Rhodes Ferries

Rhodes is the largest of the Dodecanese islands and one of the most historically layered places in the whole of Greece. The medieval Old Town, enclosed within walls built by the Knights of St John, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and genuinely one of the most impressive pieces of medieval urban fabric in Europe. But Rhodes is also a working ferry hub, and for travellers moving around the eastern Aegean it is an essential stop.

All ferries use the commercial port at Rhodes Town, which sits right beside the Old Town and is easy to reach from any part of the island. The overnight ferry from Piraeus typically takes 12 to 16 hours depending on how many stops are made along the way, passing through Patmos, Leros, Kalymnos, and Kos on the standard Blue Star route. If you fly into Rhodes and then want to island hop, Dodekanisos Seaways and ANES run fast catamaran services northward to Kos, Kalymnos, Leros, and Patmos, and southward to Symi and Karpathos.

The fast ferry to Kos takes around two hours; to Symi it is under an hour. Karpathos and Kasos are served less frequently, typically three or four times a week by conventional ferry, so check schedules carefully if those are on your itinerary. The port also sees occasional calls from international cruise ships, which means the town around the port can be very busy when multiple ships are in at the same time.

Peak season on Rhodes runs from late June through to early September, when the ferry schedules are at their fullest. In the shoulder months of May, June, and September, both the island and the ferry connections are more manageable and prices are lower. Rhodes operates year-round flights from Athens, so reaching the island outside of ferry season is straightforward.