Feraklos Castle — Attraction in Municipality of Rhodes

Feraklos Castle dominates the headland between Haraki & Agathi beaches. We saw it from the quiet seaside town of Haraki and for some unknown reason (mad dogs and English men, etc etc) felt compelled to visit it on foot There is a small parking area at the side of the road but from then on it's a steep hike up a rugged track which does involve clambering over some jagged and slippery rocks. Thankfully, there are a couple of trees along the way to catch your breath and seek shade. Wearing a hat and trainers or similar footwear is advisable. Once at the top the views are breathtaking. We marvelled at the torquise blue of the sea: just stunning. The area between the remaining parts of the castle wall is covered in fragments of old ceramics (please do not remove them) and with a little imagination visitors can image how life here must have been back in Byzantine times. After a careful decent (why did we leave the water in the car?) you can either drive over the headland to Agathi beach or head back to Haraki for a well...

The fortress was originally built in theByzantine era. It was captured by the Knights Hospitaller on 20 September 1306, being their first possession on the island that would become their base. By 1408 it was in ruins, and was repaired under the Grand MastersGiovanni Battista Orsini (1467–76) and Pierre d'Aubusson (1476–1503) as a stronghold to protect the area, and particularly watch over the anchorages at the Charaki and Agia Agathi beaches nearby.[1] After 1470, the Hospitallers abandoned all other fortifications on the island except for Feraklos, nearbyLindos, and the city of Rhodes, which in turn were further strengthened. A decree of 1474 prescribed that the inhabitants of the villages of Malona, Salia, Katagros, Zinodotou, and Kaminari were to find refuge un the Feraklos Castle in case...

A roadtrip to Lindos should include his this old fortress, not because the remainings themselves are stunning to look at, or because the beaches around are magnificent. But this will be a trip away from all the main tourist attractions and will most likely leave you in a relaxed state of mind after making the quite easy walk up the hill and enjoying the stunning scenery. The golden beach nearby will give you a good day of fun for the kids as they can walk a good distance into the water and still be able to reach the bottom. Also the restaurant on the beach is not overly overpriced for its location.

We walked up to the fortress with two kids, 8 and 10 years old, and I think even younger ones can do it. But beware as...