A Rhodes ATV tour explores the island of Rhodes, in the Dodecanese, by quad bike. Riders follow coast roads and dirt tracks to bays, springs and ancient sites. It is one of the quad bike tours in Greece on Greece VIP.
This post covers what a Rhodes ATV tour includes, where it starts and the east coast bays. It also covers Kallithea Springs, Filerimos hill and Kamiros. Safety, the best season and common questions come last.
Each section ends with a Rhodes ATV tour or island trip that can be booked online.
What does a Rhodes ATV tour include?
A Rhodes ATV tour puts riders on quad bikes on the island of Rhodes, in the Dodecanese. Small groups ride behind a tour leader, or each rider follows a self-drive plan. Dirt tracks, coast roads and swim stops fill the day.
A quad bike is a light machine with four wheels, built for rough ground. Farmers use quads widely, because the machines are fast and light on the soil. A Rhodes ATV tour uses the same machine on tracks that cars avoid.
Rhodes has been the leading island of its group since ancient times. It also holds more people than any other island in the South Aegean region. A Rhodes ATV tour passes towns, farms and beaches that serve this busy island.
In the small-group format, a tour leader rides at the front and sets the pace. The quads follow in a line and stop together at each viewpoint. On a self-drive Rhodes ATV tour, the rider rents a quad and picks each stop alone.
The road network of Rhodes is largely paved. It counts three national roads, with a fourth planned, and 40 provincial roads. The shores are rocky, but farm strips grow citrus fruit, wine grapes and olives. A Rhodes ATV tour crosses these strips on farm tracks.
Families on Rhodes commonly keep more than one car and a motorbike. The island is also served by 450 taxis. A Rhodes ATV tour keeps to the coast and low tracks. A Rhodes jeep safari climbs into the mountains instead.
- Machine: A four-wheeled quad handles sand, gravel and packed earth.
- Format: Riders choose a small group behind a tour leader or a self-drive route.
- Ground: Farm tracks, village lanes and short stretches of coast road make up the route.
- Stops: Bays, viewpoints and shady breaks split the ride into short legs.
A Rhodes ATV tour trades the comfort of a coach for open air and loose ground. The quad reaches coves that large vehicles pass by.
Where does a Rhodes ATV tour start?
A Rhodes ATV tour starts in the resort towns where visitors stay. Faliraki serves the east coast. Ialysos and Kremasti serve the west side, and the town of Rhodes covers the north. Each base sits close to quiet tracks and open bays.
Faliraki sits on Faliraki Bay, 10 km southeast of the island airport. The town holds the largest water park in Greece. Its beach adds water sports and bungee jumping. A Rhodes ATV tour from Faliraki starts close to the east coast bays.
Ialysos lies 8 km west of the town of Rhodes, on the northwest coast. Until 1976, the place was called Trianta. A Rhodes ATV tour from here leaves the second-largest town on the island. About 13,000 people live there.
Hotels line Herakleidon Avenue beside the Ialysos beach, where the water deepens fast. The coast catches the wind, and windsurfers use it. Ixia, a newer hotel area, sits between Ialysos and the town of Rhodes.
Kremasti stands on the west coast and had 5,597 residents in 2021. Ruins of a medieval castle crown a hill near its centre. The church of Panagia Katholiki ranks among the largest on the island. A Rhodes ATV tour from Kremasti starts beside an Aegean beach.
The town of Rhodes is the seat of the island municipality. It had 50,636 residents in 2011. Municipal buses link it with Faliraki, Ialysos, Kremasti and the airport. A Rhodes ATV tour from town draws riders from all these routes.
- East coast: Faliraki puts riders closest to the bays south of the town.
- Northwest coast: Ialysos and Ixia send riders out from the beach hotels.
- West coast: Kremasti serves riders who stay on the west side of the island.
- Capital: The town of Rhodes suits riders who stay inside the city.
More than 550 hotels operate on Rhodes. Over half of them carry two stars. A Rhodes ATV tour draws riders from hotels on both coasts and from the capital itself.
Which east coast bays does a Rhodes ATV tour reach?
A Rhodes ATV tour reaches three stops on the east coast. Anthony Quinn Bay and Ladiko come first, and Tsambika beach lies further down the coast. A monastery on the hill above Tsambika gives the ride a high view over the sea.
Anthony Quinn Bay carries the name of the actor who starred in The Guns of Navarone. The film was shot at the bay and made it famous. Cliffs ring the cove, and the water runs crystal clear. A small pier lets boats anchor for a visit.
Ladiko has fine sand, rocks and beach umbrellas. Both Ladiko and Anthony Quinn Bay lie 15 km from the town of Rhodes. Each holds a Blue Flag, an award for beaches that meet set standards. A Rhodes ATV tour pairs the two bays.
Tsambika beach lies 26 km southeast of the town of Rhodes. Its golden sand holds sun beds, canteens and water sports. A Rhodes ATV tour parks near the beach, below the rock of the upper monastery.
The monastery has an upper and a lower church. The upper one stands on the hilltop at 320 m, left of the main road to Lindos. The lower one lies on the right. A steep, winding path of about 500 m climbs through cypress forest to the top.
The lower, newer monastery was renovated in 1760. Its feast falls on 8 September. Tradition links the name Tsambika to tsaba, a local word for spark. A shepherd saw sparks on the peak, and villagers found a silver icon there.
- Anthony Quinn Bay: The underwater landscape makes the bay ideal for scuba diving.
- Ladiko: The bay lies in the eastern part of the island, on the same coast as Tsambika.
- Tsambika: The silver icon now rests in the lower monastery for safety.
A Rhodes ATV tour that ends at Tsambika mixes sea and history in one stop. Riders leave the quads at the foot of the hill and climb on foot. From the top, the view spreads over the whole bay.
What does a Rhodes ATV tour see at Kallithea Springs?
A Rhodes ATV tour at Kallithea Springs stops at an old spa on the east coast. The site lies nine kilometres from Rhodes town. Italian-era halls and a domed rotunda stand above a small cove. Pebble mosaics decorate the ground by the sea.
A Rhodes ATV tour arrives at springs with a long past. Their healing power was famous in ancient Dorian times and under the Knights. Visitors came from nearby islands, Asia Minor and deep inside Anatolia.
The water rises red from the rocks, and people prized it for their health. Each August and September, crowds camped in rough shelters beside the spring. A Rhodes ATV tour now stops where those summer crowds once gathered.
Italian troops landed here to seize Rhodes from Ottoman rule. In 1927 the Italian governor and a doctor, Enea Brunetti, agreed to study the water. Pumps raised more water, which was mixed with healing water from Kos.
Building work began in 1928. From the grand gate, a Rhodes ATV tour walks to a round fountain. Columns once held a frame for climbing bougainvillea.
Stairs climb to a rotunda, a round hall under a dome, where the healing water once rose. Daylight enters through blue, diamond-shaped stained glass. Three arches lead from the colonnade to the old refreshment hall.
In the Second World War, German forces held their former allies in a camp here. Mines and barbed wire covered the area. A Rhodes ATV tour now visits the restored monument, reopened on 1 July 2007.
- Café caves: Small caves on the quay held a café and rest areas.
- Dance floor: A dance floor and an orchestra stand faced those caves.
- Visitors: Patients and scientists from across the world came to the spa.
- Science: In 1930 Rhodes hosted the 21st Italian congress on hydrology, the study of water.
The old halls host art shows, a permanent photo exhibition, concerts and festivals. Beside the monument, a Rhodes ATV tour stop leaves room for a swim in the Aegean.
What does a Rhodes ATV tour see on Filerimos hill?
A Rhodes ATV tour on Filerimos hill climbs to the acropolis of ancient Ialysos. Temple ruins sit beside a monastery restored in the Italian era. A path through the pines, lined with stone stations of the cross, leads to a tall cross.
A Rhodes ATV tour here climbs a hill with deep roots. Ialysos, first settled around 1700 BC, was the oldest of three ancient cities here. The Olympic champion Diagoras came from this city.
The flat hilltop was the acropolis, the sacred core of the city. Worship here goes back to at least the 9th century BC. Only foundations remain of the temple of Athena Polias and Zeus Polieus, the city’s protectors.
Stone steps on the steep south-west slope lead to a fountain house with six Doric columns. It dates from the 4th century BC. Lion-head spouts once poured water from a rock-cut tank into an open basin.
A Rhodes ATV tour then reaches the monastery, once home to the Knights Hospitaller. Italians later built a Franciscan monastery around its church. Today the church serves Orthodox worship.
The church once sheltered the icon of the Virgin of Filerimos, the protective charm of medieval Rhodes. That icon now rests in Montenegro. A former water tank beside an old crypt became the chapel of Saint George Chostos.
A Rhodes ATV tour ends on the Way of Golgotha, a path through the pines. Stone stations of the cross, scenes of Christ’s walk to his death, line the route. At its end stands a tall cross, rebuilt in 1996, with 66 steps inside.
- Basilica: An early Christian church of the 5th to 6th century AD rose over the temple.
- Font: Its baptismal font, a stone basin for baptism, survives in good condition.
- Fort: A medieval fort at the east end was restored by the Italians.
- Cross: The new cross copies the one that stood here in 1934.
From a height of 267 metres, Filerimos looks over the north-west side of Rhodes. A Rhodes ATV tour on the hill swaps the coast for pine shade and wide views.
What does a Rhodes ATV tour see at Kamiros on the west coast?
A Rhodes ATV tour at Kamiros reaches an ancient city on the north-west coast. It climbs a seaward hillside in three levels. Temples, a reservoir, houses and a fountain square survive. Down the coast lies the small harbour of Kamiros Skala.
A Rhodes ATV tour follows the western road from Rhodes town to Kamiros. Dorian Greeks founded the city near Cape Agios Minas. Its earliest people worshipped gods said to teach milling and kneading.
An earthquake in 226 BC destroyed the older city and its temple of Athena. The rebuilt city had no defensive walls. The hilltop held the temple of Athena Kameiras and a stoa, a roofed walk with columns.
A Rhodes ATV tour finds a covered reservoir from the 6th to 5th century BC. It held 600 cubic metres of water, enough for 300 to 400 families. Clay pipes carried it to the town.
Houses filled the middle terrace on a grid of parallel streets and equal blocks. Each home had an inner courtyard with columns, called a Rhodian peristyle. The town also had public baths with hot and cold rooms and heated floors.
A Rhodes ATV tour ends on the lowest terrace, at a small temple linked to Apollo. A pit in its floor held the temple money. The nearby fountain house has half-columns once faced in plaster.
A Rhodes ATV tour continues to Kamiros Skala, a harbour about 14 km away. It has a beach and a ferry to the island of Halki. The first homes of Kritinia stood here before pirates drove people uphill.
- Fountain names: Later, the fountain columns carried the names of the city’s leading priests.
- Finds: Objects from 19th-century digs on the acropolis now sit in the British Museum.
- Poet: The epic poet Peisander came from Kamiros in the 7th century BC.
- Battle: In 1658 a Venetian army under Francesco Morosini landed at Kamiros Skala beach and was driven back.
A Rhodes ATV tour on the west coast pairs old streets with a working ferry quay. The ruins show daily life in an ancient Greek town.
How does a Rhodes ATV tour stay safe?
A Rhodes ATV tour stays safe through clear habits. Riders share paved roads with cars and take wet dirt tracks with care. They cover up against the summer sun. They ride in an off-road helmet and treat dry hills as a fire risk.
The road network of Rhodes is mostly paved. Small local lanes link the villages. Cars and buses use the bigger roads too. Quads ride in single file and leave room for passing traffic.
Dirt tracks bring a different risk. Unlike gravel roads, they get no regular grading to shed rainwater, and side ditches can be missing. After heavy rain, a track can turn impassable, even for off-road machines. A Rhodes ATV tour then keeps to firm roads.
The average UV index on Rhodes reaches 10 in June and July. That figure tops the very high band, which runs from 8 to 10. Covered skin and UV-blocking sunglasses answer that level of sun.
Heat exhaustion is the first warning sign. Core body temperature then sits between 37 and 40 °C. Heavy sweating, weakness, dizziness and nausea follow. Shade, water and cooling treat it. Above 40 °C, with confusion, it becomes heat stroke, a life-threatening condition.
An off-road helmet suits a Rhodes ATV tour on the tracks. Its long chin bar and sun visor work with goggles. The visor lets a rider dip the head against flying dirt. European countries apply the UN standard ECE 22.06 to helmets.
Dry summers also bring fire danger. In July 2023, wildfires on Rhodes forced over 19,000 people to leave by land and sea. Greek civil protection posts a fire risk map each day. Its advice warns never to throw a lit cigarette outdoors.
- Alcohol: Alcohol and stimulants slow the body’s cooling and raise the risk of heat stroke.
- Humidity: Humid air cuts how well sweat cools the body.
- Novelty helmets: These uncertified helmets lack the energy-absorbing foam that protects the brain in a crash.
- Evacuation: Civil protection asks people to follow the exact routes that the authorities set.
A Rhodes ATV tour stays safe when riders read the day first. Paved roads call for traffic sense, and wet tracks call for patience. Midday sun calls for cover, water and shade.
When is the best season for a Rhodes ATV tour?
A Rhodes ATV tour suits late spring and early autumn best. Warm air, long sunny days and dry tracks meet in those weeks. Midsummer adds hard heat at the coast. Winter stays mild on the shore but brings the wettest weeks of the year.
The national weather service logs 391.8 hours of sunshine at the airport in July. Greece still uses older sun recorders that miss about 200 hours a year. Actual sunshine at the airport reaches about 3,400 hours.
By the end of spring, average highs at the airport reach 24.0 °C. The same month brings 325.7 hours of sunshine and only 4.6 rain days. A Rhodes ATV tour then meets warm air and firm, dry tracks.
High summer tests every rider. The airport station has recorded a top reading of 40.2 °C. The south-east runs hotter still. Lindos has a mean yearly temperature of about 22.0 °C, the warmest area in Greece.
Autumn cools slowly. October highs at the airport average 24.6 °C, with 255.6 hours of sunshine. Rain returns that month, with 6.7 rain days on average. A Rhodes ATV tour in October meets mild air and the first wet tracks.
Winter on the coast stays mild but wet. The airport station at Paradeisi has not dropped below 1.2 °C since 1977. December is the wettest month, at 137.8 millimetres. Riders slow down on muddy winter ground.
- Sea: Sea water averages 27.2 °C in August and still 23.8 °C in October.
- Daylight: Mean daylight lasts 15.0 hours a day in June, against 10.0 hours in December.
- September: Highs average 28.2 °C, with only 7.9 millimetres of rain.
- Humidity: Relative humidity falls to its lowest in July, at 57.6 percent.
The best Rhodes ATV tour weeks sit at the edges of summer. Late spring and early autumn pair warm air with dry ground. In midsummer, morning and evening rides dodge the hardest sun.
What do travelers ask about a Rhodes ATV tour?
A Rhodes ATV tour leads to the same practical questions before each booking. They cover the licence, a second rider, children, clothing and a day at sea. The answers come from Greek licence rules, child health research, fabric tests and the harbours of the island.
Which licence does a Rhodes ATV tour need?
Greek law asks for a licence for every type of motor vehicle, quads included. The Greek car licence, class B, starts at age 18. Licences from the United States, Canada, Australia and Japan fall under recognition deals. Visitors confirm the rules with a Greek consulate.
Can a Rhodes ATV tour carry a passenger?
A second rider on a Rhodes ATV tour needs a real seat. On motorbikes, that rear seat is a pillion, from a Scottish Gaelic word for little rug. UK law, for one, asks for a proper seat and foot pegs for any passenger.
Can children join a Rhodes ATV tour?
Heat adds a special risk for children on a Rhodes ATV tour. Young bodies have more skin for their weight, so they soak up more heat. They also sweat less and cool down more slowly than adults.
What clothes protect a rider on a Rhodes ATV tour?
Fabric matters on a quad. A standard summer shirt rates around UPF 6, a measure of how much UV light cloth blocks. Sun-protective clothing reaches about UPF 30 and lets through 1 unit in 30. Wet fabric loses up to half its protection.
How does a Rhodes ATV tour fit with a boat trip?
A Rhodes ATV tour covers the island by land, and a Rhodes boat trip adds the sea. Mandraki, the oldest of five ports on the island, sits in the centre of Rhodes city. Day cruises from there reach Symi, about 24 km to the north.
Featured photo: Rhodes quad ATV off-road safari, via GetYourGuide.