St Paul's Bay

A small, sheltered harbour south of the Acropolis, enclosed almost entirely by rock with a narrow entrance through which boats pass. The water is unusually clear even by Aegean standards — turquoise over white sand — and the setting, with the Acropolis cliffs behind and the chapel of St Paul on the headland, is one of the most photographed in Rhodes.

The bay has a small sandy beach, sunbeds for hire, and a beach bar. It tends to be less crowded than the main Lindos beach to the north because the approach is less straightforward — a path leads down from the village, about 10 minutes on foot. The chapel (usually locked, visible from outside) is worth the extra few minutes to see from close range.

things to do sight swimming
A story
The bay is named for the apostle Paul, who is said to have sheltered here during a storm on his way to preach on Rhodes, probably around 51 AD. Whether the story is historically accurate is uncertain — Paul's missionary journeys through the Aegean are documented in Acts, and Rhodes is in the right geography — but the chapel of St Paul on the bay's headland has been here since the Byzantine era, and local tradition treats the landing as fact.