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Car Rental in Rhodes

Rhodes is one of the Greek islands where a car genuinely pays for itself. It's nearly 80km from the medieval Old Town in the north to the kite-surf sandbar at Prasonisi in the south, with Lindos, empty west-coast beaches and a mountain interior of pine forest and wine villages in between - and the buses only really serve the east-coast resort strip. Here's what it costs and how to drive it well.

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By Sophie5 min readPublished
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Lindos bay and the acropolis rock on Rhodes' sheltered east coast under summer sun
Photo: Jebulon · CC0

In Brief

Is it worth renting a car in Rhodes?

Yes - more than on most Greek islands. Rhodes is big, its highlights are spread the full length of the island, and buses thin out fast beyond the east-coast resorts. A car strings Lindos, the Prasonisi sandbar, the Petaloudes valley and the mountain wine villages into easy day loops. Small cars start around $38/day in season and drop well below that off-peak. Just know the Old Town is car-free - you park outside the walls.

Key takeaways

  • From about $38/day in season for a small manual; off-peak runs cheaper.
  • You drive on the right; roads are good and distances are real - plan day loops.
  • The medieval Old Town is a no-drive zone; park outside the walls and walk in.
  • The west coast is the windy side - calm-water swims are on the east.

$38/day

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How much does car rental cost in Rhodes?

Rough daily prices by car type. Rates rise in peak season - book early for the best deal.

Car typePrice / dayGood to know
Small manual$38-55/day in seasonFine for the whole island; off-peak the same car drops to $20-30.
Compact automatic$45-75/dayReserve ahead for summer - the automatic fleet goes first.
Compact SUV$50-85/dayComfort for the mountain interior and the long southern runs.
Mid-size / estate$55-95/dayRoom for families doing full-island days with beach gear.
Off-peak (any small car)$20-35/dayApril-May and October-November cut prices sharply and empty Lindos parking.

Transmission: Manuals are the norm and cheapest; automatics exist in decent numbers but still sell out for July-August, so book ahead.

Driving in Rhodes: what to know

  • The Old Town is a no-drive zone

    Rhodes' medieval Old Town is closed to visitor traffic - its gates, cobbles and alleys are for walking. Park outside the walls at the lots near the Mandraki harbour front or by the gates on the landward side, then enter on foot. Mornings are far easier than midday, especially with cruise ships in.

  • East and west coasts are different islands

    The prevailing summer wind hits the west coast, which means waves, kite surfers and cooler, emptier beaches; the east coast is the sheltered, calm-water side where the resorts sit. Plan swims on the east, plan the windswept scenery and Prasonisi's kite lagoon on the west, and expect crosswind gusts on the exposed west-coast road.

  • Distances are real - plan day loops

    Rhodes Town to Prasonisi is nearly two hours each way, and the mountain roads are slower than the map suggests. Treat the island as three day loops - Lindos and the east coast, the deep south, and the Petaloudes-Embonas interior - rather than trying to see it from one base in one day.

  • Shade the car or burn your hands

    Midsummer Rhodes is one of the hottest corners of Greece, and a car parked in open sun reaches oven temperatures - steering wheels and buckles genuinely burn. Carry a windscreen shade, park nose-away-from-sun or under trees where you can, and crack the windows a finger's width at long stops.

  • Lindos parking fills before the heat does

    Lindos village is pedestrian, and its clifftop lots and roadside spaces fill by mid-morning in summer. Arrive by 9am, park in the marked lots above the village and walk down, or come after 4pm when the coaches leave and the light on the acropolis is better anyway.

  • Mountain roads mean goats, gravel and no fuel

    The interior roads through Embonas, Profilia and around Attavyros are winding, occasionally gravel-strewn after rain, and shared with goats. Fuel stations are sparse south of Lindos and in the mountains - fill up in Rhodes Town or the east-coast strip before a southern or interior day.

Best drives in Rhodes

The routes worth renting a car for - see our road trips guide for more.

  • Rhodes Town → Lindos coast road

    The classic east-coast run past Kallithea, Faliraki and Tsambika to the Lindos acropolis - under an hour of easy driving, best started early.

  • The Prasonisi run

    The full length of the island to the sandbar at its southern tip, where kite surfers work one side and calm water sits on the other - a proper day out via Gennadi and Kattavia.

  • Petaloudes → Embonas mountain loop

    The butterfly valley, then up through pine forest to the wine village of Embonas under Mount Attavyros, returning by the west coast - the island's green interior in a day.

  • The west coast to Monolithos

    The windy, empty side: Kamiros ruins, the Kritinia castle viewpoint and the clifftop castle at Monolithos - big scenery and almost no traffic.

Best time to visit Rhodes

Car rental in Rhodes: FAQ

The questions travelers ask most before renting a car here.

Small manual cars run about $38-55/day in the summer season and drop to $20-35 off-peak, with automatics at $45-75 and SUVs $50-85. Booking a couple of months ahead matters most for July-August, when the automatic fleet sells out first. Fuel for a full-island day loop adds surprisingly little - the roads are efficient.

For more than a single-resort beach week, yes. Rhodes is one of Greece's largest islands, and its best pieces - Lindos, Prasonisi, the Petaloudes valley, the mountain wine villages, the west-coast castles - are spread across 80km that buses cover thinly. A car turns all of it into three comfortable day loops.

No - the medieval Old Town is closed to visitor traffic, and its cobbled alleys are pedestrian. Park outside the walls in the lots near Mandraki harbour or by the landward gates and walk in through one of the medieval gates, which is the right way to arrive anyway. Go early on cruise-ship days, when the outside lots fill fast.

The east coast. The summer wind hits the west side, giving it waves and kite surfers but choppy swimming, while the east coast stays sheltered and calm - which is why the resorts, Tsambika and the Lindos bays all sit there. The exception is Prasonisi in the far south, where the sandbar gives you wind on one side and calm water on the other.

No - the main coastal roads are wide and well surfaced, traffic outside Rhodes Town is light, and the island drives on the right. The points needing care are crosswind gusts on the west coast, goats and gravel on the mountain roads, and summer heat, which turns a car parked in open sun into an oven. Plan fuel before southern days.

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