Guide · The swim stop

St George Bay, Symi: turquoise water under a wall of rock

On the east coast of Symi a sheer cliff drops to a pale beach and water so clear it looks shallow from the deck. St George Bay on Symi has no road and no beach bar; you come by boat, jump in and swim. Here is how the stop works on each trip.

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Editorial team, symiboattrip.comUpdated October 18, 2026Reading time 6 min19 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

01The place: Agios Georgios Dysalonas beach on Symi, on the east coast between Pedi and Marathounta.¹
02Access: Only from the sea; the beach is not organized.²
03The stop: This site's boat swims there for 30 minutes after Symi.
04In October: The swim moves to the way out, before the bay falls into shade.³
05Longer swims: Some cruise boats stay about 1 hour.

A beach you can only reach by sea

The Greek name of the bay is Agios Georgios Dysalonas, and the Municipality of Symi does not hold back: it calls it the largest and most impressive beach of the island, because of the vertical cliff that rises above it.¹ It lies on the east side of Symi, between Pedi and Marathounta, and the municipality states plainly that you reach it only from the sea.¹

Dodekanisos Seaways describes the same scene: tall, vertical rocks around the beach and turquoise water, with no facilities on the shore and access only by sea.² There are no sun beds and no taverna, so everything you need for the stop comes with you on the boat. That emptiness is part of the appeal.

From a boat the effect is sudden. The coast is gray and dry, then the cliff opens and the water below it turns a color that looks painted. In the afternoon the cliffs of Saint George Bay throw their shadow across the water, and in October that happens early, which is why the time of your visit changes how the water looks.³

The day, in order

This site's boat, from Rhodes to the bay and home

9:00 or 11:00

Leave Rhodes

The boat leaves Mandraki Harbor.
1 hour

Cross to Symi

A cruise of 1 hour to the harbor town.
3 hours

Free time

The harbor, the steps and lunch.
20 minutes

On to the bay

A short cruise down the east coast.
30 minutes

Swim

Into the water below the cliff, then 70 minutes home.

How the swim stop works on this site's boat

This site's trip treats the bay as the last stop of the day. After 3 hours of free time on Symi, the boat takes about 20 minutes to Saint George Bay, stops for a 30-minute swim, then runs 70 minutes back to Rhodes. Swimming noodles are provided for the stop, which helps anyone less sure in deep water.

The operator explains the order on its own site. Throughout the summer the swim stop is scheduled for the return journey, and only very occasionally does the weather move it to the way out.³ In October, when the bay falls into shadow early in the afternoon, the stop is made on the way to Symi instead.³ The listing on GetYourGuide says the same for late September and October.

Two exceptions are worth knowing before you book. A night departure at 17:00 on Fridays does not stop at St George's Bay and returns at 22:00. And the listing's own notes disagree about the 15:15 departure: one note includes the 30-minute swim, the description calls it a photo stop with no swimming. If the swim matters, choose 9:00 or 11:00.

Boat by boat

When each boat swims at the bay

Boat	When	How long
This site's fast boat	After Symi; first in October	30 minutes
Transfer cruise	After Symi; before on 15:15	30 minutes
SP Cruises	Before Symi	1 hour
Doll	Before Symi, around 11:30	About 1 hour
Rizos Discovery	First stop	30 minutes
Sunset boat	On arrival	30 minutes

As each listing or operator states it; the captain can change the order on the day.³

Three ways to swim there

Fast boat, cruise boat or yacht

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

This site's pick

Fast boat and bay

Rhodes Sea Lines

Swim: 30 minutes
On Symi: 3 hours
Price: from $69

See details

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

Longer swim

Cruise boat

SP Cruises

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

See details

Rhodes: Symi Yacht Tour with Unlimited Drinks and Transfer

Two swims

Yacht day

Up to 25 guests

Swims: St George Bay, Seskli
Lunch: On board
Price: from $150

See details

Decision helper

Which swim stop suits you?

Choose by what you want from the water

This site's fast boat

30 minutes after 3 hours on Symi.

SP Cruises

An hour in the bay before Gialos.

The yacht

Up to 25 guests, with a swim at Seskli too.

The sunset boat

It swims on arrival, then 3 hours on Symi.

Any boat, early

The bay is in shade early in the afternoon.³

tall and vertical rocks around the beach and dreamy turquoise waters waiting for you to enjoy. The beach is not organized and it is accessible only through sea.

Dodekanisos SeawaysSource 2

Which boats stop, and in which order

Most Rhodes boats to Symi include the bay, but they do not agree on when. A cruise with a hotel-transfer option swims at St George's Bay after Symi on its 9:00 and 11:00 departures and before Symi on its 15:15 departure. A sunset boat leaving in the afternoon swims there on arrival, then gives you about 3 hours on the island.

The bigger cruise boats put the bay first. SP Cruises leaves Mandraki at 10:00, reaches the bay after about two hours and swims there for an hour before heading to Gialos. The Doll reaches St George Bay around 11:30 for about 1 hour of swimming, and Rizos Cruises' Discovery makes it the first stop with a 30-minute swim.

From the east coast of Rhodes the pattern repeats. Faliraki Sea Lines and a Kolymbia boat both swim for 30 minutes on the way back, and Faliraki Sea Lines visits the bay first from the end of September and in October. The yacht for 25 guests adds a second swim at Seskli.

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.⁴
In Google Maps ↗
5
Chorio
The oldest part of town, gathered around the castle and joined to the harbor by 500 stone steps.⁵
In Google Maps ↗
6
Nos
An organized beach next to Gialos, with umbrellas and sun beds.⁶
In Google Maps ↗
7
Emporios
The second harbor of the island, with a few houses and a beach with a taverna.⁷
In Google Maps ↗
8
Pedi
A seaside village 2 km from Chora; taxi boats leave from here for other beaches.⁸ ⁹
In Google Maps ↗
9
Agios Nikolaos
A sandy beach with shallow, clear water and a taverna.¹⁰
In Google Maps ↗
10
Agia Marina
A small sandy beach facing a rocky islet with a church.¹¹
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.¹
In Google Maps ↗
12
Nanou
A pebble bay with a taverna, reached only from the sea.¹²
In Google Maps ↗
13
Marathounda
One of the few beaches on the island that you can drive to.¹³
In Google Maps ↗
14
Panormitis Monastery
The most important religious monument of the island, on the south-west side among cypress and pine.¹⁴ ¹⁵
In Google Maps ↗
15
Clock Tower
The stone clock of 1881 on the waterfront, the first sight on arrival.¹⁶
In Google Maps ↗
16
Kali Strata
A set of 500 wide steps between the harbor and Chorio.¹⁷
In Google Maps ↗
17
Castle
Built in the 14th century by the Knights of St. John on the ruins of a Byzantine castle.¹⁸
In Google Maps ↗

Open the map in Google Maps

Checklist

Your swim-stop bag

Take

Swimsuit under your clothes and a towel
Sun cream, sunglasses and a hat
A dry bag for the phone

Know

The stop lasts 30 minutes on this site's boat
Noodles are provided for weaker swimmers
Return at the crew's signal

Cost calculator

What a swim day costs your group

Choose a boat and your group size.

Fast boat and bay30-minute swimfrom $69 Cruise boat1-hour swimfrom $52 Rizos DiscoveryBay firstfrom $52 Yacht dayTwo swimsfrom $150

People 2

Total from$137

per participant from $69

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

Agios Georgios Dissalonas - The best beach in Symi

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

Light, shade and the color of the water

Why does the order matter so much? Because of the cliff. The operator of this site's boat ties its October timing directly to the light: in that month the sun sets early and the bay is thrown into shadow early in the afternoon.³ In high summer the afternoon is long enough for the return-trip swim to stay in sunshine.

For photographs, the color is the whole story. With the sun on it, the water over the pale seabed turns turquoise and the cliff glows behind; once the shade arrives, both go flat and gray. If pictures matter to you, a stop around midday on a cruise boat or the return swim on a summer fast boat gives you the best chance of the color you have seen online.

For swimmers, shade can be a gift. On a hot afternoon a swim in the shadow of the cliff is cooler and calmer on the eyes, and the water is just as clear. Either way, look up once you are in: the rock wall above you is the reason so many boats build their day around this stop.

Swimming safely from the boat

The stop is a swim from the boat, not a day on the sand. The beach has no facilities, and you come and go with the boat.² Follow the crew's instructions in the water, and remember that on this site's trip the captain may change the route and the swim stop if the weather requires it.

Use what is offered. Swimming noodles are part of this site's trip, and children or weaker swimmers should keep one close. Climb the ladder slowly, watch the propellers and other swimmers, and listen for the signal to return, because the boat keeps to a timetable and other passengers have plans in Rhodes.

Bring a towel, a swimsuit you can wear under your clothes, and something dry for the ride home. Sun cream and sunglasses matter more on the water than on land, because the light comes at you from above and below. A dry bag for the phone is a good idea too, since spray finds its way everywhere on a fast boat.

When the weather says no

The bay sits on an open coast, and wind decides whether a boat can stop safely. Rhodes Sea Lines writes that all its trips need suitable weather as defined by the captain and the Harbor Police, and that a trip it cancels is offered on another date or refunded in full.¹⁹ On a windy day the swim stop may be shortened, moved or dropped.

When that happens, it is not a fault of the trip but of the sea, and it is the reason a swim is something a listing can plan for but never promise. The same wind that cools the deck can make the anchorage unsafe in minutes.

If the swim is the main reason for your day, keep some flexibility. Book early in your holiday so a canceled or shortened stop can be made up, and choose a trip you can drop at no charge until 24 hours ahead. A spare day turns bad luck into a simple change of plan.

A St George Bay boat trip, in practice

If you want this stop, the simplest St George Bay boat trip from Rhodes is a fast boat that combines it with the harbor town. This site's trip is rated 4.72 from 3,658 reviews and starts from $69, and you owe nothing for canceling while 24 hours remain, or you can reserve now and pay later.

If you want more time in the water, SP Cruises swims for an hour at the bay and returns to Mandraki at 18:30, from $52. If you want the bay without crowds and with lunch, the yacht for 25 guests swims at St George Bay and Seskli, from $150.

Whichever you choose, read the line in the listing that says when the swim happens. A stop after Symi rounds off the day; a stop before Symi wakes you up for the town. Both work, and both end in the same clear water below the same wall of rock.

Book your seat

Symi's harbor and the bay are waiting.

Pick a departure, swim at St George's Bay and cancel free up to 24 hours before.

See datesfrom $69 · free to cancel 4.7 · 3,658 reviews, verified

You ask,we answer.

Can I walk or drive to the beach?

No. The bay is reached only from the sea.¹

How long is the swim stop?

30 minutes on this site's boat. Some cruise boats stay about an hour.

Is the stop before or after Symi?

After, in summer. In October it moves to the way out, before the bay falls into shade.³

Are there sun beds or a taverna?

No. The beach is not organized.²

Are swimming aids provided?

Yes, on this site's boat. Swimming noodles are included for the stop.

Does every departure swim there?

Not the Friday night boat. The 17:00 Friday departure skips the bay and returns at 22:00; for the 15:15 boat the listing is unclear whether it swims or only stops for photos.

What if it is windy?

The stop can change. The captain may change the route and swim stops for the weather.

Sources