Faliraki is a beautiful town located on the east coast of the island of Rhodes (Greece). The town is known for its stunning beaches, crystal clear waters, and authentic night life. Visitors to Faliraki can enjoy sunbathing, boat tours and windsurfing. However the main attraction of Faliraki is the beach, which offers a range of activities such as swimming, sunbathing, windsurfing and aquapark adventures for children.
In this article I collected some essential takeaways based on my last trip on the island. I categorized these good to know information to be useful for first time travelers.
Ok. Let’s start.
My Good To Know List For Faliraki Travelers
01 Faliraki Beach
There’s something about a brown sand beach that feels more natural and earthy than your typical white sand beach. Faliraki is one such beach, and it’s a stunning place to relax and soak up the sun.
Meet Faliraki’s brown sand beach
The Faliraki beach around the center is covered with darker brown sand except one 1-2 meter line of gravelly sand just after you step into the sea. The beach near to the big hotels like Blue Sea Beach Resort or Esperides Beach Resort is a little bit thinner and more gravelly. There is less place for sunbeds and umbrellas but the feeling is almost the same as in the center beach of Faliraki.
If you’re looking to stay comfortable from the sun and have a place to relax, sunbeds are essential for the family. At the moment you need to pay 12 EUR for one umbrella and two sunbeds at Faliraki (2022-2023 season). The umbrella will provide shade for you and your children, while the sunbeds will allow you to soak up some rays without getting too hot. Remember sun is very strong on the island which higher the risk of sunburn (which you want to avoid at the very beginning of your staying).
Get a beach umbrella and sunbeds before 11 am!
If you’re looking to reserve an umbrella and sunbed on the beach, it’s worth getting there before 11am. After 2pm it is almost impossible to find empty sunbeds. Many people clear out for lunch but they left their belongings at the sunbeds for the afternoon. You could also leave your towels there, it’ll be easier to find your spot when you come back, at the island and on other Greek islands there are practically no thieves you can leave your smaller values at the sunbeds while you are enjoying the sea. If you want to remain on the safe side you will find sunbeds with closable boxes at the beach.
Use always high SPF (30-50) sun cream every day to avoid sunburn!
I couldn’t emphasize the importance of sun cream. It’s important to choose a sun cream with at least 30-50 SPF to ensure your skin is protected from harmful UV rays. You will find water resistant sun cream in every local store. My recommendation is to buy Corroten brand, no sticky feeling and you will need to use it only once a day.
Faliraki clear water offers less sticky feeling experience
The sea is very clear in Faliraki, and doesn’t have that sticky feeling as in Croatia. I never felt a rush to take a shower after the swim (btw. you will find public shower in every 100m at the beach). There are many benefits of sea water and one of the most important is that it can help to heal some of your skin diseases. But you should be also careful, spending 3-5 days at the seaside could make your skin dry, in this case, a skin moisturizing cream comes in handy.
The sea is the warmest in August and September at Faliraki around 27-27 °C
The sea temperature is 27-28 °C in August-September, 25-26 °C in July and October, 21-24 °C in May-June. From November to April it is considered as off-season on Rhodes.
02 Faliraki Cusine
If you’re looking for a delicious and hearty main dish, gyros are the way to go in Rhodes. A mix of chicken and pork gyros is the most important first-days selection of Faliraki cuisine. Here’s what you need to know about this popular dish.
Order your Gyros from mixed of chicken and pork meat
Gyros is typically made from chicken or pork, although for kosher gyros lamb or beef is sometimes used. The meat is cooked on a spit and then shaved off in thin slices. It’s served on a pita bread with fresh salat, tomatoes, onions (at better places they put parsley green in it) , and or course the tzatziki sauce.
Pita gyros cost 4 EURs and a plate (or portion) with French fries cost 8-12 EUR.
Gyros are a great option if you’re looking for something filling and satisfying. They’re also relatively easy to make at home – all you need is some good quality meat and the right spices. But trust me you will be never able to replicate the Greek gyros at home. Why? Because they use fresh ingredients like fresh pita and creamy tzatziki which is made locally.
Try out special dishes like Souvlaki or Swordfish steak!
What are some further options? I loved Chicken Souvlaki which has different but almost as good taste as gyros meat. Swordfish steak is a healthy and delicious seafood option that can be cooked in a variety of ways. This type of fish is high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids, making it a nutritious choice for those looking to improve their health. Swordfish steaks are usually fried or grilled on the island.
If you’re looking for a traditional gyro in Faliraki, then head to Pita Art. They use only the freshest ingredients and their gyros are mouth-wateringly good. Other good and recommended places, restaurants are Acropolis Taverna, Roumeli, Gyros Time (if are on the beach but you want a great gyros), Golden Beach (also on the beach as its name suggests) and Star Fast Food.
03 Travel on Rhodes, How To Get To Faliraki within the Island?
I like the hustle free travel on the island. I never rent a car, but there are literally rentable cars on all corner, people are generally really helpful and they do understand English very good.
You will find fixed price taxis at Rhodes (applicable between two cities), the taxi prices are available at taxi centers!
There are fixed taxi prices between Rhodes cities. The fix prices eliminate the need to haggle or negotiate a fair price. This can save time and frustration, especially if you’re not familiar with the local language. Additionally, it provides peace of mind knowing exactly how much your ride will cost ahead of time. Just to give an example a taxi ride from the airport to Faliraki costs 31 EUR (2022-2023 season). Finally, there are taxi stations (where you will find these fix prices on a slab) in every major places on Rhodes island. Taxis are generally black with yellow license plates.
The taxis aren’t yellow at Rhodes, they are generally black!
Public buses on the island of Rhodes are frequent, with most routes having a bus every 30-60 minutes. This makes getting around the island very easy, whether you’re going from the city of Rhodes to Faliraki or anywhere else. Buses are reliable and cheap travel alternatives, for example a ride from Rhodes City (the main city of the island) to Faliraki cost only 2.5 EUR for an adult, you can buy your ticket from the bus driver.
You can use water taxis to travel between ports!
There are also adventures way to travel like water taxis. Looking for a quick and easy way to get from Faliraki port to Rhodes city? A ticket for “red” taxi costs 10 EUR per adult (15 EUR retour). They are faster than the buses and it’s a great way to see the sights of Rhodes from the water.
Visit other small islands near Rhodes like Symi!
There are also organized tours (once a day) to Symi Island which are the perfect way to see the small island with authentic Greek buildings. The trips are conducted by ship and allow visitors to see the island up close plus having time to look around at the island. The tours typically last for 5-7 hours and include a stop at the island’s only port. Visitors can explore the port, learn about the island’s history and have some refreshments (which is usually included in the trip) before returning to their ship.
04 Faliraki Accommodation
There are many accommodation options available on the island of Rhodes. All-inclusive hotels with a dedicated beaches are a great option for those who want to enjoy their holiday. You need to know that big hotels at Faliraki aren’t in the city center except Mitsis Faliraki. They are located in outer city near to Kallithea (which has a charming beach you can try out for one day).
Staying at an apartment at Rhodes is much more budget friendly than hotels, even with the high food prices in Faliraki your stay will be cheaper!
For those who prefer to explore the Island as myself a better and more budget friendly option is to select a close to city center apartment. There are plenty of apartments available for rent. No matter what your preference is. Every apartment has air conditioner, but be cautious, if you aren’t a party type person, avoid the main streets of Faliraki (Ermoi and Leof. Kallitheas) where the night music could be very laud (between 10pm and 2am). Of course this could be a problem only for families with small children who could select an accommodation slightly further from the clubs and bars.
If you want to stay in Faliraki with small children, avoid the amin street apartments (Ermoi street) because of the laud night life!
Based on my experiences Internet is available in also the smallest apartments. With a speed of 500-600 kbps, it is slower than the mobile 5G network on Faliraki, which has a speed of 1.5 Mbps. If you are living in an EU member country you don’t even need to pay any extra fee for Internet usage, since there is no roaming within European Union (it isn’t applicable for US and UK visitors).
If you are an EU member, 5G fees won’t be a problem during your stay. Even almost every apartment has Wi-Fi and Internet access.
05 What to visit in Rhodes?
If you’re looking for things to do in Rhodes, look no further than Lindos and Rhodes City Castle. Lindos is a beautiful town with a lot of history and culture, the clifftop Acropolis of Lindos is a place you have to see including the Temple of Athena Lindia.
Rhodes City Castle (or Palace of Grand Master of the Knights) is a great place to learn about the island’s past it is located in the city center of Rhodes City. You will find also a charming museum if you want to learn about Rhodes history.
On the other side of the Island you will find the Butterflies Valley, near Theologos. It’s a 2-3 hours trip to go through this valley where you can see literally thousands of butterflies their colors aren’t so vivid but if you are a fan of nature this is definitely a must see place.
Faliraki city center night life is one of the most popular destinations for youngsters and young adults. Between 10 pm and 2 am the center has a vibrant nightlife with many bars, clubs and restaurants. The nightlife in Faliraki is centered around the main street Ermoi.
06 Faliraki Gifts
In general, prices for tourists in Rhodes are quite high but it is still considered cheap compared to Mykonos. If you want to buy a souvenir or a gift for someone, be prepared to spend quite a bit of money (10-100 EUR). However, there are some deals to be found if you know where to look. With a little bit of searching, you can find some local supermarkets (no not the supermarkets in the city center) at reasonable prices.
At Faliraki you can buy cheap drinks, beverages and cheaper gifts at ΚΡΗΤΙΚΟΣ Supermarket (“Criticos”) and AB Foodmarket. Just to give an idea 1.5 liter mineral water cost 1-2 EUR in the city center and 0.3 EUR in the above supermarkets.
Find the nearest bigger supermarkets like ΚΡΗΤΙΚΟΣ and shop cheaper!
One interesting thing is that you may also buy bio herb products made from cannabis at Rhodes, these products typically doesn’t contain THC since the Greek cannabis laws still forbid any recreational drugs, but the healing effect of these products are exceptional.
