A Rhodes hop on hop off bus is a sightseeing bus that loops through Rhodes Town. You get off at any stop and board the next bus. This post covers what the ticket includes, the route, the sights and the rules. The homepage lists more Greece Tours like this one.
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What does a Rhodes hop on hop off bus include?
A Rhodes hop on hop off bus runs a sightseeing circuit through Rhodes Town. An audio guide explains the sights on board. Step off wherever you like, explore, then catch a later bus while the ticket is valid. It suits first-time visitors and cruise passengers.
The ticket on a Rhodes hop on hop off bus lets you board and leave again and again. You can stay seated for the full circuit. Or you can step off at a stop, explore on foot, and rejoin the route on a later bus. The choice of stops is yours.
If you plan to cross into Turkey as well, the homepage also lists Turkey tours.
Audio commentary does the talking. It tells the history of the island as the bus passes the sights. You listen to it while you ride in comfort. On the ten-language sightseeing ticket there is no live guide on board. The audio guide takes that role.
A Rhodes hop on hop off bus has an audio guide in Greek, English, Italian, Spanish, French, German and Russian. The ten-language version adds Turkish, Hebrew and Finnish. The nine-language lists on other tickets leave out Finnish. Read the language list on your own ticket before you book.
One sightseeing ticket lists these features on board:
- Headsets with the audio guide
- Free Wi-Fi
- Air-conditioned buses
- Panoramic views from the upper deck
A Rhodes hop on hop off bus suits first-time visitors who want a broad view of the city. Cruise passengers with limited time ride it for the same reason. Families with children are named among the riders too. These riders see the highlights of Rhodes in one outing.
Travellers with mobility issues are named among the riders of the ten-language ticket. The bus covers the distance between the sights, so you walk only at the stops you choose. Access differs from ticket to ticket, so ask the seller about your own needs before you book.
A Rhodes hop on hop off bus is a separate service from the public buses. The public city buses form the town’s regular network, and other lines serve the western suburbs and the eastern coast. A smartphone app shows when a public bus reaches a stop. The sightseeing bus runs its own loop, with its own ticket.
A tour with a local guide works differently. The bus on the ten-language ticket gives a broad overview and carries no live guide. Travellers who want a deep dive into the history, or personal guiding, can find the ride surface-level. In return, the pace and the stops are yours.
A guided island coach tour is another format. One full-day version has a professional English-speaking guide and free hotel pickup. It heads out to villages and a forest, with photo stops on the way. The day runs from nine in the morning to about five in the afternoon.
The bus also comes in a combination ticket. The bus-and-submarine combo pairs a Rhodes hop on hop off bus ticket with a 45-minute semi-submarine cruise. On the cruise, guests spot sea creatures, and the boat suits adults and children of all ages. The bus part of that combo lists audio guides in nine languages.
Where does a Rhodes hop on hop off bus run and which stops does it make?
The loop of a Rhodes hop on hop off bus stays in Rhodes Town. It calls at the Aquarium, the Old Town, the harbour, the New Marina and the acropolis hill. You can board at any stop, and a bus comes every hour.
A Rhodes hop on hop off bus stays mainly inside Rhodes Town, on the north-east tip of the island. The route does not reach out to the outskirts of the island. One ride joins Elli Beach, the city centre, the harbour and the acropolis hill.
The stop order opens at a resort hotel stop. Psaropoula Square comes second, a stop tied to the statue of Diagoras. A second hotel stop on the west beach side follows. The Aquarium at Elli Beach is the fourth stop, and the stops after it lead into the town centre.
Stops five to seven of a Rhodes hop on hop off loop lie in the town centre. The fifth stands by the Town Hall and the government buildings. The sixth serves the city centre and its shops, and the New Market is named at that stop. The seventh is the Old Town.
After the Old Town the loop heads for the water. The eighth stop is the cruise-ship harbour, and the New Marina follows soon after. Rhodes Town has three major ports, each with its own job. Cruise ships call at the central port, which also handles international traffic.
On a Rhodes hop on hop off route the acropolis hill comes last. A stop called San Francisco sits just before it. The last stop is the Acropolis of Rhodes. The same stop is also written as Monte Smith hill.
A bus comes every hour, and the full circuit takes about an hour without getting off. The city tour bus starts its first run at nine in the morning. The last bus is not fixed. Its time changes with the month and with the demand.
The Rhodes hop on hop off timetable is a separate document from the route map. Open it for the last bus of your day. Boarding points include the Aquarium, the Old Town, the cruise-ship harbour and the acropolis.
You can start at any stop, so there is no need to walk to the first one. On the sightseeing bus ticket the meeting point is Eleftherias Square, where you show a phone ticket to the driver. The city tour ticket accepts a mobile or a paper ticket.
A Rhodes hop on hop off ticket works from every official stop on the route. The city tour buses carry the official hop on hop off logo, which helps you spot one at a stop. The driver also sells tickets on board, so you can pay when you get on.
What can you see from a Rhodes hop on hop off bus?
A Rhodes hop on hop off bus passes the walled Old Town and the Palace of the Grand Master. It also reaches Mandraki harbour, the Aquarium and the ruins on Monte Smith. Each one is a place to step off.
A Rhodes hop on hop off ride includes a stop at the walled Old Town. The Knights of St John extended and fortified the Byzantine city in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. UNESCO includes the Old Town in its list of World Heritage Sites. The stop is named for the Old Town and the Palace of the Grand Master.
The medieval city has two parts. The high town lies to the north, and the Hospitaller Knights built all of it. The lower town lies to the south-southwest. A wall with towers, bastions and large gates encloses the city, and a moat lies beside the wall.
A Rhodes hop on hop off stop serves the Palace of the Grand Master. It began as a Byzantine citadel in the late seventh century. The Knights turned the fortress into their administrative centre and the home of their Grand Master. They made major changes in the first quarter of the fourteenth century.
A lightning strike set off a gunpowder store in the nineteenth century. The blast wrecked much of the palace. Upper floors collapsed. Italian builders reconstructed the palace in the twentieth century, and it was then turned into a museum.
The Street of the Knights joins the Palace of the Grand Master to the Archaeological Museum. Each langue, a national group of the Order, kept its own residence along the street. Above doorways, stone coats of arms of the Grand Masters or the langues remain. The Italians restored the street in the twentieth century.
Mandraki is the historic harbour next to the New Town. A Rhodes hop on hop off rider can hop off at Mandraki Port. Two bronze deer rest on stone columns at the harbour entrance. The New Market, built in the Italian period, is another place to hop off.
The Aquarium stands on the northernmost tip of Rhodes. A Rhodes hop on hop off boarding point carries the label Aquarium (Elli Beach). Elli is the city beach, between Mandraki harbour and the Aquarium. Its sea floor is pebbles, and umbrellas, sun beds and canteens line it.
An Italian architect designed the Aquarium in the nineteen-thirties, and shells and seahorses decorate its entrance. The basement is laid out as an underwater cave. Glass tanks hold species from the Aegean Sea only. The ground floor shows the skeleton of a Mediterranean monk seal, about 2,000 years old, found in Rhodes harbour.
Monte Smith is the highest point of the city and gives a panoramic view of Rhodes. The hill was named after the British admiral William Sidney Smith. A Rhodes hop on hop off ride has stops at Monte Smith Hill and the Acropolis of Ancient Rhodes.
The Italians restored the four columns of the Doric temple of Pythian Apollo on the hill. Below the temple lies the ancient stadium, built in the second century BC and restored. Next to it is a small marble odeon with seats for about 800 spectators.
Which tickets, audio languages and rules apply to a Rhodes hop on hop off bus?
A Rhodes hop on hop off ticket covers one day of boarding. The headset carries nine or ten languages, depending on the ticket. Access, child rules and cancellation terms differ between tickets, so read the card for your ticket before you book.
On the sightseeing line, a Rhodes hop on hop off ticket covers one day. You hop on and off at will. Another ticket counts its 24 hours from the first use. Its clock starts at your first ride, not on the day you buy.
The headset language list changes with the ticket. The sightseeing bus ticket carries ten languages, and the city tour bus ticket carries nine. On the combo ticket, the submarine commentary is in English and German.
Present your ticket when you board a Rhodes hop on hop off city tour bus. The sightseeing and city tour tickets give instant confirmation, so the voucher arrives straight after booking. On the sightseeing line, arrive early so boarding is smooth.
Child rules follow the ticket. On the city tour bus an infant travels on an adult’s lap, and a pram or stroller can come aboard. One sightseeing ticket sets a child band for ages 3 to 12 and another band for children under 3.
Wheelchair access depends on the ticket you pick for a Rhodes hop on hop off ride. The city tour bus is wheelchair accessible, and service animals are allowed. One sightseeing ticket asks you to note the wheelchair when you book and offers a free loan. Sellers differ on wheelchairs for the sightseeing line, so ask before you pay.
One city tour bus ticket is for an open-top bus, so sun is part of the ride. The WHO advises limiting time in the midday sun and seeking shade. Plan a hop-off for those hours on your Rhodes hop on hop off day.
The bus runs daily. The seller emails ticket holders when hours or routes change. Early booking pays off in high season and around public holidays and weekends. The availability cards on this page show which dates are open for your Rhodes hop on hop off ticket.
Cancellation terms differ by ticket, so read the free-cancellation window on your card before you pay. On the combo ticket, a late arrival counts as a no-show. A no-show is charged in full, and so is a cancellation after the free window.
The combo ticket adds a semi-submarine cruise from Mandraki Harbour to the one-day bus ticket. The cruise has fixed departure times, so arrive early and ask to be added to the passenger list. Rough seas affect it, so confirm that it is running before you go.
Pack for the walks between stops and for the sun.
- Water for the walks between stops.
- A wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses.
- Sun cream for skin that clothes do not cover.
- Comfortable shoes.
- Your own earphones: the supplied headphones on one sightseeing ticket are single-use.