The short answer
Fly. The flight is about an hour. The ferry from Piraeus runs from roughly 12h50 to well over twenty hours depending on the boat and how many Dodecanese islands it calls at, leaving Athens in the afternoon or evening and arriving the next day.
That is not a close decision, and this page will not pretend otherwise. Rhodes sits in the far south-east of the Aegean, close to the Turkish coast, and it is one of the longest domestic ferry runs in the country.
Fly if you want to arrive on the day you set off. Sail if you are bringing a car, you want a cabin night, or you are island-hopping the Dodecanese anyway.
Athens to Rhodes at a glance
Why the ferry range is so wide
| What you’re deciding | By plane | By ferry |
|---|---|---|
| Journey time | ~1 hour in the air | ~12h50 to 20h+, arrives next day |
| Leaves from | Athens airport (ATH) | Piraeus, afternoon or evening |
| Sleeping | n/a | Deck, seat or cabin |
| Carries a car | No | Yes |
| Arrives at | RHO, near Rhodes Town | Rhodes Town port |
Twelve hours to twenty-something is a strange-looking spread, and the reason is worth understanding because it decides which ticket you want.
Rhodes is the far end of the Dodecanese line. Boats heading there do not run in a straight line - they work down the chain, calling at islands like Kos, Kalymnos, Leros or Patmos on the way. A service that calls at five islands takes most of a day. A faster, more direct one is considerably quicker.
So on this route more than most, read the itinerary on your specific ticket, not the route average. The difference between two boats leaving the same port on the same evening can be eight hours.
The overnight services sell cabins as well as deck and seat fares, which is what makes the crossing tolerable - it converts a travel day into a night’s sleep that moves you. The same logic as the Athens to Crete run.
When the boat is the right call
Three honest cases:
- You are bringing a car. Aircraft do not carry them, and Rhodes is a big island where a car is genuinely useful.
- You want the Dodecanese, not just Rhodes. If Kos, Patmos or Symi are on your list, the ferry is not a transfer, it is the trip. Working down the chain is a real and underrated Greek holiday.
- You would rather sleep than fly. A cabin overnight costs you a night you were going to spend somewhere anyway.
Outside those, the plane wins so clearly that we would not spend the day.
Flying
The hop from Athens is about an hour, into RHO just outside Rhodes Town, flown by Aegean and Sky Express among others. Networks change season to season, so check your dates.
Rhodes also takes heavy direct international traffic in summer. If you are coming from northern Europe, flying straight to Rhodes rather than connecting through Athens is very often the better trip - one of the reasons the island is busy in a way the Cyclades are not.
Arriving
Ferries dock at Rhodes Town, beside the medieval walls, which is about as good as a Greek port arrival gets - you walk off into the old town.
The airport is on the west coast a short drive from town.
Either way, the island is large and long, and the decision that shapes your trip is where to base: the old town in the north, the resort strips either side of it, or Lindos and the quieter east coast further down. Start with the Rhodes travel guide and things to do in Rhodes.
Diagram by Greece Trips. Free to reuse with credit - CC BY 4.0.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the ferry from Athens to Rhodes?
From about 12h50 to over twenty hours, depending on the vessel and how many Dodecanese islands it calls at on the way. Departures from Piraeus are typically afternoon or evening, arriving the next day.
How long is the flight from Athens to Rhodes?
About an hour, into RHO just outside Rhodes Town.
Is the Athens to Rhodes ferry worth it?
Only in specific cases: you are bringing a car, you are island-hopping the Dodecanese anyway, or you would rather take a cabin overnight than fly. Otherwise the flight wins comfortably.
Do the Rhodes ferries have cabins?
The overnight services sell cabins as well as deck and seat fares. On a crossing this long a cabin is what makes it work, and cabins sell out before the rest of the boat.
Where does the ferry arrive in Rhodes?
At Rhodes Town, next to the medieval old town - one of the better port arrivals in Greece.
Next
Read the Rhodes travel guide, plan the island with things to do in Rhodes and day trips from Rhodes, or compare it in Santorini vs Rhodes and Kos vs Rhodes.