Getting from Symi to Dokos

If you are heading to Dokos from Symi you are making your way from one of the most beautiful harbour towns in the Dodecanese to an uninhabited rocky island in the Saronic Gulf between Hydra and the Peloponnese coast, on the opposite side of Greece. The waters around it hold the oldest known shipwreck in the world, dating to around 2700 BC.

Take the ferry

There is no direct ferry from Symi to Dokos. Dokos is accessible only by water taxi from Hydra, taking around 30 minutes. 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 taking the Saronic ferry from Piraeus to Hydra, which takes around 1 hour 5 minutes to 2 hours with up to 12 daily crossings year-round, followed by a water taxi to Dokos arranged in advance from Hydra harbour.

Getting there by air

Dokos has no airport. The nearest airport is Athens. Symi has no airport. The nearest airport is Rhodes. Taking the ferry from Symi to Rhodes, flying from Rhodes to Athens and then taking the Saronic ferry from Piraeus to Hydra, followed by a water taxi to Dokos, 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 take the Saronic ferry from Piraeus to Hydra and arrange a water taxi from the harbour across to Dokos. Pre-arrange your water taxi before leaving Hydra as you cannot hail a boat once you are on the island. Come entirely self-sufficient as there is nothing on Dokos. Note that Symi is car-free so no vehicles need to be considered for this connection.