Ferries to/from Kastellorizo (likely via Rhodes)

[annadev]

While I am on Symi during June, I should like a trip of 4 days (more or less) to Kastellorizo and return to Symi. From what I can glean from the ferry schedules, one would have to stay on Kastellorizo a week to do this. Ferry goes from Symi - Rhodes - Kastellorizo and one week later does the reverse. Perhaps I am reading it wrong?

[Allan]

I haven't looked too closely but I suspect you are right. Andy will no doubt be along soon to correct me if I got that wrong.

But have you considered flying? Aegean Airlines have flights between Rhodes and Kastellorizo several times a week during June so it's certainly possible to arrange a few days on Kastellorizo. The flights seem to be in the early morning so the trip would involve an overnight stay in Rhodes but it looks to be possible.

[Jan]

I'm sure Andy has all the detail, but have you looked at both Blue Star *and* Dodecanese Express timetables?

In previous years you would have been be able to get from Symi to Kastelorizo on the Blue Star without changing boats once a week and the Dodek Express back from Kastelorizo to Rhodes also once a week. If you're really lucky, the new Blue Star timetable on a Wednesday* could* mean you'd make it back to Symi on the asme day. But it would be as well to assume an overnight on Rhodes on the way back.

[Andy W]

Lets look at the two timetables as Jan wisely suggests:
On Fridays all year round, the Blue Star Patmos leaves Symi at 07:45, and goes to Kastellorizo arriving 13:40 calling at Rhodes on the way.
On Mondays all year round the Blue Star Patmos leaves Rhodes at 07:00 and reaches Kastellorizo at 10:40. You'd have to spend the night before on Rhodes to use this sailing.
on Wednesdays 6th, 13th and 20th June the Dodekanisos Express leaves Rhodes at 09:00 and gets to Kastellorizo at 11:20. You could catch the Blue Star Patmos from Symi at 05:45, getting to Rhodes at 07:05, and have time to move from the Akandia quay that Blue Star arrives at to the Kolonna quay that Dodekanisos Express uses.
On Wednesday 27th June the high season timetable starts and Dodekanisos Pride leaves earlier at 07:30, reaching Kastellorizo 09:50. But the Blue Star Patmos runs later and doesn;t connect at all, so an overnight on Rhodes would be needed.

Coming the other way, from Kastellorizo:
On Fridays Blue Star Patmos leaves 14:00 for Symi, arriving 20:30, calling at Rhodes.
On Mondays Blue Star Patmos leaves 11:00 for Rhodes arriving around 15:00. There's no onward same-day sailing to Symi, you'd need to overnight in Rhodes,
On Wednesdays 6th, 13th and 20th June, Dodekanisos Express leaves Kastellorizo 15:30, getting to Rhodes at 17:50. There's no workable connection to Symi the same day as the last ferry leaves at 18:00 from the other end of the port complex.
But on Wednesday 27 June things are better, as the Dodekanisos Pride leaves Kastellorizo 10:00 and continues via Rhodes to Symi arriving 13:50

Then there's flights from Rhodes daily in June by Olympic Air, except on Thursdays. Trouble is the plane leaves Rhodes at 07:00 and arrives Kastellorizo at 07:40, too early for any same day ferry from Symi. Coming the other way planes leave Kastellorizo 08:00 and reach Rhodes 08:40. That doesn't really leave you enough time to catch a morning ferry from Rhodes to Symi, so except on Wednesdays and Fridays when there are sailings in the afternoon/evening, it means another overnight on Rhodes.

Conclusion - almost impossible to spend 4 days on Kastellorizo in the middle of a holiday on Symi without overnighting on Rhodes in at least one direction. Why not make it the beginning or end of your holiday instead, then you waste less time travelling?

[annadev]

Thank you so very much for these wonderfully detailed replies! In past years, we have always gone to Kastellorizo at the end of our stay on Symi, taking the Blue Star and flying back to Rhodes after our stay on K. We thought we’d do it a bit differently this year - however, it seems pretty impossible. And it turns out that the Hotel Megisti, where we’ve stayed in the past is booked solid in June. So maybe next year! Thanks again, you guys rock!

[Peter Cox]

As ever Andy is a source of terrific info, we have stayed on Kastelorizio a couple of times recently, flying into Rhodes on a Sunday and staying overnight. We usually take the Blue Star at 07.00 in the morning arriving at 10.40, then leaving at 14.00 on the following Friday getting back to Symi at about 20.30. We have stayed at the Agnanti Studios with Vasilis collecting us from the harbour and dropping us off at the end of our stay. An added bonus is that when his wife Cleopatra is there, usually around the end of June, you get absolutely terrific breakfasts. Finally the Blue Star costs on the return journey are only only 50 cents extra each.

[Peter Cox]

Just to quantify my last point regarding Blue Star fares, the cost from Rhodes to Kastelorizio was 46 Euros for 2 persons and the cost from Kastelorizio to Symi via Rhodes was 47 Euros for 2 persons.