How do you get to Lindos from Rhodes Town?

KTEL East bus from the East Side Bus Station near Mandraki Harbour — approximately hourly in summer, journey 1 hour, approximately €5 each way as of 2026. Taxi takes 45 minutes and costs approximately €40–55 one way. By hire car: 50km on the east coast road, about 50 minutes. Book in advance in peak season — Lindos buses fill quickly.

Is the Valley of Butterflies worth visiting?

Between late June and August, yes — the Jersey tiger moths congregate in their thousands in the forested valley, covering every tree surface. Entry is approximately €5 as of 2026. Outside this period the moths are absent and the valley is a pleasant but ordinary forest walk. Do not clap or make loud noises to disturb them — it is prohibited and drains their energy reserves.

How do you do a day trip to Symi from Rhodes?

Regular day-trip boats run from Mandraki Harbour in Rhodes Town. The DODEKANISOS SEAWAYS and Symi Visitor ferry both serve the route (approximately €25–35 return, journey 50–60 minutes by fast catamaran as of 2026). Boats typically allow 4–5 hours on Symi before the return sailing.

What is Ancient Kamiros and is it worth visiting?

Ancient Kamiros on the north-western coast is one of three original city-states of Rhodes. Unlike Lindos, it has no reconstructed buildings — the site shows a complete Hellenistic town plan with streets, cisterns, houses, and a hilltop temple. Entry approximately €6 as of 2026. It is less visited than Lindos and offers a more raw archaeological experience.

Day Trips from Rhodes | The Greece Guides

Rhodes’s position as a large island with 50km of driveable coast, plus its proximity to smaller Dodecanese islands, makes it one of the better bases for day excursions in the Aegean. The most important is Lindos — an acropolis, a medieval village, and a spectacular bay all combined into one site 50km south of Rhodes Town. Prices listed here are approximate as of 2026.

Day Trips at a Glance

Destination	Distance	Price (from)	Transport	Highlights
Lindos Acropolis and Village	50km	from €35/person	Coach from Rhodes Town	Ancient acropolis, medieval village, Lindos Bay swim, guided tour
Valley of Butterflies (Petaloudes)	25km	from €30/person	Coach (half-day)	Jersey tiger moths in season, forested gorge walk, Filerimos monastery
Ancient Kamiros Archaeological Site	35km	from €25/person	Coach or car	Intact Hellenistic town plan, sea views toward Turkey, uncrowded site
Symi Island Day Trip	41km	from €30/person	Fast catamaran (50 min)	Neoclassical harbour, Kali Strata steps, Panormitis Monastery, seafood
Prasonisi and South Rhodes Tour	100km	from €55/person	Jeep or coach	Prasonisi windsurfing peninsula, south-coast villages, scenic coastal road

Browse all Rhodes day trips and island excursions → GetYourGuide

Lindos: Ancient Acropolis and Medieval Village

Lindos is the outstanding day trip from Rhodes Town. The site combines three things in a compact space: an ancient Doric acropolis on a cliff 116m above the sea, a beautifully preserved medieval Dodecanese village below, and twin bays that are among the cleanest on the island.

The Acropolis

The Acropolis of Lindos was built from the 4th century BC onwards on a dramatically sited rocky headland. The main structure is the Temple of Athena Lindia (4th century BC) with a surviving Doric colonnade visible from the sea. The monumental Propylaia staircase leads up through medieval fortifications added by the Knights Hospitaller in the 14th century.

Entry: approximately €12 as of 2026
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, typically 8am to 8pm in summer (verify before visiting — hours reduce off-season)
Reaching the top: steps from the village (15–20 minutes, steep, exposed); or donkey ride (approximately €5 up, operates from the bottom of the path)
Views: the summit view takes in the village of Lindos below, the circular St Paul’s Bay where Paul is said to have sheltered, and the sea stretching toward Turkey

Allow minimum 1.5 hours for the acropolis alone. Arrive before 10am in July–August to beat the main tour groups.

Lindos Village

The village of Lindos below the acropolis is a well-preserved example of Dodecanese medieval architecture — whitewashed cubic houses, carved stone doorways marking the captain’s houses of wealthy ship merchants, and the Byzantine Church of the Panagia with its pebble-mosaic courtyard.

Important: do not drive into Lindos village. Park in the designated car parks outside (pay and display; approximately €3–5 for a half-day as of 2026) and walk in — about 10 minutes to the main square.

The main street has the expected tourist shops, but the lanes behind them are quieter and more atmospheric. The views from any of the houses converted to restaurants with rooftop terraces are exceptional.

Getting to Lindos

Bus: KTEL East from East Side Bus Station (Mandraki), approximately €5 each way, 1 hour, approximately hourly in summer. Last bus back to Rhodes Town typically in early evening — confirm timetable before leaving
Taxi: approximately €40–55 one way; arrange return transport before dismissing your taxi if you want a guaranteed ride back
Hire car: 50km, approximately 50 minutes on the east coast road. Easiest for families or groups visiting multiple sites in one day

Guided Lindos day trips including transport from Rhodes Town and a guide are available through operators in Mandraki Harbour — expect to pay approximately €25–40 per person as of 2026, including transport but usually not entry fees.

Valley of Butterflies (Petaloudes)

The Valley of Butterflies is approximately 25km south-west of Rhodes Town, inland from Theologos village. Despite the name, the congregating insects are Jersey tiger moths (Panaxia quadripunctaria) — spectacularly marked black-and-red creatures that gather in their thousands from late June through August to shelter from the summer heat in this cool, damp forested gorge.

In season, every tree, rock, and surface is covered with moths. It is a genuine spectacle unlike anything else on the island.

Entry: approximately €5 as of 2026 (higher in peak moth season, lower or free off-season)
Trail: approximately 1.5km waymarked walk through the gorge; easy gradient
Critical note: making loud noises or clapping to disturb the moths is prohibited and carries a fine. Clapping exhausts the moths’ limited energy reserves and has been confirmed to increase mortality. Visit quietly
Best time: morning visits see the most active display; moths are least active in midday heat when they cluster most densely

Getting there: West Side Bus Station in Rhodes Town — check current service to Petaloudes (frequency varies seasonally). By hire car or ATV: take the road toward Soroni and follow signs inland. Taxi from Rhodes Town costs approximately €20–25 one way.

Guided tours from Rhodes Town typically combine the Valley of Butterflies with a stop at Filerimos hill (Byzantine monastery, views) and sometimes the ancient site of Ialyssos in a half-day itinerary.

Ancient Kamiros

Ancient Kamiros is on the north-western coast, approximately 35km south-west of Rhodes Town. Of the three ancient city-states of Rhodes (Kamiros, Ialyssos, Lindos), Kamiros is the most intact as a complete town plan — streets, cisterns, houses, and a hilltop sanctuary all visible and unexcavated by modern reconstruction.

The site is less visited than Lindos (no dramatic clifftop position, no village) but offers a more authentic archaeological experience: you walk through the actual street pattern of a working Hellenistic city.

Entry: approximately €6 as of 2026
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, typically 8am to 7pm (verify current hours)
Setting: clifftop location with sea views toward Turkey; an isolated and genuinely peaceful site

Getting there: West Side Bus Station in Rhodes Town runs occasional services toward Kamiros; frequency is low — check the current timetable. By hire car: 35km, approximately 40 minutes. Taxi from Rhodes Town approximately €25–35 one way.

Combining Kamiros with the Valley of Butterflies and Filerimos in a western coast circuit day makes efficient use of a hire car.

Symi Island

Symi is a small island 50–60 minutes by fast catamaran from Mandraki Harbour in Rhodes Town. The main sight is the harbour approach — neoclassical houses in shades of ochre, terracotta, and cream stacked steeply up the hillside above Gialos harbour, one of the most visually striking arrivals in the Dodecanese.

Day-trip boats from Mandraki allow approximately 4–5 hours on the island. In that time you can:

Walk around Gialos harbour and eat fresh fish at the waterfront tavernas
Climb the 375 Kali Strata steps to the upper town (Chorio) for views and traditional houses
Visit Panormitis Monastery at the island’s southern end (most day boats make a stop here)

Operators and prices:

DODEKANISOS SEAWAYS: approximately €25–35 return as of 2026; fast catamaran
Symi Visitor: similar prices, smaller boat, sometimes combined with a swimming stop
Book at Mandraki Harbour or through your hotel

Symi suits visitors who want to see a different island character — quieter, more traditionally preserved, without the beach resort infrastructure of Rhodes.

For the full island guide and transport options, see Rhodes travel guide. For guided day trips to Lindos and island excursions to Symi, see best tours in Rhodes.

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Day Trips from Rhodes: Lindos, Butterflies, and Ancient