Getting around Rhodes
The island has a network of intercity buses operated by two different companies, which run several times a day between the largest city of Rhodes and the major resorts.
The ideal option if you don't want to spend time in just one resort is to rent a car.
Getting around Rhodes by car
If you want to explore Rhodes on your own and not be dependent on bus transport, we definitely recommend renting a car. Rhodes is quite a large island, with a length of almost 100 km, so using a rental car is definitely worthwhile.
The more remote areas on the west coast and the mountains are often not accessible by bus at all.
For specific and comprehensive information on travelling by car, see the separate chapter Car rental in Rhodes.
Public transport - buses
Public transport is represented exclusively by buses. You will not find trains or any other mode of transport in Rhodes.
Bus transport in Rhodes is provided by two companies, KTEL Rhodes and D.E.S. Rhodes.
They do not recognize each other's tickets, so day tickets are only ever valid with one given carrier.
The numbering of the lines can be confusing. Both carriers may use the same line number, but, for example, KTEL's line 20 goes to completely different places than D.E.S. Roda's line 20.
Central bus station for both carriers
All buses depart from Rhodes Town, where there is a main transfer point. However, the further away from Rhodes Town you go, the fewer services will be on offer and often there are no buses at all to the southernmost villages.
The central bus station can be found at the Nea Agora building in the Mandraki tourist port and about 5 minutes walk from the Old Town.
KTEL Rhodes (East Coast)
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 the individual lines are numbered, the timetables only use the names of the cities and Google maps or the Moovit app give very inaccurate information about departure times or routes.
Always go by what is written on the bus stop and what the driver tells you.
Drivers generally have no problem communicating in basic English.
You can find approximate departure times from each stop on the official website ktelrodou.gr/schedule under "Bus Stops".
All stops are marked with a number in addition to their name. The numbers of specific stops are displayed, for example, on maps.com.
The most frequent sessions are:
- Rhodes Town - Kallithea Springs - Faliraki (line 40)
- every 20 minutes
- approx. 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.
- between approximately 16:00 and 12:40 this line is operated by D.E.S. Roda
- Rhodes Town - Faliraki - Kolymbia Beach - Archangelos - Lindos - Pefki - Lardos - Kiotari - Gennadi (twice a day buses continue to Prasonisi beach in the very south)
- every 30-40 minutes
- approx. 6:15 to 22:15
- Rhodes Airport - Faliraki (line 25)
- every 30 minutes
- approx. 6:30 to 23:40
- Less frequent (on average 2-4 times a day) buses also run to Anthony Quinn and Ladiko bays, Seven Springs or Tsambika beach
High season is from June to September. Outside of this period, for example, there are no buses to Prasonisi, Tsambika or Seven Springs beaches, and the backbone route from Rhodes via Faliraki and Lindos to Gennadi is on average 3 times less frequent.
How to buy a ticket
Ticket prices are calculated according to distance and exact amounts are always given in the details of the locations.
Generally, prices range from 2,50 eur to 10 eur, which is the highest amount if you are going across the island from Rhodes Town to Prasonisi Beach.
If you are coming from a larger station, you can buy your ticket at the ticket office to speed up your time.
Otherwise, the driver sells the tickets.
- Payment by card at the driver - not possible
- payment by card 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 you can also buy tickets online, this option did not work once during our two visits to Rhodes.
Bus stops
All KTEL Rhodes bus stops are on a sign.
To get off, you must press the red "Stop" button well in advance.
The stops are well signposted and some of them also display timetables with exact departure times, while most others just have a QR code that leads to the official ktelrodou.gr website.
D.E.S. Roda (west coast)
The blue and white DES Roda buses operate from Rhodes Town along the east coast and also run on line 40 from Rhodes Town via Kallithea Springs to Faliraki between 16:00 and 0:40.
As they generally run shorter distances than KTEL buses, the vehicles tend to be less comfortable and more in the nature of urban transport.
All DES Roda buses are air-conditioned.
Timetables and routes
While individual lines are numbered, the timetables only use the names of cities and Google maps or the Moovit app give highly inaccurate information about departure times or routes for individual lines, and many intercity lines are not known to these sites at all.
Always go by what is written on the bus stop and what the driver tells you.
Drivers generally have no problem with basic communication in English.
The departure times from the starting stop can be found on the official website rodospublictransport.gr in pdf format only. The online connection search by individual stops is not functional.
The most frequent are:
- Rhodes Town - Ixia/Ialysos - Kremasti
- every 20-30 minutes
- approx. 5:15 to 0:45
- you can use all lines departing from Rhodes Town
- Rhodes Town - Ixia/Ialysos - Kremasti - Rhodes Airport
- every 30 minutes
- approx. 5:15 to 0:40
- you can only use lines 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
- 1x per hour
- you can only use lines 52, 54, 56, 57, 58, 61, 63, 65, 67, 68, 71
- Less frequently (on average twice a day) buses also go to the famous Valley of the Butterflies
- Further south and into the mountains (for example, to Eleousa, Embonas, Monolithos, Kritinia or to the port of Skala Kamirou), buses run only once a day and even once a week to some places.
Find out Rhodes car rental prices
How to buy a ticket
Ticket prices are calculated by distance and we always give exact amounts in the details of the locations.
Generally, prices range from 2,50 eur to 6 eur, which is the highest amount.
If you are coming from a larger station, you can buy your ticket at the ticket office (only available at the main bus station in Rhodes Town) to speed up your time.
Otherwise, tickets are sold by the driver.
- Payment by card at the driver - yes
- payment by card at the ticket office at the bus stop - yes
- payment in cash - you do not need to have the exact amount
While the official website states that you can also buy tickets online, during our two visits to Rhodes this option never once worked like it did for KTEL Rhodes buses.
Bus stops
All DES Rhodes bus stops are on a sign.
To get off, you must press the red "Stop" button well in advance.
The stops are well signposted, but you will only find a QR code that leads to the official website rodospublictransport.gr.
Taxi
Taxis can get you everywhere, especially in the major resorts, and are rather cheap by European standards.
Prices are strictly calculated according to the meter and you can always pay with cash or card.
Indicative prices are as follows:
- Rhodes Town - Airport for 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 have a taxi rank in every major town with a designated staff member from whom you can book a ride.
You can also flag down a taxi on the street and, especially in the larger towns and seaside resorts, taxis are plentiful during the summer season.
Uber, Bolt, and other alternative taxi services don't work in Rhodes.
If you don't want to depend on taxis or timetables, consider renting a car or taking organized tours, for example through getyourguide.com.
Shared bikes and scooters
All major cities have bike and scooter sharing facilities, which you can use to travel outside the city and return them at any location in the permitted area.
You need to have downloaded the mobile app to use it.
Prices are usually around 1,50 eur per unlock + 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 mode of transportation? Absolutely not!
I rented a bike to go from Rhodes Town to Ialyssos resort (which is less than 15 minutes away) and then used the scooter once more to travel within Rhodes Town. However, there is no cycling infrastructure anywhere on the island.
The pavements or roads are not in the best condition, traffic is heavy and drivers are not very considerate of cyclists.
This mode of transport is only suitable for very short journeys within smaller resorts such as Kolymbia or Faliraki.
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