Symi
Neoclassical Harbour Of Ochre And White Mansions Rising In Tiers From The Water, Built On Sponge Diving And Shipbuilding; The Panormitis Pilgrimage Monastery In The South · Symi, South Aegean
Symi is a small, dry, mountainous island near the Turkish coast whose harbour is one of the set pieces of the Aegean: tier upon tier of tall neoclassical mansions in ochre, cream and faded red climbing the rock on both sides of a narrow inlet. The money came from sponge diving and shipbuilding in the nineteenth century, when Symi was rich and busy; the town it built is now a protected architectural whole, so new building and even paint colours are controlled, and the view has barely changed. Above the harbour, reached by about 500 stone steps called the Kali Strata, sits Chorio, the older upper village, quieter and half-restored. In the south, Panormitis monastery draws Greek pilgrims to the Archangel Michael all year. Symi suits people who want to look, swim, walk and eat rather than tick off sights. Be honest about the rest: there is almost no sand, very little shade, the harbour bowl becomes an oven in July and August, day boats from Rhodes fill the quay at midday, and most tavernas, shops and hotels close from roughly November to March.
Symi, Dodecanese; Gialos harbour and Chorio above it, the Panormitis monastery in the south; boats from Rhodes in about 1-2 hours, Symi, South Aegean, Greece
Symi is an island, not a site: the harbour, the Kali Strata and the villages are open at all hours and free. Shops and tavernas in Gialos generally open mid-morning, many close through the hottest hours and reopen in the evening until late. Panormitis monastery is open daily through daylight hours with a strict dress code and its small museums on shorter hours; the archaeological and maritime collections in Gialos keep short, changeable hours and can close one weekday - confirm locally. From roughly November to March a large part of the island shuts, with only a handful of places open for residents. Nothing needs booking except rooms and the excursion or hydrofoil boats from Rhodes in high summer, and beds around the 8 November feast at Panormitis, which fill well ahead.