Mystical and Magical Awakenings on This Incredible Island!
By Jeffrey Guard
Viking Star Berths into Port of Rhodes
We reached the third port of call, Rhodes, Greece on the Viking Star: Ancient Mediterranean Treasures Cruise!
We arrived around seven in the morning and being in the aft of the ship on Deck 5, it’s always an exciting treat, especially as a first timer on the Viking Star to watch the ship pull up and align itself parallel to the port.
My first impression of Rhodes was excitement.
It was visually a stunning city; the walled fort and city are visible along the coastline and even from our far away vantage point one can quickly see that it’s a very beautiful place.
Early Morning on The Viking Star
Our debarkation would begin at 8:00 AM and so we ordered our Room Service the night before and had it delivered at 5:00 AM. We wanted to take our time eating and watching the lectures on Rhodes. Even with our early start we felt rushed.
One thing I did appreciate was the lecture about the Colossus of Rhodes!
It’s one of the ancient moderns of the world but only lasted for approximately 56 years after an earthquake caused its collapse. This was only the beginning of history that would capture my imagination and take a full hold of me.
Rhodes is a tiny island loaded with millennia of history! While the Helios statue was interesting, what fascinated me the most was The Order of St John: The Knights Hospitaller who essentially took control of the island in 1309 and turned into the medieval fortress that has made it an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Morning Shore Excursion: Download The PDFs
We disembarked around 8:00 AM to join our 8:15 AM Free Excursion, GRRHO01: Rhodes Town Walk & Palace of the Grand Masters.
The tour guide led us past the entrance gate and from within, surrounded by the stone.
I just really wanted to soak up this town. I was experiencing something magnetic about this place that went beyond the beautiful architecture or the impressive history. I felt a powerful connection to Rhodes, as if I had lived here before. There was an immediate understanding at an intense level of where I was.
There was no tour bus for our excursion because the walled city of Rhodes is a medieval city where all the buildings are densely packed together, making it eminently walkable. Not only that, but walking from the port to one of the entrance gates of the walled fortress offered stunning views of the perimeter against the shoreline. It was impossible to not take a beautiful picture.
The tour guide led us past the entrance gate and from within, surrounded by the stone and streets paved with smooth beach stones. For a city that was built up between the 1300-1500’s it stunned me how well so much of it held up.
There are of course ruins or fragments of buildings, like a hollowed out church where we enjoyed a lecture from our guide—but overall, it’s very difficult to not be impressed. Rhodes is considered to be a masterpiece, one of the best preserved Medieval cities in all of Europe. It was given UNESCO World Heritage Status in 1988.
The tour guide led us to the city center, which featured a beautiful fountain. Here at Hippocrates Square, there’s a famous landmark fountain with an owl perched a top. Owls are one of my favorite animals in the world. The longer I stood in the fountain, I found myself having an out-of-body experience.
I stopped listening to the guide and just started feeling. Waves of intense emotions washed over me. This was the first time I had ever visited Rhodes, but something deep in my soul was telling me I know this place, I know it very well.
The Street of the Knights
Walking along the Street of the Knights in Rhodes feels like stepping into a time machine—one where clanking armor, whispered secrets, and the solemn duties of medieval brotherhood still echo between stone walls.
This narrow, cobbled street is one of the best-preserved medieval thoroughfares in all of Europe, stretching from the Hospital of the Knights to the Palace of the Grand Master like a spine of history running through the old city.
Constructed in the early 14th century by the Knights Hospitaller, the street was lined with the Inns of the Tongues—lodging houses for knights from the different cultural “tongues” or nations within the Order.
Each Inn’s façade is adorned with Gothic stonework, arches, and heraldic emblems representing its region, from Aragon and Provence to Italy and England. These buildings weren’t just places to sleep—they were cultural embassies, war councils, and brotherhood sanctuaries.
Despite the centuries and sieges, the Street of the Knights remains remarkably intact, unbothered by time and tourism, casting long shadows and longer stories beneath its solemn stone.
The Palace of the Grand Masters
Dominating the northern tip of the medieval city like a crowned sentinel is the Palace of the Grand Masters—a fortress-palace that was both the administrative center and official residence of the Grand Masters of the Knights Hospitaller. Originally built in the late 7th century as a Byzantine citadel, the Knights transformed it into a grand Gothic palace during their rule, beginning in 1309.
Designed for both defense and grandeur, the palace boasts massive towers, inner courtyards, and majestic halls lined with mosaics and medieval artifacts. It symbolized not just the military might of the Knights, but also their political power and their aspirations to be a holy bulwark against Ottoman expansion.
After being damaged by an explosion in 1856, it was partially reconstructed by the Italians in the 20th century, with a fair dose of fascist-era flair—so what you see today is a blend of authentic Gothic and romanticized restoration. Still, the essence remains: this is where power lived, where strategies were formed, and where the heartbeat of knightly Rhodes once thundered.
I was in absolute of awe of what the Knights Hospitaller did at Rhodes, I was enthralled by their mission of helping the sick. It made me want to know more about this order of knights. They were so much more than just medical providers, they were visionaries who manifested their reality in Rhodes for all to see, and The Palace of The Grand Masters was the crown jewel in a box full of diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires.
Magical Wandering on The Streets of Rhodes
From there the tour ended and we were free to roam for the rest of the afternoon.
I felt this inexplicable and irrational love for Rhodes. People across the world have different ways to describe what I was feeling: Déjà Visité: mystical feeling of having been to a place before, even though you know for a fact you haven’t in this lifetime; Anemoia: nostalgia for a time you’ve never known; Topophilia: a deep emotional bond between a person and a place; Geomantic Resonance: energetic harmony between your body or spirit and the land; Heimat : “homeland,” but not necessarily where you’re from—more where your soul feels at home. It’s spiritual belonging, not just geographical; Saudade (Portuguese); This bittersweet longing for something lost or far away, especially when you leave and ache for a place you barely just met.
I was feeling all of these fragments, and they intensified the longer we wandered through the emptied moat ways, the narrow alleyways, admiring the arched stone buildings and gates. It was just the majestic sites either; it was the mundane as well, simple streets with cats running through, bougainvillea blooming against a house. All of it felt completely normal and known to me, despite never being to this place or until the Viking Star knowing anything about it.
Rhodes has captured my heart, my soul, and mind and it’s a place I can see myself wanting to spend a whole summer, wandering the ancient city, day tripping across the island, soaking up the sun and beaches, making art and writing. I also want to do a much deeper dive on The Order of Saint John and The Knights of The Hospitaller.
This so interests me that I want to follow their path from Jerusalem, to Cyprus, to Rhodes, and the ultimate rebranding of Malta into a powerhouse Island nation until Napoleon drove them out and stole their fortune.
We were traveling in late December, and you could not ask for better more pleasant weather, but you will notice many shops and restaurants shuddered for the season. Some are open, but to be honest, shopping isn’t our thing especially while on cruises during off-season, as I feel we get shown the overpriced crap they’re trying to get rid of, while they reserve the better stuff for the high tourist season.
The Cats
Of all the Mediterranean cat societies we found Rhodes to be the friendliest. They’re less transactional than Athenian cats, and more affectionate than their Heraklion counterparts. I even saw a snow white one who instantly reminded me of my beloved Malibu.
Return To The Viking Star
Back on the ship, we did our standard Tea at The Wintergarden but skipped the gym and took in the sunset. It was truly a magical ending to a storybook experience. It made me realize this the magic of cruising. All you need is that one hit of pure magic, and the whole cruise becomes good.
We also had dinner at The Chef’s Table with the Reservation that we made. It’s a set menu of food and the theme that night was “Asian Panorama: A five-course menu inspired by the ingredients and unusual tastes of this vast continent.”
If I’m being completely candid, the food was OK. It was not underwhelming but it didn’t blow me away either. I would have preferred to just stick with The Restaurant rather than have a set menu. I’m not a foodie, so all the effort to pair alcohol with dishes and to highlight flavor profiles is truly lost on me.
This is something that I realized about me and traveling. I also prefer having options because I don’t know how hungry I might be or what I’m in the mood to enjoy.
On that day, an Asian tasting menu was not high on my list. I have ZERO shame in sharing that I’m very content with basic fair of steak, chicken, burgers, fries, some sauteed vegetables.
We ate the Asian cuisine and it was fine, especially the French crème brûlée that came at the end.
Crème brûlée makes everything better.
During dinner, I could feel the ship moving away. I felt this inexplicable sadness to leave Rhodes, which felt completely illogical.
I’d only been on the island for several hours, but this intense connection I had with it made leaving very difficult for me. I wanted to know more,e and so I downloaded two books on The Knights Hospitaller that would plunge me into a historical love affair I didn’t know I needed!
Practical Recommendations for Rhodes
✅ 🛃 Passports: The Viking Star will give you back your Passport with the EU Exit Stamp for Rhodes, as you will be leaving the EU and entering Turkey
✅🚶🏼♂️Rhodes is completely walkable; however, some areas may be far apart, and many areas are paved with smooth beach stones, which may be an issue for those using canes or mechanical/motorized chairs (the space between the stones can catch the wheel in some places.)
✅🚻🚽Public restrooms are few and far between, you will also need exact coinage to open the door. Make sure to always carry at least 5, €1 coins with you for this purpose. Also do not expect them to be tidy, especially during high tourist season. For this reason, consider bringing with you your own plastic baggy of paper towels, toilet paper and alcohol wipes.
✅ ⚕️💊Pharmacies: There is a pharmacy directly across the street from port, but there are also several within the walled city. I recommend going into the city for better prices.
✅💶 Pricing: Rhodes is both an island and a tourist destination, so just like Hawaii, expect everything to be expensive, even at pharmacies. Take advantage of the cruise ship for your basic sundries and dining needs. The ship also passes out free bottles of water, take two and place them in your backpack. The ship port is very close to walled city where you can easily walk back to enjoy lunch on the ship.
✅🚕 Taxis: while the walled city of Rhodes is walkable, the distance between two points of interest can be far off and there are time constraints. There are signs that show you the price Taxis are allowed to charge for those destinations. This also goes for sites outside of the walled city.
⚠️🚨Caution: There is only so much time on the single day excursion that you have (Our Debarkation Start Time: 8:00 AM and Back on Board Time was 5:00 PM) If you are traveling beyond the walled city, be absolutely certain you clock how much time it takes you to get to your destination, and be 1,000% certain you’ll be able to get a taxi back in time. Sometimes ordering a taxi may not be readily available or can take time. You might have to wait a longer time than you expected.