Thanks to the increasing number of people using Facebook groups such as Friends of Symi, I’ve noticed more and more enquiries about what to do on Symi when on a visit, so, I thought I’d put up some of my ideas. These came to me while I was on a walk on Saturday morning when the temperature was 24 degrees, it was sunny, and I was wearing shorts before the end of March. Eek.

As and when I a) remember, and b) have the time, I will add these thoughts to a new page which I’ll link in the top menu. The page is called Things to Do. Anyone who’s looking for ideas of what to do when on a trip to Symi, can browse and see what I suggest.

Before we start, I must stress that I am not a travel agent, my information may not be up to date, and not every idea will suit every person. Still, it might give you some ideas of what to do depending on how much time you have, and I’ll do each post according to the length of time visitors have. First, I’ll give my thoughts on a short day trip, then a longer one, then an overnight, and so on. Today, we’ll start with…

Symi in Three Hours
Actually, it might be a tad longer, but I’m thinking of those who come from Rhodes on an organised day trip calling at Panormitis either on the way here or on the way back. Some of these trips give you Yialos (aka, Symi Town, or the harbour) for three hours or thereabouts. If you are with a pack and obliged to follow the guide to various shops and have all that business going on, you will have even less time on your own in the wild.

If, however, you want longer and you are more independent, you can make your own way over for the day. In that case, it’s possible to spend up to eight hours here in one day, or even longer if you come from Kos on an early morning Blue Star, but that’s another story for another day. I’m thinking of a day trip from Rhodes, mainly, and you can come on certain days with the Dodekanisos Seaways boats which are more expensive but faster than others, and have an arrival-here time around 9.00 and leaving-here time around 17.00.

Anyway, for now, you’ve arrived on a Sebeco boat or King Saron or other, and you have a few hours to do things on your own, so what do you do? You probably end up staying in Yialos, although it’s more than possible to take a taxi or bus up to the village, have a browse, walk down and still have time for lunch before shooting off. I’ll cover that excursion in another post when you have more time on the island. For now, I’m assuming three hours in Yialos.

Don’t go Swimming. That’s my first piece of advice. Not because the water’s bad or anything, far from it, but why spend all that money to come over to the most beautiful island in the Aegean and do what you can do within yards of your hotel on Rhodes? Anyway, the last I heard, both town beaches were closed, though one is open as a free-for-all, but without facilities, though that may change this year (2024). So, forget the beaches, and enjoy the town. Here are some things to do:

Walk around the harbour and the boatyard.
There are plenty of cafés and tavernas at which to sit and drink, eat, and people-watch.
Wander the few back streets.
Take the children to the new fancy play area.
Ride the little train along the coast and back (I think the journey is less than one hour).
Check to see if the private museum beside the basketball court behind St John’s church is open – you’ll have to ask for directions but it’s worth it.
Do the touristy things with sponge shops and craft shops, the local food shops where they sell Symi products like honey and salt. I can’t name them all as I’d forget some, but it’s not a huge place, so you won’t miss them.

You can also start an assault on the famous Kali Strata, the steps that run up to the village, but keep an eye on time and heat.

Sitting with a drink and watching the boats and visitors is one of my favourite pastimes, and it’s something to do once you’ve had a walk around. So is lunch, and in the height of summer with up to nine day boats a day of one sort or another, you might want to book a place as soon as you arrive and come back to it later.

Shopping is another excellent way to pass the time and help the local economy.

If you want an adventure, you could take the bus for a round trip to Horio (the village), Pedi, back to Horio and back to Yialos. It will cost you €2.00, and the bus leaves on the hour. You may not have time to get off, but at least you will see some more of the island and get a great view from the road on the way up and down. Tip: sit on the righthand side of the bus for the best view.

With only a few hours, during which you may want to sit down for lunch, it’s not possible to get the best of the island, so try and come for longer if you can. Also, if you do check in to one of the Symi groups on Facebook and ask for ideas, you will receive loads, possibly to the point of bamboozlement, so be prepared.

Look out for future posts of this nature all of which will end up on the Thing to Do page which is now live in the top menu.
I’ll be back tomorrow with another post about something or other, and in the meantime, I will leave you with a couple of images from Saturday morning.

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Rambling

Yesterday’s walk, for me, was again up the hill following the main road, and this time, I went all the way to ‘picture corner.’ This is the place where the tourist buses stop so that people can get out and take photos overlooking Nimborio bay, Yialos and Pedi. As usual, the sun was coming up, so there are the same-old images, but from a slightly different altitude. Also, when looking at Yialos, you find the scene is bathed in grey light rather than the bright red and orange that the Pedi valley has at that time of day.

While I was doing that, Neil went off to Nimborio for a walk and a swim. He’s doing many more miles than me. When I wake up, I am always in a rush to get to work, and although the walk yesterday only took me an hour to cover the three miles, that was time enough away from the desk. I did write a scene in my head while I was tramping up the hill (without stopping), but it’s a scene from a book that’s not yet conceived, and I have no idea what story it might fit into. Still, thinking time, peace and quiet, and spectacular views are always a good way to start the day – when I can be bothered.

It’s too hot for walking later in the day, and by the time the late afternoon comes, I’m settling in for a few hours of downtime, usually on the sofa with a good film or a book. But that’s just me. In other news… I can’t think of any, except you can no longer just ‘pop’ into the bank to pay or withdraw, not unless the money involved is over a certain amount. This is to reduce the number of people being inside in one place at once, as the numbers of infections have been rising. Not here, I should add, not yet, but in the country generally. I guess, with some people ignoring the restrictions, not wearing masks because they are in a ‘safe country and thus feel safe, and more people coming in from abroad, it’s to be expected. Anyway, enough of that ramble, I’ve done my walk, prepared this for tomorrow (today) and now I can finally get down to something more creative. It’s 8.45, and I feel as though half the day has gone already.

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Walks, Photos, Paperwork

Some more photos from afternoon walks today and my first Christmas gift of the year – what? Well, it looks like Sotiris still has some Christmas chocolates left over from last season, still well within date. I think that was the first chocolate I’ve had for a long time. Well, since that chocolate ice cream I had last week, at any rate.

The season shows no great signs of slowing down, not yet. There are still boats coming in each day, sometimes up to seven, and plenty of yachts and cruisers in the harbour. Things are a tad quieter now that the Italian visitors have mainly gone, August being a popular time for southern European visitors. At this time of year it tends to be northern Europeans and British who are, I guess, soon to be no longer European. Great shame that, and don’t get me started.

But, on that note… (I got started), I’m hearing rumours of what us non-Greek, non-European residents might need in order to be able to stay in the country after next March if that disaster happens, and there’s still time for it to not happen or at last to happen with less impact. Although I’ve still not seen anything official from the government, so far, I have gathered together: my passport (proof of ID), my residency permit from 2008 which replaced the original from 2003, proof of my private health insurance to show I’m not a burden on the state, my proof of income – which will formally kick in after November, I hope, and my tax records (or part thereof) which also date back to 2003, plus my CP contract to my European/Irish spouse and various other bits of information that prove I’ve been living here, in the tax system and for a while the health system for the last 16 years. If that lot doesn’t go through whatever process is devised to keep me here, I don’t know what will. Anyway… not what I intended to write, so here are another two photos from Tuesday.

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