Symi Panormitis Ferry

Symi Guide

The Greek island of Symi is one of the Dodecanese Islands and is located around 40 km to the north west of the island of Rhodes and 420 km from the Port of Piraeus. Symi's closest neighbours are the Datca and Bozburun peninsulars of Mugla Province in Turkey. The island's terrain is mainly mountainous and its coastline is made up of either beaches and secluded coves, or rocky cliffs. Located on the north east coast of the island is its main town, also called Symi. The lower town is the area around the harbour, called Yialos, and the upper town is called Horio or Ano Symi. There isn't a great deal to see or do on the island, and this is perhaps where its charm is. Apart from lazing on the beach or swimming in its crystal clear waters the Monastery of the Archangel Panormitis, which is an early 18th century Greek Orthodox monastery built on the coast in the south west of the country, is worth visiting. Overlooking Ano Symi is the Kastro which was built by the Knights of St. John as an expansion of a Byzantine castle on the same site. Quite a bit of the structure remains and there are also signs of an ancient citadel on which two later castles were built.

Panormitis Guide

The Greek island of Symi is one of the Dodecanese group of islands and lies to the north of the Greek island of Rhodes and is close to the coast of south western Turkey. The island does not have many beaches and those that it does have tend to be mostly shingle with larger stones under the water and have few facilities and offer little shade. However it is known for its peace and tranquillity although visitors should note that summer temperatures can reach 40°C or more in July and August and makes the shelter of the port a hive of activity.

A popular attraction on the island is the Monastery of Panormitis that is located on a bay that shares its name. Many people visit the monastery from around the country on its celebration day, the 8th November, where pilgrims to the monastery are offered food, wine and free accommodation. Many believe that the monastery was built on the site of an ancient temple but ancient archaeological findings have not been found to back this up although the existence of the monastery dating back to the 15th century has been proved by a manuscript that dates back to 1460.

Symi is a popular destination for day trippers as there are regular daily ferry services operating from the Rhodes port of Mandraki.