Lindos from Rhodes: Bus Tour, Transfer with Free Time or Boat – What Suits Whom
Updated October 8, 2026 · 6 min read
The short answer: if you want Lindos with the least effort, the bus tour with free time is the best value, and if you want the village without the midday crowd, the morning or the evening transfer is the better choice. The village itself, a tangle of whitewashed lanes under the acropolis, is the same whichever way you arrive. What the options change is how long you have there, what time of day you have it, and whether the sea is part of the day.
Public bus, tour, transfer or boat
You can do it with no tour at all. A travel guide puts the public bus between Rhodes Town and Lindos at around 1 hour 20 minutes, with a walk through the village before the climb to the acropolis. That is the cheapest way and the least predictable; check the timetable at the station, and especially the last bus back, before you rely on it.
The organised options exist to remove that planning. They fall into three types.
The bus tour with hotel pickup
The Lindos bus tour with free time to explore costs €16.31 per person, takes 7 hours and has 4.6 stars from 2,797 reviews. The listing mentions hotel pickup, real-time bus tracking, an audio guide and WhatsApp support. It is the lowest-priced of the tours compared here and one of the best reviewed, which is why it is the one we would point most people towards.
The Lindos and Seven Springs bus tour adds the springs for €17.60, 7 hours, but it is rated lower than the plain bus tour, 4.3 stars from 3,874 reviews. The guided version of Lindos and Seven Springs is €21.60 for 7.5 hours and combines the acropolis with a walk through the 186 m tunnel at Seven Springs; 4.4 stars from 1,346 reviews. A similar full-day tour from Lindos allows about 3.5 hours in the village. If the springs are the reason, read the separate guide to the Butterfly Valley, Seven Springs and Filerimos first, because a day that does both leaves less time in Lindos.
The transfer with free time
A plain round-trip transfer gives you the most time in the village. The round-trip bus transfer from northern Rhodes is €20.25, 7.5 hours, 4.6 stars from 2,257 reviews, with 5 hours of free time for the beaches, the village and the view from the acropolis.
The timing is the point of the next two. The easy morning transfer arrives around 10:45 am and gives 4 hours of free time, with a panoramic viewpoint stop on the way back: €20.25, 4.8 stars from 1,662 reviews. The evening escape arrives around 4:30 pm for 4 hours, with the late-afternoon atmosphere and fewer people: €20.25, 4.8 stars from 839 reviews. For the acropolis in particular, the late arrival leaves less daylight than you might expect in autumn, so check the closing time of the site on your date. Our advice on the climb itself is in the Lindos Acropolis guide.
The boat
If a swim matters as much as the village, a boat does both. The Lindos cruise with two swim stops costs €32, 8 to 8.5 hours, 4.6 stars from 1,551 reviews: a swim at Anthony Quinn Bay, 3 hours in Lindos and a final swim at Tsambika. From Kolympia, the pirate boat with three swimming stops is €28, 7 hours, with 2.5 hours in Lindos and 4.7 stars from 499 reviews. The boat from Faliraki is €35.10 for 7.5 hours with 3 hours in Lindos. The boats give you less time in the village than the bus, which is the trade for the sea.
All the Lindos options are on the Lindos excursions page, from €14.
Should you drive?
Rhodes is an island where many people hire a car, and Lindos is one of the places where it is not obviously the better choice. A car gives you freedom over the hour of your visit and the stops on the way. It also leaves you with the question of where to leave the car in a village of narrow lanes, and parking arrangements change, so look at the current situation before you set off. If you want to see what a rental costs, you can compare rental cars for Rhodes, and the excess and deposit are for you to check with the provider. If you would rather not think about parking at all, a transfer or a bus tour takes it away.
The honest part
Many Lindos tours reach the village in the late morning, so that is when it is likely to be busiest. A midday visit in July or August means heat on stone with little shade. The two transfers with an early or late arrival are the answer to that, not a bigger bus.
Check what the tour price includes. For the ones that visit the acropolis, the entrance ticket is a separate question: some listings do not list it among the inclusions, and the booking page shows whether it is covered or whether you buy it at the gate. The ticket on its own is sold separately for €22.62.
Which one, for whom
| Option | Total | From | Rating | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bus tour with free time | 7 hours | €16.31 | 4.6 (2,797) | most people, best value |
| Round-trip transfer, 5 hours free | 7.5 hours | €20.25 | 4.6 (2,257) | the longest time in the village |
| Morning transfer, 4 hours free | 6.5–12 hours | €20.25 | 4.8 (1,662) | the acropolis before the heat peaks |
| Evening transfer, 4 hours free | 6.5 hours | €20.25 | 4.8 (839) | late light and dinner |
| Cruise with two swim stops | 8–8.5 hours | €32 | 4.6 (1,551) | sea and village in one day |
| Guided Lindos and Seven Springs | 7.5 hours | €21.60 | 4.4 (1,346) | those who want a guide |
