A 1929 Italian spa with a domed rotunda, mosaic courtyards and one of the calmest swimming coves on the island, just 9 km from Rhodes Town. Here is its story, what to expect, and how to arrive the memorable way: by sailing boat at golden hour.
Kallithea Springs opened in 1929, when Rhodes was under Italian rule. The thermal waters of the bay had been prized since antiquity, and the Italians built an ambitious spa complex around them: sweeping staircases, arched colonnades, palm gardens and the great domed rotunda that still defines the site today. For decades, visitors came from across Europe to take the waters.
The spa later fell into decline and stood quiet for years before a long restoration brought it back to life. It reopened in 2007, carefully returned to its original character, and has since become one of the most visited landmarks on Rhodes. Its photogenic mix of architecture and sea has also given it a long film history: this stretch of coast has appeared in international productions over the decades, and the site remains a favourite backdrop for filming, weddings and events.
The centrepiece is the rotunda, a circular, domed pavilion at the water's edge that appears on half the postcards sold on the island. Around it spread courtyards paved with hochlakia, the traditional Dodecanese pebble mosaics laid stone by stone in black and white patterns. Add the palm-lined paths, the carved staircases down to the sea and the views back along the coast, and it is easy to spend an hour just wandering.
The site no longer operates as a working spa. Today it is a protected monument, gallery space and events venue, and the reason most people visit has shifted from the waters you drink to the water you swim in.
The small cove below the spa is the real prize. Rocky arms shelter it from wind and swell, so even on breezy days the water stays flat and glass-clear, and the rock platforms and ladders make getting in easy. Snorkelling is excellent along the edges of the cove, where the rocks hold plenty of fish.
Getting there from land is simple: it is about 9 km from Rhodes Town, roughly 15 minutes by car or taxi, and buses run along the coast road. Be aware that an entry fee applies to enter the complex and its cove from land, and that the compact site gets busy through the middle of the day in high season.
Our sunset cruise sails from Mandraki Harbour down the coast to Kallithea in the softest light of the day. We anchor in the bay for a full one-hour swim stop, so you float in that famous calm, clear water with the rotunda and colonnades as your backdrop, then sail home as the sun goes down behind the island.
Carrying on down the coast? Read our guides to Anthony Quinn Bay and Ladiko Bay, or see everywhere we sail on the destinations page.
Yes. The small cove below the spa buildings is one of the calmest, clearest swimming spots on Rhodes, sheltered from wind and with rocky platforms and ladders into the water. Our sunset cruise anchors here for a full one-hour swim stop.
Yes, if you arrive by land there is an admission charge to enter the spa complex and its swimming cove. Arriving by boat, as our sunset cruise does, you swim in the same clear water of the bay directly from the yacht.
About 9 km down the east coast, roughly 15 minutes by car or taxi from Rhodes Town. By sea it is a gentle sail from Mandraki Harbour, which is why it makes the perfect destination for an evening cruise.
No. The site no longer operates as a working spa. Today it is a restored historic monument and events venue, and visitors come for the architecture, the gardens and the exceptional swimming in the cove below.
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Nikolaos Sailing