Kameiros, Ancient Greek archaeological site in Kalavarda, Greece
Kameiros is an ancient Greek city on the western coast of Rhodes, built across three terraced levels that rise from a lower civic area up through residential streets to an acropolis with temples at the top. Streets, house foundations, and a water distribution network from the Hellenistic period are still visible across the site.
The site began as a Mycenaean settlement and later became a Dorian city that grew steadily from the 8th century BC onward. Its decline came after a major earthquake in 226 BC and the growing dominance of the newly founded city of Rhodes, which drew population and trade away from older centers.
The name Kameiros appears in ancient texts as one of the three founding cities of Rhodes, alongside Ialysos and Lindos, and today visitors can walk through the actual streets where people once lived and traded. The layout of the residential area, with its rows of houses opening onto shared paths, gives a clear sense of how neighbors shared space in daily life.
The site is on the western coast of Rhodes and is easiest to visit in the morning, before the heat of the day builds up. The three levels are connected by uneven paths and ancient stone steps, so wear shoes with a good grip.
Unlike Lindos or Ialysos, Kameiros was never built over in later centuries, which is why its street plan and house layouts survived largely intact underground until excavations began in the 19th century. This accident of history means visitors today see a city frozen at a specific moment rather than one reshaped by later generations.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
