Getting around Rhodes and Santorini

We found it easier to rent a car for a day or two but that is how we travel so I can’t help you with public transit. We did see buses on Santorini but did not use them.
Four nights is long for Santorini, a very small and crowded island. Our favorite place to visit was Akrotiri,the archeological site from ancient times. Rhodes Town and Lindos are both good places to stay on Rhodes. A good traditional restaurant is Hatzikelis Sea Food Restaurant, address; Alhadef Solomu 9 in Old Town.

In Santorini if ​​you just go to see the main places (Fira, Oia, archaeological site of Akrotiri, etc.), renting a car will not be essential. There is a bus service in Santorini, but you will be dependent on its schedules. Also note that all bus lines depart from the capital Fira. (there is no cross line). So, since you will be in Megalochori you will have to take the bus to go to Fira . Megalochori is on the Fira-Perissa bus line, the bus stop is next to the "Family Bakery".
This will considerably limit your possibilities of movement.

In Rhodes there are two bus companies: Roda which operates mainly on the west coast and in the urban area of ​​the capital Rhodes and KTEL Rhodes which operates on the east coast of the island.
You will also be dependent on bus schedules, even more than in Santorini because Rhodes is much larger.
So it all depends on your activities and your desire for independence in terms of timing and places to see.

Finally, note that to go from Santorini to Rhodes by ferry, the journey takes approximately between 10 and 17 hours depending on the type of ferry. In May 2022 there were about 3 ferries per week.
By plane you will have to go through Athens with Olympic or Sky Express.

Given the travel time from Santorini to Rhodes, whether by ferry or plane via Athens, I would like to point out that next year there will also be, in principle, a way to go to Rhodes by plane from Naxos (2 h from Santorini by ferry) with https://www.flycycladic.com/ which operates with 12-passenger Cessna 208Bs

When we visited Santorini, we took a day tour that included Akrotiri, Oia, Megalachori, a winery visit and a beachfront lunch. We were quite tired by the end, so skipped Oia. We just took a local bus to it the next day. Very easy.
Taking a tour has two great advantages. First of all, you won’t get much from Akrotiri without a knowledgeable person to explain what you are seeing. Second, I suspect that finding parking wouldn’t be the most enjoyable experience of your trip.
We did rent a car on Rhodes. We stayed at a b&b in Rhodes city for a few nights (3 or 4), then drove to Lindos and stayed for 2 or 3.

Although the island has an excellent bus system, renting a car is the most efficient way to explore Santorini at your own pace. Parking can be a challenge but for me it's worth the effort.

There's plenty to see and do for 4 days and you'll have time to just sit and relax as well.

We spent 3 nights on Santorini last May and loved it! The caldera views are stunning, and we enjoyed wandering around Firastefani, Fira, and Oia. We also rented a car for a day to explore the island. We visited the Akrotiri archaeological site, the Akrotiri lighthouse, Red sand Beach and Black Sand Beach at Perissa for drinks and a Greek salad. This was a wonderful day. The caldera views are wonderful, of course, and a highlight of Santorini, but there is more to Santorini than just the caldera. By spending 4 nights on Santorini, you will get to relax and appreciate its beauty and perhaps see a few things we didn't see. For example, we didn't visit any wineries. Driving around Santorini is easy (to be honest, my husband did the driving), so I can't comment on the buses. We prefer driving our own rental car so that we are not dependent on bus schedules.

I agree with Lee, 4 nights is not too long for Santorini especially if you rely on the buses to get around. I spent 3 nights there this summer and didn't get to see everything. Of course it depends on how fast you like to travel and your interests. I relied completely on the buses and while they are easy to use and reliable, you do find yourself waiting a lot so take that into consideration when you are planning your schedule.

Thank you all for the advice and feedback. We actually arrive in late afternoon on Santorini the 1st day so technically we have 3 full days. We will be doing some tours which we'll have drop off and pickup at our Airbnb. So I think we may have a few hours each day to explore on our own. We are willing to walk and take buses for that. But for Rhodes I may rent a car for a day. We are flying to/from each island to/from Athens.

We spent 4 nights in Oia last May and we loved it! We rented a car for one day because we wanted to go to Akrotiri and check out the beaches. It cost $50 to rent a car for a day. We also took the bus between Oia and Fira and that was super easy. The bus gets very crowded though but they are really nice, more like tourist coaches than regular buses. I recommend watching Sebastian on YouTube. His channel is called Santorini Explained and he posts short videos on practicalities including explaining the bus system. He also offers walking tours- we did his Oia nighttime walking tour. We also booked a food walking tour that started Firostefani and ended up in Fira. It was a lot of good food and a fun time as well.

Just got back from Greece, and we visited both Rhodes and Santorini without renting a car in either place.

In Rhodes, we took the public bus to Lindos, walked around the old town and over to the beaches and the Rhodes Acropolis. The bus trip was long, but smooth and cheap.

In Santorini, we relied on the public bus to take us from Fira to Oia, and also to/from Akrotiri. Again, the bus rides were smooth and cheap.

I would not rent a car, particularly on Santorini (small and accessible via bus). Have a great trip!

Thank you this is very helpful!

Hi there,

About Rhodes.
Keep in mind that cars are not allowed in the old Town (only residents) and it s hard to find a parking slot around the walls. The bus lines network is reliable but impossible if you want to visit 2 places in both coasts in one day. I d recommend you to rent a car 1-2 days and spend the other two around in the Old town and the city centre.

My wife and I are also planning on visiting Rhodes and Santorini for similar amounts of time as well, and after doing similar research, we decided not to rent a car on either island. For Rhodes, we decided to stay in Old Town because there is a lot to do and see there. And then we got a guide to take us around the other sights all around the island for 2 other days (and then that left us with one free day back in Old Town to see anything we missed or generally just hang around there). It wasn't that expensive (and guide provides the car), so my experience travelling a lot is if you can get a guide it is almost always worth it (and just generally less hassle than trying to figure out directions and parking). For Santorini we are basically doing the same thing (staying in Firi since that seemed a logical base to be able to see things on foot and getting one of the guided trips around the Island for other days, and those are all pretty affordable on Get Your Guide and similar sights). We are going to to other parts of Greece (and renting a car there) but for Rhodes and Santorini both seemed compact enough not to hassle with it.

Again so very helpful! Thank you for your suggestions!

We did a Santorini/Rhodes trip a few years ago. Because the ferry trip was so long we caught the first flight out in the morning from Santorini to Athens then caught a connecting flight to Rhodes. We were in our hotel on Rhodes before noon.

Interesting news from Jo Lui about that new airline.

You certainly are not going to want a car when you are in Rhodes old town. The bus service to Lindos is good and if you want to explore more of the island then arrange to rent a car for a day so you can pick it up and drop it off near old town.

On our first visit to Rhodes we hired a taxi driver to take us around the island . While expensive it was a good way to go.

Here are some images.
Lindos and Rhodes https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72157634754696058/with/9344972603/

We stayed on Santorini for a few nights, just outside Oia. Rented a car for easier transport, but we also had our 2 kids, so that's always more economical, too.

We did this fabulous catamaran tour of the island and got to swim in the center of the caldera, where it was warm from gases seeping from the earth. Not cheap but very memorable!

Be sure to stay in Rhodes’ Old Town if you really want to experience historic Rhodes. While there are buses that will get you around the island, we rented a car for one day and saw Lindos, about a half-dozen of Rhodes’ “best beaches” and capped the day with a visit to Anthony Quinn Beach near Faliraki, which is one of the most beautiful beaches on the island. Buses and their schedules basically limit you to one destination for the day. Renting a car at Zeus Car Rentals just outside of the northern walls of Rhodes’ Old Town at Al. Diakou 5 for just €25 plus a gasoline refill (€25) for the day, allowed us to see everything we wanted to see beyond Rhodes’ Old Town in just one day.
Have a great Trip!