Getting around Rhodes
Two companies split the island like two city lines that never cross — know which runs where, and you rarely wait at the wrong stop.
- From the airport
- bus (RODA/KTEL) to centre, 35–45 min
- RODA
- Town
- KTEL Rodou
- The east coast
The entry point is Diagoras airport (RHO), 14 km, from where bus (RODA/KTEL) to centre into the centre takes 35–45 min. From there on, the island is split between two separate companies: RODA covers town, the west coast and the airport, KTEL Rodou the east coast and Lindos. Neither runs into the other's territory, and none — every ride is bought on its own.
From the airport into the centre
The entry point is Diagoras airport (RHO), 14 km. bus (RODA/KTEL) to centre takes 35–45 min into the centre — the same route is run by RODA, the company covering the western half of the island, since the airport sits on that side.
RODA — the west and the town
RODA covers town, the west coast (Ixia, Ialysos), the airport, Kameiros and the Valley of the Butterflies. Lines start in town and return to town — changing from one RODA line to another goes back through the same starting stop, not directly between two western towns.
KTEL Rodou — east, Lindos and the south
KTEL Rodou covers the east coast, Lindos and the south of the island down to Prasonisi. This is a separate company with its own stop and its own timetable — a RODA ticket doesn't work on its lines, and the other way round.
No day ticket
none — neither RODA nor KTEL Rodou sells a ticket for a whole day or several days. Every ride is its own one-way ticket, with both companies.
The old town — on foot, not by car
Cars don't enter the old town's walls, except residents and deliveries — a taxi or a bus stops at the Eleftherias or D'Amboise gate, and from there it's all on foot, over the cobbles.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
Do RODA and KTEL Rodou share a ticket?
No — they're two separate companies, each with its own ticket and its own stop; one company's ticket doesn't work on the other's buses.
Is there a day bus ticket on Rhodes?
none — every ride is paid for separately, with both companies.
Can a car reach accommodation in the old town?
No — cars don't enter except residents and deliveries; a taxi stops at the gate, the rest is on foot.
Ready for Rhodes?
Where to next
Mistakes everyone makes in Rhodes
→Anyone arriving on Rhodes assuming one bus and one ticket cover everything gets it wrong before setting off…
Santorini · 247 km
→An island that is the rim of a drowned volcanic crater
How well does Rhodes suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
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