Symi, where the ochre of the houses is reflected in the harbour water

Gialos, one of the finest harbours in Greece

The harbour of Symi, which the locals call Gialos, looks like a painting. Houses of two or three storeys rise in tiers around the bay, pressed one above another. Their neoclassical façades and their red-tiled roofs tell of another age. On the small wrought-iron balconies, you can still imagine the families of captains of former days.

The island owes that prosperity to the sponge. All through the 19th century, the divers of Symi criss-crossed the Mediterranean as far as the coasts of North Africa to gather sponges by hand. The island at one time held the largest sponge fleet in the world, and it is that fortune which built the handsome houses you admire today. You wander along the quay, sit down on a café terrace for a slowly prepared Greek coffee, watch the boats rocking. Nothing is pressing, and that is exactly right.

Chorio, the upper village, by the Kali Strata

Above the harbour, clinging to the hill, is Chorio, the old village. You climb up by the Kali Strata, which might be translated as “the good way”: a wide stone stairway of about five hundred steps that rises gently between the houses. Do not let the figure impress you. You climb it at your own pace, stopping as often as you wish, and there are good reasons to stop. At each landing, the view over the harbour opens a little more, bougainvillea spills over the walls, a cat dozes on a warm step, a small taverna offers a chair and a glass of cool water.

At the top, Chorio unrolls a maze of silent lanes, far from the bustle of the quay. There are a few churches, old houses, a small folklore museum and, above all, that particular calm of perched villages. At sunset, the light gilds the façades and the sea below turns pink. It is the best moment to go back down, without hurrying.

The monastery of Panormitis

At the southern tip of the island, at the end of a sheltered bay, the monastery of Panormitis has kept watch for centuries. Dedicated to the archangel Michael, patron saint of sailors, it is one of the best-loved places of pilgrimage in the Aegean. Fishermen and travellers come to light a candle there before putting to sea. The courtyard paved with black and white pebbles, the tall bell tower, the ancient frescoes, the smell of incense: you step into another time. You reach it by road from the harbour, or by boat on a day excursion, often combined with a swimming stop in a nearby cove.

The coves of Symi, reached by boat

Symi is not an island of long sandy beaches. Its coastline is made of small coves at the foot of the cliffs, and the prettiest way to discover them is to board one of the little water taxis that leave from the harbour.

• Agios Georgios Dysalonas is the most spectacular: a pebble cove bathed in turquoise water, dominated by an immense rock face that drops vertically into the sea. It can only be reached by boat, and that is precisely what makes its charm. No taverna, no sunbed: the rock, the water and the silence.
• Nanou, a little further on, spreads a long beach of pale pebbles and water of remarkable transparency. A small canteen serves lunch a couple of steps from the shore.
• Pedi, finally, is the most accessible: a few minutes from the harbour, in a quiet bay, it is an organised beach with sunbeds and tavernas, perfect for an easy swim with nothing to arrange.

The flavours of Symi

In the evening, when the terraces light up around the harbour, one speciality comes back on almost every table: the little Symi shrimp. These tiny red shrimps, four to five centimetres long, live in the island’s waters. They are eaten fried in olive oil, crisp, to be crunched whole, lifted with a simple squeeze of lemon and accompanied by a glass of well-chilled ouzo. It is the meze you share without ceremony while watching the boats come in. The tavernas on the quay also serve the fish of the day and vegetables from the garden, in that generous Greek cooking that needs no complicated menus. The island even devotes a festival to it, every summer, in August.

Symi from Rhodes: when and how to go

Symi is very often visited from Rhodes, its large neighbour, from which only some twenty kilometres separate it. Several boats link the two islands every day, in 1 h to 1 h 30 depending on the vessel. Many travellers make a day trip of it, but Symi gains from being given a night or two. Once the excursion boats have left at the end of the afternoon, the harbour recovers its calm and its elegance, and the island belongs only to those who stay. If you are already exploring the region, our guide to the best hikes in Rhodes will help you put together the rest of your stay.

As everywhere in Greece, the season counts for a great deal. Spring (May and June) and autumn (September and October) are the mildest periods: fine light, a sea still good, quiet terraces. In summer, Symi is beautiful too, but the midday hours are hot and the harbour livelier when the excursions arrive. To place the island among the other destinations of the archipelago, our guide to choosing the Greek island that suits you and our selection of the most beautiful Greek islands will give you good bearings. And if the urge takes you to discover Greece on foot, at your own pace, our holidays open many other paths.

Frequently asked questions about Symi

Where is Symi?

Symi belongs to the Dodecanese, in the south-east of the Aegean, some twenty kilometres north of Rhodes. It is a small mountainous island, known for its colourful harbour and its peaceful atmosphere.

How do you get to Symi?

The simplest is to set off from Rhodes: boats link the two islands every day, in about an hour to an hour and a half. Symi is also served by the Dodecanese sea links from other neighbouring islands.

Should you visit Symi for the day or stay the night?

Both have their case, and it all depends on the time you have. Most visitors come for the day from Rhodes: the boats leave in the morning around nine and set off back at the end of the afternoon, enough to wander the harbour, climb to Chorio and lunch on a terrace. But Symi reveals itself above all in the evening, when the excursions have left and the quay recovers its calm. If you can, give it a night or two: you will have the morning coves to yourself and a sunset on the ochre façades that day visitors will never see.

What is there to see on Symi in a day?

Wander first in the harbour of Gialos, then climb the Kali Strata steadily to Chorio for the view. Allow yourself lunch on a terrace and, if time permits, a swim in a cove reached by boat. With a night on the spot, add the monastery of Panormitis.