Do not loose the opportunity to visit the island of Symi. Scenic pastel colored houses are lined one to the next, and you experience already on arrival at the port with the brightly painted fishing boats bobbing in the azure sea, a veritable explosion of colors.
1 hr - At 14:00 the ship sails to the next stop, Panormitis Monastery. You have about 45 minutes to visit the monastery and also the museum.
4 hr - The ship arrives at Symi Island port after approximately 2 hours and you are having a guided tour along the narrow streets of the village Yalos and the opportunity to visit local sponges and spices shops. Climb the 400 steps of the Kali Strata, the good road, and reach the remains of the St. John fortress. For your efforts you will be rewarded with a beautiful view of the city and the sea. At 18:15 the ship arrives at Rhodes port and from there coach transfers you back to your accommodation.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Absolutely stunning, this place is a real treasure, from the views, to the shops and restaurants. We had a lovely time. Great photos and memories
1 day trip... very beautiful landacapes.. tasty sea food, snonges.. up on the island is a very nice view.
The boat trip to semi island is worth every penny. Fabulous buildings and beautiful monetary. Beautiful place. Awesome. People were friendly. Very clean. Beautiful place to swim. Not to keen on covering legs with a pinky to go round monestary
It is a great experience to visit Symi Island as it has so much to offer. Amazing panoramic view upon approaching the island with colourful houses. Good food especially sea food. Great cheap souvenir shops. Loads of beautiful yacht along the harbour. Symi island is also rich is culture and history. However, The boat travel from Rhodes to the island is rough. Takes an hour and forty minutes and the waves are too big, made the boat ride rocky (I was sea sick the while time)!
This tour in my view tries to cram in too much for too many in one day in a small space. The day started with an 8:30 collection by bus at our hotel and a transfer to the harbour to catch the ferry along with hundreds of other vacationers. The ship stops at Panormitis Monastry in the south of the tiny island of Symi first where we spent approximately 70/75 minutes. We had 20 minutes or so initially listening to our tour guide Kevin narrating his take on the history of the site in English then in Dutch while we all stood in the shade of a tree before being let loose on the Monastery on our own. The ship disgorged hundreds of tourists and tour guides on this little site all at once! It felt like an assault as a bun fight of people jostled to be the first to enter the tiny ancient chapel one of the marketed highlights of the visit. It was not going to be possible for everyone to see the chapel - that was petty clear early on even though the curators rush people through at a gallop so that you come out of the back door of the chapel with all that you have just seen a sort of blur on the memory banks as you exit into bright sunlight again eyes blinking! . Panormitis is a beautiful little place sitting next to the most tranquil and heavenly of calm bays - it would be the place to visit by small yacht (there was one at anchor when we visited) and enjoy when the tourist ships have gone - while we were there one could not describe the experience as contemplative or tranquil. Kevin our guide opted to use the digital ear peace/microphone system for communicating with his group. It did not work effectively as it is easy to find yourself out of range lost in a sea of humanity - most of the time we did not hear what Kevin had to say as evidenced by the many in the group who simply removed the ear peace altogether in frustration. When time is concluded everyone re-boards the ship for the 20/30 minute sail to the capital of Symi also called Symi. This was initially a nightmare in my mind. Kevin chatted away to us on his digital device as we negotiated the walk along the narrow hot street that hugged the harbour into the small town along with all of our shipmates and the visitors from all of the other vessels visiting at the same time. The street was crammed with people, vans, cars and motor scooters - we heard nothing of Kevin's narrative at all as a result of being out of range and the noise of people and traffic. I would expect an experienced, considerate and empathetic guide to realise this and to manage it accordingly. It would have been far better if he has simply asked us all to make out way to the town entrance and meet him there. We were hot and bothered and so were all of those around us. Kevin spent a lot of time selling a local restaurant to us in the town which he took us to and where the waitor joined the group with a tray of fresh fish and shrimp. Kevin suggested that other restaurants in the town may over charge us (it felt as though he was on a commission) call me cynical? Then he took us to a sponge emporium where we received a lecture on the values of bathing using an assortment of various types of sponge. This was a direct selling opportunity and again it felt as though Kevin was heavily promoting this establishment. He told us that a discount had been arranged for us if we were buying! Some of the group walked out at this point. We were free to roam Symi after the sponge visit. Symi is a beautiful small harbour town. Very, very pretty and could be a dream if it were not for the thousands of visitors descending all at once. I should like to see it again in the evening when all of the visiting ships have gone and the smaller private yachts arrive for the night - they have to leave by 11 am when the big vessels return with a thousand people - or perhaps I would like to visit again in November or December when it is mostly just the locals and there are still mild day time temperatures. Before leaving we made our way to the Marina Club restaurant down by the harbour (it has a turquoise colour scheme) and specialises in lobster, shrimp, oysters and sushi. We had a perfect sea food lunch. Fried shrimp, small and sweet, lobster spaghetti in a rich tomato sauce and a half carafe of local white. We paid precisely what was shown on the menu. No over charging at all and the staff were charming. The management and itinerary of this particular trip was not for me - I hate feeling that I am being sold to and shoulder to shoulder jostling crowds are for back home on the tube in London - that is what let me down - the place itself, Symi, is stunning.
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