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Day 1: Rhodes - Simi

7 days around the Dodecanese

Rhodes is a wonderful place to start your trip over Greece. On the first day, you’ll have an opportunity to see the best-known sights of the city, but arrival at the marina will be the main event. Be sure to discuss the route with the manager and check the weather forecast.

Rhodes

Rhodes is rightly considered one of the most beautiful islands in all of Greece. Here, almost year-round the sun shines, a fresh breeze blows, pine-dotted cliffs rise up from the shores of the Aegean and Mediterranean seas, and the beaches are sprinkled with soft sand. According to ancient myth, Helios, the Sun God himself took a shine to the island, and its name derives from that of his wife, the nymph Rhodes.

Day after day, yachts come to call in the old port of Mandraki, where a magnificent Colossus once stood. To the southeast lies the fabulous and very modern Rhodes marina. Yacht schools, restaurants, and a customs office are all in the vicinity. From here, it’s convenient to start exploring Rhodes – one of the most magnificent gems in all of the Mediterranean. The capital’s old town has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for good reason. Here, you’ll find splendidly preserved buildings and landmarks from different eras, from antiquity to the Middle Ages. Visit the Palace of the Great Masters, Knights’ Row, the Olympic stadium, and the ruins of the Temple of Apollo. What’s more, the island itself boasts a whole smattering of enchanting ancient towns and popular resorts: Lindos, Kameiros, Faliraki, Ialysos, and Ixia.

There are also beaches to suit any taste – pebbly in the west and sandy in the east. The miniature isthmus between Rhodes and the little island of Prasonisi is considered the most romantic and picturesque. Why? It enchants visitors with the tranquil, warm Mediterranean waters, and the bright and blustery Aegean converging in a blue wonderland. The list of unique locales definitely includes Petaludes Valley, where thousands of butterflies flock beginning in late May, as well as the Seven Sources wilderness park.

Symi

To the north of bustling and crowded Rhodes lies the charming little island of Symi. Just one glance at the island’s contours is enough to inspire yachtsmen to add the stop to their route. Firstly, the municipality of Symi includes the nearby, uninhabited islands of Ninos, Khondros, Diavates, and others. Secondly, you’re unlikely to find a place with such a high concentration of secluded coves, bays, and small beaches as Symi anywhere else in the world. Third, the port in Ano Symi, the island’s biggest city, is sometimes deemed the best in all of Greece. But don’t take our word for it—decide for yourself during your next trip to Symi.

The island has plenty to see: an archaeological, folklore, and maritime museum, roughly 200 monasteries and chapels, the most famous of which is Panormitis Monastery in the south of the island, and the Kali Strata staircase, connecting the upper and lower parts of Ano Symi – Yialos and Chorio. The city itself is an architectural wonder; brightly coloured neoclassical manors ring the turquoise harbour like an amphitheater, narrow streets trail up into the mountains like a labyrinth, and the capital’s skyline is crowned by the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, built in 1838.