Getting from Symi to Agios Efstratios

If you are heading to Agios Efstratios from Symi you are making your way from one of the most beautiful harbour towns in the Dodecanese to one of the most isolated islands in Greece, sitting between Lemnos and Lesvos in the northern Aegean, on the opposite side of the country. It has a single rebuilt village and beaches that see almost no visitors outside a handful of Greeks who keep the place to themselves.

Take the ferry

There is no direct ferry from Symi to Agios Efstratios. Getting there means taking the ferry from Symi to Rhodes, which takes around 50 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes and runs multiple times daily, and then flying from Rhodes to Athens and then Athens to Lemnos, followed by the ferry from Lemnos to Agios Efstratios taking around 1 hour 30 minutes and running 4 times a week. Alternatively take the overnight Piraeus to Rhodes ferry in reverse and board the long Piraeus to Lemnos ferry, which runs around 3 times a week and takes around 12 to 15 hours.

Getting there by air

Agios Efstratios has no airport. The nearest airport is Lemnos. Symi has no airport. The nearest airport is Rhodes. Taking the ferry from Symi to Rhodes, flying from Rhodes to Athens and then Athens to Lemnos, followed by the ferry to Agios Efstratios, gives a total journey time of around 6 to 7 hours. In Greece, airlines do not operate direct inter island flights.

Your best option

Take the ferry from Symi to Rhodes and fly from Rhodes to Athens, then fly from Athens to Lemnos and take the ferry across to Agios Efstratios. Check the Lemnos to Agios Efstratios schedule before booking your flights as the ferry runs only 4 times a week. Bring everything you need as the island has almost no facilities and that is entirely the point. Note that Symi is car-free so if you are traveling with a car it would already be in Rhodes.