Getting from Symi to Anafi

If you are heading to Anafi from Symi you are making your way from one of the most beautiful harbour towns in the Dodecanese to one of the most remote islands in the Cyclades, on the opposite side of the Aegean. It has a monolithic rock rising 460 metres from the sea and almost no tourist infrastructure.

Take the ferry

There is no direct ferry from Symi to Anafi. Getting there by sea 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 boarding the overnight Piraeus to Rhodes ferry in reverse, arriving at Piraeus and then boarding the Piraeus to Anafi ferry, which runs around 3 times a week and takes around 8 to 11 hours. Alternatively fly from Rhodes to Athens and then Athens to Santorini and take the short ferry from Santorini to Anafi, which takes around 1 hour 15 minutes and runs several times a week in summer.

Getting there by air

Anafi has no airport. The nearest airport is Santorini. 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 Santorini, followed by the short ferry to Anafi, 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 Santorini and take the short ferry across to Anafi. It is the most practical approach. Come with everything you need as Anafi has almost no facilities and that is entirely the point of going. Note that Symi is car-free so if you are traveling with a car it would already be in Rhodes, from where you can board the overnight Piraeus ferry in reverse and then board the conventional Piraeus to Anafi ferry.