Symi's harbour is one of those arrivals you never forget. As your yacht rounds the headland into Yialos, hundreds of neoclassical mansions in ochre, terracotta, and dusty pink rise in an amphitheatre around the harbour — a legacy of the island's 19th-century wealth from sponge diving and shipbuilding.
The island is tiny (just 58 km²) and largely barren, with a single road connecting the harbour at Yialos to the upper town of Chorio and the monastery of Panormitis at the southern tip. But what it lacks in size it makes up for in beauty and character. The harbour waterfront has excellent seafood restaurants, and the backstreets climb through a warren of restored mansions and crumbling grandeur.
By yacht, Symi reveals its hidden side: small bays with transparent water — Nanou, Marathounda, Agios Georgios — accessible only from the sea. The island is just 6 nautical miles from Rhodes and sits close to the Turkish coast at Datça, making it a natural overnight on any Dodecanese itinerary.
Yialos harbour — the most photographed harbour in Greece
Neoclassical mansions in ochre, terracotta, and pink
Kali Strata — 500 stone steps to the upper town
Panormitis monastery at the island's southern tip
Hidden swimming bays accessible only by yacht
6 nm from Rhodes, easy Turkey crossing to Datça
