Rhodes hop on hop off is an open-top sightseeing bus that loops Rhodes Town past Mandraki harbour, the medieval Old Town and Monte Smith, with audio commentary and a ticket that lets you leave and rejoin the bus at any stop. Tours across the rest of the country are listed on Greece Tours.
The sections below cover the tickets you can book, the start point, the stops, the loop, the bus and submarine combo, cruise calls, who it suits, the months and booking, with links into the Rhodes pages. The tours shown are checked on GetYourGuide and Viator.
What is Rhodes hop on hop off?
Rhodes hop on hop off is a day ticket for a two-deck sightseeing bus in Rhodes Town. The bus follows a fixed loop through the city. You can leave it at any stop and board a later bus on the same ticket.
Two local firms run the buses. Sais Travel & Tourism Agency runs the Red Line with 12 numbered stations. Captains Tours runs a second city bus with 11 stations on a similar line.
Every Rhodes hop on hop off rider gets a headset for recorded commentary. Both firms list air conditioning and an upper deck with open views.
The Rhodes hop on hop off loop stays inside the city. It links the west beach hotels, the Mandraki waterfront, the Old Town walls, the harbours and Monte Smith. For trips beyond town, see the full list of things to do in Rhodes.
Which Rhodes hop on hop off tickets can you book?
Four Rhodes hop on hop off tickets are on sale online. GetYourGuide sells three of them: two bus-only passes and one bus and submarine combo. Viator sells the fourth, a sightseeing bus pass for Rhodes Town with free cancellation.
- Rhodes: Unlimited Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Bus Tour (GetYourGuide): the Sais pass for the ancient city and the modern centre on a one-hour loop.
- Rhodes: Hop-On Hop-Off City Tour Bus (GetYourGuide): the Captains Tours open-top bus, with stops at the Old Town, Mandraki and the Monte Smith acropolis.
- Rhodes: Hop-on Hop-off Bus and Submarine Tour (GetYourGuide): a bus pass plus a trip on a double-decker submarine to watch sea life.
- Rhodes Hop On Hop Off Tour (Viator): a hop-on hop-off sightseeing pass for Rhodes Town, sold with free cancellation.
Each Rhodes hop on hop off listing sets its own age bands. The Sais pass counts ages 13 and over as adults and ages 3 to 12 as children.
The Captains Tours child band runs from age 2 to 12. Infants aged 1 and under form their own band. The combo counts every rider under 18 as a child.
Where does the Rhodes hop on hop off bus start?
The Rhodes hop on hop off bus starts beside Mandraki harbour, at the Aktaion café on Eleftherias Square. Both bus firms name this spot as the meeting point. You can also board at any numbered stop and begin there.
Eleftherias Square, or Freedom Square, sits on the waterfront of Mandraki harbour. It is station 5 on the Sais Red Line map. The New Market, station 6, stands a short walk away.
The Sais printed timetable numbers Rhodes Horizon Hotel as stop 1, on the west beach road. Aktaion riders join Rhodes hop on hop off at station 5, 15 minutes into the loop.
The submarine combo meets at Plotarchou Plessa 2 on Mandraki harbour. Its riders can also board at any of 12 bus stops.
Which stops does the Rhodes hop on hop off route make?
The Sais Red Line of Rhodes hop on hop off makes 12 stops. It starts at Rhodes Horizon Hotel on the west beach. It then passes Mandraki, the Old Town and two harbours, and ends at the Acropolis on Monte Smith.
- Stops 1 to 3: Rhodes Horizon Hotel, Psaropoula Square by the Diagoras statue, and the Grand Hotel.
- Stops 4 and 5: the Aquarium at Elli Beach, and Eleftherias Square by the Town Hall.
- Stops 6 and 7: the New Market in the city centre, and the Old Town at Kolona.
- Stops 8 and 9: the Tourist Harbour for cruise ships, and the Commercial Harbour.
- Stops 10 and 11: the New Marina, and San Francisco by the church of Saint Francis.
- Stop 12: the Acropolis at the Old Stadium on Monte Smith.
The Sais map marks the road from stop 12 back to stop 1 as the Panoramic View. This stretch links Monte Smith with the west coast road and its beach hotels.
The Captains Tours bus uses 11 stations on a similar Rhodes hop on hop off line. Its list starts at Rhodes Horizon in Kato Petres and ends at the Acropolis. It has no Commercial Harbour stop. Its listing warns that roadworks can make the bus skip stations 9 and 10.
How long is the Rhodes hop on hop off loop, and how frequent is the bus?
A full Rhodes hop on hop off loop on the Sais Red Line takes 55 minutes. The first bus leaves Rhodes Horizon Hotel at 08:30 and reaches the Acropolis at 09:25. Each stop then gets one bus per hour until the afternoon.
- Every operating day: hourly departures from stop 1 between 08:30 and 14:30.
- Late spring to October: an extra departure from stop 1 at 15:30.
- June to September: a final departure from stop 1 at 16:30.
- March, April and November: the last run of the day depends on demand.
Plan each Rhodes hop on hop off break around the hourly gap. Step off at the New Market at 09:50. The next Sais bus calls there at 10:50.
Captains Tours lists a Rhodes hop on hop off loop of about one hour. In April and October its buses run from 09:00 to 17:00. The last departure leaves station 1 at 16:00. Public buses and taxis for the rest of the island are covered in getting around Rhodes.
What do you see at the Old Town stop on Rhodes hop on hop off?
The Old Town stop on Rhodes hop on hop off sits by Kolona harbour. Kolona is the middle harbour of Rhodes Town, just outside the medieval walls. A short walk leads from the bus to the gates and the walled streets beyond.
Ticket listings name this stop “Old Town (Kolona)”. Liberty Gate is the busiest way into the walls. It stands close to the seafront and Mandraki harbour. The Sea Gate opens straight onto the harbour front.
The walled Old Town of Rhodes is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Bus listings point riders to the Palace of the Grand Master for its medieval architecture. They also name the Archaeological Museum, with finds from Rhodes and the nearby islands.
A Rhodes hop on hop off ticket lasts a full day. A long walk inside the walls still leaves time to ride on. The next bus picks you up at the same Kolona stop.
What do you see at Monte Smith on Rhodes hop on hop off?
Monte Smith is the hilltop stop on Rhodes hop on hop off, listed as Acropolis on the route. Around it lie the acropolis of ancient Rhodes, the stadium, the theatre and the temple of Apollo. The hilltop also gives panoramic views.
Listings add “temple of Apollo” or “Old Stadium” in brackets after the stop name. Both point to the same site on the hill, which rises to 110 m. The hill is also called Agios Stefanos, or St Stephen’s hill.
The name comes from Sidney Smith, a British admiral. He used the hill as a lookout to watch French ships. Today the bus stop puts riders right beside the ancient ruins.
The acropolis of Rhodes spreads across the top of the hill. On a Rhodes hop on hop off day, these are the sights around the stop:
- The ancient stadium, just south of the summit
- The ancient theatre, beside the stadium
- The Doric temple of Pythian Apollo
- Remains of a temple of Athena and Zeus, higher up
- Views towards the resorts of Ixia and Ialysos
Which other stops are worth a hop off on Rhodes hop on hop off?
Rhodes hop on hop off has four other main hop-offs. They are the aquarium at Elli beach, Mandraki harbour, the New Market and Eleftherias Square. Rodini park lies off the route, 3 km from the town centre on the road to Lindos.
These stops sit in the modern town, outside the medieval walls. All of them appear on the 12-stop list of the city route. Each gives a clear reason to step off the bus:
- The Rhodes aquarium, with Mediterranean sea life on show
- Elli beach, the town beach beside the aquarium stop
- Eleftherias Square, with the town hall and government buildings
- The New Market, the commercial centre for shopping
- Psaropoula Square, the stop by the statue of Diagoras
- The New Marina, the newer harbour for boats
Mandraki harbour sits on the seafront near Liberty Gate. The city tour listing names it among its sights. Two more stops serve guests at the Rhodes Horizon Hotel and the Mitsis Grand Hotel.
Rodini park is not one of the 12 named stops. It is a green, quiet park with a stream and water lilies. A Rhodes hop on hop off rider reaches it by taxi or on foot.
What does the Rhodes hop on hop off bus and submarine combo include?
The Rhodes hop on hop off bus and submarine combo adds a semi-submarine cruise to the bus ticket. The bus tells the story of Rhodes City and the Old Town. Then a double-decker submarine shows sea life below and the city from the water.
The submarine leaves from Mandraki harbour. The boat itself stays on the surface. Its lower hull, the underwater viewing room, sits 2.5 m below the waterline. Large windows there give a 360° view of the Aegean, while the upper deck shows the city.
Listings for this Rhodes hop on hop off combo name these parts. The Rhodes submarine cruise page covers the boat trip on its own, without the bus.
- A one-day hop-on hop-off bus ticket
- Bus audio commentary in 9 languages
- A 45-minute cruise on the semi-submarine
- Underwater photos taken on board
- A bar on board, with drinks not included
What is included with a Rhodes hop on hop off ticket?
A Rhodes hop on hop off ticket includes unlimited rides for one day and recorded audio commentary. A headset and free Wi-Fi on the bus come with it. Entry to museums and ancient sites does not appear on the inclusion lists.
The GetYourGuide city tour lists an open-top bus, unlimited stops and audio commentary. The unlimited-ride ticket covers the whole city loop.
One operator runs its audio in 10 languages. These are Greek, English, Italian, Spanish, French, German, Russian, Turkish, Finnish and Hebrew. A second operator lists 9 languages, without Finnish.
Listings give the Rhodes hop on hop off ticket a validity of one day, or 24 hours. A phone works as the ticket, since the listings accept a mobile voucher.
- Unlimited hop-on hop-off rides for one day
- Audio commentary in 9 or 10 languages
- A headset for the audio guide
- Free Wi-Fi on the bus
How do cruise passengers use Rhodes hop on hop off?
Cruise passengers board Rhodes hop on hop off at the Tourist Harbour stop. The 12-stop timetable marks it for cruise ships. Ships tie up at a quay beside the Old Town walls, with no tender boat.
The 12-stop Rhodes hop on hop off bus calls at Tourist Harbour at seven minutes past the hour. From the ship, the Old Town lies 300 to 600 metres away. That walk takes 5 to 10 minutes on flat ground.
A cruise call in Rhodes lasts about 6 to 8 hours. Monte Smith lies too far from the port to walk, so the bus covers that leg. For a guided day ashore, see the Rhodes shore excursion options. For a private car, book one of the Rhodes port transfers.
Who suits Rhodes hop on hop off?
Rhodes hop on hop off suits families, older travellers and wheelchair users. The GetYourGuide and Viator listings both mark the tour as wheelchair accessible. Viator adds that small children can ride in a pram or stroller.
- Wheelchair users: Viator states that all areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible.
- Infants: Viator seats infants on an adult’s lap.
- Older travellers: the bus gives a town overview without much walking.
The 12-stop listing describes the ride as family-friendly. Families who ride Rhodes hop on hop off in the morning keep the afternoon free for the beach.
For more family days out, see the Rhodes with kids page. Travellers who tire easily can stay seated for the whole loop and pick one stop.
Which months and hours suit Rhodes hop on hop off?
Rhodes hop on hop off runs its longest days from June to September, when the extra afternoon loops run. Spring and autumn give cooler rides on the upper deck. Heat peaks in July and August, with highs above 31°C.
Average daytime highs reach 31.5°C in July and 31.3°C in August. The open top deck has no roof, so the midday sun beats down on riders. Take the first runs of the day, and carry a hat and sunscreen.
How does Rhodes hop on hop off compare with a walking tour, a Segway tour or the island bus tours?
Rhodes hop on hop off is a self-paced ride around Rhodes Town with recorded commentary. A walking tour goes inside the Old Town walls on foot. A Segway tour rolls on two wheels. Island bus tours leave town for Lindos.
- Rhodes hop on hop off: a bus loop with stops on demand.
- Walking tour: the Old Town walking tour enters lanes closed to buses.
- Segway tour: the Rhodes Segway tour rides on a two-wheeled electric scooter.
- Island bus tours: the Rhodes bus tours run to Lindos and the Seven Springs.
A morning on Rhodes hop on hop off pairs well with an afternoon walking tour. The bus covers the modern centre and Monte Smith. The walk covers the medieval lanes.
How do you book and cancel Rhodes hop on hop off?
Book Rhodes hop on hop off online through GetYourGuide or Viator. The 12-stop bus also sells tickets from the driver on board. All three GetYourGuide listings carry free cancellation. Viator gives a full refund up to 24 hours before departure.
Viator accepts a mobile or a paper ticket for Rhodes hop on hop off. On GetYourGuide, the voucher opens on a smartphone, and a printed copy works too.
Both GetYourGuide city loops list infants as their own ticket type, so add babies at checkout.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you eat or drink on the Rhodes hop on hop off bus?
No. The 12-stop listing bans food and drinks on the buses. Smoking is not allowed on board either. Food and drinks are not part of the ticket. Eat during a stop in town, then catch a later bus with the same ticket.
Is Rhodes hop on hop off the same as the public bus?
No. The hop-on hop-off bus is a sightseeing service with commentary. Public buses leave from the main bus station near Mandraki. That station lies about a 15-minute walk from the cruise port. Taxis also wait at a stand by the cruise terminal.
What is the weather like for Rhodes hop on hop off in spring and autumn?
April brings an average high of 20.7°C and about 6 rainy days. Late spring warms to 24.9°C with 3 rainy days. October averages 25.9°C with 5 rainy days. These months give a cooler ride on the open top deck than midsummer.
What happens when two or more cruise ships dock on the same day?
The Old Town gets crowded when two or more ships are in port. Its streets are busiest at peak hours. Allow extra time to get back to the quay. Getting out through the Old Town gates takes longer than planned.
How much time does the Old Town take after you hop off?
Allow 1.5 to 2.5 hours to walk the Old Town at a relaxed pace. On a Rhodes hop on hop off day, that leaves room for one or two more stops. Note the time of the next bus at the Old Town stop before you walk in.