Discover Local Rhodes: What to Do Around Mercure Rhodes Alexia Hotel & Spa

At Mercure, we believe you shouldn't need a guidebook to feel like you belong somewhere. That's the idea behind Discover Local: since 1973, every Mercure hotel has been built around its neighbourhood, not just dropped into it — from the décor on the walls to the flavours on the menu. Step into any Mercure and our teams are on hand with the kind of tips you won't find in a guidebook: the market stall locals queue for, the bar where nobody speaks English, the walk that skips the crowds. They live here. They know. Discover Local isn't a generic city guide — it's a short, honest list of the restaurants, markets and neighbourhoods our own hotel teams actually recommend to guests, updated as the city changes around us. Below, you'll find our picks for Rhodes, an interactive map to help you find your way, and answers to the questions travellers ask us most. So — where will Discover Local take you?

Rhodes in 5 picks

Saturday farmers market

Farmers arrive early with crates of tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs, olives, honey and bread. Get there before 9:30am for the best of the harvest and the coolest hour of the day.

Nea Agora (New Market)

An early 20th-century Arabian-style market building near Mandraki port, with spices, local products and food stalls under one characterful roof.

Old Town side alleys

Inside the medieval walls, locals skip the main tourist streets for the small side alleys, where family-run tavernas keep prices and cooking honest.

Pitaroudia

Chickpea fritters spiced with tomato, onion and cumin — a Rhodian street snack worth seeking out over anything fried and generic.

Mandraki port

The old harbour, once said to be guarded by the Colossus of Rhodes — a good spot for an evening walk once the day-trip crowds thin out.

Where to eat
Skip the picture-menu tavernas on the main tourist strips and follow the side alleys inside the Old Town instead. Look for lakani (baked goat with chickpeas and cracked wheat), pitaroudia (chickpea fritters), and giaprakia (stuffed vine leaves) — dishes that rarely make it onto English-language menus.
Markets worth planning around
The Saturday market is the big one — arrive before 9:30am while the produce is still cool and the choice is best. Nea Agora, the Arabian-style New Market near Mandraki port, is worth a slower browse for spices and local products any day of the week.
Right outside your hotel
Mercure Rhodes Alexia Hotel & Spa sits right on the seafront in Rhodes' city centre, about 50 metres from the beach and a short ride from the medieval Old Town and its UNESCO-listed Acropolis. Note that the hotel is seasonal, closing over winter and reopening each spring — check dates before you book an off-season stay.
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FAQ

No — it closes for winter at the end of October and reopens in late April, in line with the island's tourist season.

A short ride from the medieval Old Town and its UNESCO World Heritage sites, and the hotel itself is about 50 metres from the beach.

Arrive before 9:30am, while the produce is freshest and temperatures are still cool.

Where to sleep

See Mercure hotels in Rhodes, all within reach of these picks.

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Where to sleep

See Mercure hotels in Rhodes, all within reach of these picks

View hotels