A Rhodes bike tour rides the island of Rhodes by e-bike, touring bike or rental bike, from the medieval town to the west coast and the hill villages. It is one of the Greek tours on Greece VIP.
This post covers what a Rhodes bike tour includes, where it starts and the bikes it uses. It then covers the routes, the climbs and the multi-day loops. Who can ride, heat and wind, the season, cycling history, safety and common questions come last.
Each section ends with a Rhodes bike tour or a nearby activity that can be booked online.
What does a Rhodes bike tour include?
A Rhodes bike tour includes a bike or e-bike, a safety helmet and a local certified bike leader. One old town e-bike tour adds a welcome drink, bottled water and hotel pick-up. A child seat carries children up to 15 kg.
That Rhodes bike tour caps groups at 6 riders and runs in English. It starts with a quick safety briefing and a short test ride. Pedal assist takes the strain out of the hills.
A west coast sunset ride adds a support vehicle, a GPS route and water. Its small group takes 8 riders, on a touring bike or an e-bike.
A Rhodes bike tour from a town concept store covers 16 km. A snack, water and a coffee come with it. It rates its difficulty at 1 out of 5.
An e-bike rental in Rhodes town includes a helmet, a lock and a city map with suggested routes. It takes up to 2 riders and runs in all weather.
- Rating: The old town e-bike tour scores 4.9 from 462 reviews.
- Cancellation: Three listings refund in full up to 24 hours ahead.
- Dinner: The sunset ride ends with an optional seaside dinner.
A support vehicle stays with the sunset ride for the whole route.
Where does a Rhodes bike tour start?
A Rhodes bike tour starts at a shop in Rhodes town or in Fanes, on the west coast. One town concept store lies about a 15-minute walk from the cruise port.
The old town Rhodes bike tour rides from its shop toward Mandraki port and into the Old Town. It passes Ippokratous Square, Sokratous Street and the Street of the Knights.
Riders follow the fortress walls past the Liberty Gate, the Sea Gate and the Red Gate. The ride then climbs to Monte Smith and the Acropolis of Rhodes. Walkers see the same lanes on Rhodes old town tours.
The sunset ride starts in Fanes after a short briefing and a bike fitting. Quiet coastal roads lead past countryside near Kalavarda toward ancient Kamiros. It finishes at the fishing harbour of Kamiros Skala.
Its swim stop sits on the beach below the ancient city of Kamiros.
- Meeting time: The concept store asks riders to arrive 15 minutes early.
- Start times: Town tours run morning, midday and before sunset.
- Rental base: The e-bike rental sits in central Rodos.
The old town e-bike tour does not enter historical sites; its leaders focus on the ride.
Which bikes does a Rhodes bike tour use?
A Rhodes bike tour uses pedal-assist e-bikes, hybrid trekking bikes or touring bikes. One loop operator rents an e-bike with a 250 W mid-drive motor and 400 Wh battery. Its touring bike carries 24 gears and a rear rack.
Another loop rents hybrid trekking bikes with aluminium frames. Women’s frames come in 45, 50 and 55 cm. Men’s frames come in 50, 55 and 65 cm.
Each rental bike there carries a lock, pump and puncture kit. A rack with panniers, a bottle holder and a cycle computer complete it. Riders who bring their own bike get a discount.
The first operator adds a repair kit, a spare tube, a bike bag and an odometer. Its touring bike also has a light and mudguards.
On the old town tour, the e-bike’s electric assist does the hard work on hills. A Rhodes bike tour on e-bikes suits a wide range of fitness levels, families included.
- Wheels: The hybrids roll on 28-inch wheels.
- Brakes: V-brakes stop the hybrid bikes.
- Gears: Both hybrid models carry 24 gears.
An e-bike upgrade is an option on the west coast sunset ride.
Which routes does a Rhodes bike tour follow?
A Rhodes bike tour rides the medieval town or the west coast from Fanes to Kamiros Skala. Longer loops circle the island. Loop roads run mostly on tarmac, with short unsurfaced tracks. Main roads near Rhodes town carry traffic.
One loop day from Kalavarda follows the north-west coast past the Kamiros ruins, Mandriko and Skala Kamiros. It visits Kritinia Castle and covers 37 km with 440 m of climbing.
The next Rhodes bike tour day crosses Fanes, the Petaloudes valley, Maritsa and Pastida to the old town. That stage runs 43 km with 385 m of climbing.
An east coast stage passes Kalithea, Afandou beach and Tsambika Monastery, then ends in Archangelos. It covers 39 km, with 375 m up and 200 m down.
The inland day visits Epta Piges, Agios Nektarios Monastery, Eleousa and the Byzantine chapel of Fountoukli. Jeep safaris on Rhodes reach the same green interior.
- Symi option: Riders can cycle on Symi from Panormitis to the town.
- Lindos day: The Lindos stage runs 52 km with 470 m of climbing.
- Stegna: One Archangelos hotel lies about 3 km from Stegna beach.
Walking the old town can replace cycling on one rest day.
Which climbs does a Rhodes bike tour face?
A Rhodes bike tour meets its climbs in the western hills. One stage climbs 2 km to Salakos below the Profitis Ilias range. Another passes Attavyros, the highest mountain on Rhodes, and makes a small climb to Monolithos castle.
From Kalavarda to Embonas, the stage covers 24 or 34 km. A longer, steeper option climbs via Kritinia.
Embonas, a stop on one Rhodes bike tour, sits at 430 m. Its weather station logged 35.7 °C on 24 August this year. August there averaged a 31.8 °C daily high, with 19 days at 32 °C or more.
The Embonas to Apolakkia stage covers 31 km, with Attavyros on the left. Its small climb reaches the viewpoint at Monolithos castle.
The optional climb to Seven Springs is steep, on the stage from Archangelos to Kalavarda. Daily climbing on that loop runs from 100 to 500 m.
- Grade: One loop rates itself level 2, with no long steep slopes.
- Totals: Five published days add up to about 2,170 m of climbing.
- Daily range: Stages average 40 to 60 km.
The Embonas weather station logged no rain at all in July and August this year.
What does a multi-day Rhodes bike tour cover?
A multi-day Rhodes bike tour runs for 8 days as a self-led trip. Hotels are booked, and luggage moves between them. One loop starts and ends near Kalavarda, close to Rhodes airport.
Bags leave each morning and reach the next hotel by the afternoon. Each rider can send 20 kg in total, with no bag over 15 kg. Those transfers keep a Rhodes bike tour light on the road.
Breakfast comes every day, with dinner on the second to fourth evenings. Lunch is not included. A help line and an English-speaking local contact support riders.
The longest Rhodes bike tour stage, from Apolakkia to Pefki, runs 56 km and stays mostly flat. It passes Kattavia, Lachania and Kiotari in the south.
A second loop sleeps in a traditional pension with 18 rooms in a quiet part of Archangelos. Its Rhodes town hotel stands within the old city walls, about 400 m from Elli Beach.
- Pefki stage: The Pefki to Archangelos stage passes Lindos.
- Ferry: The Symi ferry is not part of the package.
- Hotels: The Kalavarda base sits near the beach.
One reviewer found the loop nothing too tough, with no very long days.
Who can join a Rhodes bike tour?
A Rhodes bike tour suits riders who can control a bike on public roads shared with cars. Riders under 18 need an adult with them on the old town tours. The concept store’s town tour sets a minimum age of 15.
The sunset coast ride excludes children under 12 and riders over 120 kg. People who cannot ride a bike are excluded too. People with mobility or visual impairments and wheelchair users are not suited to it.
The e-bike rental takes riders from 18, under 110 kg and at least 155 cm tall. People with high blood pressure, heart problems or back problems are not suited to it.
The old town e-bike tour also rules out pregnant women and people with back or heart problems. Riders there must feel comfortable on streets without a bicycle lane. Parts of the old town Rhodes bike tour route share the road with cars.
The concept store asks riders to declare their height when booking. Riders who prefer four wheels can try buggy safaris on Rhodes instead.
- Passport: The rental asks for a passport or ID card.
- Smoking: The rental bans smoking.
- Clothing: Riders dress for the day’s weather.
The e-bike rental sends its booking confirmation at the time of booking.
How do heat and wind shape a Rhodes bike tour?
A Rhodes bike tour meets light summer winds at Embonas, in the western hills. June averaged 7.5 km/h there this year, July 8.7 km/h and August 7.6 km/h. Winter brings the strongest gusts.
The year’s top Embonas gust reached 101.4 km/h on 21 January. A 96.6 km/h gust followed on 1 April, when 165.0 mm of rain fell in one day.
July at Embonas brought 12 days of 32 °C or more, and August 19. The July high peaked at 34.6 °C on 20 July. For a Rhodes bike tour, July days at Embonas averaged a 30.8 °C high.
Last July was hotter, with a 38.7 °C high on 23 July. It counted 15 days at 32 °C or more. Last December brought a 103.0 km/h gust on 5 December.
Winds at Embonas blew from the west or west-south-west from January to August this year. In October, south winds took over.
- Rain: Embonas has logged 968.1 mm so far this year.
- Wet start: January brought 231.0 mm and February 253.0 mm.
- Cool nights: The lowest January reading was 1.9 °C.
The sunset coastal ride saves its cycling for the cooler evening hours.
When is the best season for a Rhodes bike tour?
A Rhodes bike tour on the island loops runs from April to October. One loop departs from 12 April to 25 October but pauses from 6 July to 22 August. Another departs daily except Mondays. A Rhodes bike tour in town runs every day, one operator states.
That second loop takes bookings from 16 April to 22 October. The Petaloudes valley on its route fills with butterflies from June to September.
Rhodes airport handled 62,552 passengers in January this year, up 11.6%. March reached 89,862, with international traffic up 58.5% to 22,648.
Flights at the airport rose from 638 in January to 989 in March. Domestic routes carried 67,214 of the March passengers.
Embonas averaged 15.2 °C in April this year, and 17.9 °C in the last spring month. October averaged 18.2 °C by mid-month. A Rhodes bike tour in June met a 24.3 °C mean there, with only 0.4 mm of rain.
- Autumn: September averaged 23.2 °C at Embonas.
- Last March: Embonas averaged 13.8 °C.
- Last November: The station averaged 16.9 °C.
Last October averaged 18.0 °C at Embonas, with 55.8 mm of rain.
What cycling history does a Rhodes bike tour recall?
A Rhodes bike tour recalls the International Tour of Rhodes, a stage race first held in 1987. Greek Olympian Kanellos Kanellopoulos won that first edition. The second edition came only in 1995.
The race turned professional from 2001 to 2003, and Fabian Cancellara won it in 2001 and 2002. The 2001 win was Cancellara’s first as a professional. No race ran from 2004 to 2016.
The race returned in 2017 as a 2.2 event of the UCI Europe Tour. A local cycling club and a sports travel firm organise it. Matteo Scalco of Italy won this year’s edition. Recent winners also came from Portugal, Norway and France.
On 12 June 1817, Karl von Drais rode the first draisine in Mannheim. It covered about 13 km in under an hour. It had no pedals, so riders pushed it along with their feet. Drais patented the design in 1818, the first commercially successful steerable two-wheeler moved by its rider.
Pedals and cranks reached the front wheel in Paris in the 1860s. John Kemp Starley’s Rover of 1885 set the shape of the modern bicycle. John Boyd Dunlop reintroduced the air-filled tyre in 1888.
- Freewheel: William Van Anden invented it in 1869.
- Derailleur: French cycle tourists developed it from 1900 to 1910.
- Danish winner: Louis Bendixen took the 2022 race.
Step-through frames from the 1890s let women mount and ride in long skirts.
What do riders bring on a Rhodes bike tour?
Riders bring comfortable shoes, sunglasses and sportswear on a Rhodes bike tour. The e-bike rental adds a passport or ID card, a hat, sunscreen and water. One town tour adds a positive attitude to its list.
The loop bikes carry a bottle holder. One loop leaves the helmet and water bottle out of its package.
Luggage for a multi-day loop stays under 15 kg per bag, and about 10 kg is the advice. Riders leave bags at hotel reception each morning, and the next hotel receives them the same day.
Additional food and drinks, personal expenses and tips are not included on the sunset ride. The old town tour’s price covers all taxes and VAT.
Riders heading south can add Lindos tours, since one loop stage passes Lindos.
- Shoes: Comfortable sport shoes suit the pedals.
- Sun: Sunscreen and sunglasses come on the packing lists.
- Lock: The rental includes one for stops.
Riders on the town e-bike tour wear sports clothing that moves easily.
What do travelers ask about a Rhodes bike tour?
A Rhodes bike tour suits families, couples and solo riders. The old town e-bike tour won a top score from 98% of its English-speaking riders. The coastal ride and the rental each keep groups small.
Can a Rhodes bike tour run at night?
Yes. One old town tour rides the medieval town at night, with a drink and meze. Its rides are rated leisurely, suitable for first-time bike tourers.
Can a Rhodes bike tour include snorkelling?
Yes. One e-bike tour adds snorkelling, and others add drinks tastings. E-bikes come on every tour in that range, which makes hills easier to climb.
Where do riders sleep on a multi-day Rhodes bike tour?
One loop books hotels in Kalavarda, Embonas, Apolakkia, Pefki and Archangelos. Another includes seven nights with breakfast and one dinner in Kalavarda. Its Kalavarda and Archangelos hotels are basic, with air conditioning.
In which languages does a Rhodes bike tour run?
The old town e-bike tour runs in English, and its leaders are local bike experts. The concept store’s town tour adds Greek. The sunset coast ride runs with an English-speaking driver.
What do riders say about a Rhodes bike tour?
One reviewer called the old town e-bike tour the best way to see Rodos. The group covered a lot in a short time. Another praised the balance of exploring and stops, and the sunset spot at the end.