Symi Island & Panormitis Monastery Day Trip by Ferry from Rhodes

Mandraki Port and the crossing from Rhodes

The day starts at Mandraki Port in Rhodes Town, beside the fountain outside the Church of the Annunciation on Eleftherias Avenue. The church was built by the Italians in the 1920s in the style of the Knights' original church, and the harbour around it is guarded by two bronze deer statues on columns, where tradition says the Colossus of Rhodes once stood. Here you collect your boarding pass and the map of Symi before walking to the ferry.

The ferry is a large vessel for about 420 passengers, with three decks, indoor and outdoor seating, a snack counter and toilets, so you can choose sun on deck or shade inside. Symi lies north-west of Rhodes, close to the Datça peninsula, and the crossing to Panormitis takes about 75 minutes past the open Aegean and the bare, rocky hills of Symi's south.

Panormitis Monastery of the Archangel Michael

Panormitis Monastery fills the shore of a deep, sheltered bay on the southern tip of Symi, and the arrival by sea, with its tall white-and-cream bell tower reflected in the water, is one of the most photographed scenes in the Dodecanese. The present church dates from the eighteenth century and holds a much-venerated icon of the Archangel Michael, protector of sailors, covered in silver. Pilgrims come from all over Greece, and a local tradition says that offerings thrown into the sea in a bottle find their way to Panormitis.

You have about an hour of free time, enough to see the church with its carved wooden iconostasis, light a candle in the peaceful courtyard and look at the small museum of church treasures and folk objects if it is open. Photography is not allowed inside the church, and modest clothing with covered shoulders and knees is expected. Entry to the monastery itself is free.

Symi's west coast and Nymporio Bay

From Panormitis the ferry continues for about an hour around the west coast of Symi, a stretch with no roads and almost no houses, where steep slopes of rock and wild thyme fall into deep blue water. It is the only way most visitors ever see this side of the island, and the view from the upper deck is one of the quiet pleasures of the day.

On Saturdays from late June to September, in good weather, the ferry adds a 20-minute swim stop at Nymporio Bay, a small pebble cove just west of Symi Town with clear, calm water. Wear swimwear under your clothes on that day if you want to join in. On other days the ferry sails straight into Symi harbour, giving you longer in town.

Symi Town: the harbour of Gialos

Entering the narrow harbour of Symi is the moment everyone waits for: neoclassical mansions in ochre, pink and pale blue rise in tiers around the water, with fishing boats and sailing yachts moored below. Most of the houses were built in the nineteenth century, when the island grew wealthy from sponge diving and shipbuilding. Anyone asking whether Symi is worth visiting usually has the answer in the first five minutes.

You have around three and a half hours of free time. Walk along the waterfront, browse stalls of natural sponges and wood carvings, ride the little sightseeing train for an easy circuit of the town, or swim from one of the small harbour-side platforms. Seafront tavernas serve fresh fish and Symi's famous tiny fried shrimps; meals are at your own expense.

Chorio, the upper town of Symi

For the classic panorama of the harbour, climb the Kali Strata, the stone stairway that links the waterfront with Chorio, the upper town. The walk takes 15 to 20 minutes and passes grand captains' houses, some carefully restored and others left as atmospheric ruins. At the top you find narrow lanes, windmills, small churches and the site of the old castle of the Knights of St John.

With three and a half hours, you can climb up, enjoy the view and still have time for lunch by the water. The best time to visit Symi on this trip is from May to October; in July and August start the climb early and carry water, and check the boarding time given at the front of the ferry so you are back in good time for the return to Rhodes.