Getting from Symi to Syros

If you are heading to Syros from Symi you are making your way from one of the most beautiful harbour towns in the Dodecanese to the capital of the Cyclades, on the opposite side of the Aegean. It has a neoclassical port city of grand mansions and an opera house modelled on La Scala that is one of the most distinctive urban environments in the Greek islands.

Take the ferry

There is no direct ferry from Symi to Syros. Getting there by sea 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 overnight Piraeus to Rhodes ferry in reverse, arriving at Piraeus and then boarding the Piraeus to Syros ferry, which runs up to 6 daily crossings in summer and takes around 2 hours on the fast boat. Flying is considerably more practical for most travelers.

Getting there by air

Syros has a small domestic airport with limited 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 taking the Piraeus to Syros ferry gives a total journey time of around 5 to 6 hours. Flights to Syros are limited so the ferry from Piraeus is the more practical option after flying to Athens. 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 the Piraeus to Syros ferry. At around 2 hours on the fast boat it is one of the quickest Cyclades connections from Athens. 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 conventional Piraeus to Syros ferry, which takes your vehicle directly to Ermoupolis port.