Valley of the Butterflies
Valley of the Butterflies
3.5
About
Also known as Petaloudes Valley, this unusual nature park in northern Rhodes is known for the swarms of multi-colored butterflies between June and September. These creatures lay their eggs at the end of the wet season and are usually found clinging to the many Zitia or Oriental Sweetgum trees. This green valley is nice for an easy nature walk and has a small Natural History Museum worth checking out, too. The valley is a short drive from Theologos Village and is a popular stop on tours exploring the best of Rhodes. These tours usually cover admission and children under a certain age can enter for free. – Tripadvisor
Duration: 2-3 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience Valley of the Butterflies
See what travellers are saying
  • Caron2122
    London, United Kingdom23 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Valley of the Butterfies...
    Didn't realise that this was actually a pretty decent hike, so wear the right shoes! There are a LOT of steps (and if it's hot, bring water). There is a small kiosk at the top but if you have hiked from the bottom through the beautiful valley, you may need water. A no go for push chairs, walkers or wheelchairs. Cobbled smooth stones make for a hard walking surface, and possibly rather treacherous when coming back down. Check the dates if you want to see actual butterflies as it is only during the hot summer months. It's a beautiful nature walk that I would recommend for the beauty of and waterways. Its well kept and thoroughly enjoyable. Good shoes and water and you are good 👍
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 18 October 2023
  • Dawn N
    37 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Tranquil enjoyable and cool area of Rhodes.
    Lovely peaceful cool area, I seen a few butterflies and goats, not recommended if you have walking restrictions or tire easy. I went with a coach tour so there was limited time. I'd recommend hire a wee car or moped and if you're an artist it would be ideally to sit and paint! Or even just sit and enjoy the peaceful area. Wee waterfalls but not gushing obviously you're in Greece! If you want big falls come to northern Scotland :-) Over all a lovely wee wander away from beaches!
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled solo
    Written 19 May 2024
  • Chris&Janey
    Yoxall, United Kingdom581 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Beautiful Valley to walk through
    We knew that the Moths would not be seen at this time and that usually you have to wait until end of June to experience them. However it is a lovely green valley which was very quiet and peaceful as we arrived later in the afternoon. We did walk from the entrance at the bottom of the valley up to the top and back down which I think is preferable than the other way around. We actually only saw 2 butterflies during the visit and both were near the entrance!
    Visited May 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 22 May 2024
  • Littletravellers24
    65 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Ok
    We visited end of may. Ended up seeing 2 butterflies ! Apparently it’s due to the weather not being hot enough. But it only cost us 3 euros, so not a waste of money. The place itself is beautiful, be prepared for steps . It’s sheltered so very shady throughout.
    Visited May 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 1 June 2024
  • Francesca D
    2 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Beautiful valley
    Lovely place to go visit, saw quite a few butterflies (early June) but would recommend going even if it is not butterfly season for the beautiful views of the valley. We walked from the bottom entrance to the top, and back again. Steps can be slippery though and it us quite a tough uphill walk in 30+ degrees! Make sure you bring plenty of water with you.
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 8 June 2024
  • Nicola K
    Bradford, United Kingdom18 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Beautiful Walk
    Fab place, 3 euros per adult and children are free. Saw lots of lizards and crabs which were fun to spot. Only a few butterflies but it didn't matter as it's a beautiful walk and good to keep cooler in the shade of the trees.
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 13 June 2024
  • Adventure30795375374
    50 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Valley of the butterflies and Chalki Island.
    Arranged tour to valley of the butterfly's and Chalki Island. Cost 55 euros which was good value as tour lasted all day. Took about an our to get to the valley. Cost of entry not included in tour but only 3 euro. It's a nice place quite a few steps over rough ground. Most of the butterflies were on trees but there were 10s rather than 1000s flying round. All one species. Nice and peaceful place and cool compared to the very hot coast. In truth probably not worth the hour drive to get there. There are toilets 50 cents and a quick mention to the lady taking the money.....she keeps them spotless. It was then a drive to the port and a sail of about an hour to Chalki Island. Boat was busy. Chalki is a small island with a few tavernas, fishing boats and a couple of tourist shops a step back in time to a slower pace of life that is quickly disappearing as sadly the big corporate hotels take over. A 10 minute walk takes you to a lovely beach great for swimming. Then back to the big corporate hotel on Rhodes.
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 13 June 2024
  • Beep123
    Exeter, United Kingdom150 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Butterfly valley
    I was really looking forward to this. It’s was a bit more than I was expecting. We did manage to get to the top and had a well deserved slushie. If it hadn’t have been so hot we would have carried onto the monestory. But it was more up hill walking and the kids had had enough. The valley was beautiful, we saw lots of butterflies flying through. Also resting on rocks or leaves. We also saw a couple surprise 🦀 crabs. It was very lovely but lots of steps .
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 20 June 2024
  • jusaja2017
    Helsinki, Finland26 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Worth to visit in June - August
    6 Eur to enter, children free. One hour is enough. Several parking places at a few hundred meters. Mostly covered from sun. Thousands of resting butterflies, one species only.
    Visited July 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 4 July 2024
  • Kim
    219 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Lots of butterflies
    Never seen so many butterflies in one place. It is quite serene and is worth a visit as is a break from beaches etc. parking is close and free plus you can stop in cafe if you wish.
    Visited July 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 4 July 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
3.5
3.5 of 5 bubbles2,821 reviews
Excellent
806
Very good
947
Average
636
Poor
268
Terrible
166

These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
This service may contain translations provided by Google. Google disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to translations, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and freedom from forgery.

Kris G
Horsham, UK65 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020 • Family
It's a long long walk up if you start from the bottom of the lower valley. Keep you tickets, they're worth more than gold. They'll be your key through the many electronic gates - four, if you want to go all the way up to the monastery. Another four if you want to go back down the same way, of course. It's worth it. The place is beautiful, there are millions of butterflies but you won't be able to see them at first as they look like they're needles from trees. Stop and look for them, they've evolved well to blend in their environment. There are some other colours of their wings but the 'conifers' are the main attraction here. They're more lively in the upper valley especially those sitting on large rocks and stones. They rarely fly across the path so just stand and appreciate the view for a few seconds. There's no hurry. And you'll need to rest, believe me. The last part, which is climbing up to the monastery will drain your entire energy. Nice fresh lemonade or fresh orange juice awaits those who make to the last part of the journey. It's overpriced, as you'd expect, but you'll be screaming "Take my money! Just give me that cool liquid that I desperately need!". And then it's the monastery. Very quiet, very solemn, almost forgotten, standing there lonely, as the road wraps it around from all sides. It's beautiful there. You've made it to the top so take some time to soak in the atmoshpere. Good news, the way down is much much easier.

A word for those who are scared. If you're concerned about the 'scary' virus, just don't go there. This place is for those who enjoy themselves, those who refuse to stay at home, hiding under the table. No, this place is not 'covid friendly' (what a stupid expression). The paths are narrow and nobody gives a damn about the seasonal flu, or 'deadly virus' as some like to call it. Also, no, you won't be able to take a pushchair into the rocky woods, with many many steps, wooden bridges and stone paths (imagine the level of entitlement of people who complain about that!) Neither will you be able to drive a minibus there, just to save you some time, in case you were wondering. Apply some common sense when you're chosing your attractions.

Look at the photos, go there and enjoy. It's well worth it.
Written 26 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Car212167
Isle of Wight, UK93 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2020 • Family
Though we visited in late October and saw no butterflies this place is totally magical walking through the forest with the waterfalls you can forget where you are. Yes the entrance fee is €3pp children are free but it's well worth it and the cafe at the top had reasonable prices. Make sure you have sensible footwear as it can be slippy underneath and for those with pushchairs or walking difficulties this is probably a no due to the amount of steps. If we returned to Rhodes we would come back here.
Written 24 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

lamb_bob
Sheffield, UK167 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2020
This was a morning organised tour through our hotel. The valley was approximately 40 minutes drive from our Hotel and the mini bus was full so no social distancing, we had to wear a mask. When we were dropped off in the car park it was unclear as to where to go but a short walk through the wooded area at the top of the car park revealed the entrance.
If you are expecting tonnes of butterflies and all different species then this trip is not for you. There is only one species and when they are not flying they are well camouflaged against the tree bark or rock but we saw a some large groups rising up from trees and the water but they are very hard to photograph.
The walk through the woods is pretty hard going in places (uphill) and people were not very spatially aware walking very close in some cases especially when crossing bridges etc. There is a very welcome café area at the top of the valley which served iced coffee and cold drinks.
You can then carry on up out of the valley to the Monastery which very picturesque in its own right had some glorious views down to the sea - amazing. You then have to walk all the way down back into the valley lol and can then go further into the valley but to be fair that side is okay but not as amazing as going up. There is a gift shop and food bar serving drinks etc when you reach the entrance. I would recommend this trip
Written 11 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

imthesecretshopper
Bath, UK11 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2021 • Couples
Disappointing our visit started badly with the toilet WC attendant tried to rip us off! it is 50cents to go in the toilet be careful we gave him €10 and he tried to keep it and not give us any change? I don’t mind giving a tip if I choose too .. but he just gave us back €5 and opened the door to the toilet I said to him what about the rest of our change and he was angry we challenged him and finally we got our change but if we didn’t say anything about it he would of kept our money and I wonder if he does that quite often to trusting tourists.. we are regular visitors to Rhodes and won’t go back there again .. so underhand and dishonest spoilt our visit

It is a long up hill walk in crowds of people, if your going to do it wear shoes for walking not flip flops as it is cobble stones and rough ground, and steep steps lovely stream running down, you can see crabs but no butterflies they do have moths on some of the trees and rocks which are lovely to see

There is also a cafe on the lower level by the pumping station under the trees which is very nice by the water a really nice place to sit with a coffee and a friendly guy serving
Written 9 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Işıl U
Liverpool, UK90 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2020 • Couples
It is €5 to enter. Beautiful calm and clean place. Seen lots of butterflies, all belong to one species.it was not busy because covd19 , plenty of shade to walk trough and because of waterfalls, felt cool.it is a stip climbing and uneven surfaces so if you have a mobility problem, this might be a issue..
Top of the valley there is a cafe and monastery which you need to use same ticket to enter and exit. So do not loose your ticket.
When you walk down and vo other side of the main entrance, there is another valley which you need same tickets. Very small tunnel to go trough. This part is as pretty as other one and end of it again cafe and museum but meseum is not open due to Covd 19. There are toilets near museum again you need to use your ticket to go out and come back. We gone as part of tour it was €15 each from local tour company.
Written 12 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Rose T
4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2023 • Couples
Lovely walk and lovely surroundings, would definitely recommend to any one visiting the area. The snack shop at the bottom is ridiculous prices because of the captive audience.The restaurant at the top wasn’t too bad price wise two 800ml water and a 500ml Pepsi max for €6. But if you want food and are going to seven springs in the same day I would recommend eating at the seven spring taverna instead.

Toilets are at the top restaurant €0.50 to get in which is great unless you don’t have a 50cent coin and you are desperate.
Written 15 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

a m
London, UK256 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2020
No doubt beautiful in summer but it should close end of September. Complete waste of time going in October. Yes we should have checked but didn’t expect them to be open if it’s out of butterfly season. Hundreds of other disappointed visitors also paid their 3 euros each to walk up a path and back again with disappointed faces being the only thing visible in the valley.
Written 22 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Marta G
141 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Family
Three very convenient and free car parks are located near the forest. To access it is possible to enter from three entrances: the main one, the one at the end of the route and the one in the "lower" part. The butterflies are visible from June to August while during the other months they are present in the form of eggs, larvae and caterpillars. We saw so many of them both perched and in flight, also because we went in the morning when the climate is cooler and more suitable for them. In addition to butterflies, or more precisely ivy moths, river crabs, spiders and dragonflies can also be observed. Tickets cost €5 for adults and people over 12 years of age, while children enter for free. I recommend visiting this place to those who want to live a particular and fascinating experience in Rhodes.
Google
Written 6 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Wetravelalot12
London306 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2022
There are 3 parking sites where you can enter Valley of the Butterflies. Google maps shows "top" and "central" parking, but there is also parking at the bottom by "Cafe Butterflies" We decided to park in "central". Entry was 3 euro's each due to the time of year (April). The ticket booth was just around the corner from the parking. Before we purchased a ticket, the lady explained that there were no butterflies at this time of year. At this ticket booth, you are entering the valley in the middle. This meant you explored the top half first. You head up hill through the beautiful forest and follow the River Pelekanos (although it was more of a stream), passing all the different waterfalls. Its very shaded too. You know you have reached the top and you can turn round and come back down again as there is a sign saying 100m to cafe and 300m to the monastery. We carried on walking to the cafe where we stopped and had fresh orange juice, then continued to the monastery. We didn't realise until we got there that the monastery was closed. To get to the monastery from the cafe, take the steps to the right of the cafe and follow them all the way up to the road. The monastery is on the other side of the road. Once finished, you come back down the same way you went up.
On exiting the upper valley, head over the road and visit the lower valley. It is well sign posted. Same thing again, this time you head down the valley to the bottom and then turn round and walk back up the way you came.
The pathways are definitely not suitable for buggies or anyone unsteady on their feet. They are either made of crazy pathing or large stones half buried in concrete. You need solid walking shoes/trainers. There are also a large number of steps in the upper and lower valley's. We counted them (sad - I know!). 295 approx in the upper and 198 approx in the lower.
If you can deal with the exertion and large number of steps, it is a beautiful place to visit.
Written 13 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

HSBwastheBest
Portsmouth104 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2022
Only 5 euros to get in here and it was a lovely simple couple of hours wandering up through the trees by the streams watching thousands of these Tiger Moths flying around and settled on the trees. Also can explore the valley the other direction for free if wanted.
I've seen a few negative reviews about this but it was well worth a visit as very different from everything else on the island. (Not sure a coach trip would be worth it - we hired a car, free to park)
Written 15 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Showing results 1-10 of 1,069
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing

VALLEY OF THE BUTTERFLIES (2024) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

All things to do in Petaloudes
RestaurantsFlightsHoliday RentalsTravel StoriesCruisesCar Hire