Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
57.5km²
Area
90km
Coastline
612m
Highest point
2,590
People
26°C
Warmest sea
August
8km
To the mainland
When to go to Symi
Best for the beach from June to July and from September to October.
The sea is warmest in August (26 °C) and coolest in March (17 °C). Comfortable swimming (21 °C or more): from June to November.
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Greek island in Dodecanese
Symi is an island in Greece. It covers 57.5 km², with 90 km of coastline. Its highest point rises to 612 m. About 2,590 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 8 km away.
Getting there
- Rhodes International Airport "Diagoras" (RHO)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 31 km in a straight lineCar hire at RHO airport (Rhodes)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesNikolaos day trip boat from Rhodes, Rhodes - Symi (Panorrmitis), Symi - Kos, Bodrum - Symi
- 8 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From June to July and from September to Octoberbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Symi.
- 22beachesSara Beach, Pedi Beach, St. Georgios beach and 19 more
- 10viewpointsValley view, Bay view and 8 more
- 5ferry terminalsPanormitis, taxi boats <-> Pedi and Yialos and 3 more
- 1marinasGialos
- 1named peaks
- 4castles and fortsKokkinokastro, Tsagria, Lappatonio and 1 more
- 1ruins and archaeological sites
- 1waymarked walking routesGialos - Agios Vassilios
- 17hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 68restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 201 m above the sea. 59 % of it is below 200 m.
- 17 %0–50 m
- 42 %50–200 m
- 38 %200–500 m
- 4 %500–1,000 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
5 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Sými2,354 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 15 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 23 | 28 | 31 | 32 | 29 | 25 | 20 | 17 |
| Night low (°C) | 12 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 19 | 22 | 25 | 26 | 24 | 21 | 17 | 14 |
| Sea (°C) | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 25 | 23 | 21 | 19 |
| Rain (mm) | 167 | 112 | 63 | 41 | 22 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 18 | 52 | 95 | 161 |
| Wet days | 13 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 13 |
| Sun h/day | 4.7 | 5.6 | 7.6 | 9.3 | 11.0 | 12.8 | 13.1 | 12.0 | 10.5 | 8.0 | 6.2 | 4.7 |
| Wind (km/h) | 22 | 21 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 20 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.4 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.3 | +0.6 | −0.1 | +0.3 | ±0.0 | +1.3 | +1.0 | +1.1 | +1.9 |
| 2021 | +1.4 | +0.9 | +0.8 | +0.8 | +0.7 | −0.4 | +0.5 | +1.0 | +0.3 | +0.5 | +0.3 | +0.5 |
| 2022 | +0.8 | +0.7 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +0.2 | +0.5 | +0.6 | +0.7 | +0.1 | −0.9 | +0.1 | +1.1 |
| 2023 | +1.7 | +0.9 | +0.7 | +0.5 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | +1.3 | +1.4 | +2.1 | +2.2 | +2.2 | +1.6 |
| 2024 | +2.0 | +1.1 | +1.1 | +1.4 | +0.6 | +1.4 | +2.2 | +1.9 | +0.6 | +0.7 | +0.9 | +1.2 |
| 2025 | +1.0 | +1.0 | +0.7 | +0.4 | +0.6 | +0.7 | +2.2 | +0.6 | +0.8 | +0.3 | +1.1 | +1.4 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Nearby
More islands nearby.
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q429430) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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