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Rhodes sits at the southeastern corner of the Aegean, and that position alone makes it one of the busier ferry hubs in Greece. From the island’s main port, boats fan out in three directions: north and west through the rest of the Dodecanese island chain, south towards Karpathos and Kasos, and east across a short strip of open water to the Turkish coast.
Most visitors arrive picturing Rhodes as a single destination, yet the port timetable tells a different story. Genuine daily sailings connect Rhodes to islands as different as buzzing Kos and tiny Chalki, while a handful of routes run far enough to feel like proper voyages rather than short hops between neighbours.
What makes Rhodes unusual among Greek islands is its role as a genuine international gateway. Only a handful of Aegean islands run scheduled sea crossings into Turkey, and Rhodes operates two of them, to Marmaris and Fethiye, each a short but real border crossing rather than a domestic island hop.
Rhodes also anchors the southern end of the long Blue Star Ferries route to Piraeus, the overnight service linking the Dodecanese to mainland Greece. That crossing takes the best part of a day at sea, and it remains the only direct sea link between Rhodes and Athens for travellers who would rather not fly.
This guide sets out every genuine route that leaves Rhodes: the short island hops, the longer domestic crossings, the mainland run to Piraeus, and the two international lines into Turkey. For a closer look at the single most popular connection, our dedicated Rhodes to Kos ferry guide covers that route timetable by timetable.
Ferry Routes from Rhodes at a Glance
The table below summarises every genuine route that currently leaves Rhodes, from the five-minute walk to the ferry at Kolona quay for Symi through to the overnight haul to Piraeus. Durations and frequencies are typical ranges rather than fixed timetables, since Greek ferry schedules shift between summer and winter and change again from year to year, so always confirm the current sailing before booking.
| Destination | Typical Duration | Frequency | Typical Operator(s) | Approximate Price (one-way) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kos | 2h to 3.5h | Several sailings daily | Dodekanisos Seaways, Blue Star Ferries | €25 (£22/$27) to €60 (£52/$65) |
| Symi | 45 min to 1.5h | Daily year-round, more in summer | Dodekanisos Seaways, Blue Star Ferries, SAOS Ferries | €7 (£6/$8) to €35 (£30/$38) |
| Chalki | 1h10 to 1h50 | 2 to 3 sailings weekly (plus a short local shuttle from Skala Kamirou) | Blue Star Ferries, Dodekanisos Seaways, SAOS Ferries | €12 (£10/$13) to €35 (£30/$38) |
| Tilos | 1h50 to 2h30 (up to 4h) | 2 to 4 sailings weekly | Blue Star Ferries, Dodekanisos Seaways, SAOS Ferries | €12 (£10/$13) to €40 (£34/$43) |
| Nisyros | 2h35 to 3h15 | Around 2 to 3 sailings weekly | Blue Star Ferries, Dodekanisos Seaways, SAOS Ferries | €13 (£11/$14) to €45 (£39/$49) |
| Kastellorizo | 2h20 to 5h | 2 to 4 sailings weekly, fewer in winter | Blue Star Ferries, SAOS Ferries, Dodekanisos Seaways | €14 (£12/$15) to €55 (£47/$59) |
| Kalymnos | 2h45 to 3h | Around 5 to 10 sailings weekly | Blue Star Ferries, Dodekanisos Seaways | €19 (£16/$21) to €50 (£43/$54) |
| Leros | 3h50 to 5h30 | Around 6 to 10 sailings weekly | Blue Star Ferries, Dodekanisos Seaways | €22 (£19/$24) to €60 (£52/$65) |
| Patmos | 4h25 to 4h40 | Around 7 to 10 sailings weekly | Blue Star Ferries, Dodekanisos Seaways | €25 (£22/$27) to €65 (£56/$70) |
| Karpathos | 3h44 to 4h45 | 3 to 7 sailings weekly | Blue Star Ferries | €18 (£15/$19) to €55 (£47/$59) |
| Kasos | 5h30 to 6h25 | Around 3 sailings weekly | Blue Star Ferries | €24 (£21/$26) to €60 (£52/$65) |
| Piraeus (Athens) | 12h15 to 17h45 (overnight) | Daily | Blue Star Ferries | €50 (£43/$54) to €90 (£77/$97) deck class |
| Santorini | 10h45 to 15h | A few sailings weekly, seasonal-leaning | Blue Star Ferries | €20 (£17/$22) to €72 (£62/$78) |
| Marmaris (Turkey) | Around 1h | Up to 3 sailings daily, seasonal | Sea Dreams (operators change year to year) | €35 (£30/$38) to €70 (£60/$76) |
| Fethiye (Turkey) | Around 1h30 | Around 5 sailings weekly, seasonal | Ido, Makri Travel | €40 (£34/$43) to €75 (£65/$81) |
How to Get to the Port
Rhodes has no single port building to aim for, so getting there depends on which of the island’s three quays a sailing actually uses. Akandia, Kolona and the Commercial Harbour sit within about a mile of each other, close enough to walk from most central hotels.
Kolona quay is the easiest to reach on foot, tucked right beneath the Old Town’s walls barely five to ten minutes from most guesthouses inside them. Akandia Harbour sits further south past the marina, and the walk from the Old Town’s southern gates typically takes fifteen to twenty minutes.
A taxi across town to any of the three quays typically costs only a few euros, roughly €5 (£4/$5) to €8 (£7/$9) on the meter. Arriving from the airport costs much the same fixed fare as the ride into town, covered in our Rhodes Airport Transfers guide.
Local buses are not built around the port, and neither RODA’s town routes nor KTEL Rodou’s island services stop directly outside a quay gate. The West Side bus terminal behind the New Market is the closest hub, leaving only a short walk on to Kolona or the Commercial Harbour.
Anyone arriving by hire car should plan to park rather than drive to the quayside, since the Old Town’s cobbled core is pedestrianised. The New Town has metered parking near the harbour, with organised parking closer to the Commercial Harbour and Akandia.
Because the right quay changes by destination, confirm which one applies before setting off. The section below, Rhodes Port: Which Quay Serves Which Route, sets out exactly which of the three serves Kos, Symi, Turkey and everywhere else on this page.
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Facilities are not spread evenly across Rhodes’ three quays, since Kolona and the Commercial Harbour sit inside Rhodes Town’s own infrastructure while Akandia is mainly a working cargo and vehicle-ferry harbour. The port authority has confirmed Akandia currently has no proper passenger terminal building, with a dedicated one still in the works.
Ticket agencies are easy to find regardless of quay, since Mandraki harbourfront and the streets around the New Market are lined with independent travel agents selling tickets for Blue Star Ferries, Dodekanisos Seaways and the smaller operators covered elsewhere on this page. Dodekanisos Seaways also runs its own ticket kiosk close to Kolona.
Cafes are plentiful nearby even where a quay itself offers little, and the harbourfront keeps a steady run of coffee shops within a few minutes of any of the three docks. Right outside the Commercial Harbour’s gates sit a handful of small cafes and kiosks selling Greek coffee and cold drinks.
ATMs and currency exchange are not something to worry about at the port itself, since Rhodes Town’s centre is dense with bank branches from Eurobank, Piraeus Bank and the National Bank of Greece within easy walking distance of all three quays. Drawing cash in town beforehand is the safer habit.
Free public WiFi at the port itself is not confirmed by the port authority or the ferry operators, so assume no dedicated hotspot rather than count on one. Most cafes lining the harbourfront offer their own WiFi to paying customers, which covers the gap while waiting.
Dedicated left-luggage storage right at the quayside is not clearly confirmed at any of the three docks, so do not assume a staffed desk exists. Rhodes Town has several private luggage storage services within walking distance of the harbour, worth booking ahead instead.
Toilets are available at the larger, purpose-built terminal buildings used by Blue Star Ferries and the busier operators, mainly around Akandia and the Commercial Harbour once boarding is underway. Facilities at the smaller Kolona kiosk are more limited, so use a café beforehand if unsure.
Rhodes Port: Which Quay Serves Which Route
Rhodes does not run its ferry traffic from a single dock, and knowing the difference matters if a connection is tight. The main Akandia Harbour, south of the Old Town, handles vehicle ferries, including Blue Star Ferries’ conventional sailings to Kos, Piraeus and most of the longer Dodecanese routes, because it is the only stretch of the port with room to marshal cars and lorries before boarding.
Foot passengers heading to nearby islands more often use Kolona quay, tucked right under the Old Town’s medieval walls. Dodekanisos Seaways runs its high-speed catamarans to Symi, Chalki, Tilos, Nisyros and beyond from here, and the short walk from the Old Town makes it the more convenient departure point for anyone travelling light.
International sailings to Turkey generally use the Commercial Harbour near the New Market, which also handles cruise ship traffic through summer and carries out the passport checks that a Turkey-bound crossing requires. Akandia and Kolona sit roughly a mile apart, so a same-day change between a domestic and an international sailing needs a genuine buffer, not a hopeful twenty minutes.
The safest approach is simple: check the departure point printed on the actual ticket rather than assuming every boat leaves from the same berth. Port staff and taxi drivers around Rhodes Town are used to the question, and naming the destination island or Turkish port usually gets a quick, accurate answer about which quay to head for.
Rhodes to Kos: The Dodecanese’s Busiest Crossing
Rhodes to Kos is the single busiest route out of the island, and it runs on a genuinely dense timetable rather than a token daily sailing. Dodekanisos Seaways covers the crossing in around two to two and a half hours on its high-speed catamarans, while Blue Star Ferries’ conventional vessels take closer to three and a half hours but carry vehicles and offer more deck space.
Fares for the crossing typically sit between €25 (£22/$27) and €60 (£52/$65) one-way for a foot passenger, depending on vessel type and how far ahead the ticket is booked. Multiple sailings run most days in both directions, which makes a genuine day trip between the two islands realistic without an overnight stay.
What makes the route worth planning around is the contrast between the two islands themselves. Rhodes offers the medieval Old Town and a UNESCO World Heritage core, while Kos leans towards long beaches and a flatter, more cycle-friendly landscape, so the crossing genuinely earns its place on a two-island itinerary rather than being a formality.
Kos town itself gives that beach-and-bike reputation real substance to back it up. The ancient Asklepion, a sanctuary of healing linked to Hippocrates on the hillside above town, sits alongside the vast plane tree where he is said to have taught medicine, and the island’s flat interior makes cycling between beaches like Kefalos and Marmari genuinely practical rather than aspirational.
For the full timetable pattern, ticket pricing and a detailed look at what the crossing itself involves, our dedicated Rhodes to Kos ferry guide covers the route in far more depth than a single paragraph here can manage.
Rhodes (all ports) to Kos (all ports) Ferry Operators, Times & Tickets
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Rhodes to Symi: The Favourite Day Trip
Symi is close enough to Rhodes to feel like an extension of it, and the ferry route reflects that. The crossing takes as little as 45 minutes on the fastest catamarans, stretching to around an hour and a half on slower boats, which makes it comfortably the shortest genuine island crossing on this list.
Five operators currently share the route between them: Dodekanisos Seaways, Blue Star Ferries, SAOS Ferries, Sea Dreams and Sebeco. That density of competition keeps fares low by regional standards, with one-way tickets starting from around €7 (£6/$8) and rising to roughly €35 (£30/$38) for premium seating or peak-season sailings.
Sailings run year-round rather than only in summer, though frequency increases noticeably from around May through October, when day-trip demand from Rhodes peaks. Symi’s pastel-coloured harbour at Gialos is compact enough to explore properly in an afternoon, which is exactly why so many visitors treat this as a there-and-back day rather than an overnight stay.
Beyond the waterfront, the hillside Monastery of Panormitis is one of the most revered pilgrimage sites in the Dodecanese, dedicated to the Archangel Michael and reachable by its own boat trip from Gialos. Symi’s neoclassical harbour houses, built by wealthy shipowners and sponge merchants in the nineteenth century, are also worth the short climb up Kali Strata for the view back down over the port.
Because departures are frequent and the crossing so short, Symi works equally well as a spontaneous half-day trip booked the evening before or as a planned leg of a longer Dodecanese itinerary. Either way, it remains the most reliably easy island to reach from Rhodes without giving up an entire day to travel.
Rhodes (all ports) to Symi (all ports) Ferry Tickets, Times & Crossings
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Chalki, Tilos, Nisyros and Kastellorizo: The Quieter Islands
Four smaller islands share a similar profile from Rhodes: genuinely reachable, but on a noticeably thinner timetable than Kos or Symi. Chalki takes around one hour ten minutes on the fastest direct sailing from Rhodes Town, though most visitors instead use the short local shuttle from Skala Kamirou, a small dock roughly forty kilometres down the west coast.
Tilos and Nisyros sit further out, with direct crossings from Rhodes running to around two and a half hours on Dodekanisos Seaways’ faster boats and up to four hours on slower conventional sailings. Both routes typically manage only two to four sailings a week combined across operators, so building a trip around a fixed return date matters more here than on the busier islands.
Kastellorizo is the outlier of the group: Greece’s most remote inhabited Dodecanese island, sitting just off the Turkish coast far south-east of Rhodes. The crossing genuinely varies between roughly two hours twenty minutes on the fastest sailing and up to five hours on slower conventional services, and winter frequency thins considerably, so this is very much a route to check rather than assume.
Chalki’s harbour at Emporio sits beneath the tallest bell tower in the Dodecanese, while Tilos protects a dedicated nature reserve and the fossilised dwarf elephant remains housed in its Charkadio Cave museum. Nisyros is built almost entirely around the walkable crater of its still-active volcano, and Kastellorizo’s postcard harbour, the setting for the film Mediterraneo, sits a short boat ride from its own glowing Blue Cave.
Blue Star Ferries, SAOS Ferries and Dodekanisos Seaways between them cover all four islands, with one-way fares generally running from around €12 (£10/$13) to €55 (£47/$59) depending on distance and vessel. None of these routes suit a same-day return in the way Symi does, so travellers usually plan at least one overnight stay before returning to Rhodes.
Kalymnos, Leros and Patmos: Heading North Through the Dodecanese
Moving further north from Rhodes, the same two main operators, Blue Star Ferries and Dodekanisos Seaways, run a genuinely dense combined service to Kalymnos, Leros and Patmos, often as stops on the same longer sailing rather than as three entirely separate routes. Kalymnos is the closest of the three, reachable in around two hours forty five minutes on the fastest catamaran.
Leros takes closer to four hours on the quicker services, stretching to five and a half hours on Blue Star’s larger conventional ferries, while Patmos, the furthest of the three and famous as the island where the Book of Revelation is said to have been written, typically takes around four and a half hours regardless of vessel.
Kalymnos built its modern identity on sponge diving, and the trade’s old warehouses along the harbour at Pothia now sit alongside a booming rock-climbing scene that has made the island one of Europe’s best-known sport-climbing destinations. Leros carries a stranger legacy in Lakki, a striking Italian-built art deco port town from the 1930s, while Patmos centres on the Monastery of Saint John and the Cave of the Apocalypse, a UNESCO-listed site where the Book of Revelation is traditionally said to have been written.
Between the two operators, sailings run most days of the week rather than on a thin once-or-twice schedule, which makes all three islands realistic additions to a longer Dodecanese itinerary rather than routes reserved for dedicated specialists. Fares generally run from around €19 (£16/$21) up to €65 (£56/$70) one-way for Patmos, depending on the island and the vessel.
Because these three islands sit on the same northbound corridor, travellers heading beyond Patmos towards Samos or the northern Aegean often use Rhodes as their starting point rather than backtracking through Kos first. That makes the corridor a genuinely useful spine for a longer island-hopping trip, not just three isolated day-trip options.
Rhodes (all ports) to Leros (all ports) Ferry Departures & Schedules
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View transfersKarpathos and Kasos: The Southern Dodecanese
South of Rhodes, the picture changes again: Blue Star Ferries is currently the only operator running scheduled services to Karpathos and Kasos, and the crossings are noticeably longer than anything covered so far. Karpathos takes around three hours forty minutes on the fastest sailing, stretching to nearly five hours on slower ones.
Kasos, Karpathos’ smaller and quieter neighbour, is the longest domestic hop on this entire list at five and a half to six and a half hours, and it typically manages only around three sailings a week. Both islands sit on the same southern branch of Blue Star’s Dodecanese network, so a single sailing often serves both in sequence.
Karpathos rewards anyone who heads inland to Olympos, a mountain village where older women still wear traditional dress day to day and where a scatter of stone windmills once ground the local wheat. Kasos is quieter again, its cliffside Ellinokamara cave and Neolithic remains hinting at a long history that also produced generations of the sea captains once famous across the Greek merchant fleet.
Frequency to Karpathos improves in peak summer, when sailings can run close to daily, but drops back to a handful a week outside the main season. One-way fares typically run from around €18 (£15/$19) for Karpathos to €60 (£52/$65) at the top end for Kasos, reflecting the extra distance involved.
Both islands are also reachable from Crete and directly from Piraeus on the same Blue Star network, which means travellers heading this way from Rhodes are effectively joining a route that continues well beyond the Dodecanese. That makes careful timing worthwhile, since missing the return sailing on a thin weekly schedule has real consequences.
Rhodes (all ports) to Karpathos (all ports) Ferry Timetable & Tickets
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Availability can change quickly, particularly during weekends and the summer season. Some sailings may stop accepting bookings a few hours before departure. If a timetable is blank, there may be no available sailings for today. Try moving to a later date to check future services.
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Rhodes to Piraeus: The Long Haul to Athens
The Rhodes to Piraeus ferry is the one genuinely long-haul domestic route on this list, run exclusively by Blue Star Ferries on a daily overnight schedule. Journey times vary considerably depending on the sailing, from around twelve hours fifteen minutes on the most direct services to closer to seventeen hours forty five minutes on ones that call at more islands along the way.
That range exists because most sailings are not point-to-point: the same vessel typically also calls at some combination of Kos, Kalymnos, Leros, Patmos or Halki depending on the day, effectively turning the Rhodes to Piraeus service into the backbone of the whole Dodecanese network rather than a single isolated route.
Deck-class seats typically cost between €50 (£43/$54) and €90 (£77/$97) one-way, with private cabins costing considerably more given the length of the crossing. Onboard, passengers get proper seating lounges, a café or restaurant, and enough space to sleep through most of the overnight hours if the deck-class fare is chosen over a cabin.
Arriving by sea also means arriving close to what makes the detour worthwhile in the first place. The Acropolis and Parthenon sit barely half an hour from Piraeus by metro, and the tangle of tavernas and shops in the Plaka district beneath them makes an easy first stop for anyone stepping off an overnight ferry into central Athens.
For travellers without a fixed schedule, the Piraeus run offers something flights cannot: a genuine sense of the Dodecanese chain unfolding overnight, arriving in Athens’ main port rather than at an airport on the city’s outskirts. Our Greek ferries guide explains how this route fits into the wider national network.
Rhodes (all ports) to Athens (all ports) Ferry Crossings & Times
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Rhodes to Santorini and the Cyclades
A direct ferry between Rhodes and Santorini does genuinely exist, but it is worth treating with caution rather than assuming it behaves like a standard Cyclades hop. Blue Star Ferries runs the connection as part of its longer mainland-bound network rather than as a dedicated fast link, and the journey takes anywhere from around ten hours forty five minutes to fifteen hours.
Frequency sits at a handful of sailings a week rather than a daily service, and it leans noticeably towards the busier months of the year. One-way fares vary sharply by season, typically starting around €20 (£17/$22) in quieter periods but climbing to €65 to €72 (£56 to £62/$70 to $78) during certain months, so the price genuinely depends on exactly when a ticket is booked.
In practice, this route suits travellers already committed to a long sea journey rather than anyone hoping for a quick Cyclades detour from a Rhodes holiday. Flying remains the faster option for a short Santorini add-on, and the ferry only really makes sense as one leg of a longer island-hopping itinerary that already includes an overnight sailing.
The draw at the other end is real enough to explain why some travellers make the long crossing anyway. Santorini’s volcanic caldera, rimmed by the white clifftop towns of Fira and Oia, remains one of the most photographed views in Greece, and arriving by sea rather than by air at least matches that drama with a proper sense of scale.
Because direct Dodecanese-to-Cyclades sailings shift from year to year, and some seasons have run without a genuine direct option at all, it is worth double-checking current availability using the booking widget below or on GTP before building an itinerary around this specific crossing rather than relying on last year’s schedule.
Rhodes (all ports) to Santorini (Thira) Ferry Schedules & Tickets
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Rhodes to Marmaris and Fethiye: Crossing into Turkey
Rhodes’ two Turkish routes are genuinely international crossings, not domestic hops with extra paperwork. The Marmaris service is the shorter of the pair, taking around one hour, with sailings run seasonally by operators such as Sea Dreams and running up to three times a day in peak summer, though the exact operator roster on this crossing changes from year to year.
The Fethiye crossing takes a little longer, typically around ninety minutes, and is currently run by operators including Ido and Makri Travel on a reduced weekly schedule of around five sailings rather than a daily service. Both routes are foot-passenger focused, with far more limited or no vehicle capacity compared with the domestic Dodecanese ferries.
Both Turkish towns are proper resorts in their own right rather than mere ferry stops. Marmaris centres on the yachts and bars of Netsel Marina, with day boats running out to Turtle Beach at Dalyan, while Fethiye is the gateway to the turquoise waters of Ölüdeniz’s Blue Lagoon and the rock-cut Lycian tombs cut into the cliffs above the town’s own harbour.
Because Turkey sits outside the Schengen area, both crossings involve a real passport control and customs check at each end, not a quick wave-through. UK and US passport holders can currently enter Turkey visa-free for stays of up to ninety days in any 180-day period, while many other nationalities need to arrange an e-visa in advance through Turkey’s official e-Visa portal rather than on arrival.
Passports should have at least six months of validity remaining and, for some nationalities, a spare blank page for entry stamps. Anyone unsure of their own requirement should check the current rules for their specific passport before travelling, since visa policy for Turkey changes periodically and a same-day mistake at the port is far harder to fix than one made at home.
Rhodes (all ports) to Marmaris Ferry Times & Departures
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Booking Rhodes Ferries: Timing and Weather
Peak summer, roughly June through September, is when Rhodes’ ferry network is under the most pressure, and the busiest routes genuinely do sell out. Booking the Kos and Symi day-trip sailings at least a few days ahead is sensible in July and August, while the thinner-schedule islands such as Kastellorizo, Tilos or Kasos are worth booking a week or more in advance given how few sailings run each week.
Greek ferry schedules are also genuinely weather-dependent, and the meltemi, the strong seasonal north wind that picks up through July and August, affects vessels unevenly. Fast catamarans such as Dodekanisos Seaways’ high-speed boats are cancelled or delayed far more readily in rough conditions than Blue Star’s larger conventional ferries, which is worth remembering when choosing between speed and reliability on a tight itinerary.
Every route section above now has its own booking widget immediately below it, so tickets for that specific crossing can be bought right there without leaving the page. For comparing schedules across the wider Greek network, the site’s own Ferryhopper app review is still a useful reference, since it tracks more than 360 operators in one place.
Whichever way tickets are booked, it is worth building at least a half-day buffer between connecting sailings on any Rhodes-based island-hopping itinerary. A delayed or cancelled crossing on a thin weekly schedule can otherwise turn a single missed connection into a lost day, particularly on the quieter southern and eastern routes covered above.
Seasickness on the Rhodes Ferry Routes
Not every Rhodes crossing feels the same underfoot, and it helps to know which ones are more exposed before booking. Short hops like Symi and Chalki stay close to land for most of the crossing, and conditions are usually calm enough that motion sickness rarely becomes an issue.
The longer open-sea stretches are a different matter. The overnight Piraeus route and the crossings south to Kastellorizo spend far more time on open water, where swell can build even on an otherwise settled day.
The meltemi wind covered elsewhere on this page makes those longer routes noticeably rougher, since fast catamarans pitch more than Blue Star’s larger conventional ferries in the same swell. Choosing the bigger, slower vessel is often the easier ride on a blustery day.
Seating matters more than most travellers expect. A seat low down and central on the vessel moves far less than anything at the bow or on an upper deck, and watching the horizon rather than a phone or book helps settle the inner ear.
Simple preparation before boarding helps just as much as anything done mid-crossing. A light meal beforehand, little or no alcohol, and taking any medication early enough to actually work all lower the odds of a rough hour turning into a miserable one.
Anyone prone to motion sickness, or booking one of the longer routes named above, is better off planning around it rather than hoping for the best. Our dedicated seasickness and motion sickness guide covers medication, seating and on-the-day tactics in more depth than this section can.
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Check storageUsing the Greek Islands Interrail Pass on Rhodes Ferries
The Greek Islands Pass sold jointly by Interrail and Eurail lets holders use selected Greek ferry crossings, and it technically extends to routes out of Rhodes. Coverage is narrower than it first looks, since the pass runs on the Attica Group network rather than every operator selling tickets in Rhodes Town.
Of the operators covered on this page, only Blue Star Ferries’ conventional sailings genuinely accept the pass, covering the longer domestic routes to Kos, Piraeus, Karpathos, Kasos and the seasonal Santorini crossing. Dodekanisos Seaways, SAOS Ferries and Sea Dreams sit outside the scheme, so the fast catamaran hops to Symi, Chalki, Tilos, Nisyros and Kastellorizo cannot currently be booked on the pass.
Using the pass is not simply a matter of showing it at the gate, since a free seat reservation is mandatory on every sailing before boarding. There is no extra per-crossing supplement on top of the pass itself, though leaving a booking until the last minute on a busy summer sailing still risks finding it full.
The pass also stops at the border in the sense that matters here, since neither the Marmaris nor the Fethiye crossing into Turkey is included under the scheme. Anyone combining a Turkey day trip with a Rhodes-based Interrail itinerary should budget for a normal ticket on those two routes rather than assuming the pass covers them.
Operator participation and reservation rules have shifted before and can shift again, so it is worth confirming directly with Blue Star Ferries before relying on the pass for a specific Rhodes sailing. Our dedicated Greek islands Interrail guide covers the wider scheme in more depth than this section can.
Rupert’s Handy Travel Tips
Rhodes has more ferry routes leaving from it than almost any other Greek island, and that variety is exactly where a bit of planning pays off.
- Check your departure quay: Akandia, Kolona and the Commercial Harbour are genuinely different berths, so confirm the exact dock printed on your ticket rather than heading for whichever port looks busiest.
- Book the thin routes early: islands like Kastellorizo, Kasos and Tilos only get a handful of sailings a week, so a missed booking there costs far more time than on the Kos or Symi run.
- Carry your passport for Turkey day trips: even a one-hour hop to Marmaris or Fethiye is a genuine international crossing with proper passport control at both ends.
- Build in a weather buffer: the summer meltemi wind can ground fast catamarans well before it troubles the larger conventional ferries, so leave slack around any tight connection.
- Book straight from the page: each route section above now has its own ticket widget, so there is no need to jump to a separate app or website to buy for that specific crossing.
Want to meet the reindeer behind our travel tips? Find out more in our page Who is Rupert?.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ferry Routes from Rhodes
What is the busiest ferry route out of Rhodes?
Rhodes to Kos is the busiest, with several sailings a day split between Dodekanisos Seaways’ high-speed catamarans and Blue Star Ferries’ conventional vessels, making it the easiest route to build a same-day return around.
Which Rhodes ferry route is best for a day trip?
Symi is the standout choice, with a crossing as short as 45 minutes on the fastest boats and enough daily sailings to allow a relaxed few hours ashore before the last return service.
Can you get a ferry from Rhodes to Athens?
Yes, Blue Star Ferries runs a daily overnight service from Rhodes to Piraeus, typically taking between 12 and 18 hours depending on how many islands the sailing calls at along the way.
Do you need a passport for the Rhodes to Marmaris or Fethiye ferry?
Yes, both are genuine international crossings into Turkey with full passport control, and travellers should carry a passport valid for at least six months rather than treating it as a casual day trip.
Is there a direct ferry from Rhodes to Santorini?
A direct sailing does exist, run by Blue Star Ferries as part of its longer mainland-bound network, but it is infrequent, seasonal-leaning and takes upwards of ten hours, so it suits a longer itinerary rather than a quick add-on.
Which islands can you reach directly from Rhodes without changing ferries?
Kos, Symi, Chalki, Tilos, Nisyros, Kastellorizo, Kalymnos, Leros, Patmos, Karpathos and Kasos all have genuine direct sailings from Rhodes, alongside the longer runs to Piraeus and, seasonally, Santorini.
Do bad weather conditions affect Rhodes ferries often?
They can, particularly the summer meltemi wind, which grounds fast catamarans more readily than larger conventional ferries, so it is worth checking forecasts and building flexibility into any tight island-hopping schedule.
How far in advance should you book Rhodes ferry tickets?
For popular routes like Kos or Symi, a few days ahead is usually enough outside peak season, but for thinner schedules such as Kastellorizo, Kasos or Tilos, booking a week or more in advance is sensible given how few sailings run each week.
Which company runs the most ferry routes from Rhodes?
Blue Star Ferries and Dodekanisos Seaways between them cover the large majority of routes on this page, from the short Symi hop to the long overnight run to Piraeus, though several smaller operators also serve individual islands.
Further Reading
For a route-by-route breakdown of the single busiest connection covered above, our dedicated Rhodes to Kos ferry guide covers timetables, ticket options and what the crossing itself is like in far more depth than a hub page can manage for one route alone.
Whichever direction you’re travelling, our Rhodes Airport Transfers guide is worth a look for anyone flying in one way and leaving by ferry, or vice versa, while our Things to Do in Rhodes guide covers the Old Town, Lindos and the rest of the island for the time spent on land between crossings.
If you are planning to combine this trip with other parts of the Greek ferry network, our broader Greek ferries guide explains how routes, operators and booking generally work across the Aegean and Ionian, while our Ferryhopper app review looks at a tool useful for comparing schedules across the operators named on this page.
Travellers extending their trip onto the Turkish coast may also find our Bodrum to Kos ferry guide useful for comparing the region’s other main Greece-Turkey crossing, while anyone heading further into the Dodecanese should look at our Kardamena to Nisyros ferry guide for a second angle on reaching that volcanic island.
