Flights and Ferries

There are daily boats from Pireaus that generally leave between the hours of 1pm and 6pm. If you are going economy chances are you can get a ticket at the boat but it is best to book in advance so there is no chance of being left behind. If you want a cabin, which is recommended since it is about a 17 hour trip, then do it through your travel agent. The ferry makes stops at Patmos, Kalymnos, Leros and Kos too or various combinations of these islands. There are infrequent connections to Santorini, Mykonos, Crete and some other islands but not every day. The most popular boat is the Blue Star which takes about 13 to 15 hours they say. In past seasons there has been a once a week ferry to Samos, Chios, Lesvos, Limnos and Thessaloniki. If you are just interested in getting ferry tickets to Rhodes read the article on ferries at www.greecetravel.com/tickets and you can book tickets with Ferryhopper.com and pick them up at the port when it is time to go.

There are ferries and excursions boats that go to the nearby islands of Simi, Kastelorizo, Kos, Kalymnos, Patmos, Tilos and Leros and these are usually highspeeds. You can do daytrips to the closer islands or overnight trips or even bounce your way back to Pireaus if the schedules work in your favor. These boats leave from Mandraki harbor and you can go there and get schedules or arrange trips through one of the local travel agents or check Ferryhopper.com. There are also cruises to Lindos (highspeed or slow boat, take your pick) and other places around the island.

There are several daily flights from Athens and three flights a week from Santorini (maybe). Most people fly to Rhodes rather than lose a day (a night actually) on the ferry. In the summer it is tough to get on the flight you want and you may have to settle for the flight that has availability. You can book flights to Rhodes through the travel agent that books your hotels or through Dolphin Hellas Ticketing at www.greecetravel.com/tickets

The town of Marmaris, Turkey is about an hour's journey from Rhodes and there are daily boats. You can get information in the port or through one of the island ticket agencies. There will probably be brochures on trips to Turkey in your hotel lobby. A hydrofoil runs between Fethiye and Rhodes in July and August daily, except Saturday. The trip takes 1.5 hours. Another hydrofoil leaves Mondays and Fridays from Bodrum to Rhodes from June to September and takes 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Rhodes is featured on the itinerary of many cruises originating in Greece and some from other countries as well. The ships generally arrive in the morning and leave in the evening, giving the passengers an entire day to see the city and even take a taxi out to Lindos or the Valley of the Butterflies. Though the cruise companies provide excursions, these can be slow going because of the number of people and I recommend getting a couple friends together and doing a private taxi tour with Nick Axarlis and his brother Michalis the popular taxi drivers of Rhodes

For information on cruises see www.greecetravel.com/cruise and also Fantasy Travel's Cruise Page where you can see all the Greek cruise itineraries.

The best way to visit Rhodes is by working with a travel agency who can get good rates at hotels while working with you to choose the hotel that suits your personality, budget or other situation. They can also arrange your flights and ferries so that you can make the most of your time instead of you trying to book everything on your own and hoping for the best. Our trip was handled by Fantasy Travel and I highly recommend them. They have programs to Rhodes in combination with other islands or on it's own or you can work with them on your own itinerary. For transportation and accommodation see Fantasy Travel at www.fantasytravelofgreece.com

If you want to visit Rhodes along with other islands and/or the mainland you can see what is possible and get rates at www.greecetravel.com/create-an-itinerary

If you arrive from abroad and you need to get to Pireaus to catch the ferry to Rhodes I recommend George the Famous Taxi Driver. Plus if you have some time to spare, as some of you will, you can do a little tour of the city. For your return to Athens from Rhodes I also recommend using him to get to your hotel or the airport.

For transfers from the airport or the port to and from hotels or anywhere on the island of Rhodes see www.greecetravel.com/rhodes/privatetours

Use Ferryhopper to find all direct and indirect ferry routes for the islands of Greece, Spain, Italy & Turkey, compare ferry companies & prices, and book cheap ferry tickets with no hidden fees in one go!