Symi
You arrive by ferry: 4 ferry ports. The island has no airport; the nearest is RHO, on the island of Rhodes, 32.0 km in a straight line. It has 8 official bathing-water sites; of the 8 with a classification in the 2024 season, all were Excellent (EEA). At the municipal seat the weather is most comfortable for walking and sightseeing in April and May, and the sea reaches 22 °C from May to September.
- Settlements
- 64 with a page of their own
- Official bathing-water sites
- 8YPEN register, EEA
- Excellent in 2024
- 8 of 8100% of classified sites (EEA)
- Sea at 22 °C or more
- May–SepNOAA, near the main town
- Airport
- Nonenearest RHO, on the island of Rhodes, 32.0 km
- Ferry ports
- 4terminal groups in OpenStreetMap
Getting there
The airport and ferry ports of the island as our sources record them. We do not copy timetables or fares, because they would go stale; where an official source exists it is linked below.
The island has no airport on the list of commercial airports. The nearest is Rhodes International Airport "Diagoras" (RHO), on the island of Rhodes, 32.0 km in a straight line from the main town. The journey is not a straight line and may cross water. Airport page
| Port, at the nearest settlement | Terminals in OSM |
|---|---|
| Gialos | 4 |
| Port unnamed in OSM | 1 |
| Port unnamed in OSM | 1 |
| Pedi | 1 |
The number of terminals shows how closely the harbour is mapped, not how large it is or how many ferries call.
When to go
This section is about Symi, the municipal seat, not the whole island.
- Jan14°17°
- Feb14°17°
- Mar15°18°
- Apr17°20°comfortable weather
- May21°22°comfortable weather, warm sea
- Jun25°24°warm sea
- Jul28°26°warm sea
- Aug29°25°warm sea
- Sep26°24°warm sea
- Oct23°21°
- Nov19°19°
- Dec15°18°
- Top figure: air, bottom: sea
- Comfortable weather for walking
- Sea 22 °C or warmer
The weather is most comfortable for walking and sightseeing in April and May (average temperature around 19.1 °C, little rain).
The sea is 22 °C or warmer from May to September (up to 26 °C).
Monthly rain reaches 80 mm or more from November to February.
Day length is 9 h 39 min at the winter solstice (07:16 to 16:56) and 14 h 40 min at the summer solstice (05:49 to 20:29), Greek time.
- Mean temperature °C
- Rain (mm, right axis)
- Sea °C
- Sea 22 °C or warmer
| Month | Mean temp. °C | Rain mm | Sea °C | Daylight h |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13.5 | 167 | 17.0 | 9.9 |
| Feb | 13.6 | 111 | 16.9 | 10.8 |
| Mar | 15.0 | 63 | 17.5 | 11.9 |
| Apr | 17.2 | 41 | 19.6 | 13.1 |
| May (sea 22 °C or warmer) | 21.0 | 22 | 22.2 | 14.1 |
| Jun (sea 22 °C or warmer) | 25.2 | 6 | 24.3 | 14.7 |
| Jul (sea 22 °C or warmer) | 28.2 | 3 | 26.0 | 14.4 |
| Aug (sea 22 °C or warmer) | 28.8 | 3 | 25.3 | 13.6 |
| Sep (sea 22 °C or warmer) | 26.3 | 18 | 23.5 | 12.5 |
| Oct | 22.6 | 52 | 21.4 | 11.3 |
| Nov | 18.8 | 95 | 19.3 | 10.3 |
| Dec | 15.2 | 161 | 17.8 | 9.7 |
Temperature and rain: NASA POWER (MERRA-2), period 2001–2020, model cell about 29 km away. The temperatures are monthly averages from a regional model. Sea: NOAA OISST v2.1, period 1991–2020, nearest cell about 4 km away (0.25 degree grid). Daylight: calculated for the 15th of each month. These are regional model values and typical conditions, not a forecast.
Beaches
The 8 official sites with the most seasons of Excellent water since 2011; ties are settled by the latest classification (2024 season). It is the EU's classification by season, not a reading on the day.
| Beach | Latest class | History |
|---|---|---|
| Agia Marina | Excellent | Excellent in 14 of 14 seasons |
| Agios Georgios | Excellent | Excellent in 14 of 14 seasons |
| Akti N.o.s. | Excellent | Excellent in 14 of 14 seasons |
| Limani Nimporeiou | Excellent | Excellent in 14 of 14 seasons |
| Marathounta | Excellent | Excellent in 14 of 14 seasons |
| Nanou | Excellent | Excellent in 14 of 14 seasons |
| Notia Akti Pedi | Excellent | Excellent in 14 of 14 seasons |
| Pedi - Agios Nikolaos | Excellent | Excellent in 14 of 14 seasons |
Also mapped, not officially monitored
Named beaches in OpenStreetMap that are not on the official bathing-water list. They have no water class in our data, which says nothing about how clean the water is.
- Παραλία "Βαθύς Γιαλός"
- Παραλία Πανορμίτη
- Παραλία Φανερωμένη
Towns and villages
The settlements of the island that have a page of their own, larger ones first. Population only sets the order and is never shown.
Cities and towns
- Symitown, Symi
Villages
Other settlements on the island
Without a page of their own; the names are from OpenStreetMap.
- Roukouniotissettlement
- Sykidisettlement
Things to see
Named places on the island from Wikidata and OpenStreetMap, merged when they are the same place. Up to 4 per group, those with a page of their own on this site first, then those with a Wikidata item. Not a ranking of importance and not a guide; coverage is uneven.
Archaeological sites
Castles and fortifications
- Κάστρο Λαππατονίου
- Κοκκινόκαστρο
- Τσαγκριάς
Monasteries
- Monastery of Saint Michael Archangel of Panormites
- Sotiris tis Neras
- Sotiris tis Lygis
- Moni Agion Anargyron, Symi
Viewpoints and natural landmarks
Other attractions
Nature and land
| Site | Type |
|---|---|
| Anatoliko Tmima Nisou Symis Kai Nisides Kouloundros, Seskli, Troumpeto, Marmaras, Karavalonisi, Megalonisi, Gialesino, Oxeia, Chondros, Platy, Nimos, GR4210025 | Special Protection Area (SPA) |
The land of the island
Woodland or shrubland 35%, Open/natural land (grassland, bare ground) 30%, Water 30%.
Source: ESA WorldCover 2021, a 10 m satellite classification generalised to a ~1 km grid and counted inside the island's outline. Shares are rounded to 5% and describe what covers the ground, not land use or building rights. On small islands the grid is coarse and coastal cells may read as water.
How the numbers were counted
The island is a place=island outline in OpenStreetMap and its area is computed from it. Settlements, beaches, airports and ports belong to the island when their point lies inside the outline (or, for beaches and ports, up to 250 to 500 m outside it).
A municipality counts as being on the island when its seat or main town is there, or when at least half of its settlements are. A port is a group of ferry terminals mapped in OpenStreetMap within 1 km of each other; the name is the nearest settlement.
The page exists because the island has a city, town or village (or a hamlet with an official bathing-water site or a ferry port) and at least two of: an official bathing-water site, a port or airport, a settlement with a page of its own, a Wikidata item.
Places nearby
Pages of this site, in a straight line and on the same side of the water, nearest first.
Towns and villages
Beaches
- Akti N.o.s.Excellent, 631 m
- Notia Akti PediExcellent, 1.7 km
- Limani NimporeiouExcellent, 1.8 km
Sights
- SymiArchaeological site, 1.6 km
- Monastery of Saint Michael Archangel of PanormitesMonastery, 7.2 km
Nearest ferry port
- Port of Symi571 m
Other islands in the same unit
See also
- Municipality of Symimunicipality
- Rhodesregional unit
- South Aegeanregion
- Beaches with excellent water quality on the island of Symi8
- All places named Symi3
- All islandslist
- All regionslist
- All beacheslist
- Greece month by monthlist
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from the sources below, with the date each was updated.
- Monthly climate normalsNASA POWER, MERRA-2 meteorological model · 2001–2020 climatology period returned by NASA POWER · Date:
- Sea temperature (NOAA OISST)NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / Physical Sciences Laboratory · OISST v2.1 monthly long-term mean climatology, 1991-2020 period · Date:
- Everyday places, tourism, transport and natureOpenStreetMap contributors, via the Overpass API · Live database at the time of the query · Date:
- Designated bathing waters (locations)Ministry for Environment and Energy: YPEN geoportal · Current bathing season register · Date:
- Bathing water quality classificationEuropean Environment Agency: WISE Bathing Water Directive database · Latest assessed season in the EEA database; every season from 2011 is kept as a per-beach history · Date:
- AirportsFraport Greece; the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (ΥΠΑ/HCAA); Wikipedia (cross-checked for IATA/ICAO codes and coordinates) · Checked 24 September 2026 · Date:
- Natura 2000 protected sitesMinistry for Environment and Energy: YPEN geoportal · Current national Natura 2000 network · Date:
- Natura 2000 site namesEuropean Environment Agency (EEA) / European Commission Directorate-General for Environment (DG ENV) · EEA Natura 2000 register, snapshot taken 25 September 2026 (446 Greek sites) · Date:
- Land cover (ESA WorldCover)ESA WorldCover consortium, via public AWS S3 · ESA WorldCover 2021, v200 · Date:
- Wikidata landmarks: castles, monasteries, museums, archaeological sites and natural landmarksWikidata contributors · Live SPARQL query snapshot, taken 25 September 2026 · Date:
- Tourist attractions and natural landmarksOpenStreetMap contributors, via a Geofabrik snapshot · Geofabrik snapshot, downloaded 25 September 2026 · Date:
- Island outlines, settlements, municipal boundaries, seats and ferry terminalsOpenStreetMap (Geofabrik Greece extract, 24 Sep 2026), ODbL · Date:
Page updated .