The photos on blogs and Instagram were incredible. It seemed like there was the perfect town, right from a fairytale on a tiny island off the coast of Turkey. Once I’d settled on going to the area of Rhodes in Greece I knew I had to put Symi on the itinerary. Symi is a popular day trip from Rhodes town, but I wanted more. I wanted to experience Symi, not just take a picture and leave. But how much time is really needed on such a small island? I settled on 2 nights, meaning 2 full days on the island. If I could redo it, I’d add another one.
Colorful houses greeted me when our small ferry SEBECO finally arrived in the port of the island. The small ferry was a quicker solution than the bigger ships, but the first 20 minutes to half an hour were also quite rough. We’d crossed from Rhodes town pretty much to the Turkish coast through choppy waters. Water was splashing onto the deck from all sides and the unfortunate people sitting anywhere behind us got drenched. Slowly we saw people move more towards the front of the boat, looking for a break from the water. Midway the Turkish flag was hoisted. We continued through Turkish waters, admiring the coastline and the small sail boats we passed until we started to see Symi.
I completely fell in love with Symi. This was what had been missing. Symi town is picture perfect. Every house has a pastel color and the houses are built on the sides of the hills surrounding the harbor. Staircases lead you up the hill and if you are willing to make the effort you are rewarded with incredible views. Imagine the calming colors fo the houses in contrast with the deep blue of the Aegean Sea. Turkey is right on the horizon and feels like it’s only at swimming distance. Down in the bay lie the most beautiful boats, docked along the small street that follows the coast line.
Accommodation
Symi has a range of accommodation and a lot of it was already fully booked by the time I was planning my trip. Often they are smaller guest houses, rather than big hotels. I settled on a small place up on the hill called Taxiarchis. I had no idea just how many stairs we’d have to climb up to get there from the harbor! Luckily our host was waiting for us as we disembarked the ferry and she skillfully drove us and our luggage to the accommodation through some of the small streets. They have a few apartments with a cute little terrace in front of them, facing the backside of the hill, looking out over Pedi Bay. The view alone was worth all those steps!
The apartment is simple but has a little kitchen unit and is kept very clean. Moreover, the hosts provide a breakfast on their terrace every morning. We got different things each day including fresh watermelon, rolls, puff pastry with spinach and cheese, Greek yoghurt with honey… too much to sum up, or to eat. It was a very relaxing way to start the day.
Castle ruins of the knights of St. John
There’s a big main staircase that climbs way up to the ridge of the hillside in between the houses. You may argue that tourism ruins little islands like this one, but I got the impression that tourism is saving this one. Walking down the steps we passed many for sale signs and many, many run down houses. Some were just a bit neglected, others had trees growing through the middle. Luckily most places were well kept and it was a joy to explore here.
One day we ventured off the main staircase and took a much smaller, less well kept path up the hill. It led us to the most amazing view and we watched as the big Hellenic Seaways ferry docked at the far end of the harbor. We climbed up higher and passed some houses and many churches. The bells were ringing in the distance as we climbed up higher and higher in the direction of the old castle. As it turns out, there isn’t much left of the castle itself. It has been replaced with a church. Two men were working there, or maybe one was the priest, and they gestured we could look inside. Furthermore, you can walk all around and enjoy the views over all sides of the bay. It’s a fair climb in the hot summer sun, but well worth it.
Panormitis
On the other side of the island is the small settlement of Panormitis. It’s known for the monastery of archangel Michael. It lies right on the water and can be recognized by its ornate bell tower. Apparently it’s one of the largest baroque bell towers in Greece. To me it looked like a gigantic cake that’d been decorated with frosting, marshmallows and other treats. I loved it. You can walk up the stairs and through the entrance to visit the church and a small museum.
The church is impressive, decorated with lots of Greek Orthodox art, but the museum leaves more of a memory. It is there that we learned just how much people revere the archangel. People send presents to the monastery, even per message in a bottle it seems. The museum houses some relics, but also some of the many gifts from strangers; sports trophies, ivory, model boats… the museum is chockfull of random items. But they aren’t completely selfless gifts. Legend says you can ask a favor from the archangel, but you need to promise to give something in return. If the archangel is not happy with you, he will make this very clear. That’s why he often keeps boats from leaving the harbors…
You can visit Panormitis from Rhodes town; many of the day trips stop here as well. If you’re staying on Symi, you can either drive or take a bus excursion. It functions basically like a shared taxi. We opted to visit Marathounda beach afterwards which was well worth it. But as I already read on TripAdvisor, the trip is worth it just for the ride. You basically cross the whole island in a van and that means going over the mountains. The views over the water to the bays and surrounding islands are incredible from start to finish. It’s too bad the van doesn’t stop.
Beaches
Marathounda beach is on the South East of the island. It’s not a sandy beach, but because of the big grey stones very clean. The first thing we noticed was the goats. Goats? Yes, goats. A bunch of goats were walking around the beach in search of a treasure. They seemed to think this treasure would be in people’s bags. It was hilarious to watch their explorations and the people not knowing what to do about it. We found a place on the free sun beds and had a wonderful 2,5 hours in the sunshine. Because the beach is further from the city, you can only come by car or boat and so it didn’t get all that busy. If you get hungry there are a couple of places where you can eat.
On another day we took one of the taxi boats to St George Bay. The beach here is even more remote because you cannot access it by land. We were dropped off with a handful of other people and there may have been only 20 others on the beach. The beach is surrounded by huge cliffs that were bolted for climbing. There’s a small chapel and a few goats, but other than that it’s pure. It’s nature.
If you don’t want to stay in Symi town, you can think about staying in the Pedi bay, a much quieter location. In Symi you have the day tourists coming through every day, but Pedi is a lot smaller and far enough away that they don’t make it. There is a bus service from the town to Pedi and back that went once an hour, but it is possible to walk as well. The bay is very nice in Pedi, although the beach didn’t look particularly appealing. However, if you follow the little trail on the far side of the bay, you can walk to St. Nicholas Beach. It’s a small beach with facilities and it is wonderful. Alternatively you can take the longer trail to Agia Marina on the other side. The water here is crystal clear and there is a small island offshore you can swim to.
Even after leaving Symi I just couldn’t forget it. I fell in love with Symi! I loved our beautiful dinners at Taverna Zoe and Georgio & Maria’s. I loved the clear waters. I loved the picture-perfect houses. I loved the views. I loved that it was just a little different and quieter. I loved it so much that my boyfriend kept jokingly asking: “By the way, what did you think about Symi?” I would have loved to have another day, to explore more of the beaches and wander through the less touristy part of town, but my 2 days in Symi left a great impression that I won’t easily forget.
