Getting from Symi to Lemnos

If you are heading to Lemnos from Symi you are making your way from one of the most beautiful harbour towns in the Dodecanese to an island in the northern Aegean, on the opposite side of Greece. Lemnos has long sandy beaches, a Byzantine castle above the harbour at Myrina and some of the best Muscat wine in Greece.

Take the ferry

There is no direct ferry from Symi to Lemnos. 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, or taking the overnight Piraeus to Rhodes ferry in reverse and boarding the long Piraeus to Lemnos ferry, which runs around 3 times a week and takes around 12 to 15 hours. Flying is considerably more practical for most travelers.

Getting there by air

Lemnos 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, flying from Rhodes to Athens and then Athens to Lemnos takes around 1 hour in the air on the second leg. Total journey time is around 5 to 6 hours. Lemnos Airport is around 22 kilometres from Myrina so factor in a taxi on arrival. 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. It is the fastest and most practical approach. 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 overnight Piraeus to Lemnos ferry, which takes your vehicle and arrives in the morning.