Symi Chat

Here are the ferry times for most of the summer, now split into two sections.

Edited 8 May to allow for Dodekanisos Seaways minor timing tweaks and an extra Kos-Symi service in May and earlyJune. The minor changes are a slightly later departure of morning Symi-Rhodes ferries (0700 instead of 0630). People planning on catching flights to Rhodes on Wednesdays may like the new timing of 13:00 for the Dodekanisos Pride to position her back to Samos, effective from 16 June. Until then she sails on Thursdays as previously shown.

Hmmm. There are some noticeable changes compared to previous years there. May and early June seem to be particularly badly served with Rhodes - Symi - Rhodes crossings.

Still, it is early days and there is a chance that things could change.

Thanks as always for taking the trouble to produce these timetables for us Andy.

Symi is not very well served early in the season. Our son and family are due to arrive in Symi on Saturday May 28th but it looks like there is no ferry from
Rhodes after 9.30 am. What happens to visitors arriving by air after that time? Any chance that there will be extra services? O'Ds

Dodekanisos Seaways get no subsidy for operating between Rhodes and Symi, so there isn't any real leverage that anyone can apply to them. They are however approachable and if enough people contacted them (use the contact form on their website) they might be persuaded to reconsider.

It is fairly obvious that the evening sailings on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from Rhodes to Symi and the morning sailings on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Sundays and Mondays from Symi to Rhodes must have failed to cover even the direct cost of fuel and wages for them in May and early June last year, since it isn't that they have anything else to use the ferry for this year, it just sits in port at these times of day.

The only Greek ferry timetables that are accurate are ones compiled after the ferry has left, so can there be changes? Of course. Are there errors in the on-line timetable, and so in the summary that I produce? Yes. There are cases where a boat apparently finishes work one evening in Rhodes and then mysteriously appears in Samos the next morning, and others where a ferry shows up in Kos without arriving from anywhere else first. But this is the earliest that Symi's summer ferry timetable has ever been released and I think we should thank Dodekanisos Seaways for the effort they've put in to do this. People like me can remember when no timetable was ever available more than a week in advance. We coped as tourists, and so did the people of Symi.

Sorry if this is a stupid question but does this mean if we want to go Symi on the 1st or 8th of June we have tospend the first night in Rhodes?

Looks like it Keith. All depending on what time you arrive.

Will land on Rhodes June 5th at 11.35. No boat for me and I have to spend an endless day in Rhodes

keith p wrote:Sorry if this is a stupid question but does this mean if we want to go Symi on the 1st or 8th of June we have tospend the first night in Rhodes?

No, it means that if you want to go to Symi on the 1st or 8th of June using a flight that arrives in Rhodes after about 13:00 you would have to spend the first night in Rhodes.
The Blue Star ferry Diagoras leaves Rhodes for Symi at 15:00 on Wednesdays all year round. There are quite a number of flights that reach Rhodes in good time to catch it. I've caught it myself several times before and will do again this year.
However if you are planning on booking a package rather than travelling independently then it is entirely up to the tour operator which ferry sailing they put you on and talking to them is the only way to fnd out what will happen.

No longer a problem, we are getting there on the 15th. This is our 6th time but we are bringing 2 couples with us for their first visit, lets hope they enjoy it as much as we do.

Hi we're visiting Symi this June. Our flight is late to Rhodes so we're expecting an overnight stay there and the 830 ferry next day. But our return flying back on the 14th I can't work out from those timetables if there's actually a ferry? Hopefully there is don't want to overnight in Rhodes again!
Really looking forward to our visit.

There's two - one at 13:30, which runs every Tuesday throughout May, June, July, and August except the 3rd of May; and one at 16:30 which runs every single Tuesday in May, June, July, and August.

Serious question - what could I do to make the tables easier to read without producing separate ones for each week of the year, which is what the ferry companies do?

Thanks Andy, the 1.30 one would be good, plenty of time to get to airport.
It's the added dates on the left where ferrys not running or up to what confused me on your chart.

Hi Andy,could you help please? We arrive on Symi on August 31st for 2 weeks , but would like to spend some time on Tilos, as we did some years ago. Is there still a direct boat from Symi or do we have to do Symi/Rhodes Rhodes/Tilos?
Thanks

Ah I've just noticed the schedule for Sept/Oct and it seems that there is only a ferry to and from Tilos on Fridays. Sorry I didn't see the later posting.

According to my travel agent, there's an afternoon boat Sunday the 5th of June.

Andy, can you verify that for me, please?

They cannot provide me with anything but "there's a boat in the afternoon".

Thanks.

Mille,I'd be delighted if there was an afternoon boat from Rhodes to Symi on Sunday 5 June, but I really don't think there is.
I'm on Symi at the moment and nobody here knows anything about one.
The main travel agency information site www.gtp.gr is still saying that the service starts for summer on 12June, and so does Dodekanisos Seaways.
Apart from them only Blue Star and Sea Dreams/ANES have route licences and neither plan a Sunday afternoon sailing at all this summer.

Thanks for the reply, Andy.

As I thought, my travel agent is full of BS.

I hope you're enjoying your time on Symi!

Andy, Dodecanese timetable is now showing the Pride doing a Kos to Symi trip on Wednesday afternoon have you seen anything about this any info appreciated.

Well spotted. They have decided that the existing southbound afternoon sailing will call additionally at Symi. I'll update the summary table once today's parade is over.

We arrive in Kos on Tuesday night about 22.00 and were going to stay up and get the Wednesady morning Diagoras and arrive knackered, this looks like a more relaxed option late dinner good sleep and in Symi by teatime

Seems a good idea. I did fly into Kos on a Tuesday last year, went to a hotel, had a few hours sleep, and made the Diagoras in the morning. It worked for me, but then there was no afternoon sailing. This sailing is currently only available on the early summer weeks,though,not after 12 June.