One thing that I wanted to do on my second visit to Rhodes was a day trip to Symi Island. We didn’t manage it on our first visit – we’d done a few days trips already and lazily just wanted to enjoy the rest of the time relaxing by the pool.

This time however, if it was the only day trip we did, we were doing a day trip to Symi, a picture perfect technicolour Greek Island.

Read More: 4 Relaxing Day Trips In Rhodes

Where Is Symi?

Located a mere 50 minutes by boat from Rhodes Town, Symi is a smaller Greek island nestled in between Rhodes, Kos and the coast of Turkey. It’s the perfect pit stop if you’re island hopping around the Greek Islands or you can even make it your main holiday destination if you’re looking for a smaller island holiday full of charm.

For us, it was the perfect day trip in between days by the pool and driving around the island looking for gorgeous beaches to enjoy.

How To Book A Day Trip To Symi

We had the choice to either do the day trip to Symi ourselves – you can catch a ferry from Mandraki Harbour in Rhodes Town to Symi – or to do an organised day trip. There are a lot of positives about doing the ferry journey; You can get an early ferry meaning you’re in Symi before the day trippers arrive, and the cost can be a lot cheaper with some ferries costing only £6. There is also the option to get a fast ferry which takes only 50 minutes to get from Rhodes to Symi.

Although we loved the idea of getting a regular ferry, we decided to go for the organised day trip through SP Cruises. The process was easy and honestly we’re so glad we did it this way for our first trip to Symi.

Our day trip not only included the boat from Rhodes to Symi, but along with time to explore Chorio – the main town in Northern Symi – we also got to enjoy a glorious swim stop at the beautiful St George’s Bay. 

Our Day Trip To Symi From Rhodes

We booked our trip the night before through Get Your Guide. This was pretty easy in May although in the peak summer months you might want to book more in advance.

We picked the day trip option without hotel pick up so we caught our bus into Rhodes Town, arriving around 8.30am. With time to go grab a quick coffee – a delicious iced latte from Monk Coffee Roasters – before wandering down to find our boat at the port. Sitting on a bench, soaking up the morning sun, we noticed people already boarding the boat so we jumped on to get settled in.

Once the boat departed Rhodes Town, the sailing was beautiful. It took around 2 hours each way – so a bit slower than some of the faster day trip options, but it meant we could soak up the views and really enjoy seeing Rhodes, Turkey and Symi from the water. 

With the water calming as we reached Symi Island, our first stop was soon in sight – the beach of St George’s Bay. Cruising in we could quickly see why this beach was included on the day trip – backed by sheer cliffs, and with purple flowering plants popping against the turquoise blue water – St George’s Bay is a beauty. Once anchored we had an hour to jump in the sea, swim to shore, or just relax on the boat and enjoy the views. Both of us jumped (quite literally) at the opportunity to get in the sea although I couldn’t help but take a few photos first. 

After a gorgeous refreshing dip, it was back on the boat to cruise along to Chorio. Now I expected this place to be pretty, I’d seen plenty of pictures of it when we were looking at visiting here, but oh my goodness, this place is just incredible. 

Colourful buildings line the harbour and climb the otherwise barren cliffs towering up out of the water. I think everyone was mesmerised as we cruised in so be prepared with your camera if you want to take a few photos! I felt like I was sailing into the movie set of Mamma Mia!

Once off the boat, we had just over a couple of hours to explore but our first stop was to grab a drink and a bite to eat. 

Our time here was spent wandering the streets, climbing steps to see Symi from above, and finding shade to shelter from the heat. It felt so much hotter here than in Rhodes which always seems to be blanketed by a breeze. But, in just a couple of hours, this place stole my heart and I was already picturing coming back here to enjoy a couple of nights, preferably on a Greek Island hopping trip! Our 2 hours was just enough to get a taste of what this island has to offer and we still got to see so much including Paradeisos Beach, the Blue Steps, and the World War Two Memorial as well as browse the many shops selling souvenirs and natural sponges.

Although we could’ve spent much longer here, and plan to hopefully in the future, 2 hours was a good amount of time to enjoy Symi.

With our day trip to Symi complete, we boarded the boat back to Rhodes very grateful we were able to experience another Greek Island on our holiday.

Hopefully that’s given you an idea of what to expect if you enjoy a day trip to Symi from Rhodes. Have a great day – it’s a really great trip if you want to see another Greek island on your holiday to Rhodes.