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Ancient Kamiros: an ordinary Greek town, excavated

Kamiros sits on a hillside above the west coast of Rhodes, and it is one of the three ancient cities that combined to found the city of Rhodes itself.

An at a glance card for Ancient Kamiros. What it is: An excavated ancient town. What survives: Streets, houses, cisterns. Rare here: A public water system. Crowds: Few, even in season. Allow: About an hour. One row is marked out as the thing that decides the visit. The conclusion reads: A town plan you can walk, not a temple to imagine. No prices appear.
A town plan you can walk, not a temple to imagine.

Diagram by Greece Trips. Free to reuse with credit - CC BY 4.0.

That makes it one of the more legible ancient sites in Greece. You are not imagining a building from three column stumps; you are walking a street plan.

What you see

The site climbs the slope in terraces:

  • The lower agora and its public buildings.
  • A main street running up the hill with house plots either side.
  • Cisterns and a water distribution system, the practical infrastructure that rarely survives.
  • The upper terrace with the remains of a large stoa and the temple area, and the view back down over the whole town to the sea.

Why it is quiet

Kamiros is on the west coast, away from the resort strip and about an hour from Rhodes Town, and it has no single famous object to put on a poster. The result is that the coaches mostly go elsewhere, and on a weekday morning you may share it with a handful of people.

If you have already done Lindos and the Palace of the Grand Master, this is the site that adds something different rather than more of the same.

Practical notes

  • Little shade on an open hillside. Morning is the hour.
  • It is a climb, gentle but continuous, on uneven ground.
  • Combine it with Monolithos castle further south for a full west-coast day, or with the Valley of the Butterflies on the way back.
  • Check hours before travelling; opening changes by season.

Last checked August 2026. Hours and tickets change - see our editorial policy.

Common questions

What is Ancient Kamiros?

An excavated ancient town on the west coast of Rhodes, one of the three cities that founded the city of Rhodes, with streets, houses, cisterns and public buildings.

How long do you need at Kamiros?

About an hour to walk the site properly, plus the drive from Rhodes Town.

Is Kamiros worth visiting?

Yes if you want to see how an ancient town actually worked rather than another temple. It is also quiet compared with the island’s famous sites.

How far is Kamiros from Rhodes Town?

Roughly an hour by car down the west coast.

Is there shade at Kamiros?

Very little. It is an open hillside, so go early and take water and a hat.

Next

Read things to do in Rhodes, Monolithos castle, or Lindos Acropolis.