Rhodes

Currency budget Greece

Euro country. Cards are normal in the resorts and the old town; the mountain villages and the smaller tavernas still run on cash.

ATMs & cards

Use Piraeus, Alpha or Eurobank machines. Greek bank machines charge foreign cards around three euros; the independent ones in the old town charge far more and push conversion hard. Always take the euro price.

Greek bank machines charge foreign cards around three euros; the independent ones charge several times that and push conversion hard.

Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.

Safety all of Greece

Very safe, including the old town at night. Two practical things: the meltemi wind blows hard in July and August and closes some beaches and ferries, and the old town’s cobbles are polished slippery by five hundred years of feet. Scooter hire is common here and so are scooter injuries.

Our own assessment, not a sourced index.

Entry & visa Greece visa rules

Health & emergencies all of Greece

Required to enter

No vaccinations are required for entry from Europe or North America.

Orientation, not medical advice — entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history. Check with a travel clinic four to six weeks before you go.

Food tip

Dodecanese food leans Turkish: pitaroudia chickpea fritters, melekouni honey and sesame bars made for weddings, and octopus hung out to dry before grilling. The wine from Embonas is better than its label suggests.

Nightlife

A short, concentrated strip in the New Town aimed squarely at visitors, and quiet tavernas inside the walls that are the better evening.

• Orfanidou street — the bar strip, known locally as Bar Street, and exactly what it sounds like
• Rhodes old town — tavernas and small bars in the lanes, calmer and better
• Mandraki harbour — for a drink looking at the boats before dinner
• Lindos — rooftop bars above the village, a different evening entirely

Closing: Bar Street until 04:00 in season; the old town winds down by one. Almost all of it shuts from November to April.

A beer in a bar: €4–6

The season is the whole story: in July the strip is packed and in February most of it is shuttered.

Getting around

• Hire car — the island is 80km long and the good beaches are spread down it
• KTEL bus — along both coasts from Rhodes town, cheap and slow
• On foot — inside the old town, where cars cannot go anyway
• Ferry — to Symi in an hour, and on to Kos and Turkey
• Airport: Diagoras (RHO), 25 minutes from Rhodes town

Internet speedall of Greece

Getting online: Airalo or Holafly — a data eSIM for Greece, installed before you fly and working the moment you land.

Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index · measured June 2026

Must-see

Nearby day trips

Say a few words

Greek

• HelloΓεια σας — Yia sasyah sas
• PleaseΠαρακαλώ — Parakalópa-ra-ka-LO
• Thank youΕυχαριστώ — Efharistóef-ha-ri-STO
• Yes / NoΝαι / Όχι — Ne / Óhineh / O-hee

The trap: "ne" means yes, not no. No is "óhi".

Religion

Greek Orthodox

Orthodoxy is written into the constitution and is closely tied to national identity. Do not enter a church in shorts, and do not photograph during a service.

Do's and don'ts

Do

• Accept offered food or drink — refusing outright reads as a rejection of the host
• Share plates; ordering individually is not how a Greek table works
• Learn efharistó, it goes a long way
• Put toilet paper in the bin, not the bowl — the plumbing genuinely cannot take it

Don't

• Do not show an open palm towards someone — the moutza is a serious insult
• Do not nod up for yes; a single upward head tilt means no
• Do not rush a meal or ask for the bill early; the table is yours for the evening
• Do not photograph inside monasteries without checking, and dress modestly at them