Andy's Symi Travel Blog

On the October ferry timetable Monday mornings are extra busy in Yialos. First the Sebeco sneaks off to Rhodes at 07:45, then at 09:45 the Stavros appears to take her berth at the Clock Tower, loading and unloading before heading off to Kalymnos via Tilos, Nissyros and Kos at 10:00. In the meantime the Blue Star/Hellenic Seaways ship Ariadne appears over in the New Port area, arriving from Piraeus and leaving again for Rhodes 20 minutes later. As  soon as the Stavros has gone, the Panagia Skiadeni needs to occupy the same space arriving at 10:00. Finally in this little burst of activity the King Saron appears from Rhodes at 10:15, and ties up by the bus terminus. Here are some views of the action.

The King Saron’s exact mooring point appears to vary by day of the week, probably depending on how many yachts and Rhodes daytrip boats are expected. She moor side-on so takes up far more space than her small size would suggest.

On a different topic, the yellow Symi Bus is unwell this week and until it recovers, a white Lakis Travel mini-coach is standing in, with occasional help from other Lakis Travel vehicles if the number of passengers is more than the white coach can take.

Finally, the gradual seasonal wind-down of the tourist infrastructure continues, the taxi boats are now reduced to just the 11:00 sailing from Yialos and the 16:00 sailings back from the beaches. Wet weather is forecast for Saturday which may cause more businesses to decide winter is here, but really, there are still lots and lots of bars, cafes, tavernas, shops etc, enough to keep anyone happy.

Here I am again on Sunny Symi. The island is gradually quietening down after a most successful summer, but there is still plenty of activity.

I arrived yesterday, Friday 8 October 2022)/ My flight into Rhodes arrived the previous evening and was actually 10 minutes early. In a splendid display of efficiency by Immigration, Baggage Handlers, Customs, and a friendly taxi driver, I was unpacking my bag in a room at the Plaza Hotel 1 hour after landing. This was helped because the Kremasti Bridge reconstruction which started 2 years ago  was completed in July this year. The diversions have been removed, and the new, wider, bridge is available to traffic in both directions.

A reminder for those who still think they need to prebook a taxi from Rhodes Airport to Rhodes Town or to the ferry, no you don’t. Just as always, even at 11.00pm. there were still plenty of taxis available. The reverse direction can be different depending on which part of the port you arrive in.

Then in the morning the Sebeco was waiting at Kolonna for me to board her. I had wondered, because since she moors side on, she takes up the space both Dodekanisos Seaways catamarans fit into, so when with the October timetable there are nights when she stays in Rhodes, I thought there might be a conflict. In fact what happens is that if Sebeco is due to spend the night at Rhodes, she arrives at the Tourist Port and stays there overnight, shifting across to Kolonna in the morning. If she overnights in Symi, there’s no problem, except on Tuesday afternoons when she has to use the Tourist Port to depart back to Symi.