Best Tours in Rhodes: Old Town, Lindos & Boat Trips

Rhodes is Greece’s fourth-largest island and its most historically layered — Dorian Greek, Hellenistic, Byzantine, Arab, Crusader, Ottoman, and Italian all left something behind. The Old Town alone is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here’s what’s worth seeing and how to see it properly, with specific operators, prices, and honest assessments of each activity. All prices are approximate as of 2026.

Rhodes Old Town Walking Tour

Rhodes Old Town is one of the largest inhabited medieval towns in Europe. The Knights of St. John fortified and expanded it after capturing the island in 1309, building the Palace of the Grand Master (rebuilt by the Italians in the 1930s), the Street of the Knights lined with national inns, and 4km of walls that took 200 years of Crusader labour to complete.

A guided walking tour covers far more than self-exploration — the history of who the Knights actually were (an international religious military order managing a hospital and a fleet simultaneously), why Suleiman the Magnificent took 6 months to breach the walls in 1522, and where to find the Turkish Quarter’s mosques and hammams that most visitors walk past without noticing.

Rhodes Walking Tours runs a 2.5-hour Old Town tour from EUR 30 per person, departing from the Palace of the Grand Master at 10am and 5pm. Groups of up to 15. The afternoon tour is better in summer — cooler and better light on the medieval stone.

Rhodes Private Tours offers private Old Town walks from EUR 120 for up to 4 people (2 hours), with a licensed guide who can tailor the route to your interests — Byzantine churches and hidden courtyards for those interested in architecture, or the commercial history of the medieval port for those interested in trade.

Explore Rhodes runs a combined Old Town + Byzantine Museum tour from EUR 40 per person. The museum holds a collection of Byzantine icons and ecclesiastical art that gives context to the pre-Crusader history of the island.

Duration: 2–3 hours
Difficulty: Easy — mostly flat cobblestones
What’s included: Guide; entry fees additional (Palace of Grand Master EUR 8)
Best time: Early morning (9–10am) or late afternoon (5pm). Midday in summer is genuinely unpleasant in the walled town.

Lindos Acropolis and Village Tour

Lindos is a whitewashed village 56km south of Rhodes Town built on and around a dramatic acropolis headland. The ancient Greek, Roman, and Byzantine site above the village holds the Doric Temple of Athena Lindia (built in the 4th century BCE on the site of an earlier sanctuary), remains of a Hellenistic stoa, and views over St. Paul’s Bay — where the Apostle Paul is said to have sheltered during a storm on his journey to Rome.

Lindos Day Trip by Bus from Rhodes Town: KTEL buses run from the main bus terminal on Averof Street (EUR 5 return, 1.5 hours each way). This is the budget option — frequent in summer, requires a 2.5-hour wait or a meal in the village between buses.

Lindos Express (private minibus) from Rhodes Town from EUR 15 per person return. Faster (1 hour) and more flexible. Departs from Mandraki Harbour.

Rhodes to Lindos Guided Tour from EUR 35 per person, including transport, guide at the acropolis, and a visit to the archaeological museum. Most tours depart 9am and return around 3pm, giving you 4 hours in Lindos.

Acropolis entry: EUR 12. Donkeys transport visitors up the steep path to the acropolis entrance (EUR 10 each way) — the walk up takes 15 minutes on a reasonable slope and is perfectly manageable for most visitors without the donkey.

Private Day in Lindos: Hiring a taxi from Rhodes Town for the day (8 hours) costs around EUR 80–100. Worth it for families or those who also want to stop at Tsambika Beach (halfway down the coast) and Feraklos Castle.

Duration: Full day (7–8 hours with transport from Rhodes Town)
Difficulty: Moderate — the acropolis path is steep and uneven
What’s included: Transport (on organised tours), guide (on better tours), entry additional
Best season: May–June, September–October. July and August: the village is extremely crowded and the afternoon heat on the unshaded acropolis is intense.

Symi Island Boat Trip

Symi is a small island 45 minutes by ferry from Rhodes and one of the most architecturally distinctive in the Dodecanese. The neoclassical harbour town of Gialos is lined with mansions in ochre, terracotta, and yellow — built by wealthy sponge merchants in the 19th century. The harbour staircase (Kali Strata, 375 steps) leads to the upper village of Chorio, considerably quieter than the harbour.

Day trips from Rhodes allow 4–5 hours on the island before the return ferry.

ANES Ferries runs the Symi–Rhodes route daily (45 minutes, EUR 12 one way). Buy at the Mandraki Harbour ticket offices.

Symi Day Trip Tours from several Rhodes Town operators from EUR 40–55 per person, including the ferry, a guide in Gialos, and a lunch reservation at one of the harbour restaurants. The guided format is worth it in Symi specifically — the sponge diving history and the island’s near-independence during Ottoman rule are good stories that aren’t well-signed.

Monastery of Panormitis at the island’s southern tip is included on some day trips — a large Byzantine monastery famous across the eastern Aegean, with an icon of the Archangel Michael said to be miraculous. Add 1 hour to the day if this is included.

Duration: 8–9 hours (day trip from Rhodes including ferry)
Difficulty: Easy (moderate if you do the Kali Strata)
What’s included: Ferry (on organised tours), guide (on better tours)
Best season: May–September. Symi is quiet in winter and several harbourfront restaurants close.

Rhodes Boat Trips and Beach Excursions

For beach-focused days, several operators run half-day and full-day boat excursions from Mandraki Harbour and Kolymbia to Rhodes’s eastern and southern coastline, which has cleaner water and quieter beaches than the tourist strip along the north.

Captain Kostas Sea Trips runs a 5-hour coastal boat from EUR 35 per person. Route covers Anthony Quinn Bay, Ladiko Bay, and the caves near Faliraki. Snorkelling equipment and lunch on board. Groups of up to 25.

Rhodes Yacht Charter offers a private 4-hour skippered boat from EUR 250 (up to 6 people) for those who want to set their own beach stops. Worth it for a group of 4+.

Marmaris Day Trip (Turkey): Rhodes is 18km from the Turkish coast. Day trips to Marmaris run from Mandraki Harbour from EUR 45 per person (including departure tax and Turkish port tax). You need a valid passport — your Greek tourist visa does not extend to Turkey, but EU citizens can enter Turkey visa-free for up to 90 days.

Duration: 4–8 hours
Difficulty: Easy
Best season: May–October

Booking Tips

Old Town walking tours can often be booked same-day, but book ahead for summer evenings. Lindos day trips should be reserved 2–3 days ahead in July–August. Symi day trips sell out during peak season — book a week ahead. Beach boat excursions are flexible in May and June; reserve 2–3 days ahead in peak summer.