A Symi day trip from Rhodes takes you across the water to a harbour of painted houses and back again in a single day, with no overnight stay needed. Browse more tours in Greece once you have picked your boat.
This page covers how the trip works and which boat options exist, the crossing and where the boat leaves, the harbour town of Gialos, the Panormitis Monastery, St George Bay, free time and food, the sponge divers and shipbuilders, the season and the weather, and what to pack.
What is a Symi day trip from Rhodes, and how does it work?
A Symi day trip from Rhodes consists of a return sea journey to an island about 24 kilometres north. The island sits in the Dodecanese group. You leave in the morning, spend midday on the island and sail back in the afternoon.
Every Symi day trip from Rhodes has the same simple shape. On one operator’s timetable, the boats leave Rhodes between nine in the morning and twenty past twelve. In Symi you get free time in town. You then choose one of three return times: twenty past two, a quarter to four or twenty to six.
Tours add extras to the plain day in town. One tour adds a bus ride to the Panormitis Monastery. Another adds a taxi boat to St George’s Bay for a swim. A private boat lets you set the departure time. Sunset and night sailings run as well, and one operator promises less heat and fewer crowds.
Symi is mountainous, with a coast of rocky cliffs, beaches and isolated coves. It is a place to wander, eat and swim, not a place of big archaeological sites, says one travel writer. That makes your Symi day trip from Rhodes a relaxed outing, not a list of sights. Administratively, the island belongs to the Rhodes regional unit.
Booking a tour takes the planning of your Symi day trip from Rhodes off your hands. You get on in Rhodes and get off in Symi. Later you return to the same spot to leave. The same travel writer calls this an easy, stress-free option. One operator adds a free audio guide app to its Symi tours.
How do you get from Rhodes to Symi: cruise, speedboat or ferry?
You can reach Symi on a day cruise, a speedboat or a scheduled ferry. Speedboats save time at sea, and ferries let you plan the day. That choice shapes your Symi day trip from Rhodes. It decides how much time you get on the island.
A day cruise gives your Symi day trip from Rhodes a relaxed pace. One operator describes a spacious catamaran with outdoor sundecks and an air-conditioned lounge inside. One full-day cruise leaves Rhodes at nine and returns at ten to six in the evening. Day cruises run every day on one operator’s schedule.
A speedboat cuts the time at sea. One operator says a fast boat gives you at least two more hours in Symi than a conventional catamaran cruise. One express sailing leaves Rhodes later, at eleven in the morning, and includes a swim stop. Express boats suit a later start to your Symi day trip from Rhodes.
Ferries and fast catamarans run daily between Rhodes and Symi. Other boats pass through Symi less frequently on their way to other Dodecanese islands. One ferry company that serves Symi from Rhodes runs two fast catamarans and a ferry for passengers and vehicles. Tickets can be one-way, or a return on a different day, which suits a longer stay.
Check the way back before you book. One ferry operator calls checking only the outbound sailing the classic trap. The return decides how well the Symi day trip from Rhodes fits your plans. A traveller also advises you to confirm where your return boat leaves, since not every boat uses the same dock.
How long does the crossing take on a Symi day trip from Rhodes, and where does the boat leave from?
Speedboats cover the crossing in about 80 minutes, which sets the pace of your Symi day trip from Rhodes. Your boat leaves from Kolona Harbour or Mandraki Harbour in Rhodes, so check your ticket for the exact dock.
Timetables show the same 80 minutes for every sailing. One speedboat schedule lists three departures from Rhodes: nine, half past ten and twenty past twelve. The boats reach Symi at twenty past ten, ten to twelve and twenty to two. That schedule gives you three ways to begin this Symi day trip from Rhodes.
Rhodes and Symi lie about 24 kilometres apart, so the sea leg is short. Another full-day tour lists about one hour and fifteen minutes each way. A traveller report puts the ferry at under two hours each way. It calls Symi one of the easiest island day trips from Rhodes.
A traveller report says organised tours leave from Mandraki Harbour, not the main ferry port. One full-day tour meets guests by the Evangelismos Church at half past eight. Speedboats sail from Kolona Harbour every day. Express boats leave from Faliraki and Kolymbia, so you can begin a Symi day trip from Rhodes outside Rhodes Town.
Be early at the dock. Boarding notes for Kolona Harbour ask for at least 30 minutes before sailing. Once aboard, you have time to photograph the castle walls from the water.
The sea leg of this Symi day trip from Rhodes feels like a sightseeing tour. From the sundeck you see the Marine Gate and the Gate of the Virgin. You also see the old town, with its minarets and medieval clock. On your left you pass the Nailac Tower, the windmills, Saint Nicholas Fortress and the Aquarium of Rhodes.
What does the harbour town of Gialos look like on a Symi day trip from Rhodes?
Rising in an amphitheatre around the bay, Gialos, the harbour town of Symi, has houses painted in all colours. Arriving by sea on this Symi day trip from Rhodes, you watch the whole town unfold before the boat.
The lower town by the port carries the name Gialos, also spelled Yialos. The upper town above it is called Horio or Ano Symi. The houses sit on steep slopes in warm colours. Two-storey neoclassical mansions in different shades line the seafront, and the area has been called an open-air architectural park.
The harbour is a protected site, since the bulk of its buildings are neoclassical and date from the nineteenth century. On a calm day the houses reflect in the water. You get a second chance for the photo when the boat leaves. Your Symi day trip from Rhodes ends with the same view from the sea.
Once the boat docks, the port is yours to explore during this Symi day trip from Rhodes. A wooden bridge links its two sides. Nearby are the fish market, the old shipyard and the Clock Tower in the Harani area.
Fishing boats and sailboats bob in the water. The port doubles as a marina for sailors. In season the town gets crowded with day trippers and people who stay longer.
Know your return dock before you explore on this Symi day trip from Rhodes. A traveller report describes the day boat tying up on one side of the harbour. The traveller had booked a bigger ferry that sailed from the far side, and missed it. Ask where your return boat leaves.
What can you see at the Panormitis Monastery on a Symi day trip from Rhodes?
Panormitis Monastery adds a church dedicated to Archangel Michael to the Symi day trip from Rhodes. It also has a silver-covered icon, a tall baroque bell tower and two museums. The monastery stands on the south coast of Symi.
Visitors come to Panormitis from all over the world, and Greeks pay homage to Saint Michael of Panormitis each year. You join these visitors for a short stop whenever the Symi day trip from Rhodes includes the monastery. Archangel Michael is the patron of Symi, and his icon is covered in silver and gold. People consider it miraculous.
Begin in the church. It dates from the eighteenth century, and so do its wall paintings. The icon stands about two metres high. A local story says it appeared again and again on the same spot, until the monastery was built there.
Pilgrims make vows to the Archangel. If a vow is not kept, he is said to remind the pilgrim in a dream or in real life. A traditional gift was a broom.
Outside the church, your Symi day trip from Rhodes continues in a courtyard with trees and plants. Next comes the baroque bell tower, and its big bell weighs 750 kilos. One museum shows religious items, such as silver icons and ship models that sailors offered. The other shows folk life from past centuries. A library keeps Byzantine manuscripts.
The stop is short. The small-group bus tour allows 40 minutes at the monastery, after a photo stop with a view of Symi town. The ferry cruise gives about an hour, and on that cruise the museum visit is optional. Ask for the exact stop length when you compare tours for the Symi day trip from Rhodes.
What happens at St George’s Bay on a Symi day trip from Rhodes?
St George’s Bay is a cove for the Symi day trip from Rhodes, found on the eastern side of Symi. A cliff of about 300 metres rises above it. The cruises differ: one format lands you for a swim, and another only pauses for photos.
The bay lies between the villages of Pedi and Marathounta. No road leads there, so you can only arrive by boat. The Symi day trip from Rhodes reaches it by taxi boat or excursion boat from Symi harbour. The name Dysalona points to this difficult access.
The beach is made of pebbles, and the water is clear and deep blue. The cliff behind it gives natural shade in the afternoon. Saint George’s small chapel sits on the edge of the cliff above the beach and gives the bay its name. The bay has no facilities.
In swimming formats, you reach Symi town first. The Symi day trip from Rhodes then continues by small-group taxi boat to the bay. There you spend about an hour at the beach. Operators list swimming and snorkelling as the activities. Afterwards, you return to Symi town for more free time.
The ferry cruise that visits Panormitis only pauses near the bay for photos. From the deck you see the emerald water below the steep rock. Express boats and sunset sailings from Rhodes list a swim stop at the bay. The bay stop differs by cruise, so read the programme of each Symi day trip from Rhodes carefully.
How much free time do you get in Symi, and how do you spend it?
Budget about three to four hours of free time in Symi town for each Symi day trip from Rhodes. The length depends on the boat and the return you choose. A faster boat leaves you more time ashore.
Start with the 500 stone steps of the Kali Strata. They climb from the harbour to Ano Symi, the upper town, and the name means “good way” in Greek. Wealthy merchants used the route to get home from the port. In hot weather, this Symi day trip from Rhodes turns into a sweaty climb.
The walk on this Symi day trip from Rhodes ends at the Kastro, a castle from the fifteenth century. Knights of St John built it. Today it is largely in ruins, yet the views still repay the visit. Ano Symi also holds an archaeological museum and Byzantine-era churches, such as Aghios Georgios and Metamorfosis.
The short stay on any Symi day trip from Rhodes still fits two more museums. The Nautical Museum is in Gialos, and the Historical Museum of Symi was renovated and reopened. Michael and Niketas Chaviaras, local antiquarians of the early twentieth century, found artefacts now in its collections. A nineteenth-century clock tower marks the centre of the W-shaped harbour.
Shopping fills the rest of the time. Boutiques sell linen clothing, handmade jewellery, locally made soaps and ceramics. A visitor with three hours ashore on an organised Symi day trip from Rhodes still climbed to the upper town. Then the visitor spent about 90 minutes in the harbour shops. Wander a little farther from the docks for more unusual shops.
Why are Symi’s sponge divers and shipbuilders part of the story?
Shipbuilding and sponge diving built Symi. The island lived from both trades, and for a time its sponge fishing fleet was the biggest in the world. Any Symi day trip from Rhodes visits a harbour town that this trade made rich.
Symi was richest around the midpoint of the nineteenth century. About 22,500 people lived there at the peak. Plenty of its colourful neoclassical mansions on the hillsides by the main town date from those years. Those mansions are the old sponge wealth, and the Symi day trip from Rhodes puts them in front of you.
Shipbuilding is a trade of centuries on Symi, whatever boat your Symi day trip from Rhodes uses. Under Ottoman rule the Symiots built the fastest ships, and that skill earned the island privileges. Harani still has an old shipyard, called a karnagio, and Pedi has a smaller one.
The sponge divers worked far from home. In the nineteenth century their boats reached the coast of North Africa. The fishermen stayed away for months at a time. Your Symi day trip from Rhodes lasts a single day, while a sponge voyage then took months. Shops still sell sponges, but today they are all imported.
The Nautical Museum in Gialos shows this history in objects, so it fits any Symi day trip from Rhodes. It stands in a neoclassical house where the island’s central shipyard once worked. Inside are ship models, old maps and old diving uniforms. A special section covers sponge diving: suits, diving machines, diving stones called skandalopetres, and sponge-boat models.
What can you eat and drink on a Symi day trip from Rhodes?
Fresh seafood and Symi shrimps in a harbour taverna are the food highlight for the Symi day trip from Rhodes. Coffee, soft drinks and snacks are on sale aboard a catamaran cruise, and other cruises add lunch or a barbecue.
Symi shrimps are the first taste of your Symi day trip from Rhodes. Visit Greece calls them the hallmark of the island, a rare, very small variety found only in local waters. Fish tavernas in Gialos fry them and serve them whole, a snack for a glass of ouzo or wine. A travel writer adds lemon and local white wine.
Ashore, you choose your own table. One operator page lists snack bars, cafes, restaurants and seafood tavernas. Two others send you to a traditional taverna for fresh seafood. Wikivoyage adds that any spot in the old town will do for a meal. One operator tells guests to bring spending money for food and drinks.
The type of Symi day trip from Rhodes you book decides the food on the water. A catamaran cruise page says you can buy snacks, coffee and soft drinks aboard. A private RIB trip lists free soft drinks, mixed cocktails and light snacks. A travel blog names a cruise with lunch and one with a barbecue on the boat.
Drinks come easily. Wikivoyage describes the harbour bars as relaxed, and adds bars in the upper town. Visit Greece names gaelopita, a local dish of small fish fried with onion and batter. One operator warns that its boat cannot wait for late guests. Watch the clock during the Symi day trip from Rhodes.
Which beaches and swim stops belong to a Symi day trip from Rhodes?
St George’s Bay by boat and Nos Beach on foot anchor the Symi day trip from Rhodes. Nimborio, Pedi, Agios Nikolaos, Marathounda and Nanou lie farther out and need a bus, a walk or a water taxi.
St George’s Bay, covered above, is the named swim stop on the cruises. Visit Greece calls Nos the nearest beach to the settlement, the easy swim during the Symi day trip from Rhodes. A travel writer finds sunbeds and umbrellas there. Another calls the water calm and crystal clear, good for a quick swim before the boat home.
Beyond Nos, the Symi day trip from Rhodes needs a water taxi, a bus or a walk. A travel writer reaches Nimborio, a small bay, by water taxi or a 30 minute walk from Symi town. Visit Greece lists Nimborio and Agios Nikolaos as family beaches with shallow water. Both are open to walkers and boats.
Wikivoyage calls Pedi a quiet beach village and says a local bus runs there from Gialos once an hour. From Pedi Bay, a marked coastal walk of 10 to 15 minutes leads to Agios Nikolaos. In high season it has sunbeds and umbrellas for hire and a taverna for snacks and drinks.
Marathounda has crystal clear water and tavernas, says Visit Greece. A travel writer still advises bringing food and drinks in case the taverna is shut. Nanou is a bay of large pebbles, shade from trees and a whitewashed chapel. Visitors reach it by boat ride or water taxi.
Agia Marina is a small beach with clear water, good for snorkelling, reached by water taxi or boat tour. Time ashore is short for the Symi day trip from Rhodes, so pick one beach. One travel blog describes swim stops on both the trip over and the return. The writer wanted more time in town instead.
When is the right season for a Symi day trip from Rhodes?
Easter opens the tourist season on Symi, and it closes on Panormitis Day early in November. Day cruises sail from Rhodes between mid-April and October. Spring, summer and early autumn all suit the Symi day trip from Rhodes.
Rhodes has mild winters and hot summers. Climate figures show a daily high of 20.3 degrees Celsius in April and 24.0 in late spring. June reaches 28.0, July 30.6 and August 30.7. September holds at 28.2, October cools to 24.6 and November drops to 20.8.
The sea warms more slowly than the air. Near Rhodes it measures 17.6 degrees in April and 23.4 in June. August is the warmest month at 27.2, and September follows at 26.7. October still holds 23.8.
Swimmers meet the coldest water in April and the warmest in late summer. Choose your swimming month with that in mind when booking your Symi day trip from Rhodes.
Summer is dry. Rhodes averages 0.7 millimetres of rain in July and 2.0 in June. October brings 41.4 and November 97.1. January is the wettest month at 130.3 millimetres, and the whole year adds up to 609.5.
Symi counts 2,603 permanent residents. During the season, visitors push the head count on the island up to 6,000.
Wikivoyage names spring and late summer as the months for walkers, when it is not too hot. Walkers who climb to the upper town can use the same months for their Symi day trip from Rhodes.
Sunset sailings give another way to book the Symi day trip from Rhodes. A local operator calls the evening boat less hot, with fewer people.
How do wind and sea conditions affect a Symi day trip from Rhodes?
Strong spells of the meltemi can reach Beaufort 7 to 8. The wind ties up the bulk of the ferries that link the islands. Wind and sea decide whether the Symi day trip from Rhodes runs smoothly or is cancelled.
From late spring through mid-September, the meltemi blows in spells, and the Symi day trip from Rhodes can meet one. Afternoons bring the peak, and nights bring relief. A spell can stretch over days with no pause.
Across the southern Aegean, this wind comes from the north-west. Clear skies stay overhead as the wind rises, with no warning, and the breeze tempers the fierce summer heat. Symi’s main town lies on the island’s northeast coast.
The Beaufort scale puts numbers on the wind. A reading of 11 to 16 knots is force 4, a moderate breeze. A reading of 22 to 27 knots is force 6, a strong breeze. Winds of 28 to 33 knots count as force 7, a near gale. Force 8 is a gale, with winds of 34 to 40 knots.
A travel site on Rhodes calls full cancellations uncommon and ties them to conditions that affect safety. A blogger on Symi once wrote that the day’s excursion boats were cancelled in a hard meltemi. The ferries ran as scheduled.
The same travel site says wind picks up later in the day, so morning departures feel calmer. High-speed boats can feel bumpier in wind, though the crossing is short. Pick a morning boat for the Symi day trip from Rhodes, which suits anyone who dislikes a rolling sea.
For Rhodes, Wikivoyage says the wind mostly comes from the west, and the east side has calm waters.
A ferry booking site reports that in one storm the cancellations fell mainly around midday. A sailing can be cancelled at the last minute. Ask the operator or the port authority before you head to the dock for the Symi day trip from Rhodes.
Who suits a Symi day trip from Rhodes: families, seniors and walkers?
A Symi day trip from Rhodes suits families, older travellers and walkers who like a set plan for the day. The boats offer seats, toilets and a bar. The hard part is the Kali Strata, a road of 500 stone steps, and you can skip it.
Families find a Symi day trip from Rhodes easy to plan. One operator calls its Symi boat family-friendly for all ages, and another lists snacks and refreshments for children on board. Pushchairs and prams have to fold down for the boat. A ferry company says in its planning notes that for families, timing matters more than anything else.
Older travellers can check boarding first. One cruise page says its ferry gives easy access to older passengers and wheelchair users. Seats are only on the ground floor. Another operator asks wheelchair users to let it know, and promises special assistance. A coach stop on one tour needs travellers who can step in and out of the vehicle.
Every Symi day trip from Rhodes arrives in a town built up a hillside. The Municipality of Symi says the Kali Strata links Gialos to the upper town, Chorio, by 500 stone steps. Another tour page describes slopes, tight lanes and a long staircase up to the castle.
The climb is optional. A travel writer was drenched at the top on a hot summer day, and calls it nice but not essential. A local bus runs from Gialos through Chorio to Pedi, and taxis, cars and motorbikes also reach Chorio. The roads are narrow and winding, so drivers need care.
Walkers get a good day too. Wikivoyage calls Symi a fantastic landscape for walkers and says the terrain in places is tough. The municipality tells hikers to leave early, before the midday heat. Pick one route: the Symi day trip from Rhodes ends with a boat home at a set time.
What do you need to pack for a Symi day trip from Rhodes?
Sunscreen, a sun hat, swim kit, walking shoes, water and valid ID make up the packing list of your Symi day trip from Rhodes. Operators list the same items on their own pages, and the sections below follow them.
For any Symi day trip from Rhodes, sun protection tops the list. The clothing page of one operator names lightweight, breathable clothing, a sunhat, sunglasses and sunscreen. Its tips page adds insect repellent and a refillable water bottle. Cooler evenings call for a light jacket or sweater, says the same page.
Swim kit comes next. Another operator asks guests to bring a towel and swimsuit for the dip at St George’s Bay. A travel writer joined a cruise with swim stops on both legs, and the boat was crowded. A dry change of clothes is worth packing.
Stone steps and slopes make shoes important in any Symi day trip from Rhodes. That clothing page asks for walking shoes or sandals. The tips page says transport options on the island are limited, so plan to walk.
Cash and card need a plan. The onboard bar of one operator takes cash or card. Carry a little cash too, for small shops. The municipality says Gialos holds almost all the island’s services and banks. If you run short, a bank is in the harbour town.
Documents and medicine belong in the bag for this Symi day trip from Rhodes. The ticket carries your name, and one operator says the crew checks a valid identity card or passport at boarding. A ferry company’s checklist adds medication. Symi has two pharmacies and a health centre in Chorio. Serious cases can go on to a hospital on Rhodes.
What else do travellers ask about a Symi day trip from Rhodes?
Which Symi day trip from Rhodes comes with hotel pick-up?
Pick-up belongs to tours that sell a transfer, and you add it when you book. One full-day tour collects guests from set points in Ialysos, Ixia, Rhodes Town, Kallithea and Faliraki. Another operator sells hotel transfers as an add-on at checkout.
The set points are hotel entrances, bus stops and taxi ranks. For a nine o’clock sailing, pick-up falls between half past seven and a quarter past eight. The exact time depends on your pick-up point.
The coach drops you at the same point between a quarter past six and a quarter to seven. Compare both windows before you pick a tour. They frame your Symi day trip from Rhodes, door to door.
Is a passport part of your Symi day trip from Rhodes, with Turkey so close?
Symi is part of the Rhodes regional unit, so every Symi day trip from Rhodes stays between Greek ports. Turkey is close, though. Symi lies 8 kilometres from Datça and 6.5 kilometres from Bozburun, both in Turkey. It is a frequent summer stop for Turkish yachts and sailors.
Carry your ID or passport anyway. At a port agency, collecting a prepaid domestic ferry ticket means showing ID or a passport and your booking codes. One ferry company also puts ID on its day-trip checklist, next to water and medication. Keep these papers with your booking email, ready for the sea.
Which seasickness tips fit your Symi day trip from Rhodes?
Pick the centre of the boat, which cuts the motion, and fix your eyes on the horizon. Fresh air helps, and reading makes things worse. This is the advice of the UK health service for motion sickness.
The cause is repeated movement, like going up and down on the waves. Keep alcohol, spicy dishes and heavy meals off the menu shortly before and during the crossing. The health service also suggests ginger, as tablets, biscuits or tea.
A pharmacist can recommend tablets, patches or acupressure bands. Patches suit adults and children over ten, and dissolvable tablets exist for children. Ask about them if the sea worries you before this Symi day trip from Rhodes.
Does war history touch your Symi day trip from Rhodes?
War reached Symi. Nazi forces occupied the island on 12 October. The next year, Greek Sacred Band troops joined British Special Boat Service men in a raid. It ran from 13 to 15 July.
The last fight was for the castle above the harbour. It ended when an Italian Carabinieri unit walked out and surrendered.
At the end of the war, General Otto Wagener surrendered the Dodecanese to the Allies at Symi. Britain then occupied the island for three years before it joined Greece.
As tourism grew, a great number of homes were restored, among them houses that the war had destroyed. A harbour with that past receives every Symi day trip from Rhodes.
Are there cash machines on Symi, and do shops take cards?
Major shops and restaurants along the Gialos waterfront accept Visa and Mastercard. Small tavernas in the upper town frequently require cash. Water taxi operators frequently require cash too, so confirm card acceptance before boarding.
One travel writer carries cash for smaller businesses, beach boats and places away from the harbour. Copy that habit during your Symi day trip from Rhodes.
ATMs stand in Gialos near the harbour, but supply on the island is limited. Do not assume a machine is stocked at all hours in peak season. Use bank-branded machines where possible, because non-bank machines carry surcharge risk. The currency is the euro, and US dollars are not accepted in shops or restaurants.