The best time to visit Rhodes
The date in Rhodes doesn't just change the temperature — it also decides whether the Valley of the Butterflies is even open, and how full the ferry to Symi gets.
- Best
- May–Jun · Sep–Oct
- Hottest
- July–August, averaging over 29°C
- Valley of the Butterflies
- none (but shut Nov–Mar)
Rhodes is open all year, but not everything on it is: none (but shut Nov–Mar), and the ferry to Symi sails less often outside summer. May–Jun · Sep–Oct keeps the same coast and the same old town with less heat and fewer people on the Lindos acropolis.
Month by month
Average of daily means, 2021–2024 — not the daily maximum
July and August bring crowds to the acropolis, not just heat
Over 29°C is an average of day and night together — on bare rock in Lindos, with no shade, it feels hotter. It's also when the ferry to Symi runs at its busiest and the queue for the Palace is longest; a Lindos slot and a place on the Symi ferry are both worth booking ahead in these months.
The Valley of the Butterflies keeps its own calendar
none (but shut Nov–Mar). The window when entry runs €6 (22 Jun–30 Sep) overlaps with the months the moths gather most thickly on the tree trunks — outside it the valley is closed, not just quieter.
What stays open whatever the month
The Street of the Knights, Mandraki, the Acropolis of Rhodes on Monte Smith hill and both coasts have no season — they're open every day of the year. The only difference is the crowds and the water temperature, not whether you can get in at all.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
Is the Valley of the Butterflies open in winter?
No. none (but shut Nov–Mar) — outside that period the entrance is closed, no exceptions.
Does Lindos need to be booked in advance?
Yes, all year round — the 2025 reform introduced a timed entry slot for the acropolis, not just in July and August.
When is the Symi ferry busiest?
In summer — it runs all year, but with more sailings and more passengers from June to September.
Ready for Rhodes?
Where to next
Getting around Rhodes
→Two companies split the island like two city lines that never cross — know which runs where, and you rarely…
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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