Symi Island Day Trip from Rhodes
Description
The boat departs from tourist port approximately at 09:00. The ship will arrive at Symi Island port after approximately 1+1/2 hour and remains there for 3+1/2 hours. The guests will be having a guided tour along the narrow streets of the village Yalos and the opportunity to visit the local sponges and spices shops. Afterwards the guests can have lunch at traditional restaurants and can have free time to spend on their own, where they can explore the village and take some beautiful photos. Afterwards the ship will sail to the next stop, Panormitis Monastery. They will have about 45 minutes to visit the monastery. At ship will arrive at Rhodes port and from there coach will transfer the guests back to their accommodation.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The holy Monastery of the Archangel Michael of Panormitis is situated on the southern tip of the island and it majestically stands in the middle of the bay of Panormitis.It is one of the largest shrines of Orthodoxy in the Dodecanese islands, well known all over Greece. It dates back at least to the fifteenth century, while the current single space basilica with cross-chaped domes was built in the 1783. It is a large singlevaulted Basilica whose wooden icon screen is a real masterpiece. The wall paintings from the main church date from 1792. Also notable are the impressive bell tower, the carved screen, the icons (most of the in the Cretan Byzantine style), notice offering and the Panormitis icon. The full figure representation was covered entirely in gold and silver in 1724 at the expense of the captains, clergy and community of Symi. The monastery complex has an Ecclesiastical Museum with rich collections of relics and a Folklore Museum. There is also a Library with post Byzantine manuscripts. It hasalso a hostel for visiting worshippers. The Monastery celebrates on the 8th of November and for Pentecoste.
The ship will arrive at Symi Island port and the guests will be having a guided tour along the narrow streets of the village Yalos and the opportunity to visit the local sponges and spices shops. Afterwards the guests can have lunch at traditional restaurants and can have free time to spend on their own, where they can explore the village and take some beautiful photos.
Departs from Rhodes port approximately at 09:00 hrs.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Hotel Entrance, 5 minutes prior to pick up time. Hotel pick up is offered subject to customer's hotel location. In case of property (villa- hotel- airbnb) is not within tour pick up areas, client should meet our group for the tour at the nearest pick up place possible.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Comfortable shoes, hat, cameras for photos, enough money for food/ drinks and shopping.
- Please note that the boat departs from Tourist Port at 09:00 am
- Pickup service is offered from designated locations. You will receive an email with your pickup location and time
Reviews(26)
This is a must-see place when visiting Rhodes. The ferry took a couple of hours there, and although was busy on the boat it didn’t feel overcrowded, and the boat felt like smooth crossing. Symi itself was a pretty island. Mostly everyone there was a tourist. Very picturesque. Lots of options for food and drink and buying gifts. When we went in June, it was very hot - wear sun protection and keep hydrated.
We booked an excursion with Jet 2 Holidays to Symi Island. The boat left Rhodes port at 10 am and we were back by 1730. After an hour ferry ride to Symi Island we had a few hours to meander around this island before getting back on the ferry to go to the other side of the island to the monastery.
Symi is a beautiful town which is most beautiful to see from the water. We found the sober journey of almost 1 1/2 hours there and back a bit long to walk around in the very touristy town for a few hours.
We booked the day trip to Symi with this company several weeks before arriving in Rhodes. We were very much looking forward to the trip. Unfortunately, less than 48 hours before the departure time we received a WhatsApp message stating the trip had been cancelled for 'operational reasons'. We were offered an alternative date, which was a week later, when we would have been back in the UK. The ensuing WhatsApp conversation with the company was curt to say the least. Luckily, we were visiting Rhodes Town when we received the cancellation message, so were able to pop to the tourist port to book tickets with a ferry company instead. My advice, based on this experience, would be to avoid booking with this company and to perhaps look at more reliable options.
Dear Tim, Thank you for your message, and we are truly sorry for the inconvenience and disappointment caused by the cancellation of your Symi day trip. We completely understand how much you were looking forward to this experience, and we regret that we were unable to deliver it as planned. The excursion you booked is organized with a guide, and due to the early season period, there are occasional amendments to the operational days of the week. Unfortunately, this led to the last-minute cancellation of your scheduled trip. We sincerely apologize for the short notice and for any frustration caused, especially during your stay in Rhodes. We also regret if our communication did not meet your expectations — this is certainly not the level of service we aim to provide. We truly appreciate your understanding and your feedback, which helps us improve. We hope you were still able to enjoy your visit to Symi and that you had a wonderful time overall in Rhodes. Kind regards, MTM Customer support
This trip was a highlight for me. Symi is beautiful (and not the cheapest place to visit). A word of caution - I was on Vodafone European zone B roaming pass… as you near Symi you are then going to pick up roaming charge from Turkey (zone C) and be hit with an additional charge. Just watch out for that… This is a truly stunning, historical and pace to visit and would recommend to all.
Hello! Thank you for sharing your experience! We’re so glad to hear the Symi day trip was a highlight for you—it's truly a beautiful destination. And thank you for the helpful tip about roaming charges near the Turkish border; we’re sure future travelers will appreciate the heads-up. We hope to welcome you on another adventure soon! MTM Customer Support
Absolutely fascinating trip. It’s an early start but well worth the effort. The guide communicated well and made sure we adhered to the timetable.
Thank you for your great review! We’re delighted to hear you found the Symi trip fascinating and worth the early start. We’ll be sure to pass on your kind words to the guide. We hope to welcome you on another adventure soon! MTM Customer Support
The island is beautiful and a must see, however it is unbearably hot and there is no shade whatsoever. I would advise not doing the tour and just getting a fast boat to the island and going swimming. Standing in the boiling heat with no shade listening to a tour guide is uncomfortable, although it is important to add our tour guide was lovely. The trip to the island took a lot longer than I thought, I would advise sitting outside so you can get a breeze whilst on the boat. Although the boat had air con inside, you wouldn’t have noticed as it was so hot.
Thank you for sharing your honest feedback. We’re glad you found the island beautiful and appreciated the kindness of the tour guide. We understand your comments regarding the heat, shade, and travel time, and we appreciate you sharing these helpful tips for future guests. Your feedback is very valuable, and we hope to welcome you again under more comfortable conditions. — MTM Travel & Tourism
Lovely holiday. Great hotel, boat trips, restaurants. Staff so helpful. Really healtthy Mediteranean diet. Very clean and picturesque
Thank you for sharing! We’re thrilled you enjoyed the hotel, boat trips, delicious Mediterranean food, and our helpful staff in such beautiful surroundings. — MTM Travel and Tourism
The ferry trip over was good as I got a comfy seat with a good view. As we arrived in Symi I was able to get some amazing photos. Our guide was very knowledgeable and you could tell she lived the island and really enjoyed sharing it with us.
Thank you for your lovely feedback! We’re delighted you enjoyed the ferry ride, the views, and the tour in Symi. We’re glad our guide’s passion made your experience special and hope to welcome you on another adventure soon! — MTM Travel & Tourism
There is a lot of time spent in the boat (1h30 for the first trip, then another 40 mins and then another 1h30 to return) on a crowded boat. What is nice is the arrival at Simy with its pretty little houses but it is not the best excursion.
