Getting from Symi to Rafina

If you are heading to Rafina from Symi you are making your way from one of the most beautiful harbour towns in the Dodecanese to the second most important ferry port serving Athens, on the northeastern Attica coast around 20 kilometres from Athens Airport. It is the departure point for ferries to Andros, Tinos, Mykonos and several northern Cycladic islands.

Take the ferry

There is no direct ferry from Symi to Rafina. 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 a taxi directly to Rafina from Athens Airport, which takes around 20 to 25 minutes. This avoids crossing the city to Piraeus entirely and is one of the most convenient airport to port connections in Greece.

Getting there by air

Rafina has no airport. The nearest airport is Athens International, around 20 kilometres to the west. Symi has no airport. The nearest airport is Rhodes. Taking the ferry from Symi to Rhodes, flying from Rhodes to Athens and then taking a taxi to Rafina gives a total journey time of around 4 to 5 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 a taxi directly to Rafina from Athens Airport. At around 20 to 25 minutes it avoids crossing the city to Piraeus entirely and is one of the most convenient airport to port connections in Greece. From Rafina you have ferry connections to Andros, Tinos, Mykonos and several northern Cycladic islands running up to 12 times daily in summer. Note that Symi is car-free so no vehicles need to be considered for this connection.