Driving in Rhodes

East coast to Lindos: the busiest and prettiest run, roughly 50 km from Rhodes Town past Faliraki, Afandou and Tsambika. Do it before nine in the morning and the light along the bays is worth the early alarm.

The far south: Lindos onward through Kiotari and Gennadi to Prasonisi, where the Aegean and the Mediterranean meet at a sand spit. Around 90 km from Rhodes Town, quiet roads, very little shade — this is the day the air conditioning earns its keep.

The inland loop: Petaloudes, Filerimos and the hill villages, returning down the west coast. Shorter in distance, slower in pace, and the most enjoyable stretch of tarmac on the island in a small convertible.

Main roads on the east coast are wide, well surfaced and easy. Village lanes are the opposite: narrow, sometimes one car wide, occasionally with a scooter coming the other way. Nothing here requires a big car, and several places actively punish one.

Signposting is generally good and distances are short, so a wrong turn costs minutes rather than hours.

For couples touring, a convertible: the coastal roads and the inland hills are the reason people rent one here. For families or longer days in the south, an electric SUV — five seats, quiet, and no fuel stops in an area where stations are sparse.