Part two in the “getting to Symi” series for this year has the flights to Rhodes and Kos from Belgium and Luxembourg. Some of the times will probably get tweaked slightly nearer the time the flights start as a few of the turnrounds at Rhodes look unrealistically short.
We already have Blue Star’s timetable for the whole year up to the end of October. Yesterday Dodekanisos Seaways released their first batch of ferry timetables for the period after 31 March. These cover days up to 21 April 2019.
As usual services build up slowly. In the first week things remain much as in the winter, except that the Wednesday Rhodes-Agathonisi (via Symi, Kos, Kalymnos, Leros and Lipsi) and return reappears. In the second and third weeks both catamarans are in service, and Symi gets daily 08:30 ferries as part of the traditional Patmos or Agathonisi journeys (with afternoon return sailings). At weekends there are also Rhodes-Panormitis-Symi-Rhodes sailings.
Now we wait for the build up to Greek Easter in the week starting 22 April, followed by the May timetables and onwards.
Blue Star Ferries have announced their timetables round to the end of October 2019.
Between now and the end of January the existing 3-boats a week service operated by Blue Star Patmos will continue.
From the beginning of February to mid March, the service drops back to the traditional Wednesday and Friday sailings provided by Blue Star Patmos, then from 17 March to mid-June the third sailing reappears – Sunday night from Piraeus, Monday morning at Symi (0825) and on to Rhodes. In the opposite direction this service leaves Rhodes at 16:00 Mondays. It can be operated by either Blue Star 1 or Blue Star 2, and between Piraeus and Symi it calls at Santorini and Kos. After 10 June the southbound timetable alters to leave Piraeus (and thus Symi) later, and the Symi call is at 10:25. Finally from 9 September the 08:25 timing returns, up to the end of October.
There’s less change on Wednesdays and Fridays: these sailings remain unaltered up to early May, then the Nissos Chios returns for the summer, with a time change so southbound boats pass through Symi on Wednesdays at 04:55 and on Fridays at 06:15. Northbound the Wednesday timing doesn’t change, but the Friday one comes forward to 16:00 from Rhodes, so 17:25 leaving Symi. Blue Star Patmos returns on 10 September, when the southbound Friday boat changes to 07:15 and the northbound one goes back to 19:00, with one final tweak on 1 October with Friday southbound being 07:30.
Confused? Check their website, or wait for my ferry summaries, though I can’t do these until Dodekanisos Seaways and ANES have published their timings.
Now on the flights front, Germania is in serious financial trouble and their board says they will have to close without a major investment from outside. This is what is keeping me from issuing the flight schedules from Germany, so I’ll push the other European countries forward in their place.