Table of Contents
The harbour entrance to Symi is one of the finest in the Greek islands. The boat turns into the bay and the town is simply there — 19th-century neoclassical mansions in layered pastels rising in three tiers up the hillside, church towers poking through, the quayside restaurants already setting their tables. It is the kind of arrival that makes people understand immediately why they came.
The island is small — 58 square kilometres, 2,500 permanent residents — and not difficult to understand. But it is exceptionally beautiful in a specific, concentrated way, and it rewards the visitor who treats it as more than a backdrop for photographs. The architecture is real architecture, built with serious wealth by serious people. The 400 steps of the Kali Strata are a genuinely remarkable pedestrian experience. The shrimp are worth ordering twice. The Panormitis Monastery, at the bottom of the island, is one of the most atmospheric religious sites in the Dodecanese.
This guide covers all of it.
For the wider Dodecanese, see Things to Do in Rhodes, Things to Do in Patmos, and Things to Do in Kos. For where to stay, see Best Hotels in Symi.
Yialos: The Harbour & the Neoclassical Town
Type: Town exploration, architecture, waterfront, food
Time needed: 2–3 hours for a thorough walk; longer for a lunch or dinner
Cost: Free to explore; harbour tavernas from €15–25 per person for a full meal
Best time: Early morning (before the day boats arrive) or evening (after they leave)
Yialos — the lower harbour of Symi — is built around a horseshoe bay of neoclassical mansions that were constructed, almost entirely, between the 1820s and the 1900s. This was when Symi's sponge-diving fleet dominated the eastern Mediterranean trade, and the captains and merchants who ran it spent their wealth in the most visible way available: enormous, elaborately decorated townhouses in the Italian neoclassical style.
The pastel colours (mandated in part by historical convention, restored with considerable care in recent decades) give the town its photographic quality, but the architecture itself — the pediments, the pilasters, the carved stone window surrounds, the rooflines — is serious and accomplished.
The quayside level is the most active part of the town: restaurants, cafés, small shops selling sponges and local herbs, a short promenade. The Symi shrimp are on every menu and the best tavernas cook them simply — grilled or in olive oil, garlic, and lemon — without elaboration. Order them. Behind the quayside, the lanes of the lower town rise steeply through residential streets that are largely free of tourist infrastructure, with domestic cats on every step and washing on every line.
Good to know: The day-trip boats from Rhodes arrive mid-morning and leave mid-afternoon, which means the harbour is quieter in the early morning and early evening. If staying overnight, arriving on the afternoon boat and spending the first evening in a nearly empty harbour is among the best experiences available on the island.
Best for: All visitors to Symi — the harbour is the reason the island exists on tourist itineraries, and it fully justifies the reputation.
The Kali Strata & Horio
Type: Walking, architecture, medieval history, views
Time needed: 1.5–2 hours up and back, including time at the top
Cost: Free
Best time: Early morning or late afternoon; avoid the midday heat in summer
The Kali Strata — 400 stone steps connecting Yialos harbour to the medieval upper village of Horio — is the most rewarding walk on the island. The staircase is wide and well-maintained, lined on both sides by inhabited neoclassical houses, small Orthodox churches in whitewashed courtyards, bougainvillea, and cats. The climb takes 15–20 minutes at a steady pace and produces views over the harbour that improve with every level.
Horio is the older settlement: a medieval hill town built on the ridge above the harbour when the island's population sought protection from pirate raids. The Knights of St John fortress — the kastro — sits at the highest point, largely ruined but with enough surviving walls and towers to give a clear sense of its original scale.
The Church of the Panagia inside the kastro walls is decorated with frescoes and operates as an active place of worship. The Archaeological and Folklore Museum, in a restored neoclassical mansion near the top of the Kali Strata, has a well-curated collection of local artefacts, sponge-diving equipment, and documentation of the island's maritime history.
The view from Horio — over the horseshoe bay, the neoclassical rooflines, the strait between Symi and Turkey, the islands of the Dodecanese scattered to the south — is the finest available on the island and one of the best in the region.
Book the Full-Day Boat Trip to Symi from Rhodes on GetYourGuide
Good to know: The Kali Strata is steep and the steps uneven in places. Comfortable shoes with grip are required. The alternative to the steps is the road that winds up the hillside — longer but accessible for those with mobility concerns. At the top, a small café operates in season for a coffee and recovery before the descent.
Best for: Fit walkers; anyone interested in medieval and neoclassical architecture; photographers.
The Panormitis Monastery
Type: Religious pilgrimage site, monastery, cultural heritage, boat excursion
Time needed: 45–60 minutes at the monastery; included as part of most day trips
Cost: Free to enter; museum entry nominal; most day trips from Rhodes include this stop
Best time: Weekday mornings; avoid major feast days unless pilgriming (8 November is the feast of the Archangel Michael)
The Monastery of the Archangel Michael Panormitis is at the island's southern tip, set in a deep bay accessible only by sea. The approach by boat — through increasingly narrow water, the forested hillsides rising on both sides, the monastery complex appearing suddenly at the bay's end — is one of the most dramatic arrivals in the Dodecanese.
The monastery was founded in the 5th or 6th century and rebuilt in its current form in the late 18th century. The main church, dedicated to the Archangel Michael, contains the miraculous silver-plated icon that is the principal object of pilgrimage: a Byzantine image of the Archangel said to have powers of intercession and healing, particularly for sailors.
The church interior is covered in ex-votos — model ships in silver, photographs of disasters survived, written letters of thanksgiving — left by devotees over centuries. The baroque bell tower (a striking combination of ochre plaster and Dodecanese stone) is one of the most photographed structures on Symi.
The monastery museum contains a collection of folk art, ecclesiastical objects, and historic documents. The courtyard café serves refreshments in season. Most day-trip itineraries from Rhodes include a stop at Panormitis either on the way in or on the return, typically with 45–60 minutes of free time.
Good to know: Dress code applies — shoulders and knees must be covered. The monastery provides wraps at the entrance. The bay around Panormitis has exceptionally clear water; if arriving by private boat, swimming in the bay before or after visiting the monastery is a genuine pleasure.
Book the Symi Island & Panormitis Day Trip by Boat from Rhodes on GetYourGuide
Best for: Anyone interested in Byzantine and Orthodox culture; pilgrims; history enthusiasts; part of every complete Symi visit.
Getting to Symi from Rhodes: Boat Options
Type: Transport, day trips, island hopping
Time needed: 1–1h45 from Rhodes depending on boat type
Cost: Ferry (slow boat) from €15; speedboat from €25–35 one way; full day trips from €30–50 including boat
Symi is 1h45 from Rhodes by conventional ferry and approximately 1 hour by speedboat. The speedboat is the better choice for day visitors — the additional time on the island is meaningful when total island time is limited. The ferry (slower, larger, cheaper) is the practical choice for overnight visitors.
Multiple operators run daily boat services from Mandraki Harbour in Rhodes Town. The options range from large cruise-style ferries (with 4 hours free time on the island) to smaller speedboats that include a swim stop at St George's Bay on the return. For first-time visitors, the cruise ferry remains popular and reliable. For those who want a more individual experience with more flexibility, the speedboat alternatives are consistently well-reviewed.
Book the Rhodes Speedboat Trip to Symi with Free Time on GetYourGuide
Book the High-Speed Boat to Symi & Saint George's Bay on GetYourGuide
Good to know: Symi also has its own ferry connection to Piraeus (Athens), running twice or three times weekly in summer with a journey time of approximately 15 hours. This makes Symi viable as an independent destination rather than purely a Rhodes day trip — particularly for island-hoppers working through the Dodecanese.
Best for: Day visitors from Rhodes; anyone building a Dodecanese island-hopping itinerary.
Beaches & Swimming
Type: Swimming, beaches, water taxi, coastal scenery
Time needed: Half to full day per beach
Cost: Beaches free; water taxis from harbour from €5–15
Best time: June–October; September is optimal for calm water and warm temperatures
Symi's beaches are not its primary attraction — the town and architecture are — but the swimming is excellent once you move away from the main harbour. Nos Beach, a short walk east of Yialos, is the most accessible and has a beach bar in season. Nimborios Bay, 15 minutes' walk northwest of the harbour, is pebble, sheltered, and more atmospheric.
The best beaches — Nanou, Marathounda, Agia Marina — are on the more remote parts of the island and reachable by water taxi from the harbour. Nanou is a long, sheltered pebble beach in a pine-forested valley on the south coast, with a single family taverna. St George's Bay, on the return route from Panormitis, is the most consistently praised swimming stop on the speedboat day trips — exceptionally clear water in a natural bay accessible only by sea.
Good to know: Water taxis depart from the main quayside throughout the day in summer. Negotiate destination and price at the dock. The beach towel and snorkelling equipment situation at the remote beaches is bring-your-own — there is no infrastructure. The island cats will be present at any taverna regardless of location.
Best for: Swimmers, snorkellers, anyone wanting a beach day away from the harbour.
Practical Information
Getting to Symi: By boat from Rhodes — conventional ferry (1h45) or speedboat (1 hour), multiple daily departures in summer. Direct ferry from Piraeus (approximately 15 hours) several times per week. Also accessible from other Dodecanese islands (Kos, Patmos) on island-hopping routes.
- Pre-book your transfer from Rhodes Airport to the port with Welcome Pickups — fixed price, no stress.
- For cheap flights to Rhodes (the gateway to Symi), compare deals on Kiwi.com — searches across all carriers.
- Had a disrupted flight getting here? You could be owed up to €600 — check with AirHelp.
Getting around: Symi Town (Yialos and Horio) is entirely walkable. Water taxis serve the island's remote beaches and Panormitis. There are a handful of taxis and scooters for hire, but the island's geography — steep, narrow, and compact — makes feet the default mode of transport.
When to go: May–June and September–October are ideal — warm, swimming conditions good, and the day-trip crowd significantly thinner than July–August. The island is at its most atmospheric in the evening after the day-trip boats leave; overnight visitors experience a completely different Symi from day-trippers.
Budget: Very reasonable. A day trip from Rhodes costs €30–50 all-in. For overnight visitors, a comfortable mid-range daily budget of €70–100 covers a good hotel, meals at harbour tavernas (including Symi shrimp), and a water taxi to a beach. The island has limited nightlife and significant spending restraint built in by its small size.
Staying connected: Non-EU visitors face high roaming charges on Greek networks. Activate a Yesim eSIM before you fly — instant setup, no physical SIM, works the moment your plane lands in Greece.
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Written by
Athens-born engineer · Coordinates a 5-expert Greek team · 50+ years combined field experience
I write every article on this site drawing on real, first-hand expertise — mine and that of four colleagues who live and work across Greece daily: a Peloponnese tour operator, a transfer specialist across Athens, Mykonos & Santorini, a Cretan hotel owner, and a Northern Greece hotel supplier. Nothing here comes from a single visit or desk research.
Informed by 5 Greek experts
Every destination we cover has been visited and vetted by at least one team member — not for a review, but as part of their daily work in Greek tourism.