Are you planning to visit Symi? It actually feels like a beautiful painted postcard of a traditional village. Already by entering the island, you can see the colorful houses and will be mesmerized. So I definitely recommend visiting this island close to Rhodos. In this article, I will tell you much more, so keep on reading 🙂
What to expect in this article:
About Symi
Symi (also called Syme or Simi) is an island in Greece. Symi is located about 41 kilometers north-northwest of Rhodos and 425 km from Piraeus the port of Athens. It has around 2.590 inhabitants and is located next to Turkey. So you can even visit Turkey if you want!
There are two parts in the main town of Symi, the part next to the harbour, named Gialos, and the slopes of the hills, called Chorio. I believe, we only visited the part of Gialos.
I still have warm feelings thinking back to Symi. It was just so amazing to walk around here. I really felt like being in Greece, while walking through all the cute streets. It also reminded me a little bit of another small island I visited many years ago, which is called Poros and I wrote an article about it as well (one of my first few ones)
How to reach Symi Island?
Symi is only reachable by boat. It is so small, that there are no airports on the island. Just like every other island in Greece, boats are the most convenient way of travelling.
We stayed on Rhodos for 10 days and wanted to make a day trip to Symi. So we actually looked online and got a good deal through GetYourGuide. We left around 11 from the port of Rhodos and had around 3.5 hours to explore, before returning to Rhodos. All of this costs around 30 euros per person. They also offer longer durations. 3.5 hours sounded good for us, as we read the island was small.
Below, you can find many more trips to Symi, some even include other activities, like going to Saint George’s Bay. Enough to choose from 🙂
Make sure to also book it through GetYourGuide!
What to do in 3.5 hours on Symi?
We only had 3.5 hours to explore, so I will share what we did on Symi Island. Well, the thing we mainly did, was photographing. Symi is so photogenic, I was unable to stop taking photos…
Next to walking around, taking photos, and being mesmerized by its beauty, we also decided to hop on a little train. It would go in 1.5 hours around a small part of the island and cost around 4 euros per person. As we knew we would not see the same thing on foot, we decided to do this and it was nice!
Lastly, we had lunch on the island. I had a tasty Moussaka. Check out Tripadvisor for the best food places.
For us, 3.5 hours on Symi was just enough. We had seen most of what we wanted to, besides that, on that day it was also scorching hot, so I preferred the airconditioner of the boat. If you can stand heat better, and you have time for it, I would say to spend more time on the island. Otherwise, 3.5 hours is not bad.
Don’t forget to look up, so you see colorful stairs and take some pictures!
What to do when you have more time on Symi?
When you have more time than just 3.5 hours, you should definitely climb further.
- Monastery of Panormitis: It is located southwest of the island, in the village of Panormitis.
- St. Georges Bay: There are many small beaches on Symi, but we read about St. Georges Bay EVERYWHERE. It must be nice then, although it might be very crowded with tourists also. Look on GetYourGuide for combined day trips with St. Georges Bay.
- Shop: There are many cuttle little stores, with anything a girl dreams of. I wish I had more time to check out all the jewellery stores.
Best time to visit Symi Island
Greece is a good location to visit all year long, because of the nice climate.
You should visit from April to June for mild weather (15°C to 25°C) and fewer tourists. This is the so-called Spring season.
Summer is the tourist season and can be hot (30°C to 35°C). Summer is July and August in Greece. However, we visited in June and it was around 32°C, which was quite hot for me.
In Autumn (September and October) temperatures are around 25°C to 30°C, but are there also fewer tourists on Symi Island.
Lastly, in winter, when it is between 10°C and 15°C it is much cooler, and more things might be closed, but you will see the island like a local.
So choose whenever you want to visit.
Where to stay on Rhodos?
We stayed in Rhodos Town, on a very central place, where we could reach everything pretty fast. We had to go to the port of Rhodos to take the boat to Symi.
From our hotel, this was a 15-minute walk, pretty convenient! Here is the link to our hotel, it was called Esperia City Hotel. The staff was wonderful, they helped us a lot. Breakfast was included and lots of choices, even Rhodos traditional food, which I love. There was a pool and like I said, pretty close to everything. Restaurants and shops were just a minute’s walk.
Would I recommend visiting Symi?
I would definitely recommend visiting Symi Island! If possible, try to visit outside the summer months, when the tourist season is at its peak.
Next to that, you can visit it for 3.5 hours like we did through GetYourGuide, but spending a day or two would also not be bad. We only got to visit a tiny part of the island. If you would stay here longer, you can also go to Chirio, a town on the hills, for a great view.
Be amazed at all the colorful houses, chill on some beaches, and eat great Greek food, like Mussaka. There is something to do, so enjoy your time on Symi!
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