Getting from Symi to Skyros

If you are heading to Skyros from Symi you are making your way from one of the most beautiful harbour towns in the Dodecanese to the most remote of the Sporades group, in the northern Aegean. It has two completely different landscapes, a dramatic hilltop Chora and a wild volcanic south, with its own native horse breed and one of the most extraordinary carnival traditions in Greece.

Take the ferry

There is no direct ferry from Symi to Skyros. Skyros is connected to the mainland only via Kymi on the eastern coast of Evia. 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 either flying to Skyros directly or driving to Kymi for the ferry across to Skyros, which takes around 1 hour 40 minutes and runs 2 to 3 times daily. The drive from Athens to Kymi takes around 2 hours via Halkida.

Getting there by air

Skyros has its own small airport with connections from Athens running around twice a week. 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 Skyros gives a total journey time of around 5 to 6 hours. Check the Athens to Skyros schedule carefully as the service runs a limited number of times per week. 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 Skyros or drive to Kymi for the ferry. Check the schedule carefully as Athens to Skyros flights run only 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 you can board the overnight Piraeus ferry in reverse and drive to Kymi for the ferry across to Skyros.