Guide · Crossing

Rhodes to Symi ferry or a day-trip boat?

Two kinds of boat cross from Rhodes to Symi: scheduled ferries that carry islanders, cars and travelers, and day-trip boats that bring you back the same afternoon. Here is how the Rhodes to Symi ferry differs from a day trip, and which suits your plan.

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

On this topic: the tour Rhodes: Ferry Journeys between Rhodes and Symi 4.7 (9 reviews) 75 to 85 min from$24per person Check availabilityCurrent price on GetYourGuide

Quick answer

01The ferry: Dodekanisos Seaways runs catamarans and the ferry Panagia Skiadeni on the route.¹
02Crossing time: A ticket on GetYourGuide lists 75 to 85 minutes.
03Ticket price: Ferry tickets start from $24, non-refundable.
04Day boats: This site's boat gives 3 hours on Symi and a swim stop, from $69.
05Timetables: Schedules can change for weather or operational reasons; check before you plan.

Who sails between Rhodes and Symi

The main scheduled operator is Dodekanisos Seaways. It runs two high-speed catamarans, Dodekanisos Express and Dodekanisos Pride, plus the passenger and vehicle ferry Panagia Skiadeni, and its network covers Rhodes, Symi, Panormitis of Symi, Kos and other islands of the Dodecanese.¹ When people talk about the Rhodes to Symi ferry, they usually mean one of these three vessels.

They are not alone on the route. SAOS Ferries lists a line that runs Rhodes, Symi, Tilos, Nisyros and Kos.² ANES Ferries, a company from Symi itself, has worked in Greek coastal shipping since 1979 and still names Rhodes to Symi among its lines.³ Each company sets its own days and hours, and none of them runs the same plan all year.

Day-trip boats are a separate world. Operators such as Rhodes Sea Lines sell a return trip with a fixed time on the island, and they carry passengers only, with no cars or motorbikes on board.⁴ If you want to stay overnight, take a car or come back on another day, a scheduled ferry is the one to look at.

A ferry morning

From the quay in Rhodes to the clock in Gialos

Before you go

Check the timetable

Schedules can change for weather or operational reasons.
At the port

Arrive early

Be there at least 30 minutes before departure, with your ID.
On board

The crossing

The ticketed ferry lists 75 to 85 minutes.
Arrival

Gialos harbor

The 1881 stone clock greets you on the waterfront.⁵
Going back

Your own return

The ticket is one way; book the return leg separately.

How long the crossing takes

The duration of the Rhodes to Symi ferry depends on the boat. The ferry ticket sold on GetYourGuide for Dodekanisos Seaways lists a crossing of 75 to 85 minutes. The Greek National Tourism Organisation gives 1 hour and 30 minutes for the ferry leg from Rhodes to Symi.⁶ Plan with the longer figure if you have a connection to catch.

The day boats are often quicker. Rhodes Sea Lines, which runs this site's trip, says its boat journey takes about 1 hour.⁷ Another operator with a hotel-transfer option puts its crossing at about 60 minutes, and a slower yacht cruise takes from 10:45 to 12:15 to reach the harbor.

Time on the water is only part of the day. A ferry ticket asks you to be at the port at least 30 minutes before departure, and the operator of this site's boat advises drivers to allow at least an hour extra to park at Mandraki. Leave room for both, and the crossing itself becomes the easy part.

Time on the water

Crossing times by boat, in minutes

min

Times as each listing states them: the hotel-transfer cruise, the Nikolaos X to the monastery, the boat from Faliraki and the Dodekanisos Seaways ticket.

Side by side

Scheduled ferry or day-trip boat

What you get	Ferry ticket	Day-trip boat
Direction	One way, either way	Return the same day
Time on Symi	As long as you like	3 hours
Swim stop	No	St George's Bay
Cancellation	Non-refundable	Free up to 24 hours
Cars	Only on the Panagia Skiadeni car ferry¹	Passengers only

Ferry: the Dodekanisos Seaways ticket; day boat: this site's trip and its operator's own terms.⁴

Three ways across

Ferry ticket, fast day boat or a slower cruise

This page

Ferry ticket

Dodekanisos Seaways

Crossing: 75 to 85 min
Cancel: Non-refundable
Price: from $24

See details

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

Day trip

Fast boat and bay

Rhodes Sea Lines

On Symi: 3 hours
Cancel: Free up to 24 hours
Price: from $69

See details

From Rhodes: Cruise to Symi Island and Saint George's Bay

Longer swim

Cruise boat

SP Cruises, Mandraki

Swim stop: 1 hour
Back in Rhodes: 18:30
Price: from $52

See details

Decision helper

Ticket or tour: what fits your trip?

Choose the line that sounds like you

A ferry ticket

One way in either direction, booked leg by leg.

A day-trip boat

3 hours on the island and the ride back included.

A day-trip boat

This site's boat stops 30 minutes at Saint George Bay.

A day-trip boat

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.

A scheduled ferry

SAOS Ferries runs Rhodes, Symi, Tilos, Nisyros and Kos.²

It operates two high-speed catamarans, Dodekanisos Express and Dodekanisos Pride, as well as the passenger/vehicle ferry Panagia Skiadeni.

Dodekanisos SeawaysSource 1

Which harbor in Rhodes, and where you land on Symi

Rhodes town has more than one harbor, and the question of where to get the ferry from Rhodes to Symi has a different answer for each company. Day boats gather at Mandraki: this site's boat boards there, as does SP Cruises from its kiosk opposite the Bank of Greece. Sebeco Lines' speedboat leaves from Kolona Harbor instead.

Your ticket names the departure point, and it is worth reading twice, because the harbors sit apart along the waterfront and a wrong guess costs time. Some trips also start outside the town: this site's tour offers boarding at Kolymbia, Lardos or Pefkos, or Lindos, depending on the option you book. Faliraki Sea Lines picks up from four stops on Faliraki beach.

On Symi almost every boat arrives in Gialos, the harbor of the main town, where the stone clock of 1881 is the first thing you see.⁵ The exception is the monastery: Dodekanisos Seaways serves Panormitis of Symi as a separate stop, and some ferry days call there before the town.¹

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.⁸
In Google Maps ↗
5
Chorio
The oldest part of town, gathered around the castle and joined to the harbor by 500 stone steps.⁹
In Google Maps ↗
6
Nos
An organized beach next to Gialos, with umbrellas and sun beds.¹⁰
In Google Maps ↗
7
Emporios
The second harbor of the island, with a few houses and a beach with a taverna.¹¹
In Google Maps ↗
8
Pedi
A seaside village 2 km from Chora; taxi boats leave from here for other beaches.¹² ¹³
In Google Maps ↗
9
Agios Nikolaos
A sandy beach with shallow, clear water and a taverna.¹⁴
In Google Maps ↗
10
Agia Marina
A small sandy beach facing a rocky islet with a church.¹⁵
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.¹⁶
In Google Maps ↗
12
Nanou
A pebble bay with a taverna, reached only from the sea.¹⁷
In Google Maps ↗
13
Marathounda
One of the few beaches on the island that you can drive to.¹⁸
In Google Maps ↗
14
Panormitis Monastery
The most important religious monument of the island, on the south-west side among cypress and pine.¹⁹ ²⁰
In Google Maps ↗
15
Clock Tower
The stone clock of 1881 on the waterfront, the first sight on arrival.⁵
In Google Maps ↗
16
Kali Strata
A set of 500 wide steps between the harbor and Chorio.²¹
In Google Maps ↗
17
Castle
Built in the 14th century by the Knights of St. John on the ruins of a Byzantine castle.²²
In Google Maps ↗

Open the map in Google Maps

Checklist

Before you board in Rhodes

Documents

Your ticket or booking confirmation
Passport or national ID card for each passenger
The departure harbor written on your ticket

Timing

At the port at least 30 minutes early
Extra time to park if you drive to Mandraki
Today's timetable, checked the day before

Cost calculator

What the crossing costs your group

Choose a crossing and the number of people for a first estimate.

Ferry ticketOne wayfrom $24 Fast boat and bayReturn day tripfrom $69 Cruise boatReturn day tripfrom $52

People 2

Total from$47

per participant from $24

Check availability

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

Rhodes to Symi, Greece via ferry.

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

Timetables, seasons and day-trip fares

Ferry timetables are not fixed for the year. The Dodekanisos Seaways ticket on GetYourGuide states that the schedule may change because of the weather or for operational reasons, and promises a full refund if the company cancels. Before you plan a day around a sailing, check the Dodekanisos Seaways timetable for Rhodes and Symi for your exact date.

The company also sells day trips. From Rhodes it lists return day trips to Symi, Kos, Kalymnos, Chalki, Tilos, Nisiros and Kastelorizo.²³ On the ferry Panagia Skiadeni it offers low-fare day trips to Symi and to Panormitis that can be bought on the day of travel, subject to availability, for a limited number of seats on specific dates.²⁴

Day-trip boats run on their own clock. The 11:00 boat of Rhodes Sea Lines leaves Mandraki at 11:00, gives you the island from 12:00 to 15:00 and is back at 17:00.²⁵ ²⁶ ²⁷ All its trips depend on weather as judged by the captain and the Harbor Police, and a trip it cancels is offered on another date or refunded in full.²⁸

What a ferry ticket includes, and what it does not

A ferry ticket is transport and nothing more. The Dodekanisos Seaways ticket is one way, in either direction, and you can book the outward and return legs separately. Every passenger needs a passport or a national ID card, and the ticket itself is non-refundable. That suits a traveler with fixed plans; it is a gamble if your dates might move.

There is no guide, no swim stop and no set time ashore. That is the point: you choose when to leave, whether to stay the night and how much of the island to see. You can also reach places most day boats skip, such as Panormitis, which you can get to from Gialos by caique or by road.²⁰

The day boat is the opposite deal. This site's trip includes 3 hours of free time on Symi, a swim stop at Saint George's Bay and the boat both ways, and a change of heart costs nothing until 24 hours before. If all you want is a day on the island, it saves you from juggling two timetables.

Making the crossing comfortable

The sea between the two islands is open water, and on a windy afternoon it shows. Anyone who suffers from seasickness should sit low and close to the boat's center, watch the skyline instead of a screen, and eat only a little before boarding. A bottle of water and a hat matter more than people expect, because the decks are bright and the sun reflects off the water the whole way across.

Think about luggage too. A day bag is easy on any boat, but a suitcase on a crowded quay in summer is hard work, and the harbor of Gialos has steps and narrow lanes rather than smooth pavements. If you are moving to Symi for a few nights, a scheduled ferry with proper luggage space is kinder than a day boat built for passengers with towels and cameras.

Finally, keep your return in mind from the start. On a ticketed ferry the return is your own responsibility, so note the departure time and the quay before you wander off into the lanes. On a day boat the operator warns that the boat cannot wait for latecomers: arrive back at the boat a little before the stated time, and the end of the day stays relaxed.

Which boat suits your plan?

Asking for the best ferry from Rhodes to Symi only makes sense with your plan in mind. If you are staying on Symi, carrying luggage or traveling on to Kos or Tilos, take a scheduled ferry and book each leg on its own. SAOS Ferries and Dodekanisos Seaways both connect Symi with other islands of the chain.² ¹

If you have one free day in Rhodes, a return day boat is simpler. This site's high-speed boat is rated 4.72 from 3,658 reviews, starts from $69, and leaves at 9:00, 11:00 or 15:15. There is no separate ferry home to catch, because the boat that brought you also takes you back, as long as you are on board in time.

If the monastery is the reason for the trip, look at a ferry day that calls at Panormitis. One such trip on the ferry Nikolaos X spends 1 hour at the monastery and 3.5 hours in the harbor town, from $52. Whichever you choose, keep an eye on the wind: every boat on this sea answers to it.

Book your seat