Guide · Getting there

How do you get to Symi? Every route runs over the sea

Whatever your starting point, the last leg to Symi is a boat. How do you get to Symi from Rhodes, from another island or from mainland Greece? Here are the routes the official sources and the ferry companies give, step by step.

Check availabilityfrom $69 · free to cancel

Editorial team, symiboattrip.comUpdated October 18, 2026Reading time 6 min28 sources

On this topic: the tour Rhodes to Symi high-speed boat with swim stop 4.7 (3,658 reviews) 6 to 9 hours3 hours of free time on Symi30-minute swim at St George's Bay from$69per person Check availabilityFree to cancel until one day before

Quick answer

01From Rhodes: Scheduled ferries and day boats; a ticketed ferry lists 75 to 85 minutes.
02From Athens: Athens to Symi: fly 1 hour to Rhodes, then take the ferry.¹
03From Thessaloniki: Fly 1 hour 20 minutes to Rhodes, then the ferry.²
04From Kos: SAOS Ferries runs a line via Tilos and Nisyros.³
05For a day: This site's boat from Rhodes, from $69.

Rhodes is the gateway

For almost every traveler, the way to Symi runs through Rhodes. The Greek National Tourism Organisation describes the island as a small island near Rhodes and the Turkish coast, and its suggested routes by air all go via Rhodes airport, followed by the ferry.⁴ ¹ Rhodes is where the flights land and where the boats to Symi leave.

From Rhodes you have two kinds of boat. Scheduled ferries, run mainly by Dodekanisos Seaways, carry islanders, travelers and in some cases cars, and you buy each leg separately.⁵ Day-trip boats, such as the one this site books, take you over and bring you back the same day.

Which one to choose depends on how long you stay. If you are spending nights on Symi, a ferry ticket is the obvious choice. If you are based in Rhodes and want to see Symi for a day, a return day boat removes the need to match two timetables and gives you a swim on the way home.

From Athens

The journey in four legs

Leg 1

Fly to Rhodes

Athens airport to Rhodes airport, 1 hour.¹
Leg 2

Into Rhodes town

Transfer from the airport to the harbor.
Leg 3

The ferry

Rhodes to Symi, 1 hour and 30 minutes.¹
Arrival

Gialos

The 1881 clock tower on the waterfront.⁶

The ferries from Rhodes

Dodekanisos Seaways is the main scheduled operator. It runs two high-speed catamarans, Dodekanisos Express and Dodekanisos Pride, plus the passenger and vehicle ferry Panagia Skiadeni, and its network takes in Rhodes, Symi and Panormitis of Symi.⁵ A Dodekanisos Seaways ticket sold on GetYourGuide lists a crossing of 75 to 85 minutes.

Other companies serve the route as well. SAOS Ferries lists Rhodes and Symi on a line that continues to Tilos, Nisyros and Kos, and ANES Ferries, a shipping company from Symi, has served the Rhodes to Symi line since it began in 1979.³ ⁷ Each sets its own days and hours, so compare the current timetables before you fix your plans.

On the ferry ticket, the rules are strict. Every passenger needs a passport or national ID card, you should be at the port at least 30 minutes before departure, and the ticket is non-refundable unless the company cancels. The schedule may change for weather or operational reasons, so check it again the day before you travel.

Routes

Ways to reach the island

From	How	Time
Athens	Flight to Rhodes, then ferry	1 hour + 1 hour 30 min
Thessaloniki	Flight to Rhodes, then ferry	1 hour 20 min + 1 hour 30 min
Rhodes	Ticketed ferry	75 to 85 min
Rhodes	Day boat	About 1 hour
Kos	SAOS Ferries via Tilos, Nisyros	Check the timetable

Times as Visit Greece, the ferry ticket and the boat operator give them.¹ ² ⁸ ³

Three ways across

Ferry ticket, day boat or monastery ferry

Rhodes: Ferry Journeys between Rhodes and Symi

Stay longer

Ferry ticket

Dodekanisos Seaways

Crossing: 75 to 85 min
Direction: One way
Price: from $24

See details

Rhodes: High-Speed Boat to Symi Island & Saint George's Bay

This site's pick

Fast boat and bay

Rhodes Sea Lines

Crossing: 1 hour
On Symi: 3 hours
Price: from $69

See details

Rhodes: Symi Island & Panormitis Monastery Day Trip by Boat

Via Panormitis

Monastery ferry

Nikolaos X

To Panormitis: 75 minutes
Duration: 9 hours
Price: from $52

See details

Decision helper

Your best route

Start from where you are

Fly to Rhodes

Then the ferry, as Visit Greece routes it.¹

A day boat

There and back with 3 hours ashore.

A ferry ticket

One way, booked leg by leg.

SAOS Ferries

Its line links Kos, Nisyros, Tilos, Symi and Rhodes.³

A local boat

Faliraki and Kolymbia have their own boats.

Athens International Airport (Eleftherios Venizelos) → Rhodes Airport (Travel duration: 1 hour) → by ferry to Symi → Symi (Travel duration: 1 hour & 30 minutes)

Greek National Tourism Organisation (Visit Greece)Source 1

Day boats from Rhodes and its coast

Day boats leave from more places than the ferries. Most sail from Mandraki Harbor in Rhodes town; one speedboat leaves from Kolona Harbor instead. This site's trip also offers boarding at Kolymbia, Lardos or Pefkos, and Lindos, depending on the option, and a hotel transfer from Faliraki, Kalithea, Ixia, Kremasti and Kolymbia.

The east coast has its own boats. Faliraki Sea Lines picks up from four stops on Faliraki beach and makes a 10-minute stop at Mandraki on the way. A high-speed boat leaves from Kolymbia Harbor and swims at St George's Bay on the way back.

The day boat is the easiest answer for a visitor based in Rhodes. This site's trip crosses in 1 hour, gives you 3 hours of free time on Symi and stops for a 30-minute swim at Saint George Bay on the way home. It is rated 4.72 from 3,658 reviews, and canceling costs nothing until 24 hours before you sail.

Map

From the harbors of Rhodes to the bays of Symi

The crossing from Rhodes, the island with its beaches and the monastery in the south, then a close look at the harbor and the steps up to Chorio.

Map of the sea between the north-east coast of Rhodes and the island of Symi — Rhodes to Symi

Map of Symi from Gialos and Pedi in the north to Panormitis in the south — Around the island

Street map of the harbor of Gialos, the Kali Strata steps and the upper village of Chorio — Gialos and Chorio

1
Rhodes town (Mandraki and Kolona)
This site's boat leaves from Mandraki Harbor, and Sebeco Lines' speedboat from Kolona Harbor.
In Google Maps ↗
2
Faliraki
Faliraki Sea Lines picks up from four stops on the beach, the first at 10:00.
In Google Maps ↗
3
Kolymbia
A boarding option for this site's tour and the start of a Kolymbia boat to the island.
In Google Maps ↗
4
Gialos
The harbor of Symi, where SP Cruises' boat ties up; the merchants and captains of the island once lived here.⁹
In Google Maps ↗
5
Chorio
The oldest part of town, gathered around the castle and joined to the harbor by 500 stone steps.¹⁰
In Google Maps ↗
6
Nos
An organized beach next to Gialos, with umbrellas and sun beds.¹¹
In Google Maps ↗
7
Emporios
The second harbor of the island, with a few houses and a beach with a taverna.¹²
In Google Maps ↗
8
Pedi
A seaside village 2 km from Chora; taxi boats leave from here for other beaches.¹³ ¹⁴
In Google Maps ↗
9
Agios Nikolaos
A sandy beach with shallow, clear water and a taverna.¹⁵
In Google Maps ↗
10
Agia Marina
A small sandy beach facing a rocky islet with a church.¹⁶
In Google Maps ↗
11
St George's Bay
Agios Georgios Dysalonas: a beach below a sheer cliff on the east coast, reached only from the sea.¹⁷
In Google Maps ↗
12
Nanou
A pebble bay with a taverna, reached only from the sea.¹⁸
In Google Maps ↗
13
Marathounda
One of the few beaches on the island that you can drive to.¹⁹
In Google Maps ↗
14
Panormitis Monastery
The most important religious monument of the island, on the south-west side among cypress and pine.²⁰ ²¹
In Google Maps ↗
15
Clock Tower
The stone clock of 1881 on the waterfront, the first sight on arrival.⁶
In Google Maps ↗
16
Kali Strata
A set of 500 wide steps between the harbor and Chorio.²²
In Google Maps ↗
17
Castle
Built in the 14th century by the Knights of St. John on the ruins of a Byzantine castle.²³
In Google Maps ↗

Open the map in Google Maps

Checklist

Before the crossing

Papers

Passport or ID card for the ferry
Tickets for each leg
The harbor named on the ticket

Timing

At the port 30 minutes early
Time for the airport transfer
The timetable, checked again the day before

Cost calculator

What the crossing costs

Pick the boat and the number of travelers.

Ferry ticketOne wayfrom $24 Fast boat and bayReturn day tripfrom $69 Monastery ferryReturn day tripfrom $52

People 2

Total from$47

per participant from $24

Check availabilityfree cancellation

Totals multiply each boat's lowest per-person fare on GetYourGuide by your group, converted at the European Central Bank rate; the checkout shows the binding sum.

Video

Let's Discover Rhodes, Symi and Kalymnos!

The clip stays off YouTube's servers until you press play.

From Athens or Thessaloniki

The route the Greek National Tourism Organisation suggests from the mainland goes through Rhodes. For the journey from the capital, it gives a flight from Athens International Airport to Rhodes airport of 1 hour, then the ferry to Symi of 1 hour and 30 minutes.¹ From Thessaloniki the flight to Rhodes takes 1 hour and 20 minutes, followed by the same ferry.²

Leave room between the legs. Flights land at Rhodes airport, outside the town, and the boats to Symi leave from the town's harbors, so you need a transfer across the island and time to find the right quay. A night in Rhodes town before the crossing turns a tight connection into a relaxed morning.

If you are looking for flights to Symi, plan them as flights to Rhodes. The routes Visit Greece suggests by air all end at Rhodes airport and continue by sea.¹ ² Search for your flight to Rhodes, then book the ferry or a day boat for the last stretch.

From Kos and the other islands

Symi sits on the chain of ferries that links the southern Dodecanese. SAOS Ferries serves a line that runs Rhodes, Symi, Tilos, Nisyros and Kos, which makes the Kos to Symi ferry part of an island-hopping route rather than a short hop.³

Dodekanisos Seaways connects Symi to the north as well. Its day-trip program includes trips from Symi to Kalymnos and Kos, and from Rhodes to Symi, Kos, Kalymnos, Chalki, Tilos, Nisiros and Kastelorizo.²⁴ That makes Symi an easy stop between Rhodes and the islands further north.

Island-hopping needs patience with timetables, which change through the year and differ from company to company. Plan the Symi leg first, then fit the rest of the trip around the days it sails.

Arriving on Symi

Almost every boat arrives in Gialos, the harbor of the main town. The stone municipal clock of 1881 stands on the waterfront and is, in the municipality's words, the first sight a visitor sees on arrival.⁶ Beside it, the statue of a young fisherman called Michalaki greets the boats.²⁵

Some ferry days stop elsewhere first. Dodekanisos Seaways serves Panormitis of Symi as a separate stop, and a ferry day from Rhodes on the Nikolaos X calls at the monastery before the town.⁵ Check where your ticket lands you, especially if you have a room booked in Gialos or Pedi.

From the harbor the island's buses take over. A bus called Lakis runs between Gialos, Chorio and Pedi, and another runs to Panormitis and back.²⁶ Rhodes Sea Lines also notes that scooters can be rented on arrival, since its boats carry passengers only.²⁷

Tickets, timing and luggage

Book according to how fixed your plans are. A day boat that you can still cancel for nothing 24 hours ahead is the flexible option for a day visit. A ferry ticket is cheaper to start with, from $24, but it is non-refundable. Dodekanisos Seaways also sells low-fare day trips to Symi on the Panagia Skiadeni for limited seats on specific dates.²⁸

Allow time at both ends. The ferry ticket asks you to arrive at least 30 minutes early, and the operator of this site's boat advises drivers to allow at least an extra hour for parking at Mandraki. Taxis and buses into Rhodes town take time in summer traffic too.

Travel light if you can. The harbor of Gialos has steps and narrow lanes, and the Kali Strata alone has 500 steps up to Chorio.²² A small suitcase or a backpack makes the walk from the boat to your room far easier than a large case on wheels.

Book your seat