Athens to Rhodes: Metro Hours, Island Options and Driving on Rhodes

On a late evening in Athens, plans for the islands start over a plate of meze in a Plaka taverna, and sooner or later someone points toward Rhodes. It is the far end of the Aegean for travelers, a long step out into the Dodecanese. The way there leads from the Athens metro to a plane or a boat, and the island you reach has a walled medieval town waiting.

How do you get from Athens to Rhodes?

You get from Athens to Rhodes by crossing the Aegean, by air or by sea, and the first stretch of the trip is always the same: getting out of central Athens. For travelers that means the metro, which carries you from the middle of the city toward the airport on line 3.

Leaving Athens by metro

The Athens Metro is the backbone of a departure day. Trains start early and stop just after midnight, with a later last run on weekend nights on two of the lines. Line 3 is the one that reaches the airport, and the stretch between the airport and Douk.

Plakentias has trains every 30 minutes, so the pace of that section is slower than in the center. A traveler who knows this plans the ride to the airport around the next train, not around the city rhythm.

Buses are the other public option in the city, with one rule that surprises newcomers: passengers cannot use the front door to get on or off. You board and leave through the other doors, and you move toward them early when your stop approaches. The tramway, which returned to Syntagma on 19 November 2020, is another way of crossing the center of town toward the coast.

What waits on Rhodes

It is called the Emerald Island, a nickname that suits its green hills and pine slopes. The ancient story belongs to the harbor, where the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was erected in the 4th century BC.

Nothing of that statue stands today, but the harbor still carries the legend. Visitors walk the harbor and imagine the giant that once stood there. The medieval town behind the harbor is where most first days on the island begin.

Which options are there?

There are two ways to cross, by plane or by boat, and a third choice that comes after you land: whether to drive on the island or to rely on buses, taxis and your own feet. Each shapes the trip differently, and none of them is a mere detail of transport.

By plane

The metro on line 3 is the ride that connects the city to that airport, and its timetable on the airport section is the one to keep in mind, since trains there are spaced further apart. On the Rhodes side you land on an island whose capital and old town are close to the sea, and your holiday begins as soon as you step off.

A plane suits a traveler who wants to spend the days on the island itself, walking the lanes of the Old Town or heading for the beaches. Flight times and fares depend on the airline and the season.

By sea

A boat turns the crossing into part of the journey. The Aegean opens out on both sides, islands rise and fade in the distance, and the trip has the feel of a classic Greek voyage. Travelers who pick the sea tend to enjoy the deck, the snack bar coffee and the slow arrival into the harbor of Rhodes town, with its walls and towers rising above the water.

Ferries operate between Athens and Rhodes, with schedules and prices set by the operators.

Driving once you arrive

Rhodes is large enough that a car opens up the coast and the villages inland. U.S. visitors driving in Greece must carry a valid U.S. driver’s license, and insurance companies may require an international driver’s permit. The U.S. Embassy in Greece does not issue IDPs, so travelers must obtain theirs in the United States from the American Automobile Association (AAA) or the American Automobile Touring Alliance (AATA).

Without a car, the Old Town is a place for walking, and the days can be arranged around the town and its harbor instead.

What should you know before you travel from Athens to Rhodes?

Know that this is a journey in two parts, a city departure and an island arrival, and that each part has its own habits and rules. A little attention to both makes the day smoother and the first evening on Rhodes more relaxed.

Before leaving Athens

Check the metro hours against your departure. The service starts early in the morning and ends shortly after midnight, and on Friday and Saturday nights lines 2 and 3 run later. If you head for the airport by line 3, remember that the airport section has its own slower rhythm. On a bus, you enter and leave by the doors other than the front one, a small rule that saves an awkward moment.

Leave room in the day for the transfer, since the metro is the link between your hotel and the plane or boat, and everything after depends on it. Athens reminds you at every corner that the city is more than a stopover, but a departure day is best kept simple.

Settling into Rhodes

Once on the island, the first walk is usually to the harbor and the medieval town. The streets are made of old stone, and the walls frame a place where shops, cafes and small restaurants sit side by side. Local tavernas serve traditional Greek dishes.

Beyond the town, the island offers hill villages, pine forest and a coastline of many different beaches. Travelers who drive carry the license and the IDP together. Without a car, travelers can explore Rhodes Old Town on foot.

Good to know before you go

Greece uses the euro. Take time on the first day on Rhodes to walk the harbor and the Old Town before deciding what comes next, and let the island set the pace.