The Rhodes hop on hop off bus tour is a sightseeing loop through Rhodes Town, with stops where riders step off and board again. Visitors who plan more days in the Dodecanese can compare other trips on the tours in Greece page.
Below are the bus tour and its inclusions, the route and the sights, how the day runs, the guests it suits and the questions that come up.
What is the Rhodes hop on hop off bus tour?
The Rhodes hop on hop off bus tour gives guests one ticket and one bus loop. They get off at stops to look around and board a later bus. One operator lists open-top double-decker buses.
Wikipedia says tour buses carry visitors on sightseeing routes round tourist attractions. The hop on hop off type runs to a regular schedule. Each rider decides how long to stay at every stop.
Wikipedia notes that tour buses are commonly double-decker or open top, which gives riders a good view. On one operator’s page the buses are open-top double-deckers, and the audio commentary is multilingual. There, the Rhodes hop on hop off bus tour rides in an open-top double-decker.
Wikipedia says Rhodes is the first island of the Dodecanese by size. Among all Mediterranean islands it holds ninth place by size. Wikipedia also gives it the nicknames Pearl Island and Island of the Knights. Rhodes city is the main town, where the local government sits.
The old walled town from the Middle Ages was declared a World Heritage Site, says Wikipedia. The article places it inside a wall 4 km long. Wikipedia adds that the island was known for its Colossus, a giant figure of the god Helios.
Wikivoyage names beaches, archaeological sites and a large medieval town as the island’s mix for visitors. One operator says its ticket gives complete flexibility, whether guests stay for hours or for days. A Rhodes hop on hop off bus tour is called there an easy way to see the town.
The same operator calls the bus a fit for cruise visitors. The product class is a bus ride of the hop on hop off type, with audio commentary in ten languages. The pages give different details, so the next section sets them side by side.
What does the Rhodes hop on hop off bus tour include?
Operators list a one day ticket, audio commentary and the bus ride itself. Extras differ by page, so compare the lists. Check each Rhodes hop on hop off bus tour page for its own items.
Ticket length comes first. One operator gives a one day pass for getting off and on again any number of times. A second operator lists a one day ticket as well. A third operator says the pass lasts 24 hours from the first use.
Audio comes next. One operator names audio in 10 languages. A second operator lists headsets with audio in 10 languages. Its list names nine: Greek, English, Hebrew, Turkish, French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish. A third operator says its audio is in English. Language matters when picking a Rhodes hop on hop off bus tour.
The bus itself is the third point. One operator says its buses are air-conditioned. That operator and one other say Wi-Fi is available onboard. The third operator names unlimited use of the bus over one day as the included item.
Each page therefore gives a different set. Only one names air-conditioned buses. Only one names headsets. Only one says the audio is in English alone. Two pages list Wi-Fi, and all three list a one day ticket or a pass of one day.
Vouchers differ too. The second operator accepts the voucher on a smartphone or other device, and says a paper copy is fine. The third operator offers an electronic voucher. The second operator also marks its ticket as non-refundable.
None of the three pages names an entry ticket for a sight as included. Read the exact list on the page you pick. For a Rhodes hop on hop off bus tour, that page states what the ticket holds.
Where does the Rhodes hop on hop off bus tour go?
A loop of 12 stops runs through the city, as one operator lists it. Along it, the Rhodes hop on hop off bus tour reaches the Old Town, Mandraki harbour and Monte Smith.
The same operator says one ticket works from every official stop, so a guest can start anywhere. It also gives the loop as about an hour long.
Operators name the stops in different ways. One operator numbers the Rhodes hop on hop off bus tour stops. Stop 4 is the Aquarium and Elli Beach. Stop 5 is the Government buildings. Stop 6 is the city centre and the area of the Colossus.
That operator makes stop 7 the Old City, with the palace and the archaeological museum. Stop 12 is Monte Smith. There it lists the Acropolis, the Temple of Apollo, the ancient stadium and the theatre.
A second operator lists names, not numbers. They include New Marina, Tourist Harbor, Town Hall, Psaropoula Square with the Diagoras statue, and the Aquarium. A third listing adds Eleftherias Square, the New Market and the Commercial Harbor. It notes that road works put stations 9 and 10 in doubt.
The Old Town anchors the Rhodes hop on hop off bus tour. Wikipedia dates the walled medieval city to the years from around thirteen oh nine to fifteen twenty-three. Walls four kilometres long enclose it. The Hospitallers raised the northern high town. The lower town spreads south-southwest of it.
Wikipedia names Rhodes the principal city of the island, with about 56,000 people. It calls the Hospitaller citadel a medieval town that has survived in good state. UNESCO lists the medieval city.
Mandraki is the harbour stop. One operator says tradition puts the Colossus there. Wikipedia says the statue showed Helios, the Greek sun god, and stood 33 metres high. An earthquake felled it about 226 BC. Where it stood is still disputed. Wikivoyage notes modern bronze deer statues in the harbour.
Which sights does the Rhodes hop on hop off bus tour pass?
Operators name the Aquarium, Elli Beach, the palace and Monte Smith for the Rhodes hop on hop off bus tour. Wikipedia supplies the history behind each place and adds more sights in the city.
The palace is the Kastello, a castle of the Middle Ages with a Gothic design, says Wikipedia. The Knights Hospitaller held it as a citadel and a home for their Grand Master. An earthquake damaged it in fourteen eighty-one. Italian rulers rebuilt it in the late nineteen thirties, and today it holds a museum.
On the Rhodes hop on hop off bus tour, stop 7 is listed with the Archaeological Museum. The building was the hospital of the Knights, and work began in fourteen forty. Its rooms hold finds from Rhodes and nearby islands, such as the Crouching Aphrodite of the first century BC.
The Acropolis of Rhodes lies on Monte Smith, three kilometres southwest of the centre. Wikipedia says it looks over the west coast. No walled citadel was built there, unlike other acropoleis. Wikipedia lists the Temple of Apollo, a stadium and an odeon. From the harbour, the raised temple columns can be seen.
The Aquarium shares stop 4 with Elli Beach on the Rhodes hop on hop off bus tour, one operator says. The same operator places it at the northern end of Rhodes. Wikipedia says it was built in the nineteen thirties, in Art Deco style.
Its hall is styled like a cave under the sea. One tank is for the Rhodes minnow, a fish found only on the island and now threatened. A monk seal skeleton two thousand years old is also on show.
Wikipedia also describes the Kahal Shalom Synagogue in La Juderia, the Jewish quarter of Rhodes city. It was completed in fifteen seventy-seven. Greece has no older synagogue, the article says. Inside is the Jewish Museum of Rhodes.
The Knights Hospitaller link these places. Wikipedia says they were based on Rhodes from thirteen ten to fifteen twenty-two. Guests on the Rhodes hop on hop off bus tour pass ground tied to their story.
Suleiman the Magnificent besieged the city in fifteen twenty-two, after the Ottomans failed in a first siege in fourteen eighty. Wikipedia lists 400 ships and an army of 100,000 men. The city had two rings of stone walls, and three in places. The knights left on the first of January fifteen twenty-three.
How does the Rhodes hop on hop off bus tour work?
The Rhodes hop on hop off bus tour runs on one ticket and one loop. You board at any stop, listen to the commentary, step off where you like, and join a later bus. Wikipedia says such a service follows a regular schedule.
Start at the stop that suits you. One operator says the ticket is valid at every official stop, so the first stop is not required. You board, put on the headphones, and ride. When a sight looks good, step off and look around. Then wait at the stop for the next bus and board again.
Pages agree on the shape of the loop. One operator lists twelve stops, and another operator lists twelve as well. For departure times, the first operator points to its own timetable. Read the timetable behind your ticket before the Rhodes hop on hop off bus tour begins.
Another page lists the service as daily, with a bus every hour. Its schedule starts at nine in the morning and ends at three in the afternoon. It adds that the last departure depends on demand. It names March, April and November as running months. It says road works make stations nine and ten questionable.
Tickets are tied to time, not to one ride. One operator says you can get off and on again and again within a day. Another operator says the ticket lasts 24 hours once you first use it.
Cancellation rules differ too. That second operator allows cancelling until a full day before the activity starts. A cancellation after that point, or a missed departure, brings no refund. One page calls its ticket non-refundable. Read the terms for your Rhodes hop on hop off bus tour.
Rhodes sits in the Aegean, and weather matters on an open-top bus. Wikipedia ties the Mediterranean climate to dry summers and wet winters. It says Greece has this climate along its coasts and islands.
The meltemi is a wind that crosses the Aegean. Wikipedia calls it strong and dry, and says it blows until about mid-September. It reaches full strength in the afternoon, and nights calm it.
Pack for sun on the top deck when you ride a Rhodes hop on hop off bus tour. Sun cream shields skin from sunburn, as Wikipedia explains, and a sunhat is a common partner. Bring water and a thin extra layer for the wind. Wikivoyage counts 300 or more sunny days in a year on Rhodes.
Who is the Rhodes hop on hop off bus tour for?
The Rhodes hop on hop off bus tour fits visitors who want a short, flexible look at Rhodes Town. Pages call it family-friendly and note stops by the cruise harbours. Access and language differ by operator.
Families can ride together at their own speed. One page calls the tour comfortable and family-friendly. Another operator describes it as a tour for you and your family. A family can leave the bus, rest at a stop, and join a later bus.
Cruise guests with a short call can try a Rhodes hop on hop off bus tour. One operator places stops close to the cruise port and the tourist harbour. Another page lists a Tourist Harbor stop for cruise ships and a Commercial Harbor stop. Check the ship’s sailing time before each stop you pick.
Older travellers and wheelchair users need the access facts. One operator says the bus is wheelchair accessible, but the reservation must say so. The same operator lists a wheelchair loan service. One page lists air-conditioned buses, and an operator lists Wi-Fi onboard. The pages give no rules on pushchairs, top deck seats or age limits.
Language is the next point. One page lists headsets with audio in ten languages. Another operator lists audio in English. Operators differ, so confirm your language before you choose a ticket.
Walking is the part the bus cannot do. One operator describes the Old Town as having cobbled streets. Wikipedia places the medieval city within a wall four kilometres long. Flat shoes help anyone who steps off a Rhodes hop on hop off bus tour there.
Visitors who want a beach, Lindos or a boat day can prefer a different Rhodes trip. This bus stays in town, and the Rhodes hop on hop off bus tour runs the loop only.
What else do visitors ask about the Rhodes hop on hop off bus tour?
Which islands share a group with Rhodes?
Wikipedia puts Rhodes at the head of the Dodecanese and says it has held that place since antiquity. The word Dodecanese comes from Greek and means twelve islands. Wikipedia places the group close to the Anatolian coast.
Kos and Patmos come next in importance, according to Wikipedia. Riders on the Rhodes hop on hop off bus tour see the main town only. The other islands need their own trips.
Do riders reach Lindos on the Rhodes hop on hop off bus tour?
The loops that operators list stay in Rhodes Town. Lindos is not among their stops. Wikivoyage describes Lindos as a village with an important ancient acropolis.
Wikivoyage adds that Haraki, a small former fishing village, lies next to Lindos. Wikipedia names Lindos as the warmest area in Greece. It says the southeast of the island records the highest yearly sunshine in the country, over 3,100 hours.
How do visitors arrive before the Rhodes hop on hop off bus tour?
Wikivoyage lists ferries to Rhodes from Symi, Tilos and Bodrum. It adds Fethiye, Datca and Marmaris in Turkey. Cruise ships dock at the Commercial Port.
The same page places the tourist information office for the Dodecanese opposite the New Market in Rhodes city. That office is a place to ask about local trips.
Why do certain sights look Italian?
Italy ruled the Dodecanese from nineteen twelve to nineteen forty-three. Wikipedia says the islands passed to Greece in nineteen forty-seven.
The Aquarium of Rhodes went up in the nineteen thirties in an Art Deco design. The Hellenic Centre for Marine Research now runs the building. The Palace of the Grand Master was rebuilt between nineteen thirty-seven and nineteen forty. Operators list both on the Rhodes hop on hop off bus tour.
What food can visitors try between two rides on the Rhodes hop on hop off bus tour?
Greek cooking, as Wikipedia explains, is built on three things: wheat, olive oil and wine. Its list of cheeses includes feta and graviera. Honey and olives are common too.
Wikipedia adds that coastal regions and islands serve plenty of fish dishes. Street foods include souvlaki and gyros.
Does the sea play a part in a Rhodes hop on hop off bus tour?
Wikipedia describes the Aegean as an inlet of the Mediterranean Sea, lying between Europe and Asia. It says islands on its southern edge include Crete and Rhodes. One operator lists the Aquarium as a stop and links it to the sea creatures of the Aegean.
Wikipedia explains the meltemi as strong, dry northerly winds that blow from the close of spring into September. Wikipedia adds that they peak in the afternoon.
Which people from the island’s past link to the Rhodes hop on hop off bus tour?
Hippocrates was born on Kos around four hundred sixty BC. Wikipedia calls him the Father of Medicine. Kos is another island of the Dodecanese.
Rhodes had the Colossus, which honoured Helios, the Greek sun god. Wikipedia gives its height as about 33 metres. It says the statue fell in an earthquake in two hundred twenty-six BC. One operator lists Mandraki Harbour, where tradition says the Colossus stood.