Greece · Dodecanese
Yacht Charter Symi
An amphitheatre of neoclassical houses round a harbour, built on sponges and never rebuilt since.
Symi made its money from sponge diving and shipbuilding under Ottoman rule, and spent it on houses — hundreds of neoclassical mansions in ochre, rose and cream, stacked up both sides of a narrow harbour. The trade collapsed, the population fell from twenty-five thousand to two and a half, and nothing was ever built over the top. Arriving by sea into that amphitheatre is the reason to come.
The harbour and the town
Gialos, the port, is the lower town; Chorio above it is reached by the Kali Strata, five hundred stone steps that most people climb once and remember. Building is controlled by decree, so the facades have to stay as they are.
There is almost no flat land and no beach in the town — the swimming is off ladders and rock platforms along the harbour, and off the boat everywhere else.
Panormitis and the coast
The monastery of Panormitis at the southern end sits in a deep sheltered bay with a bell tower that would look Italian anywhere else. Pilgrim boats come here and the monastery has rooms for them; the anchorage is the calmest on the island.
Nimborios, Agios Georgios Dysalonas — a beach under a two-hundred-metre cliff — and Marathounda are all reachable only from the water, which on an island with almost no roads is most of them.
Practical notes
- Two hours north of Rhodes; the harbour is stern-to and small
- Building is controlled by decree, so the neoclassical facades cannot be altered
- Almost no beaches in town: swimming is off ladders and rock platforms, and off the boat elsewhere
- Panormitis at the southern end is the calmest anchorage on the island
Reached from: Rhodes and Athens
Where to dine
A table by the water
Manos Fish Restaurant
GialosOn the harbour quay, doing the small Symi shrimp that are eaten whole and found nowhere else.
Giorgos & Maria
ChorioAt the top of the five hundred steps, and worth the climb for the view back down alone.
Tholos
GialosRound the point at the harbour mouth, on the water, and the sunset side of the bay.
What to do
Anchorages & excursions
The harbour amphitheatre
Hundreds of neoclassical mansions in ochre, rose and cream stacked both sides of a narrow port, protected by decree.
The Kali Strata
Five hundred stone steps from the port up to Chorio, the upper town.
Panormitis
A monastery in a deep sheltered bay at the southern end, and the calmest anchorage on the island.
Agios Georgios Dysalonas
A beach under a two-hundred-metre cliff on the east coast, reachable only from the water.
The fleet
Yachts available for Symi
Vessels that operate here, from flagship motor yachts to smaller crewed boats. Every rate is quoted on enquiry.
Good to know
Questions we are asked about Symi
- Why does Symi look like that?
- Sponge diving and shipbuilding made it rich under Ottoman rule and it spent the money on neoclassical houses. When the trade collapsed nobody built over them, and today a decree stops anyone altering the facades.
- Where do you swim?
- Off ladders and rock platforms along the harbour, or from the boat at Agios Georgios Dysalonas, Nimborios and Marathounda — which have no road to them anyway.
- What does a yacht charter to Symi cost?
- It depends on the yacht, the season and the crew, so we quote on enquiry rather than publish a figure that would be wrong for most weeks.
Destinations
Nearby destinations
Charter here
Enquire about a charter on Symi
Tell us your dates and how many of you there are, and we will come back with the right yacht and a full quotation.