Getting from Symi to Halki

If you are heading to Halki from Symi you are making your way from one of the most beautiful harbour towns in the Dodecanese to another car-free island just off the western coast of Rhodes in the same group. It has neoclassical sponge merchant mansions around a horseshoe harbour and a pace of life that is as slow as it gets in Greece.

Take the ferry

There is a ferry connection from Symi to Halki via Rhodes on the Dodekanisos Seaways and Blue Star routes. 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 boarding the Rhodes to Halki ferry, which takes around 1.5 to 2 hours and runs several times a week. This keeps the journey entirely within the Dodecanese network and avoids Athens entirely.

Getting there by air

Halki has no airport. The nearest airport is Rhodes. Symi has no airport. The nearest airport is also Rhodes. Taking the ferry from Symi to Rhodes and then the local ferry from Rhodes to Halki gives a total journey time of around 2.5 to 4.5 hours and keeps the journey entirely within the Dodecanese. In Greece, airlines do not operate direct inter island flights.

Your best option

Take the ferry from Symi to Rhodes and then take the local ferry across to Halki. It is the most natural and direct approach and keeps the journey entirely within the Dodecanese without going through Athens. Both Symi and Halki are car-free so the transition feels entirely natural. Give yourself at least two nights on Halki as the pace of life rewards those who stay long enough to settle into it.