Symi Day Trip from Rhodes: Excursion Boat or Ferry, Timings

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A Symi day trip from Rhodes gives you roughly three to four hours in Gialos, the harbour town of neoclassical mansions, and on some excursions an hour at Panormitis Monastery on the way. You can go on an excursion boat that handles everything, or on a scheduled ferry, which is cheaper and more flexible but needs a little planning around return times and the right quay in Rhodes Town.

Short answer

• Two ways to go: excursion boats sold as day trips (most leave from Mandraki harbour in Rhodes Town, some also from the east coast) or scheduled ferries run by Dodekanisos Seaways, Sebeco Lines, Blue Star Ferries and Saos Ferries.
• Crossing time: about 45 to 50 minutes on the fastest Dodekanisos catamaran, roughly 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes on slower ferries, and about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes on fast excursion boats.
• Time ashore: excursion listings give about 3 to 3.75 hours in Gialos; the classic boat with a Panormitis stop gives about 1 hour at the monastery and about 3.5 hours in town.
• What fits: Gialos harbour, the Kali Strata steps up to Chorio, and either a short swim or the Symi museum. Not much more.
• Season: sailings are most frequent from June to September; ferries run all year, but excursion extras such as swim stops and sea taxis are seasonal.
• Documents: Rhodes to Symi is a domestic Greek route, so there is no border control, but carry your passport or ID card.

Excursion boat or scheduled ferry

Excursion boats

The day trips sold in Rhodes Town and on GetYourGuide are return boat tickets with a fixed timetable and free time on Symi. None of the listings we checked include a guide on the island. Typical formats, as listed in October 2026:

• The classic Panormitis day trip: a large boat from Mandraki that stops at Panormitis Monastery first (about 1 hour), then Gialos (about 3.5 hours). Allow about 9 hours in total. On Saturdays in summer, a short swim stop at Nimborio Bay is added, weather permitting.
• Fast boat to Gialos only: about 75 minutes each way and about 3.75 hours in Symi, with optional hotel transfers.
• Fast boat with a swim stop: about 1 hour out, about 3 hours in Symi and a 30-minute swim at Agios Georgios (St George’s) Bay, a cove reachable only from the sea. Some departures leave from Kolymbia, Lardos, Pefkos or Lindos rather than Rhodes Town.

Excursion boats suit you if you want Panormitis and Gialos in one day without juggling timetables, or if you are staying in a resort and want a hotel pickup.

Scheduled ferries

Ferryhopper lists Dodekanisos Seaways, Blue Star Ferries, Saos Ferries, Sebeco Lines and Sea Dreams on the route. Frequencies vary by month: Dodekanisos is shown daily in many months, Sebeco daily in October 2026, Blue Star three to six days a week and Saos two to three days a week. Ferryscanner shows about 17 crossings a week from June to September and about 13 in quieter periods.

On its own site, Dodekanisos Seaways lists Symi and Panormitis among its destinations and runs two high-speed catamarans, Dodekanisos Express and Dodekanisos Pride. It also operates the slower Panagia Skiadeni on Rhodes to Symi; Ferryhopper says that vessel’s crossing takes about 1.5 hours and usually runs April to October. ANES, the Rhodes company long associated with this route, now appears only in the past tense on the operator listings we found, so we could not confirm any 2026 ANES sailings.

The catch for a day trip is the return. You need a morning departure and a late-afternoon or evening sailing back on the same day, and not every operator offers both on every date. The operators’ timetables were not readable on their websites when we checked, and Dodekanisos announced timetable changes for its two catamarans from 2 to 13 October 2026, so look up your exact date in a booking engine or with the operator before you commit.

Which suits you

Ferryhopper showed fares from €6.50 one way on Blue Star for 16 October 2026 (as of October 2026). Fast catamaran fares are higher; check the current price for your date.

Which quay in Rhodes Town

Rhodes Town has several harbours side by side, and the boats to Symi do not all use the same one. According to a Rhodes port guide updated in January 2026:

• Mandraki: the old harbour in front of the town. Excursion boats to Symi are likely to leave from here. The classic Panormitis boat meets by the fountain outside the Church of the Annunciation on Eleftherias Avenue; one fast-boat operator checks in at its office on Gallias Street near Mandraki.
• Kolona: used by the small passenger ferries of Dodekanisos Seaways and Sebeco Lines.
• Akandia: the main harbour for big car ferries, including all Blue Star sailings.

The guide describes some of these as likely rather than fixed, so check the quay printed on your ticket. Dodekanisos Seaways asks passengers to be at the port 60 minutes before departure and says no refund is due if you arrive after the boat has left.

A typical excursion day

This is based on the classic Panormitis listing (meeting at Mandraki at 08:30, about 9 hours in total). The provider says times can change with weather and season.

The listing shows the exact departure time only when you check availability.

What to see in limited time

Panormitis Monastery

The monastery of the Archangel Michael sits in a sheltered bay in the southwest of the island. Visit Greece says the main church dates from the 15th century and the monastery was built in the early 18th century on older foundations. Inside is a full-length icon of the Archangel covered in silver and gold, considered miraculous, and the complex has an ecclesiastical museum and a folklore museum. If you are not on an excursion that stops here, a bus from Gialos takes about 40 minutes, with three services a day each way in high season and two in low season according to a December 2025 transport guide. That rarely fits a ferry day trip.

Gialos harbour

Gialos is where the ferries and most excursion boats dock. The hillsides around the harbour are lined with 19th-century mansions in ochre, pink, red, blue and grey. Along the waterfront you pass the old customs house, the fish market, a stone bridge, the statue of a young fisherman and the 1881 clock tower. Symi’s wealth came from sponge diving and shipbuilding, which is why the town looks the way it does. Nos beach, a small beach beyond the clock tower, is the nearest swim to the harbour.

Kali Strata and Chorio

The Kali Strata is a stone stairway of around 500 steps from Gialos up to Chorio (Ano Symi), the upper town. The climb takes about 20 to 30 minutes. At the top, Syllogou Square has the old municipal pharmacy of 1884, and the lanes continue up to the castle area with views over the bay. In summer, the steps are hard work in the midday heat. One option is to take the bus up (about 10 minutes) and walk down. Buses leave Gialos roughly hourly from 08:00, per the same transport guide; the bus stop is a small car park on the south side of the harbour.

Museums

Chorio has the Symi museum, described by sources under different names, most recently as a renovated historical museum spread over several buildings that reopened in September 2020. A nautical museum in Gialos covers sponge diving. We could not find current opening hours or ticket prices from an official source, so ask locally.

Realistic plans for 3 to 4 hours

• Option A: stroll the harbour, climb the Kali Strata, an hour in Chorio, walk back down.
• Option B: bus up to Chorio, walk down the steps, then a swim at Nos beach.
• Option C: harbour walk and a sea taxi to a nearby cove. Sea taxis normally run from May to mid-October; check return times carefully.

Pick one. Trying to add Pedi, Nimborio or a museum visit to all of this usually means rushing back to the boat.

Season and weather

Sailings are most frequent from June to September. Ferries run all year, but several things are seasonal: the Saturday swim stop on the classic excursion runs from roughly mid or late June to September (the listing gives slightly different dates in different places), sea taxis normally stop in mid-October, and Panagia Skiadeni usually runs April to October.

Wind is the other factor. Blue Star published itinerary changes due to bad weather for 13 to 15 October 2026, so check the operator’s notices on the day you travel. If your trip is on a tight schedule, for example your last full day before a flight, keep a spare day.

For other routes by month, see our ferry season calendar.

Independent or tour

Go independently by ferry if you want more than three hours in Gialos, want to stay overnight, or are on a budget. Take a morning catamaran, check the evening return before you book, and be at the right quay an hour before departure.

Take an excursion boat if Panormitis matters to you, if you want a swim at a boat-only cove, or if you are staying outside Rhodes Town and want a hotel pickup.

Organised tours

All of the listings below are boat trips with free time on Symi rather than guided tours. Check the departure point and times shown for your date before you pay.

Coming over from Turkey for a few days? See the Marmaris to Rhodes ferry and where to stay in Rhodes. Note that Turkish citizens on the island-only express visa cannot travel on from Rhodes to Symi.

Tips

• Bring some cash in euros. Small islands may have only a few cash machines. More in money and mobile data on the Greek islands.
• Wear comfortable shoes for the Kali Strata: around 500 stone steps each way.
• Watch the clock in Chorio. The walk down and back along the harbour to your boat takes longer than you think.
• Travelling with children? The fast boats are shorter, which helps. See Greek islands with kids from Turkey.

FAQ

How long is the boat from Rhodes to Symi?

About 45 to 50 minutes on the fastest Dodekanisos Seaways catamaran, roughly 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes on slower ferries, and about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes on fast excursion boats. The classic excursion via Panormitis takes about 1 hour 15 minutes to the monastery and another hour to Gialos.

Can I see Panormitis and Gialos on one day trip?

Yes, on the classic excursion boat, which gives about 1 hour at the monastery and about 3.5 hours in Gialos. On scheduled ferries it is difficult: sources disagree on how often Panormitis is served, with Ferryhopper saying about once a week, often on Sundays.

Where do the boats leave from in Rhodes?

Most excursion boats leave from Mandraki. Dodekanisos Seaways and Sebeco use Kolona, and Blue Star uses Akandia. Always check your ticket.

How much time do you get on Symi?

About 3 to 3.75 hours in Gialos on most excursions. With scheduled ferries it depends on the sailings available on your date.

Do I need my passport?

There is no border control because both islands are in Greece, but carry your passport or national ID card. Dodekanisos Seaways asks passengers to carry ID.

Is it worth going in October?

Yes, but expect fewer sailings, possible weather cancellations and the end of the sea taxi season around mid-October.

Timetables, prices and entry rules change; check the official source before you travel.

Sources

• Dodekanisos Seaways – company site and destinations (accessed Oct 2026)
• Dodekanisos Seaways – Symi to Rhodes: what to check before booking (June 2026) (accessed Oct 2026)
• Dodekanisos Seaways – Schedule changes for Dodekanisos Pride and Express (Oct 2026) (accessed Oct 2026)
• Blue Star Ferries – Itinerary modifications due to bad weather, 13–15 Oct 2026 (accessed Oct 2026)
• Ferryhopper – Rhodes to Symi (accessed Oct 2026)
• Ferryhopper – Panagia Skiadeni (accessed Oct 2026)
• Ferryscanner – Symi to Rhodes (accessed Oct 2026)
• Dave’s Travel Pages – Rhodes to Symi by ferry (Oct 2026) (accessed Oct 2026)
• Go-Ferry – ANES Ferries (accessed Oct 2026)
• The Mediterranean Traveller – Rhodes port map (Jan 2026) (accessed Oct 2026)
• Visit Greece – Monastery of the Archangel Michael, Panormitis (accessed Oct 2026)
• Visit Greece – Hiking and exploring on Symi (accessed Oct 2026)
• Discover Greece – Symi (German) (accessed Oct 2026)
• Archaeology Wiki – Renovated Historical Museum of Symi reopens (Sept 2020) (accessed Oct 2026)
• Wikipedia – Symi (accessed Oct 2026)
• On the Luce – Symi without a car (Dec 2025) (accessed Oct 2026)
• GetYourGuide – Rhodes: Symi Island & Panormitis Monastery Day Trip by Boat (accessed Oct 2026)
• GetYourGuide – Rhodes: High-Speed Boat to Symi Island & Saint George’s Bay (accessed Oct 2026)
• GetYourGuide – Rhodes: Symi Island by Fast Boat (accessed Oct 2026)
• GetYourGuide – Rhodes: Symi Island Cruise & St. George Bay Swim Stop (accessed Oct 2026)