Lowest priceBudget speedboat
Sebeco Lines, Kolona
- On Symi
- Over 3 hours
- Swim stop
- None listed
- Price
- from $38
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Guide · The boats
Symi tours: speedboat, cruise boat or yacht?
A long list of boats sells the day from Rhodes to Symi, and they are not the same trip. Symi tours differ in speed, in how long you get ashore, in where you swim and in what the ticket includes. Here they are side by side.
Check availabilityfrom $69 · free to cancel
Editorial team, symiboattrip.comUpdated October 18, 2026Reading time 7 min4 sources
In short
- 01Fast boats
- About 1 hour across, 3 hours on Symi and a 30-minute swim, from $69.1
- 02Budget speedboat
- Sebeco Lines from Kolona: more than three hours ashore, no swim stop, from $38.
- 03Cruise boats
- Slower, with up to 1 hour of swimming at St George Bay.
- 04Yacht
- Up to 25 guests, lunch and drinks on board, from $150.
- 05This site's pick
- The fast boat rated 4.72 from 3,658 reviews.
Three kinds of boat, one island
Almost every Rhodes boat tour to Symi ends in the same place, the harbor of Gialos, but the boats that get you there fall into three groups. Fast boats cross in about an hour and give you the most time ashore. Big cruise boats take longer and make up for it with a longer swim. Small yachts trade crowds for lunch, drinks and a slower day with fewer people around you.
The difference shows in the timetable. Rhodes Sea Lines, the operator of this site's trip, says its boat journey takes about 1 hour.1 SP Cruises leaves Mandraki at 10:00, reaches St George Bay after about two hours, swims for an hour, and only arrives in the harbor of Symi after 13:00. Both are good days out; they are simply different days.
Price follows the same pattern, though not perfectly. The cheapest listing in this comparison starts from $38, the yacht from $150, and the fast boats sit in between. Read beyond the price: what you get for it, from swim stops to hotel transfers, changes from one listing to the next.
A cruise-boat day
The Doll's day from Mandraki and back
-
09:30
Boarding
Boarding begins at Mandraki Harbor.
-
10:00
Departure
The boat leaves Rhodes for the bay.
-
About 11:30
St George Bay
About 1 hour of swimming below the cliffs.
-
About 13:15
Symi harbor
3 hours of free time in the harbor town.
-
16:15 to 18:00
Back to Rhodes
The return cruise reaches Mandraki at 18:00.
The fast boats: more time ashore
This site's trip is a fast boat run by Rhodes Sea Lines. It leaves Mandraki Harbor at 9:00, 11:00 or 15:15, cruises for 1 hour to Symi, gives you 3 hours of free time there, then takes 20 minutes to Saint George Bay for a 30-minute swim before the 70-minute run home. For the 15:15 departure the listing is unclear: one note includes the swim, the description calls it a photo stop with no swimming. It is rated 4.72 from 3,658 reviews.
Seating matters on a fast boat. The operator says 80% of its seats are individual bucket seats and 20% are sofas for families, and that every seat is in the open air, with a shaded area on board.2 Bring a light layer for the ride, because the air moves fast at speed even on a hot day, and wear sun cream for the hour on deck.
Other fast boats work the same way with small changes. A cruise with an optional hotel transfer crosses in about 60 minutes and gives 3 hours on Symi and 30 minutes of swimming, rated 4.80 from 2,561 reviews. A high-speed cruiser takes 1 hour 15 minutes each way and gives about 4 hours of free time, without a swim stop in its plan.
Time ashore
Hours of free time on Symi, by boat
h
The listings
Six boats from Rhodes, compared
| Boat | From | Swim stop | Back in Rhodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhodes Sea Lines fast boat | Mandraki | 30 min, St George Bay | 6 to 9-hour day |
| Sebeco Lines speedboat | Kolona | None listed | 7-hour day |
| SP Cruises | Mandraki | 1 hour, St George Bay | 18:30 |
| Doll | Mandraki | About 1 hour | 18:00 |
| Rizos Discovery | Rhodes | 30 min, first stop | About 16:30 |
| Yacht, 25 guests | Pickup included | St George Bay and Seskli | 8-hour day |
Each row as its listing states it on GetYourGuide.
Three styles
Budget speedboat, cruise boat or yacht
Lowest price
Longest swim
Lunch on boardDecision helper
Which Symi boat is yours?
Pick the wish that matters most
High-speed cruiser
About 4 hours of free time on Symi.
A cruise boat
SP Cruises swims for 1 hour at St George Bay.
Sebeco Lines
From $38, without a swim stop.
The yacht
Lunch and unlimited drinks on board.
This site's fast boat
Rated 4.72 from 3,658 reviews.
All boat trips require suitable weather conditions as defined by the Captain of each boat & the Harbour Police.
The budget speedboat from Kolona
A speedboat run by Sebeco Lines boards at Kolona Harbor rather than Mandraki, and it draws a lot of bookings. It is rated 4.51 from 5,214 reviews and starts from $38, below every other boat compared on this page.
The lower price buys the essentials. The boat has an air-conditioned indoor deck and a sundeck, and you get more than three hours of free time on Symi, but the listing names no swim stop. If the swim in St George's Bay is what you are picturing, this is the wrong boat; if you only want the harbor, the lanes and a long lunch, it does the job.
Note the harbor twice. Kolona is a different quay from Mandraki, and a reader who walks to the wrong one in the morning may miss the boat. The listing gives the boat's name, Sebeco Lines, to look for at Kolona. Give yourself time to find it, and the cheap ticket stays cheap.
Checklist
Read these lines on any listing
01
Before booking
- The boarding harbor: Mandraki, Kolona or the coast
- Whether a swim stop is listed, and how long
- The time back in Rhodes
02
On the day
- Sun cream and a light layer for the ride
- Your boarding pass or voucher
- Be back at the boat before it leaves Symi
Cost calculator
Compare the boats for your group
Choose a boat and the number of travelers.
People
Total from$137
per participant from $69
Check availabilityfree cancellationTotals 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: Speedboat Adventure
The clip stays off YouTube's servers until you press play.
Cruise boats: a longer swim, a longer day
The cruise boats turn the swim into the centerpiece. SP Cruises sails from Mandraki at 10:00, stops at St George Bay for an hour of swimming, reaches Gialos after 13:00, leaves Symi at 16:20 and is back at 18:30. Upper deck seats go to whoever arrives first, and lunch is not included. It is rated 4.01 from 2,689 reviews.
Mediterranean Sea Cruises runs a similar day on the Doll, a 30-meter boat built in 2023. Boarding starts at 09:30 for a 10:00 departure, the boat reaches St George Bay around 11:30 for about an hour of swimming, then gives you 3 hours of free time on Symi before returning to Mandraki at 18:00. Four package options add hotel transfers, lunch or drinks.
Rizos Cruises' boat Discovery puts St George Bay first too, with a 30-minute swim, then about 3 hours of free time on Symi and a return to Rhodes at about 16:30. It has sun beds and a bar on board. Cruise boats suit a family that wants the day to feel like a beach day with a pretty town in the middle.
Yachts and the smaller boats
At the top end is a yacht for a maximum of 25 passengers. It stops first in Symi town, then swims at St George Bay and at Seskli, with unlimited wine, beer and soft drinks and lunch served on board. Pickup is included, there is a changing room, and the trip is fully refunded if the weather cancels it. It starts from $150 and is rated 4.78 from 425 reviews.
Seskli is a small island with a rich seabed and clear water, described by Dodekanisos Seaways as ideal for a day of exploring the sea.4 No other boat on this page lists a stop there, so the yacht is the one Symi island tour that shows you a second, emptier stretch of coast.
A cheaper boat calls itself a yacht cruise and goes the other way: direct to Symi with no stops at all, 3 hours of free time, a morning departure at 10:45 or an afternoon one at 13:30, and hotel pickup for bookings made at least 12 hours ahead. It is rated 4.29 from 646 reviews and starts from $43.
Evening boats and trips from the east coast
If midday heat worries you, an afternoon boat helps. A sunset trip on the Aphrodite Princess leaves Mandraki in the afternoon, swims at St George's Bay on arrival, spends about 3 hours on Symi and comes back as the sun goes down. It lasts 5 hours, is rated 4.79 from 221 reviews and starts from $87.
Staying on the east coast changes the choice. Faliraki Sea Lines boards from four stops on Faliraki beach, makes a 10-minute stop at Mandraki and runs the same pattern of 3 hours on Symi and a 30-minute swim. From Kolymbia Harbor a high-speed boat gives about 3 hours on Symi and a 30-minute swim on the way back.
This site's own trip covers the coast as well. Depending on the option, you board at Mandraki, Kolymbia, Lardos or Pefkos, or at Lindos in Vlycha Bay, and a hotel transfer is offered from Faliraki, Kalithea, Ixia, Kremasti and Kolymbia. Check which boarding point your option uses before you book.
How to choose your Symi boat
Start with what you want from the island. If the town is the point, choose a fast boat and the most time ashore. If the swim is the point, a cruise boat with an hour in St George Bay gives you more of it. If the day is a treat, the yacht with lunch on board turns the crossing into part of the pleasure rather than a ride between sights.
Then read the small print the same way for every listing. Look for the boarding harbor, the swim stop and its length, the time back in Rhodes and whether a transfer is included. None of these boats charges you for calling off a booking 24 hours or more before the trip, so booking early still leaves room to change your mind.
Finally, remember who decides on the day. Rhodes Sea Lines writes that all its trips need suitable weather as defined by the captain and the Harbor Police, and that a canceled trip is offered on another date or refunded in full.3 On a windy morning, the order of the stops can change too. Pack for sun and spray, and let the sea set the pace.
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.
You ask,we answer.
Which boat gives the most time on Symi?
A high-speed cruiser, about 4 hours. It crosses in 1 hour 15 minutes each way.
Which boats stop at St George's Bay?
Most, but not all. The Sebeco Lines speedboat, the direct yacht cruise and the high-speed cruiser list no swim stop.
How long is the swim stop?
30 minutes to 1 hour. This site's boat stops 30 minutes; SP Cruises swims for an hour.
Is lunch included?
Only on some boats. The yacht serves lunch; SP Cruises does not include it.
Where do the boats leave from?
Mostly Mandraki. Sebeco Lines boards at Kolona Harbor instead.
Are the seats in the shade?
Partly, on this site's boat. All seats are open-air, with a shaded area.2
Can I cancel?
Yes, on every boat here. Calling off costs nothing until 24 hours before you sail.
Sources
What this guide is based on
- 1Rhodes Sea LinesFAQ: Rhodes to Symi↩
- 2Rhodes Sea LinesFAQ: Rhodes to Symi↩
- 3Rhodes Sea LinesExpress boat Rhodes to Symi with swim stop↩
- 4Dodekanisos SeawaysSymi - The island of Nireus↩
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