The acropolis at Lindos was first settled in the Bronze Age, and the main temple dedicated to Athena is dated to th 9th century BC but likely after a previous cult had occupied the space and dedicated it to a female fertility goddess Lindia. The acropolis hillside had additional fortifications during Byzantin, medieval, and Ottoman rule with the Knights of St. John stationed here. After some conflict, the Italians restored some of the structures. I had a day trip to Lindos and explored the acropolis during my visit to the town.
To get to the acropolis, visitors can walk through the old narrow alleyways and cobblestone streets of Lindos. The streets in Lindos are very touristy, and it gets busy. I suggest to walk up to the acropolis in the morning before the mid-day heat, and I suggest to take water. As soon as I arrived in Lindos, I found my way to the top. I was not exactly sure how to reach it, but the roads all led to the top. I admired the views over the beach and village.
The views are spectacular on the walk up the path.
There are also cats up on the here; the cats are everywhere and I saw a few on the way up the hill.
At the base is the castle.
There is a carving into the rockface of a stern of a warship. This dates to the 2nd century BC. It shows Mikion, a local hero from Lindos who won a naval victory. The sculptures of Rhodes often depict ships due to the maritime history and significance.
After climbing up through the castle / fortress, I passed a covered area with a lot of carved stones before coming into an interior courtyard with an olive tree.
There was another room which led into the acropolis at the lower part.
I went outside to explore this.
The main column temples are the most recognisable for the structure of Lindos acropolis. They are doric design of the columns, and it was built in the 3rd century BC with staircases up to the top of the rock.
Climbing up provided more beautiful views.
I explored the site and walked around the ruins.
At the very top is the temple of Athena Lindos with the panaromic views all around.
There were other ruins on the far hillside that I noticed but blocked off from access.
The town of Lindos can be seen below with some additional ruins of what used to be an ancient theatre. This was not accessible from the acropolis nor the street below as it is fenced off.
The interior of the temple cannot be entered, but it is open for view.
In various places were stones with inscriptions and a description of what they read.
The below building, which was located below the acropolis stairs, appeared to be a more modern structure with the castle and fortifications period of settlement, but I am not sure.
Below shows the newer buildings of the castle.
The newer buildings and the acropolis.
The lower part of the acropolis rock.
After having my look around, I descended back down the hill into the town of Lindos.
Before we headed back and away from Lindos, we stopped off for a viewpoint of the town and the acropolis on the hillside. This was a memorable day visit and is one of the best attractions in Rhodes.
I enjoyed my visit to Lindos and loved the narrow streets and the walk up to the acropolis, although it was a little bit too touristy here.
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