Symi Travel: Getting to Symi by Ferry
Symi has no airport, so you can only reach it by sea, and the easiest way is to fly to Rhodes and take a regular ferry across. Ferries also run from Piraeus a few times a week, but that crossing is long, so most travellers arrive via Rhodes. Once there, the beaches are reached by water taxi. Hire a car to explore Symi at your own pace, covered in our Symi car hire guide.
- Airport
- None
- Arrive via
- Rhodes
- From Piraeus
- Few times a week
- On Symi
- Water taxi
Getting to Symi
Symi has no airport, so the only way to reach the island is by sea. Ferries run from Piraeus to Symi a few times a week, but the journey takes a long time. The best option is to fly to Rhodes and travel on from there, where regular ferries and plenty of day-trip tours serve Symi and the other Dodecanese islands.
Ferries from Rhodes
From Rhodes there are regular ferries to Symi with Dodekanisos Seaways and Anes-Symi Lines, which run fast hydrofoils. Anes-Symi Lines has a small fast boat that carries no cars, sailing straight to Symi and back, and another ferry on the route Rhodes - Symi - Tilos - Nissyros - Kos. Check the operators' websites for current times.
Ferries from Piraeus
For the trip from Piraeus (Athens) to Symi, GA Ferries runs a boat to the Dodecanese a few times a week that stops at Symi, on the route Piraeus - Patmos - Lipsi - Leros - Kalymnos - Kos - Symi - Rhodes. You can check itineraries and book online through Ferries in Greece, which is worth doing in advance for a fast ferry in high season.
