The Palace of the Grand Master and the Medieval City
How the ticketed palace differs from the free-to-walk Old Town around it, what your ticket covers, and how to combine the two in a day.
The Palace of the Grand Master and the Medieval City of Rhodes around it are often spoken of together, but they are not the same thing. The palace is the ticketed monument at the top of the walled town — the fortified Kastello of the Knights, with its grand halls, ancient Kos mosaics and two exhibitions. The Medieval City is the whole UNESCO-listed walled town spreading out below, whose streets, walls, gates and squares, including the Street of the Knights, are free to walk. Your ticket covers the palace itself. This guide explains the difference, what is and isn't included, the other sights of the Old Town, and how to combine the ticketed palace with the free medieval city in one visit.
Is the palace the same as the Medieval City of Rhodes?
No — the Palace of the Grand Master and the Medieval City of Rhodes are related but distinct, a distinction worth understanding before you visit. The palace is a single, ticketed monument: the fortified castle of the Knights of St John at the highest point of the walled town, with its courtyard, grand halls, ancient mosaics from Kos and two permanent exhibitions, all entered through the twin-towered gate on production of a ticket. The Medieval City is the entire walled town around and below it — one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage Site — whose streets, houses, walls, gates, squares and the famous Street of the Knights are public and free to wander at any time.
In practice this means your palace ticket buys you the castle at the top of the town, while the medieval city that surrounds it costs nothing to explore on foot. The two are complementary: the Old Town gives you the atmosphere, the walls and the streetscape of the Knights' city, and the palace gives you its fortified heart, its art and its history under one roof. Our concierge recommendation is to think of the palace as the ticketed centrepiece of a wider, free-to-walk medieval city, and to plan a visit that gives time to both — the palace for its halls, mosaics and exhibitions, and the surrounding town for its lanes, gates and inns.
What does my palace ticket include?
Your ticket to the Palace of the Grand Master covers full daytime admission to the palace itself: the fortified Kastello of the Knights, its monumental gate and inner courtyard, the more than 150 rooms and grand vaulted halls over two floors, the spectacular ancient mosaic floors brought from the island of Kos, and the two permanent exhibitions housed within — one on ancient Rhodes and one on medieval and early-Christian Rhodes. In other words, everything inside the palace walls is included, from the architecture to the art to the exhibitions, in a single ticket for your chosen date and hourly slot.
What the ticket does not cover are the separate sights of the wider Old Town, because most of them do not need a ticket at all. The Street of the Knights, the city walls and gates, the squares, mosques and lanes of the medieval city are free to walk. A few other monuments in the Old Town, such as the Archaeological Museum of Rhodes in the old Hospital of the Knights, are separate attractions with their own admission, not part of the palace ticket. Our concierge recommendation is to be clear that your ticket is for the palace and its contents — halls, mosaics and both exhibitions — and to treat the free streets of the Old Town, and any separately ticketed museums, as additions you plan around it.
What else is there to see in the medieval Old Town?
The Medieval City of Rhodes is a sight in its own right, and the palace is only its crown. The most famous approach, the Street of the Knights, climbs to the palace lined with the auberges of the Order's Tongues and is free to walk. Below it, the old Hospital of the Knights now houses the Archaeological Museum of Rhodes, a separate attraction well worth its own visit for the island's ancient finds. The city is ringed by mighty fortifications — walls, towers, bastions and gates such as the Marine Gate and the Gate of Amboise — that are among the finest medieval defences in Europe, and sections of the moat and walls can be walked. Within the town lie squares, fountains, Ottoman-era mosques and hammams, churches and a warren of atmospheric lanes.
All of this makes the Old Town a place to linger rather than rush. Beyond the monuments, the medieval city is a living town of shops, tavernas and courtyards, at its most magical in the quieter hours of early morning and evening when the day crowds have thinned. Our concierge recommendation is to give the palace a focused visit in an early or late slot, then spend the surrounding hours wandering the walls, the Street of the Knights and the lanes, with a break for lunch in a shaded courtyard during the midday heat. Between the ticketed palace and the free medieval city around it, Rhodes Old Town easily rewards a full day, and the palace gives the whole visit its historical anchor.
Can I combine the palace and the Old Town in one visit?
Yes — combining the palace and the wider Old Town is the natural way to visit, and it is easily done in a day. Because the palace stands at the head of the walled city and everything is within a short walk, you can weave the ticketed monument and the free streets into a single, unhurried itinerary. Our concierge recommendation is to take an early hourly slot at the palace, walking up the Street of the Knights and pausing at its inns on the way, so you see the halls, the Kos mosaics and the two exhibitions while the palace is at its calmest. That gets the ticketed highlight done before the cruise crowds build.
With the palace behind you, the rest of the day belongs to the free medieval city. Walk a stretch of the great walls and moat, look into the Archaeological Museum in the old Hospital if it appeals, explore the squares, mosques and lanes, and break for lunch in a shaded courtyard during the hottest hours. As the light softens in the late afternoon and evening, the Old Town is at its most atmospheric, and you can wander the emptier streets around the palace at leisure. Our concierge recommendation is to anchor the day on your booked palace slot in the cool morning, then let the free medieval city fill the hours around it — the two together give you the complete Rhodes Old Town, castle and city alike.
Should I prioritise the palace if my time is short?
If your time on Rhodes is short — a cruise call or a single day — the Palace of the Grand Master is the priority, and it is the one part of the Old Town that needs a ticket and a booked slot. In about an hour to an hour and a half it gives you the fortified heart of the Knights' city, the grand halls, the extraordinary ancient mosaics from Kos, and the two exhibitions that together sweep across the island's whole history from antiquity to the crusading age. For history and atmosphere in a compact, weather-proof visit, the palace delivers the essential Rhodes, which is why most first-time and short-on-time visitors make it their fixed point.
Around that fixed point, the free medieval city can be enjoyed in whatever time remains, without tickets or bookings. Even a short walk up the Street of the Knights and along a stretch of the walls adds enormously to the palace visit, and costs nothing. Our concierge recommendation for a short visit is to book an early palace slot, walk up through the Old Town to reach it, see the halls and exhibitions in the calm of the morning, and then spend the rest of your time wandering the surrounding streets and walls as time allows. Securing the palace slot in advance is what guarantees the one ticketed highlight fits comfortably into a limited day, leaving the free city to enjoy around it.
Frequently asked
Is the palace the same as the Medieval City of Rhodes?
No. The palace is the ticketed castle at the top of the walled town, with its halls, Kos mosaics and two exhibitions. The Medieval City is the whole UNESCO-listed walled town around it, whose streets, walls and gates are free to walk. Your ticket covers the palace itself.
What does my palace ticket include?
Full daytime admission to the palace: the fortified Kastello, its courtyard and grand vaulted halls, the ancient mosaic floors from Kos, and both permanent exhibitions on ancient and medieval Rhodes — everything inside the palace walls, for your chosen date and hourly slot.
Is the Street of the Knights included in the ticket?
The Street of the Knights is a public medieval street and free to walk at any time — it is the classic approach to the palace but not part of the ticket. Your ticket is for the palace at its head.
Is the Archaeological Museum of Rhodes included?
No. The Archaeological Museum of Rhodes, in the old Hospital of the Knights, is a separate attraction with its own admission, not part of the palace ticket. Many visitors do both as separate visits within the Old Town.
Can I combine the palace and the Old Town in one day?
Yes, easily. Take an early palace slot, walking up the Street of the Knights to reach it, then spend the surrounding hours wandering the free medieval city — the walls, gates, squares and lanes — with a shaded lunch during the midday heat.
Should I prioritise the palace if my time is short?
Yes. The palace is the one part of the Old Town that needs a ticket and gives you the fortified heart of the city, the Kos mosaics and two exhibitions in a compact, weather-proof visit. The free streets around it can be enjoyed in whatever time remains.