Ferry from Symi to Kastelorizo

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.

Kastelorizo Guide

Kastelorizo is a Greek island that is the smallest, and perhaps one of the prettiest, of the Dodecanese group of islands. It is located at the most eastern edge of Greece and is sometimes called by its ancient name of Megisti which it retained until the Middle Ages. During this part of the island's history the Knights of St John built Castello Rosso, with its double walls and battlements, on the rocks above the port. It is from this construction that the island now derives its name. In the island's more recent history, the fishing and shipping industries that the island participated in during the 19th century led to the island's wealth grow considerably.

The island's only populated area is in and around the picturesque Kastellorizo village which has two areas - Pigadia and Chorafia - and is characterised by its narrow cobbled alleyways and traditional colourful houses, complete with timber balconies.

Ferries from the port connect the island to Rhodes, Kos, Nisyros, Piraeus, Kalymnos, Symi and Astypalea.