Getting from Symi to Psara

If you are heading to Psara from Symi you are making your way from one of the most beautiful harbour towns in the Dodecanese to a small rocky island off the northwestern coast of Chios in the northeastern Aegean, on the opposite side of Greece. It has one of the most moving histories in Greece, almost entirely destroyed by the Ottoman fleet in 1824 and never fully recovered.

Take the ferry

There is no direct ferry from Symi to Psara. Psara is accessible only via Chios, with a daily local ferry from Chios main port taking around 3 hours. 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 Chios, followed by the local ferry across to Psara. Alternatively take the overnight Piraeus to Rhodes ferry in reverse and board the overnight Piraeus to Chios ferry, which runs around 3 times a week and takes around 9 hours.

Getting there by air

Psara has no airport. The nearest airport is Chios. 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 Chios, followed by the local ferry to Psara taking around 3 hours, gives a total journey time of around 7 to 8 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 Chios and take the local ferry across to Psara. Check the daily ferry schedule from Chios before booking your flights and plan your Chios arrival around the morning departure. Give yourself at least two nights on Psara and bring everything you need with you. Note that Symi is car-free so if you are traveling with a car it would already be in Rhodes.