The island has a network of intercity buses operated by two different companies, which run several times a day between thelargest city, Rhodes, and the major holiday resorts.

If you don’t want to spend all your time in just one resort, hiring a car is the ideal option.

The 10 best hotels in Rhodes

Travelling around Rhodes by car

If you want to explore Rhodes at your own pace and not have to rely on bus services, we definitely recommend hiring a car. Rhodes is a fairly large island, stretching almost 100 km in length, so using a car hire service is certainly worth it.

• 👉 Rhodes in 7 days. My tip for the ideal itinerary

You often won’t be able to reach the more remote areas on the west coast and in the mountains by bus at all.

You’ll find specific and comprehensive information on travelling by car in the separate section ‘Car hire in Rhodes’.

Public transport – buses

Public transport consists exclusively of buses. You won’t find any trains or other forms of transport on Rhodes.

Bus services on Rhodes are operated by two companies:KTEL Rodou and D.E.S. Roda. 

Their tickets are not mutually recognised, so day tickets are only valid on one particular operator’s services.

The numbering of routes can be confusing. Both operators may use the same route number; for example, KTEL’s route 20 goes to completely different destinations than D.E.S. Roda’s route 20.

The central bus station for both operators

All buses depart from Rhodes Town, which is the main interchange. Generally speaking, the further you travel from Rhodes Town, the fewer services are available, and buses often do not run to the southernmost villages at all.

The central bus station is located next to the Nea Agora building in the tourist harbour of Mandraki, about a 5-minute walk from the Old Town.

• View Rhodes Town bus station on the map

KTEL Rodou (east coast)

The orange and white buses cover the entire west coast from Rhodes Town to Prasonisi Beach.

The buses are modern and always well air-conditioned.

Timetables and routes

Although individual routes are numbered, timetables only list the names of towns, and Google Maps or the Moovit app provide rather inaccurate information about departure times or the routes of individual services.

Always go by what is written at the bus stop and what the driver tells you.

Drivers generally have no trouble communicating in basic English.

Approximate departure times from individual stops can be found on the official websitektelrodou.gr/scheduleunder the ‘"Bus Stops" ’ tab.

In addition to their names, all stops are also marked with a number. Please use these numbers to find your way around the timetable on the KTEL website. The numbers of specific stops are displayed, for example, on the mapy.com website.

The most frequent routes are as follows:

• Rhodes Town – Kallithea Springs – Faliraki (route 40)
  • every 20 minutes
  • approx. 6.30 am to 12.30 am
  • between approximately 16:00 and 0:40, this route is operated by D.E.S. Roda
• Rhodes Town – Faliraki – Kolymbia Beach – Archangelos – Lindos – Pefki – Lardos – Kiotari – Gennadi (twice a day, buses continue on to Prasonisi Beach in the very south)
  • Every 30–40 minutes
  • Approx. 6.15 am to 10.15 pm
• Rhodes Airport –Faliraki(route 25)
  • every 30 minutes
  • approx. 6.30 to 23.40
• Buses also run less frequently (on average 2–4 times a day) to Anthony Quinn Bay, Ladiko Bay, the Seven Springs and Tsambika Beach

The peak season runs from June to September. Outside this period, for example, there are no buses to Prasonisi, Tsambika or the Seven Springs, and the number of services on the main route from Rhodes via Faliraki and Lindos to Gennadi is reduced by up to three times on average.

How to buy a ticket

Ticket prices are calculated based on distance, and we always state the exact amounts in the destination details.

Generally, prices range from 2,50 eur to 10 eur, the latter being the highest fare if you are travelling across the entire island from Rhodes town to Prasonisi Beach.

If you’re travelling from a larger station, you can buy your ticket at the ticket office to save time.

Otherwise, tickets are sold by the driver.

• Card payments to the driver – not possible
  • Update July 2025: according to other travellers’ experiences, on some routes you can pay by card with the driver. Have you had the same experience? Please share your experience with others in the comments below. Thanks!
• Card payments at the ticket machine at the bus stop – yes
• Cash payment – you don’t need to have the exact amount

Although the official website states that you can also buy a ticket online, this option didn’t work once during our two visits to Rhodes.

Bus stops

All KTEL Rodou bus stops are request stops.

If you wish to alight, you must press the red ‘Stop’ button well in advance.

The stops are clearly marked, and some of them also display timetables with exact departure times, whilst most others simply have a QR code that links to the official website, ktelrodou.gr.

D.E.S. Roda (west coast)

The blue and white DES Roda buses provide transport from Rhodes Town along the east coast and, between 16:00 and 0:40, also operate on route 40 from Rhodes Town viaKallithea SpringstoFaliraki.

As they usually cover shorter distances than KTEL buses, the vehicles tend to be less comfortable and are more akin to city transport.

All DES Roda buses are air-conditioned.

Timetables and routes

Although individual routes are numbered, the timetables only list the names of towns, and Google Maps and the Moovit app provide rather inaccurate information about departure times or the routes of individual services; moreover, many intercity routes are not listed on these websites at all.

Always go by what is written at the bus stop and what the driver tells you.

Drivers generally have no trouble communicating in basic English.

Approximate departure times from the starting stop can be found on the official websiterodospublictransport.grin PDF format only. The online journey planner for individual stops is not currently working.

The most frequent routes are as follows:

• Rhodes Town – Ixia/Ialysos – Kremasti
  • every 20–30 minutes
  • approx. 5.15 am to 12.45 am
  • You can use any of the routes running from Rhodes Town
• Rhodes Town – Ixia/Ialysos – Kremasti – Rhodes Airport
  • Every 30 minutes
  • approx. 5.15 to 0.40
  • You can only use routes 20, 30, 31, 32, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 56, 57, 58, 61, 63, 65, 67, 68, 71
• Rhodes Town – Ixia/Ialysos – Kremasti – Rhodes Airport– Paradeisi – Theologos
  • Once an hour
  • You can only use routes 52, 54, 56, 57, 58, 61, 63, 65, 67, 68, 71
• Buses also run less frequently (on average twice a day) to the famous Valley of the Butterflies
• Further south and into the mountains (for example, to the villages of Eleousa, Embonas, Monolithos, Kritinia or the port of Skala Kamirou), buses run only once a day and to some places as little as once a week.

Check car hire prices in Rhodes

How to buy a ticket

Ticket prices are calculated based on distance, and we always state the exact amount in the destination details.

Generally, prices range from 2,50 eur to 6 eur, which is the highest amount.

If you are travelling from a larger station, you can buy your ticket at the ticket office to save time (available only at the main bus station in Rhodes town).

Otherwise, tickets are sold by the driver.

• Card payments to the driver – yes
• Card payments at the ticket office at the bus stop – yes
• Cash payment – you do not need to have the exact amount

Although the official website states that tickets can also be purchased online, during our two visits to Rhodes this option did not work on either occasion, just as was the case with KTEL Rodou buses.

Bus stops

All DES Roda bus stops are request stops.

If you wish to alight, you must press the red ‘Stop’ button well in advance.

The stops are clearly marked, but you will only find a QR code at them, which links to the official websiterodospublictransport.gr.

Taxis

You can get anywhere by taxi, particularly in the major holiday resorts, and by European standards they are on the cheaper side.

Fares are strictly calculated according to the meter, and you can always pay by cash or card.

The approximate prices are as follows:

• Rhodes Town – airport: 37 eur
• Rhodes Town – Faliraki for 35 eur
• Rhodes Town – Lindos for 67 eur
• Faliraki – Anthony Quinn Beach for 15 eur
• Lindos – Faliraki for 53 eur
• Lindos – Prasonisi for 70 eur

In Rhodes, taxis in every major town have a taxi rank with a designated attendant from whom you can book a ride.

You can also hail a taxi in the traditional way on the street, and there are plenty of taxis available throughout the summer season, particularly in larger towns and seaside resorts.

Uber, Bolt and other alternative taxi services do not operate in Rhodes.

If you don’t want to be dependent on taxis or timetables, consider hiring a car or booking organised tours, for example via getyourguide.com.

Bike and scooter sharing

Shared bikes and scooters are available in all major cities; you can use them to travel outside the city and return them at any location within the permitted area.

To use the service, you need to have the mobile app downloaded.

• Mercury
• Hoppy

Prices are usually around 1,50 eur to unlock the car, plus approx. 0,18 eur per minute, or various discounted plans are available, such as 8,50 eur per hour or 27,50 eur for 6 hours.

Do we recommend this method of transport? Definitely not!

I hired a bike for the journey from Rhodes town to the resortof Ialyssos(which is just under a 15-minute ride) and then used a scooter again for a trip around Rhodes town. However, there is no cycling infrastructure anywhere on the island.

The pavements and roads aren’t in the best condition, there’s a lot of traffic, and drivers aren’t particularly considerate towards cyclists.

This mode of transport is suitable, at most, for very short journeys within smaller resorts such as Kolymbia or Faliraki.