💰 This page covers the street-level details of spending money in Rhodes: eating inside the walled Old Town without paying for the view, the bus and boat to Lindos, day ferries to Symi from Mandraki, and which machines to use. For Greece-wide ATM tips, DCC warnings, tipping norms, and exchange rate advice:
Read the Greece Money Guide →🎧 Order Euros Before You Fly
Land with euros for the Lindos bus and the Old Town kiosks. Insured delivery, 2–5 days.
Order EUR → CEI Currency ExchangeDo You Need Cash in Rhodes?
Less than you might expect, and more than the Greek card rules suggest. Greece now requires most businesses, taxis included, to offer card payment, and Rhodes Town, the Old Town and the big resorts at Ixia, Faliraki and Lindos take Visa and Mastercard almost everywhere. Cash is still what keeps a day moving: the KTEL bus down the east coast, sunbeds on the beach, kiosk drinks, village tavernas and tips. Carry €40 to €80 and top up at a bank machine, and the Greece money guide explains which ones.
Where You Will Need Cash
The KTEL bus to Lindos and the south. Sunbeds and umbrellas at Tsambika, Anthony Quinn Bay and the Lindos beaches. Kiosks (periptera) for water and bus snacks. Small tavernas in villages such as Embonas and Kritinia. Donkey rides and small souvenir stalls in Lindos. Tips.
Where Cards Work Fine
Hotels and all-inclusive resorts. Restaurants in the Old Town and New Town. Ferry offices on Mandraki harbour. Car and scooter hire. The Palace of the Grand Master and other ticketed sites. Taxis, which must carry a terminal by law. Supermarkets such as Lidl and Sklavenitis.
Eating in the Old Town Without Paying for the Walls
The walled Old Town is a living neighbourhood and a UNESCO site, and its busiest squares are where Rhodes charges the most. On Ippokratous Square and along Sokratous Street, restaurants station staff outside with laminated menus and photographs, offer free drinks or a discount to get you seated, and price the moussaka and grilled fish for the setting. The food is not always bad; the bill is reliably higher.
Walk three streets. The lanes of the old Jewish quarter around Dosiadou and the quieter streets south of Sokratous, towards the Agios Fanourios area, have family tavernas where a meal costs noticeably less, and some list the day's dishes on a board rather than a photo menu. Fish priced by the kilo is the one item to query anywhere in Rhodes: ask to see the fish weighed and the total before it is cooked.
Check for a cover charge. Bread and a small plate brought to the table without asking may appear on the bill as a per-person charge. It is legal if listed on the menu. If it is not listed, you can ask for it to be removed. Every Greek business must give you a receipt, so ask for one; it is also the simplest way to see what you have been charged.
Lindos: The Bus, the Acropolis and the Donkeys
Getting there. Lindos is about an hour south of Rhodes Town. The KTEL bus leaves from the stop beside the New Market (Nea Agora) near Mandraki, and a one-way ticket costs around €5 to €6, paid in cash to the conductor or at the kiosk. Summer buses fill up by late morning. A taxi costs many times more, and summer day-trip boats from Mandraki harbour sail down the coast to Lindos for a fixed return fare that takes cards at the kiosks.
The acropolis. The ticket office at the top of the village sells entry to the acropolis, and Greece has raised prices at its major sites in recent seasons, so check the current fee before you go. Cards are usually accepted, but carry enough cash in case the terminal is down. The climb is steep and has no shade; arrive at opening time.
The donkeys. Donkey rides up to the acropolis are priced per ride, paid in cash at the bottom. Rules on the animals' working hours and loads have tightened after welfare campaigns, and many visitors now choose to walk. Either way, the village's lanes are full of cafes and shops that take cards but prefer cash for small amounts.
Ferries to Symi and the Other Dodecanese Islands
Symi is the classic day trip, a harbour of pastel neo-classical houses about an hour or more by boat. Tickets are sold by the ferry companies and agencies in the kiosks along Mandraki harbour and in the commercial port, and online, and all take cards. The cheaper day-trip boats sell a return with a stop at the Panormitis monastery; the fast catamarans are quicker and cost more. In July and August, book a day or two ahead.
Take cash to Symi. The island has a handful of cash machines around the harbour and some card acceptance in its restaurants, but on a busy day machines can run low, and the water taxis to the island's beaches are paid in cash. Bring enough euros from Rhodes.
Further afield. Blue Star and Dodecanese Seaways run to Kos, Kalymnos, Tilos and beyond, and there are boats across to Marmaris in Turkey, where you will need Turkish lira or a card and your passport. Our Turkey money guide covers what changes on the other side.
Paying by Card in Rhodes
Rhodes is a big package-holiday island, and card payment is routine across the north-east coast. The places that still lean on cash are the villages, the beaches and anything on wheels that is not a taxi.
New Town and Mandraki
The modern town north of the walls, with the harbour, the New Market, bank branches and the ferry kiosks. Cards everywhere, and the best place to withdraw before a day out.
The Old Town
Restaurants and larger shops take cards; small souvenir sellers, juice stands and the cheaper tavernas prefer cash for small amounts. Ask before ordering if you plan to pay by card.
Ixia and Ialyssos
The hotel strip on the west coast near the airport. Resorts, restaurants and car hire take cards. Beach bars are mixed.
Faliraki
Nightlife and water parks. Clubs and big bars take cards; the independent cash machines along the main strip are the ones to avoid.
Lindos
Card-friendly restaurants and rooftop bars, but the donkeys, some beach sunbeds and small shops want cash, and the village machines have queues in summer.
Villages and the south
Embonas, Kritinia, Monolithos and Prasonisi. Few machines, family tavernas and petrol stations where cash is simpler. Fill the tank and withdraw before heading south.
ATMs in Rhodes
Look for these logos. Rhodes Town has branches of all four; each gives the network rate with no machine charge.
National Bank of Greece
Piraeus Bank
Eurobank
Alpha BankATM Locations
The New Town around Mandraki, Makariou Street and the New Market has branches of all four big banks. Inside the Old Town, bank machines are near the main gates and on the approach to Sokratous Street. Lindos, Faliraki and Ixia each have bank machines, but they run low on August weekends. Greece has no Bank of America Global ATM Alliance partner, so a BoA card pays its normal non-network fees everywhere on the island.
⚠ Walk Past the Euronet Units
Independent Euronet machines stand along Sokratous Street, on the Faliraki strip and outside resort minimarkets. They add their own fee and open with an offer to charge you in dollars. Choose a bank machine, and choose euros. The DCC explainer shows what the dollar option costs.
Paying for Buses, Taxis and Hire Cars
Buses. Two companies serve the island. RODA runs the town buses and some west-coast routes, and KTEL runs the east coast to Faliraki, Lindos and the south, both from stops beside the New Market. Fares are paid in cash on board or at the kiosk; keep coins and small notes.
Taxis. Rhodes taxis are metered in town and charge fixed fares for longer trips from a posted list at the rank near the New Market. The airport to Rhodes Town costs roughly €30 to €35; our Rhodes Airport guide covers the arrival options. Every Greek taxi must carry a card terminal. If a driver claims it is broken, you can still insist on a receipt.
Hire cars and scooters. Most rental desks take a credit card for the deposit and the rental. Check whether the quote includes full insurance: the island's southern roads are narrow and the gravel roads to beaches such as Prasonisi are usually excluded. Fuel stations are attended and take cards.
Tipping in Rhodes
Greek norms apply, and the Greece guide covers them. In Rhodes, rounding up or leaving 5 to 10 percent in cash for good table service is normal, and card terminals rarely have a tip line, so leave coins on the table. All-inclusive resorts attract a lot of tipping from British and German guests; it is appreciated by bar and cleaning staff but never required. Boat crews on the Symi and Lindos day trips, and guides in the Old Town, welcome a few euros.
Prices in Rhodes
Rhodes is cheaper than Santorini or Mykonos, and the gap between the Old Town squares and the rest of the island is wider than the gap between islands.
| Item | Price (EUR) | Price (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Greek coffee or freddo espresso | €2.50–4.50 | $2.90–5.20 |
| Gyros pita | €3.50–5 | $4–5.75 |
| Taverna dinner for two, away from the squares | €35–60 | $40–69 |
| Dinner for two on Ippokratous Square | €60–100 | $69–115 |
| Mythos beer at a beach bar | €4–6 | $4.60–6.90 |
| KTEL bus, Rhodes Town to Lindos | €5–6 | $5.75–6.90 |
| Taxi, airport to Rhodes Town | €30–35 | $35–40 |
| Two sunbeds and an umbrella | €10–25 | $11.50–29 |
| Palace of the Grand Master | around €10 | around $11.50 |
| Day-trip boat to Symi, return | €30–60 | $35–69 |
| Scooter hire per day | €20–35 | $23–40 |
| Mid-range hotel night in summer | €90–180 | $104–207 |
USD estimates use approximately €1 = $1.15. Rates fluctuate. Site entry fees in Greece have been rising; check before you go.
Day Trips from Rhodes Town
Lindos (about 1 hour)
Covered above. Cash for the bus and the donkeys, card or cash for the acropolis, and an early start.
Symi (1 to 2 hours by boat)
Pay for the boat by card on Mandraki harbour, then carry euros: the island's few machines are overworked on busy days and the beach water taxis take cash.
Butterfly Valley and Filerimos (30 to 40 minutes)
Both charge a small entry fee, sometimes cash only at the gate, and are easiest by hire car or taxi. Petaloudes is best in summer, when the moths gather.
Marmaris, Turkey (about 1 hour by boat)
A different country and currency. Take your passport and a card, and see the Turkey guide before paying in euros at a waterfront rate.
Rhodes Quick Reference
| Destination | Cards? | Cash Needed? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Town restaurants | ✅ Yes | Check the cover charge | Walk off the main squares |
| KTEL bus to Lindos | ❌ Cash | €5–6 each way | Fills up by late morning |
| Lindos acropolis | ✅ Usually | Carry the fee in cash too | Go at opening time |
| Symi ferries | ✅ Yes | Cash for the island | Book ahead in summer |
| Taxis | ✅ By law | Fixed fares for long trips | Ask for a receipt |
| Beach sunbeds | ❌ Mostly cash | €10–25 a set | Some take cards |
| ATMs | NBG, Piraeus, Eurobank, Alpha | Withdraw in town | Avoid Euronet |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need cash in Rhodes?
Some. Hotels, Old Town restaurants, ferry agencies and car hire take cards, and Greek law requires most businesses, including taxis, to have a card terminal. Carry 40 to 80 euros for the KTEL bus to Lindos, beach sunbeds, kiosks, small tavernas in the villages and tips.
How much is the bus from Rhodes Town to Lindos?
Around 5 to 6 euros each way on the KTEL bus from the stop by the New Market, and the journey takes about an hour. Pay the conductor or at the kiosk in cash, and in summer catch an early bus, because the midday ones fill up.
Are Rhodes Old Town restaurants a tourist trap?
Some are. Restaurants on Ippokratous Square and Sokratous Street post staff outside to steer you in, and prices there are highest. Walk a few streets towards the Turkish quarter or the southern lanes and the same dishes cost less. Check the menu and any cover charge before sitting.
Can I pay for the Symi ferry by card?
Yes, at the ferry company offices and kiosks on Mandraki harbour and online. Day-trip boats and the faster catamarans sell out in peak season, so book a day or two ahead. Symi has only a few cash machines, so bring some euros with you.
Does the Lindos acropolis take cards?
Usually yes at the ticket office at the top, but the queue can be long and card terminals occasionally fail, so carry enough cash for the entry fee. The climb from the village is steep and unshaded; go at opening time.
Which ATMs should I use in Rhodes?
Machines belonging to National Bank of Greece, Piraeus Bank, Eurobank and Alpha Bank, at branches in the New Town and just inside the Old Town gates. Walk past the independent Euronet units on Sokratous Street and in Faliraki, which add fees and push a conversion into dollars.
Pay Smart in Rhodes
The Wise card converts at the real mid-market rate, pays the Symi ferry and hotel bills in euros, and withdraws at bank machines inside the Old Town walls without a markup.
Get the Wise Card →Rhodes money toolkit
Country-specific deep dives for Rhodes: which card to bring, where the no-fee ATMs are at the airport, and how to dodge the local DCC traps.
Hero photo: a street in the Old Town of Rhodes, by Mstyslav Chernov, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.