Symi Town Walk

This Symi Town Walk links the two great stone staircases of Chorio and visits Symi’s two museums and several churches.

The Greek island of Symi, photo taken from Symi's CastleThis Symi Town Walk Takes You to Symi's Castle for Views Like This!

Distance

2.5 km (1.6 miles)

Time

3 hours allowing for visits to museum and churches

From Skala Square on the harbour, climb the broad steps of the Kali Strata. Follow prominent signs (blue arrows) to the town’s two museums, through a series of alleyways. You’ll eventually find your way to the Archaeological Museum and the Symi Folklore Museum, which are side by side.

The museum contains an excellent collection of Byzantine and medieval artefacts. Right by the Archaeological Museum is the handsome restored 18th-century Chatziagapitos Mansion. Check whether it’s open for visitors to look round, as it has been closed for repair work.

Walk straight ahead from the Archaeological Museum doorway past a telegraph pole. Go beneath an arch, then climb steps by a sign for ‘Castle’. Follow a narrow alley.

The harbour on the Greek island of Symi

The Church of Ágios Athanosios

At a junction keep right, go down two steps to an open square in front of the handsome Church of Ágios Athanosios. Like all of Symi’s churches, St Athanosios is brightly painted and immaculate.

Go down curved steps on the far side of the square, then turn left. Keep straight ahead at the telegraph pole, then at a T-junction go left. At the next junction go right to reach another immaculate church.

Our Pick of Greek Islands Guides

Rough-Guide-Greek-Islands-2022.png

Symi’s Castle

Go up the steps to the left of the church, then turn right, then left. Keep ahead to where a sharp turn right leads up some steps. Go up left to reach the castle (Kastro).

The site of the old castle is dominated by the Church of Megali Panagia, a replacement of a previous church destroyed during World War II. One of the church bells is the nose-cone of a bomb.

Don't miss our YouTube video: Let's Visit Symi!

Retrace your steps from the church, then go down left to reach another church with a tall bell tower. Turn right down more steps, then go left. Follow a road round the hillside to reach another church, from where steps lead down to the top of the Katarraktis, Chorió’s second great stone stairway that leads back down to Gialos.

Download the Walk

We've prepared a PDF file of the walk so that you can download it and print it out, if you want to take a printed copy with you to help follow the directions.

Symi Town Walk PDF

Our Symi Pages

  • Easter on Symi is a wonderful Greek celebration and one of the best times to visit the little gem of an island a short ferry-ride from Rhodes in the Dodecanese.

    Easter on Symi

    Easter on Symi is a wonderful Greek celebration and one of the best times to visit the little gem of an island a short ferry-ride from Rhodes in the Dodecanese.

  • Symi (or Simi) is a small island in the Dodecanese near Rhodes with regular ferry connections, hotels, rooms to rent, beaches, tavernas.

    Symi in the Dodecanese Islands of Greece

    Symi (or Simi) is a small island in the Dodecanese near Rhodes with regular ferry connections, hotels, rooms to rent, beaches, tavernas.

  • Greece Travel Secrets picks where to eat on Symi, down by the harbour or in the upper town, and whether you like fish, meat, vegetarian, traditional or modern.

    Where to Eat on Symi

    Greece Travel Secrets picks where to eat on Symi, down by the harbour or in the upper town, and whether you like fish, meat, vegetarian, traditional or modern.

  • The best things to do on Symi include visiting the several museums, climbing to Symi Castle for the view and taking an excursion to the Monastery of Panormitis.

    Best Things to Do on Symi

    The best things to do on Symi include visiting the several museums, climbing to Symi Castle for the view and taking an excursion to the Monastery of Panormitis.

  • Mike Gerrard wasn’t sure what to expect from a holiday on Symi, in the Greek islands, but what he found was lots of local feasting, dancing, and music.

    A Holiday on Symi

    Mike Gerrard wasn’t sure what to expect from a holiday on Symi, in the Greek islands, but what he found was lots of local feasting, dancing, and music.

Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here's how...

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

  1. Click on the HTML link code below.
  2. Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.

Latest Posts

RSS

  1. Kerameikos Ancient Site in Athens Getting New Visitor Facilities

    Visitors to the Kerameikos archaeological site in central Athens will soon have new access through an entrance-exit point being developed on Agion Asomaton Street, directly across from Dipylou Street.

    Read More

  2. Central Greece Motorway E65 Adding More Kilometers

    A new section of the E65 motorway, often referred to as the “backbone road” of Central Greece, was opened to traffic in the second week of July, with 136 kilometers now operational. This road provides…

    Read More

  3. AirDNA: Greece’s 3 Cities with Affordable Airbnb Rates

    Iceland, Monaco, the UK, Greece, and Spain are Europe’s most expensive countries for short-term rentals, according to analytics experts AirDNA.

    Read More

  4. Seaplane Test Flights Connect Skopelos, Alonissos, Skyros

    Greek seaplane company Hellenic Seaplanes on Friday laid the groundwork for some of the Greek islands that will welcome seaplanes and carried out its first flights between three islands of the Sporade…

    Read More

  5. Travel + Leisure: Four Greek Hotels Among Best in the World and Europe

    The World’s Best Awards by Travel + Leisure recently ranked four Greek hotels among the best in the world and Europe, honoring them for their luxurious atmosphere and top-notch hospitality.

    Read More

  6. Santorini Cannot Support Even One More Hotel or Airbnb Bed

    Santorini is now coping with the repercussions of overtourism generated by cruise ships and day-trippers from Crete and other adjacent islands.

    Read More

  7. 9 Tasty Stops in the Cyclades for Authentic Flavors

    Restaurants, tavernas, and grocery stores that highlight the local flavors of the Cyclades.

    Read More

  8. Where to Eat on Symi

    taverna-o-meraklis-symi-2.webp
    Greece Travel Secrets picks where to eat on Symi, down by the harbour or in the upper town, and whether you like fish, meat, vegetarian, traditional or modern.

    Read More

  9. Restaurants with Acropolis Views

    gb-roof-garden-restaurant-dusk.webp
    Greece Travel Secrets chooses its top ten Athens restaurants with Acropolis views, perfect for dining by day or by night, including places with Michelin stars.

    Read More

  10. The Ilisian: Reimagining an Icon of Modern Athens

    The former Hilton Athens is being transformed into a multi-faceted destination that aspires to forge exciting new connections between the Greek capital and the rest of the world.

    Read More