The scenic village of Monolithos is situated at a distance of 73 kilometers Southwestern to the town of Rhodes. It is a beautiful village, with some 350 permanent residents, with stone houses and small uphill streets, quite impressive for the visitors. It owes its name to the huge monolithic rock, where it has been built, at the top of which there is a castle going back to the time of the Knights’ domination.

Monolithos was not active only during the Knights’ period. The residents participated to all national wars and resisted to all dominants. One of the most important events of the history of the island is the bloody Easter of 1919, when the locals revolted against the Italian dominants, while during the Italian/ German domination during the World War II, there were several actions of resistance.

Monolithos is an ideal place for the fans of natural environment. If you feel like staying here, there are several accommodation and food and drink facilities for the visitor. The whole area, full of trees, mainly olive trees, and wild vegetation is suitable for nice driving in scenic routes and visits to the nearby picturesque villages.

For swimming the visitor has to go to the pebbly beach of Fourni, close enough to the village, at a distance of some 4 kilometers at the Southwest.

Once in the village, don’t miss to visit the medieval castle, some 4 kilometers western to the village. Access to the castle is easy, via the 100 steps, carved in the rock. In Classical times the site had a “fryktoria” (a guardhouse, responsible to set a warning fire, in case of emergence). During the Knights’ domination, the castle was the refuge of the residents of the area, in case of pirates’ invasions.

Today you will see at the castle several blazons of the Knights’ period, and the small church of Aghios Panteleinmonas. But, what you should miss no way is the excellent view of the whole area, the sea and the nearby islands, up to the island of Chalki. The view becomes breathtaking during the sunset, when the horizon gets red as the sun “sinks” slowly in the sea, an ideal scenery for photos and video.

Health services are available at the local Medical Center of Emponas, 17 kilometers northeastern to Monolithos. The village has a Police Station.