Rhodes Shore Excursion

A Rhodes shore excursion is a tour for cruise passengers that starts at the port of Rhodes town, beside the walls of the medieval Old Town, and covers the Old Town, the acropolis of Lindos or a sailing trip to the east coast bays before the ship sails. Tours across the rest of the country are listed on Greece Tours.

The sections below cover the formats, the start at the cruise port, the Old Town, Lindos, Filerimos, Kallithea and the Seven Springs, excursions by sea, private and shared tours, what is included and booking, with links into the Rhodes pages. The excursions shown are checked on GetYourGuide and Viator.

What is a Rhodes shore excursion?

A Rhodes shore excursion is a guided tour, private drive or boat trip sold to cruise passengers for the hours their ship stays at the Central Port of Rhodes town, timed so the group is back on board before the ship sails.

The product exists because the cruise berth lies beside the walled Medieval City of Rhodes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Passengers reach the Old Town on foot in minutes, yet Lindos lies about 40 km south and Ancient Kamiros sits on the west coast. A Rhodes shore excursion closes that gap: the operator supplies the vehicle or the boat, the guide and the timetable, and plans the route back from the all-aboard time.

Each Rhodes shore excursion belongs to one of three groups. Land tours drive out to Lindos, the Seven Springs, Kallithea or Kamiros. Town tours stay inside the walls, on foot or by eco vehicle. Sea tours sail from the harbour to the island’s bays. The choice rests on the hours in port and the size of the party. Air visitors pick from the wider list of things to do in Rhodes.

The clock separates a Rhodes shore excursion from an ordinary island day tour. A shore product starts at the port, keeps each stop to a fixed length and ends back at the quay. The Lindos and Seven Springs guided tour, for comparison, runs 7.5 hours with pickup and is sold as a general island tour, not a cruise product. Two Viator titles state the cruise focus outright: a 7-hour Rhodes tour designed especially for cruise passengers, and a Rhodes, Lindos and Medieval City guided tour from the cruise port.

Which Rhodes shore excursion formats can you book?

The Rhodes shore excursion listings fall into six formats: guided land tours for cruise passengers, private tours of half a day or a full day, a private minivan tour, a 9-hour island highlights tour, a semi-private sailing cruise and short town formats.

• Guided land tours: the Rhodes, Lindos and Medieval City tour from the cruise port, the 7-hour tour designed for cruise passengers and the deluxe tour for cruise passengers and air visitors.
• Private tours: a half-day Lindos and Rhodes highlights excursion, a first-impression tour for cruise ship visitors and a full-day island tour, each for up to 4 people, plus a full-day private shore tour from the cruise port.
• Private minivan tour: a Rhodes and Lindos shore excursion driven by minivan.
• Island highlights tour: 9 hours with Kallithea Springs, Ancient Kamiros and photo stops at Lindos and Monolithos.
• Semi-private sailing cruise: a yacht trip to the island’s iconic bays, billed in its title as a shore-excursion top choice.
• Town formats: a 1-hour Old Town tour by eco vehicle and a 1-day hop-on hop-off bus ticket.

A Rhodes shore excursion on a short call leans on the town formats. The eco vehicle tour lasts 1 hour, runs as a private group and follows the walls, crosses the moats and threads the narrow streets of the Old Town. The hop-on hop-off bus links the ancient city with the modern centre, and its listing says the route reaches the main sites in 1 hour. Both formats carry a wheelchair-accessible label.

A long call opens up the land formats. The guided tour from the cruise port pairs Lindos with the Medieval City, and the 9-hour island highlights tour reaches furthest, west to Ancient Kamiros, with a photo stop at Monolithos. A private Rhodes shore excursion of half a day packs Lindos and the town highlights into one morning or afternoon for a party of up to 4, while the full-day private versions use the whole call.

How does a Rhodes shore excursion start at the cruise port?

A Rhodes shore excursion starts at the Central Port of Rhodes town, the harbour for cruise ships, yachts and scheduled services to Turkey. The walled Old Town stands a 5-minute stroll from the ship, and tours sold from the cruise port begin right there.

Rhodes town has three main ports side by side. Kolona, north of the Central Port, serves ferries within the Dodecanese and yachts of all sizes. Akandia, to the south, takes domestic and cargo traffic and has a passenger terminal with a café and waiting lounges. Mandraki harbour, the oldest port on the island, is where day boats leave for Symi and run down the east coast to Lindos. Passengers on a sea-based Rhodes shore excursion confirm which quay the boat uses before leaving the ship.

The walk from the gangway to the walls is short, so an Old Town Rhodes shore excursion starts on foot. The Marine Gate, also called the Sea Gate, was the main entrance to the town from the harbour. The medieval wall runs 4 km and has 11 gates. A 10-minute walk along the harbour front reaches Rimini Square, the stop for city buses and taxis.

Meeting points follow the format. Viator products titled “from cruise port” start at the port, and GetYourGuide lists pickup for the island highlights tour, the Lindos and Seven Springs tour and the Old Town eco vehicle tour. The hop-on hop-off bus sells a 1-day ticket, so passengers ride at their own pace. Every Rhodes shore excursion has to end before the all-aboard time the ship sets. Passengers who skip a tour and want a car with driver instead use Rhodes port transfers.

What does a Rhodes shore excursion show in the Old Town?

The Old Town leg of a Rhodes shore excursion covers the knights’ upper quarter: in through a harbour gate, up the Street of the Knights to the Palace of the Grand Master, then down into the Ottoman lower town and its old bazaar.

The walled quarter is the Medieval City of Rhodes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site inside a wall about 4 km long with 11 gates. It splits into two zones: the Collachium to the north, seat of the Knights Hospitaller, and the lower town to the south. A Rhodes shore excursion starts in the Collachium because it faces the harbour. The history of both zones sits on the Rhodes Old Town page.

• Marine Gate: the old main entrance from the harbour into the walled town.
• Street of the Knights: the cobbled lane lined with the residences of the order’s national “tongues”.
• Palace of the Grand Master: the Gothic castle at the top of the street, rebuilt in the Italian period.
• Hospital of the Knights: the home of the Archaeological Museum of Rhodes, reached by the Arnaldo Gate.
• Mosque of Suleiman: the Ottoman mosque at the heart of the old bazaar in the lower town.

The GetYourGuide Old Town Highlights Guided Tour by Eco Vehicle covers the circuit in 1 hour: the guide drives along the walls, over the moats and through the narrow streets. It runs for a private group, offers pickup and is wheelchair accessible, so this Rhodes shore excursion spares passengers the cobbles. The Viator tour titled Rhodes, Lindos and Medieval City Guided Tour from Cruise Port joins the same quarter to Lindos in one port call.

How does a Rhodes shore excursion reach Lindos and its acropolis?

A Rhodes shore excursion reaches Lindos by coach or car on the Rhodes-Lindos avenue, 47 km and roughly one hour each way, then climbs on foot through the village and about 250 steps to the acropolis on its 116 m rock.

Lindos sits on the east coast, about 40 km south of Rhodes town; by road the distance is about 47 km. From the village square, the climb takes 15 to 30 minutes: narrow lanes first, then about 250 steps. Donkeys carry visitors over part of the climb, at the rider’s own expense. Lindos records the warmest annual average temperature in Greece, 22 °C, so the climb runs hot in summer; carry water and a hat.

On the rock, the Lindos acropolis visit covers the relief of a Rhodian trireme cut into the rock at the foot of the steps, the stoa of 42 columns, the propylaea and the Doric temple of Athena Lindia at the summit. A round trip from the square, with time among the ruins, takes 45 to 90 minutes, and that block shapes the timing of any Rhodes shore excursion that includes the climb.

The listings handle Lindos in two ways. The 7.5-hour GetYourGuide Lindos and Seven Springs guided bus tour includes a visit to the acropolis. The 9-hour Guided Tour to the Island’s Highlights stops at Lindos for photos only, with no climb. On the private side, the Viator Lindos and Rhodes Highlights: Private Half-Day Shore Excursion pairs Lindos with the sights of Rhodes town, a private Rhodes shore excursion built around a half day ashore.

Which Rhodes shore excursion adds Filerimos, Kallithea or the Seven Springs?

A Rhodes shore excursion adds the Seven Springs on the 7.5-hour Lindos bus tour and the Kallithea Springs on the 9-hour island highlights tour; Filerimos, the hill above Ialysos, appears by name on a separate hill tour with the Valley of Butterflies.

The Seven Springs lie in a ravine of plane and pine trees near Archangelos, and the GetYourGuide listing names a walk inside a 186 m tunnel. Water from the Loutanis river flows through that tunnel into a lake 1 to 8 m deep and about 200 m long, held back by a dam the Italians built to supply Kolymbia. On this Rhodes shore excursion the stop shares the 7.5-hour day with the Lindos climb, with pickup available.

The Kallithea Springs stop on the 9-hour island highlights tour, about 10 km south of Rhodes town, shows the Italian-era spa designed by Pietro Lombardi: an Art Deco entrance with 2 columns inscribed REALI TERME CALITEA and a rotunda 14 m across over the spring. The same day explores Ancient Kamiros and stops at Monolithos for photos. A Viator title, Full Day Tour of Rhodes, Lindos, 7 Springs and Kallithea Springs, strings both springs and Lindos into one full day.

Filerimos is a hill 267 m high above Ialysos, a town 8 km west of Rhodes town. Its top holds the acropolis of ancient Ialysos with a temple of Athena Polias, the monastery of Our Lady of Filerimos, and a Way of the Cross with 14 stations leading to a large cross. Of the listings checked, Filerimos appears by name only in the Viator title Filerimos Hill & Valley of Butterflies, not in a Rhodes shore excursion built for cruise passengers.

Which Rhodes shore excursion goes by sea?

The sea-going Rhodes shore excursion is the Semi-Private Sailing Cruise to Iconic Bays, listed as a shore-excursion top choice; an all-inclusive swimming cruise names its three stops: Anthony Quinn Bay, the Traganou caves and Kallithea, all on the east coast.

Anthony Quinn Bay lies 4.3 km south of Faliraki. It takes its name from the actor, who bought the land while filming The Guns of Navarone on Rhodes. Kallithea, the third named stop, is the bay of the thermal spa from the land tour. A Rhodes shore excursion by boat trades monuments for swim stops and keeps the whole day on the east coast.

The semi-private sailing format shares the yacht with other guests. The Viator Private Sailing Tour in Rhodes keeps the boat for one party. Sea titles state their own length: the Sun & Sea All Inclusive 3 Hour Swimming Cruise runs 3 hours with pickup, and Catamaran Cruises Rhodes runs a 6-hour day cruise. Match those hours to the ship’s all-aboard time before booking any Rhodes shore excursion at sea.

How does a private Rhodes shore excursion differ from a shared one?

A private Rhodes shore excursion carries one party in its own vehicle, while a shared Rhodes shore excursion sells single seats to separate travellers on one timetable. Group size, the vehicle and the pace at each stop are where the two formats part ways.

Each private Rhodes shore excursion prints its group size in the title. The private half-day shore excursion to Lindos and the Rhodes highlights takes up to 4 people, and the full-day private island tour is sold for 4 people too. The first-impression private tour for cruise ship visitors keeps the same limit of 4. The private Rhodes and Lindos shore excursion by minivan holds the party in one minivan for both the town and Lindos.

A shared Rhodes shore excursion sells seats per person. The Lindos and Seven Springs guided bus tour and the island highlights guided tour both work this way, and both offer pickup. The guide sets one departure time at each stop for the whole group, so every passenger leaves a site at the same moment.

Two formats sit between the poles. The semi-private sailing cruise to the bays shares one boat between more than one party. In the Old Town, the eco vehicle highlights tour runs as a private group, and the same lanes on foot make up the Rhodes Old Town walking tour. The loosest shared option is the hop-on hop-off bus on the Rhodes bus tour page, with an optional audio guide and a free choice of where to step off.

How long does a Rhodes shore excursion last, and what is included?

A Rhodes shore excursion lasts from 1 hour in the Old Town to 9 hours around the island. Guided listings include the guide, the vehicle and pickup; entry tickets to Lindos and Kamiros are a line to check on each listing.

Return to the ship rests on timing. Three Viator products name the cruise passengers they serve: the Rhodes, Lindos and medieval city guided tour runs from the cruise port, the 7-hour tour is designed for cruise passengers, and the deluxe tour is designed for cruise passengers and air visitors. Before booking any Rhodes shore excursion, compare its end time with the all-aboard time on the ship’s daily programme. The length of each Rhodes shore excursion decides which ship calls it fits, and the listings state these durations:

• Old Town highlights by eco vehicle: 1 hour, private, for up to 3 people.
• Hop-on hop-off bus: a 1-day ticket, with a full city loop of 1 hour.
• Rhodes tour for cruise passengers: 7 hours, as its title states.
• Lindos and Seven Springs guided bus tour: 7.5 hours, with pickup.
• Island highlights guided tour: 9 hours, with pickup and a local guide.

Inclusions differ by format. The hop-on hop-off ticket carries a skip-the-line label and an optional audio guide. The Lindos and Seven Springs tour includes a walk through the 186-metre tunnel at the Seven Springs and a visit to the acropolis of Lindos. On the island highlights tour, Lindos is a photo stop rather than a site visit, so a passenger who wants the acropolis itself picks the Lindos and Seven Springs Rhodes shore excursion instead.

How do you book and cancel a Rhodes shore excursion?

You book a Rhodes shore excursion online on its GetYourGuide or Viator listing, choosing the date of the ship’s call and the number of travellers. Each Rhodes shore excursion listed carries free cancellation, and GetYourGuide shows a booking cut-off per tour.

Booking runs through the date picker on the listing. The traveller selects the day of the call, enters the party by age band and checks availability. The shared tours are priced per person, while the eco vehicle tour is booked per group. On the private Viator tours, the party size in the title sets the limit for one booking. The booking cut-off for each Rhodes shore excursion on GetYourGuide reads as follows:

• Island highlights guided tour: book at least 10 hours ahead.
• Old Town eco vehicle tour: book at least 10 hours ahead.
• Lindos and Seven Springs guided bus tour: book at least 90 minutes ahead.
• Hop-on hop-off bus: no cut-off shown, with a ticket valid for 1 day.

Cancellation follows the policy printed on each listing. All four GetYourGuide tours and all the Viator cruise products show free cancellation, so a change in the ship’s schedule is covered when the traveller cancels inside the stated window. Weather and crowds shift through the year, and the page on when to visit Rhodes covers both for a given call date.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a wheelchair user join a Rhodes shore excursion?

Yes, on three GetYourGuide listings. The island highlights guided tour, the Old Town eco vehicle tour and the hop-on hop-off bus are each marked wheelchair accessible. The Lindos and Seven Springs bus tour carries no such mark. For passengers with limited mobility, Viator lists a private Rhodes shore excursion for seniors with no extensive walking, sold for up to 4 people.

Which languages does a Rhodes shore excursion run in?

The language depends on the listing. The island highlights tour and the Lindos and Seven Springs tour run in English only. The Old Town eco vehicle tour adds Russian and German. The hop-on hop-off bus lists 10 languages: English, Greek, Italian, Spanish, Hebrew, Finnish, French, German, Turkish and Russian. Each listing shows its languages before payment.

Can children join a Rhodes shore excursion?

Children join on their own ticket bands. The island highlights tour and the hop-on hop-off bus count children from 3 to 12 and infants at 2 and younger, with adults from 13. The Lindos and Seven Springs tour sets youth at 3 to 11, children at 2 and younger and adults from 12. A private tour counts every child against its group limit.

Which Rhodes shore excursion reaches the west coast?

The island highlights guided tour is the one that crosses to the west coast. It explores Ancient Kamiros, an ancient city whose site lies on the northwest coast, 3 kilometres west of the village of Kalavarda. The same 9-hour day adds a photo stop at Monolithos and a visit to Kallithea Springs, with a local guide on board throughout.