
Rhodes with kids is about much more than spending a week beside the hotel pool. Families can combine waterparks and sandy beaches with boat trips, medieval streets, nature attractions and some of the most impressive scenery in the Greek islands.
That variety is what makes Rhodes such a strong choice for families. Younger children have easy beach days and gentle activities, while older kids and teenagers can enjoy waterslides, snorkelling, boat trips and exploring places such as Lindos and Rhodes Old Town.
We’ve picked 15 of the best things to do in Rhodes with kids, along with practical tips on which activities suit different ages and how to avoid trying to cram too much into one holiday.
If you’re still deciding where to stay, start with our Rhodes Family Holidays guide, which covers the best resorts, areas and family hotels.
β Holiday Blueprint Family Picks
Best full family day: Rhodes WaterPark
Best sightseeing: Rhodes Old Town
Best scenic day: Lindos
Best nature experience: Valley of the Butterflies
Best easy excursion: Glass-bottom boat trip
15 Best Things to Do in Rhodes with Kids
You certainly don’t need to do all 15. For a seven-night holiday, we’d choose two or three bigger days out and leave plenty of time for the beach and pool.
1. Spend a Day at Rhodes WaterPark
If your children love waterslides, Rhodes WaterPark in Faliraki should be near the top of the list.
There are attractions aimed at different ages and confidence levels, including family slides, children’s areas, a wave pool and lazy-river-style attractions, as well as more adventurous slides for older children and adults.
That makes it particularly useful for families with children of different ages β everyone doesn’t have to want exactly the same level of excitement.
π‘ Holiday Blueprint Tip: Check the current opening dates and attraction restrictions before your visit. If the WaterPark is one of the main reasons you’re choosing Rhodes, don’t leave checking this until after you’ve booked your holiday.
2. Explore Rhodes Old Town
Rhodes Old Town is one of those rare sightseeing days that can work surprisingly well with children.
Instead of simply looking around museums, you’re walking through a genuine medieval walled city filled with narrow streets, huge stone walls, gates, squares and historic buildings.
Older children may particularly enjoy the Street of the Knights and the area around the Palace of the Grand Master.
Don’t feel that you have to turn the visit into a history lesson. Wandering around, stopping for food and letting children explore the streets can be enough to make it memorable.
3. Visit Lindos
Lindos is one of the places we’d try not to miss on a first family holiday to Rhodes.
The combination of whitewashed buildings, hillside scenery, beaches and the Acropolis above the village makes it completely different from the island’s modern resort areas.
With younger children, we’d avoid trying to see absolutely everything. Lindos can involve plenty of walking and the summer heat can make sightseeing tiring, so an earlier visit followed by beach time can work much better.
4. Take a Boat Trip to Lindos
If driving and parking doesn’t appeal, getting to Lindos by boat turns the journey into part of the day out.
There are several boat trips available around Rhodes, including options that combine time in Lindos with swimming stops. This can be a good balance for families who don’t want an entire day devoted to sightseeing.
β΅ Find a Lindos Boat Trip
Compare Lindos boat trips from Rhodes, including options with swimming stops and free time to explore Lindos.
5. Walk Through the Valley of the Butterflies
The Valley of the Butterflies gives families a complete change from Rhodes’ beaches and resorts.
You’ll follow shaded paths through a green valley rather than spending another day around a swimming pool.
There’s an important detail to understand before going: the famous butterfly spectacle is seasonal. If seeing large numbers of butterflies is the main reason for your visit, check the timing before you go.
The natural terrain also means this isn’t the same as walking around a flat theme park. Sensible footwear is a much better idea than treating it as a flip-flop excursion.
π¦ Explore Butterfly Valley Tours
Compare trips to the Valley of the Butterflies, including shorter excursions and tours combining the valley with other Rhodes attractions.
6. Have a Family Beach Day at Tsambika
Not every family day out needs an entrance ticket.
Tsambika Beach is one of the places we’d consider for a dedicated beach day, particularly if you’re exploring the east coast.
Take what you need for the children, arrive before everyone is exhausted from the heat and give yourself permission to do absolutely nothing for a few hours.
Beach and sea conditions can vary, so always judge the water on the day and supervise children appropriately.
7. Go on a Glass-Bottom Boat
A glass-bottom boat is a particularly useful option when you want to get onto the water without committing the whole family to a full-day cruise.
It’s also easier to fit around another activity, lunch or an afternoon at the pool.
π Find a Family Boat Trip
Compare glass-bottom boats and shorter cruises around Rhodes β particularly useful for families who don’t want to commit to a full-day boat trip.
8. Visit the Aquarium of Rhodes
The Aquarium of Rhodes can be useful when you want a shorter family activity rather than another full-day excursion.
It’s also something we’d keep in mind for younger children or for a day when everyone needs a break from spending hours in the sun.
Combine it with time around Rhodes Town rather than necessarily treating it as a standalone full-day attraction.
9. Explore Kallithea Springs
Kallithea Springs offers something different again β attractive architecture, gardens and a coastal setting rather than rides or children’s entertainment.
This one is better for families who enjoy exploring beautiful places together rather than those looking for a child-focused attraction.
It can also be combined with other stops on the east coast instead of using an entire day.
10. Discover Seven Springs
Seven Springs is another option when you’ve had enough of busy resorts and want to see a greener side of Rhodes.
It’s more about the surroundings and walking than organised entertainment, so we’d choose it for children who enjoy exploring outdoors.
Think of it as a change-of-pace excursion rather than one of the headline attractions children will necessarily be talking about months later.
11. Try Snorkelling
Rhodes’ clear Mediterranean water makes getting beneath the surface part of the fun.
For confident swimmers and older children, taking a mask and snorkel to suitable beaches can turn an ordinary beach day into something much more interesting.
Choose locations and conditions appropriate for your children and don’t assume calm-looking water removes the need for close supervision.
12. Try Family Watersports
Older children and teenagers may want more action than building sandcastles.
Rhodes has plenty of opportunities for watersports around its tourist beaches. What’s available varies by location, and minimum ages or other restrictions can apply.
If your teenager has a particular activity in mind, check what’s available near your resort before choosing the hotel.
13. Take a Break at Rodini Park
Rodini Park is one of the lesser-known family options and can provide a quieter change from Rhodes’ headline attractions.
We wouldn’t put it ahead of Lindos, the WaterPark or Old Town on a first visit, but it’s useful to know about if you’re staying longer and want somewhere different to explore.
14. Visit the Bee Museum
The Bee Museum is another alternative for families looking for something educational and different from beaches and historic sites.
It’s the sort of attraction we’d consider adding to a longer holiday rather than making it one of the essential first three days out.
15. Have a Family Rhodes Road Trip
One of the best things you can do in Rhodes isn’t a single attraction at all.
Hire a car for a day or two and create your own family road trip. You could combine a beach, Lindos, a village or nature stop without being tied to an organised excursion timetable.
This works particularly well on a 10 or 14-night holiday when you have enough time to explore without sacrificing all your pool days.
π Compare Rhodes Car Hire
If you want to explore independently, compare the full rental price rather than choosing solely by the cheapest headline rate. Check insurance, excess, deposit, fuel policy and any child-seat charges.
Best Things to Do in Rhodes for Different Ages
| Age | Activities We’d Consider |
|---|---|
| Toddlers | Beach time, short boat trip, Aquarium, hotel pool and short visits to Rhodes Town |
| 4β7 | WaterPark children’s areas, Aquarium, glass-bottom boat, beaches and Old Town |
| 8β12 | WaterPark, Lindos, boat trips, Butterfly Valley, snorkelling and Old Town |
| Teenagers | WaterPark, watersports, snorkelling, Lindos, boat trips, beaches and exploring by car |
These are suggestions rather than age rules β every child is different, and individual attractions and activities can have their own age, height or participation restrictions.
Free Things to Do in Rhodes with Kids
A Rhodes family holiday doesn’t need to involve paying for an attraction every day.
Beach days are the obvious option, but families can also explore resort areas, walk around parts of Rhodes Town, enjoy coastal viewpoints and create their own sightseeing days if they have a hire car.
Alternating paid attractions with free beach and pool days is one of the easiest ways to keep the overall holiday budget under control.
Rhodes with Toddlers
If you’re visiting Rhodes with toddlers, we’d deliberately plan less.
Choose one main activity rather than trying to fill every day. Shorter excursions, beaches close to your accommodation and plenty of hotel time are likely to be more enjoyable than spending hours travelling around the island.
A good family hotel becomes much more important at this age because you’ll probably spend considerably more time there.
See our Rhodes Family Holidays guide for our recommended resort areas and family hotel options.
Rhodes with Teenagers
Rhodes is particularly strong for families with older children because you aren’t relying entirely on kids’ clubs.
Water slides, snorkelling, watersports, boat trips, beaches and exploring Lindos give teenagers plenty of alternatives to sitting around the hotel.
We’d involve older children in choosing two or three activities before travelling. Giving everyone a say usually works better than arriving with a fully organised timetable.
Do You Need a Car in Rhodes with Kids?
No, but it can make exploring much easier.
If you’re staying in Faliraki or another major resort and mainly want the WaterPark, beach and organised excursions, you can have an excellent holiday without driving.
A hire car becomes more valuable if you want to visit several beaches, Lindos, nature attractions and less touristy parts of the island at your own pace.
There’s also no need to hire one for the entire holiday. A couple of car-hire days in the middle of a resort holiday can give you the best of both approaches.
How Many Family Days Out Should You Plan?
For a seven-night Rhodes holiday, we’d generally plan around two or three substantial days out.
For 10 to 14 nights, you can spread the activities out and add more without the holiday feeling rushed.
A simple pattern works well:
Busy day β pool/beach day β busy day β relaxed day.
That becomes particularly valuable during the hottest part of summer.
π‘ Holiday Blueprint Tip: Don’t judge the success of a family holiday by how many attractions you manage to visit. Some of the days children remember most are the completely unplanned beach and pool days.
Frequently Asked Questions About Rhodes with Kids
Is Rhodes good with kids?
Yes. Rhodes combines family-friendly resorts and beaches with waterparks, boat trips, nature attractions and historic places, giving families much more variety than a holiday based entirely around a hotel.
What are the best things to do in Rhodes with kids?
Our first choices would include Rhodes WaterPark, Rhodes Old Town, Lindos, a family boat trip, the Valley of the Butterflies and a good beach day. Which ones you prioritise should depend on the ages and interests of your children.
Is Rhodes WaterPark suitable for younger children?
The WaterPark has attractions aimed at different age groups, including children’s and family attractions. Check the latest attraction restrictions before visiting because individual slides can have their own requirements.
Is Lindos worth visiting with kids?
Yes, particularly with school-age children and teenagers. With younger children, consider visiting earlier in the day and don’t underestimate the amount of walking or the effect of summer heat.
Is Rhodes Old Town good for children?
It can be. The walls, gateways, narrow streets and medieval buildings make it more visually interesting for children than many conventional historic attractions. The Medieval City of Rhodes is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
When can you see butterflies in Rhodes?
The butterfly phenomenon is seasonal rather than guaranteed throughout the entire holiday season. If this is an important part of your trip, check the latest information from the attraction before travelling.
Can you do Rhodes without hiring a car?
Yes. Families staying in established resorts can use organised excursions and other transport for many of the main attractions. A hire car simply gives you more freedom to combine beaches and sightseeing on your own schedule.
What can you do in Rhodes with teenagers?
Waterparks, boat trips, snorkelling, watersports, Lindos, Rhodes Old Town and exploring different beaches are all worth considering with teenagers.
Our Rhodes with Kids Verdict
The biggest advantage of Rhodes with kids is variety.
You can spend one day racing down waterslides, the next exploring a medieval city and the following day doing virtually nothing on a beach.
For most families, that’s a better formula than trying to create an attraction-packed itinerary.
Choose a resort that works for your family, pick a handful of activities everyone genuinely wants to do and leave enough empty days to enjoy being on holiday.
π¬π· Plan Your Greece Family Holiday
β Rhodes Family Holidays
Where to stay, the best family resorts and our Rhodes hotel picks.
β Greece with Kids
Our complete guide to visiting Greece as a family.
β Greece Family Holidays
Compare Rhodes with other Greek family destinations.
β Best Family Hotels in Greece
Compare our family hotel picks across the Greek islands.
Affiliate disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you book through one of these links, Holiday Blueprint may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Attraction opening dates, operating times, age or height restrictions and availability can change, so always check the latest information with the attraction or booking provider before travelling.

