Getting from Symi to Karpathos

If you are heading to Karpathos from Symi you are making your way from one of the most beautiful harbour towns in the Dodecanese to a long mountainous island in the southern part of the same group. It has a strong local culture and the extraordinary village of Olympos in the north where centuries-old customs are still very much alive.

Take the ferry

There is a ferry connection from Symi to Karpathos via Rhodes on the Blue Star and Dodekanisos Seaways 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 Karpathos ferry, which runs several times a week and takes around 3 to 4 hours. This keeps the journey entirely within the Dodecanese network and avoids Athens entirely.

Getting there by air

Karpathos has its own airport with daily connections from Athens. Symi has no airport. The nearest airport is Rhodes. Taking the ferry from Symi to Rhodes and then flying from Rhodes to Karpathos gives a total journey time of around 3 to 4 hours and keeps the journey within the Dodecanese entirely. In Greece, airlines do not operate direct inter island flights.

Your best option

Take the ferry from Symi to Rhodes and then fly or take the ferry across to Karpathos. Both options keep the journey within the Dodecanese and avoid Athens entirely. It is one of the most natural connections in the southern Dodecanese. Check the schedule carefully before booking as the ferry service runs a limited number of times per week. Note that Symi is car-free so if you are traveling with a car it would already be in Rhodes, from where the conventional ferry takes it south to Karpathos.