Sunset Cruise from Rhodes: Greek BBQ and Open Bar, or a Quiet Evening on the Water?
Updated October 8, 2026 · 5 min read
The short answer: for most people the sunset cruise with the Greek BBQ and unlimited drinks is the safe choice, and if you want a quieter evening, pick the catamaran or the cruise with live music and read the listing carefully. The boats call at the same bay. What you are choosing is the mood.
When the sun goes down
The cruise is timed to the sunset, so the month decides the clock. Rough sunset times on Rhodes are around 8:25 pm in June and July, around 8:00 pm in mid-August, around 7:15 pm in mid-September and around 6:30 pm in mid-October. Those are approximate and shift by a few minutes within the month, so check your date. A three-hour cruise has to start well before that, so the departure time on the booking page matters more in autumn than in high summer.
The party boat with BBQ
The sunset cruise with Greek BBQ and unlimited drinks costs €40.50 per person, 3 hours, and has 4.8 stars from 1,758 reviews. The listing offers calming tunes, free-flowing drinks and an optional Greek BBQ, a swim at Kallithea and the sunset. The BBQ is an option you select when booking, and the open bar is part of the cruise. One review summary mentions a surcharge for the top deck, so check on the booking page what you pay for before you choose. It is the most-reviewed of the group, with a rating as high as any, which is why it is the one we would point most people towards.
The quieter options
The sunset catamaran cruise with dinner buffet and drinks is €50.15, 3 hours, 4.8 stars from 1,152 reviews. It is sold as an escape from the crowded tourist boats, with swimming, a dinner buffet, unlimited drinks and Greek music. The cruise with open bar, dinner and live music goes to Kalithea Bay for a late swim and costs €51, 3 hours, 4.8 stars from 396 reviews.
The cheapest of the four, the sunset boat cruise with drinks and snacks, is €35 for 3 hours, 4.7 stars from 314 reviews. Soft drinks, beer, wine and snacks are included, with music on board and a stop at Kallithea Springs for swimming and snorkelling. Fewer reviews, so take the rating with a little care.
Only two listings say anything about size: the catamaran takes a maximum of 24 passengers, and the live-music cruise promises restricted capacity with allocated seating. None says how loud the music is. A catamaran with a dinner buffet and one with a BBQ and an open bar are different evenings, and the best clue is the reviews, which you can read on the booking page.
Sunset and the sea
Several of the sunset cruises include a swim at or near Kallithea, so you are in the water in the late afternoon and on deck at dusk. That is a different pleasure from a day boat: the light is better and the swim is shorter. If you want time in the water and the caves, a day cruise, compared in the east coast boat trips guide, gives you more of it. The cruises as a group are on the sunset cruises page.
The honest part
A sunset is not guaranteed to be spectacular. Cloud can take the colour out of it, and a boat that leaves on time arrives wherever it arrives; the listings promise the sunset, not the sky. If the sea is rough, sailings can be changed or cancelled, so look at the terms on the booking page.
With unlimited drinks on offer, the BBQ boat is a poor match for anyone who wants a calm evening or who is travelling with small children. The evening is built around the bar, and the listings do not mention any provision for children. A catamaran with dinner is the better fit for a couple or a small group, and a day trip like the one in the Symi guide is an easier way to spend time on a boat with children.
Which one, for whom
| Cruise | Total | From | Rating | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunset cruise, Greek BBQ and unlimited drinks | 3 hours | €40.50 | 4.8 (1,758) | most people, groups of friends |
| Sunset catamaran, dinner buffet and drinks | 3 hours | €50.15 | 4.8 (1,152) | a calmer evening |
| Cruise with open bar, dinner and live music | 3 hours | €51 | 4.8 (396) | couples, a romantic evening |
| Sunset boat cruise with drinks and snacks | 3 hours | €35 | 4.7 (314) | the lowest price of the four |
