier. Mandraki is the busiest harbour on the island, so it is worth calling ahead to reserve a berth, particularly during the peak months of June through August.

The water inside the harbour is sheltered and calm. From May to October the prevailing wind blows from the west or northwest. The National Observatory of Athens issues a daily sailing forecast, which is the easiest way to anticipate conditions on the approach. Skippers should watch for rocks and shallow water on the north side of the harbour entrance.

Mandraki Harbor Activities

The water in Mandraki is clear, but the harbour is far too busy for swimming, snorkelling or watersports. The usual pattern is to leave the boat and walk into the historic centre. For a swim, Elli Beach is a few minutes away on foot, a pebbly stretch organised by local businesses that rent sunbeds and equipment and sell refreshments.

Beyond the marina, Rhodes Town has a great deal to see. The Medieval City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is within walking distance and takes in cobbled streets, Gothic and Ottoman architecture, and the Palace of the Grand Master. The Acropolis of Rhodes stands on the hill of Monte Smith just beyond the Old Town, with the remains of temples to Apollo Pythios and to Athena Polias and views over the town and the sea.

Further afield, the village of Lindos lies about 50 kilometres down the east coast, with whitewashed houses, narrow lanes and an acropolis on the rock above the bay. At the southern tip of the island, the sandspit of Prasonisi draws windsurfers and kitesurfers, who work the open Aegean on one side and the flatter water on the other. Between the ancient harbour walls, the Old Town gates and the anchorages further down the coast, Mandraki is a popular stop for gulet charter guests exploring Rhodes.