King of Rhodos Symi Cruise: 8-Hour Day Trip to Symi from Rhodes
Quick answer
The King of Rhodos Symi cruise costs USD 34 per person for 8 hours with about 3 hours free in Symi, rated 4/5 from 69 reviews.
Each day brings a swim stop at St George's Bay, a visit to Panormitis Monastery, or both, and it does not suit anyone prone to seasickness.
The King of Rhodos Symi cruise is the budget full-day boat trip from Rhodes to the small Dodecanese island of Symi, operated by KING OF RHODOS LP and sold through GetYourGuide. It is the cheapest ticket per hour in my Rhodes boat tours guide, next to the other crossings on my island hopping from Rhodes page.
The detail that changes the decision is the either-or itinerary. The listing promises a swim at St George's Bay, a stop at Panormitis Monastery, or both, depending on the day. If the swim is the reason you go, ask the operator before paying. The home page has faster, pricier boats.
| Operator | KING OF RHODOS LP (GetYourGuide activity provider) |
|---|---|
| Boat | Air-conditioned salon, onboard toilets, bow sofas (one reviewer); capacity not stated |
| Price | USD 34 per adult (struck-through "from" price USD 51); about EUR 30 at the 2026-10-16 rate |
| Duration | 8 hours, including about 3 hours free in Symi |
| Departure time | Not printed on the listing; shown when you pick a date |
| Boarding point | Not named; "varies by option booked". Arrive 30 minutes early. Mandraki Harbour on Google Maps is where some other Symi boats on my site leave from, but confirm yours |
| Route | Rhodes, then Gialos, Symi, plus St George's Bay and/or Panormitis Monastery |
| Food and drink | Snacks and drinks listed; no lunch named |
| Guide | "Guided tour (not daily)" in the listing; one reviewer heard no announcements |
| Cancellation | Free up to 24 hours before; reserve now, pay later |
| Rating | 4/5 from 69 reviews on GetYourGuide |
What is the King of Rhodos Symi cruise and what do you see?
It is a full-day return crossing from Rhodes to Symi where the boat spends the morning at sea, hands you roughly three hours in Symi's main port, and then adds one swim or monastery stop on the way home.
What you actually see depends on three things:
- Symi's Gialos harbour: a waterfront of neoclassical houses climbing the hill. The Greek National Tourism Organisation describes the island's main settlement as one of the largest neoclassical villages in Greece, tied to sponge diving and shipbuilding history (Visit Greece).
- St George's Bay: a cliff-backed swimming cove; the listing also mentions Nanou Beach as an alternative swim spot.
- Panormitis Monastery: the pilgrimage site on Symi's southern coast, reached by boat.
Your departure town is also worth a look: the Medieval City of Rhodes is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a short walk from the old harbours.
The honest reading of the listing is that this is a ferry-style day with two optional highlights, not a fixed sightseeing circuit. I'd describe it as a cheap way to spend an afternoon in Symi with a swim thrown in, and I would not book it expecting commentary.
560 mis the height of Symi's highest mountain, which is why the town climbs steeply from the quay.
Where does the Symi cruise leave from in Rhodes?
The listing does not name a pier: its location field says only that the starting point varies depending on the option you book, and you must be at the designated boarding point at least 30 minutes before departure.
What I can say from the data:
- The only return time anywhere in the reviews is a 2024 comment about being back in Rhodes Town at 5:20 pm "as scheduled", so the boat uses a Rhodes Town quay.
- Other Symi boats on this site leave from Mandraki Harbour (the high-speed and hotel-transfer options) or the Kolona harbour area (Sebeco Lines), so check your voucher against both.
- The listing says the boat cannot wait for late arrivals, so allow for the walk along the harbour.
What is the route, stop by stop?
The outbound leg is a crossing of the Aegean to Gialos, then free time, then one of the two optional stops on the way back, according to the listing's description.
| Stage | What happens | Time | Map |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Board | Be at the quay 30 minutes early | Morning, time shown at booking | Mandraki Harbour |
| 2. Crossing | Open-water crossing to Symi | Not stated; reviewers disagree on speed | - |
| 3. Symi free time | Gialos waterfront, shops, taverna, Kali Strata stairway | About 3 hours | Gialos harbour |
| 4. Optional stop | Swim at St George's Bay or Nanou Beach | Depends on the day | St George's Bay |
| 5. Optional stop | Panormitis Monastery visit | Depends on the day | Panormitis Monastery |
| 6. Return | Late-afternoon sail back to Rhodes | One 2024 reviewer: 5:20 pm | - |
The order matters. One reviewer said the stops came in a different order from the advertised one, so I would treat the list above as a menu, not a timetable.
How long is it and when does it sail?
The trip lasts 8 hours, of which the listing counts about 3 as free time ashore, which leaves about 5 hours for sailing and the optional stop.
- 8 hours door to door at the quay, per the listing.
- 3 hours of free time in Symi, though one 2024 reviewer felt it was shorter than that after a slow crossing.
- 30 minutes of early arrival requested before departure.
- Start times: not stated; pick a date at checkout to see them.
- Season: no operating months are given. I'd assume nothing between November and April and ask.
The speedboats compete on exactly this trade. The high-speed boat to Symi advertises 6 to 9 hours and the hotel-transfer cruise a shorter 6-hour day, so the extra two hours on this ticket mostly buy a slower crossing.
What is on board and what is included?
The listing includes an air-conditioned salon, onboard toilets, snacks and drinks, a swim stop or monastery visit, and the 3 hours in Symi, and it marks the guided element as "not daily".
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Air-conditioned salon | Included |
| Toilets on board | Included |
| Snacks and drinks | Included; quantity not stated |
| Guide | Not daily; a reviewer reports no announcements or audio guide |
| Lunch in Symi | Not included (pay at a taverna) |
| Monastery entry or donations | Not mentioned; bring cash |
| Swimming gear and towel | Not included; the listing's packing list names swimwear, a towel and a change of clothes |
Reviewers praise a clean, comfortable boat with bow sofas, so the deck is usable for sunbathing on the way. The listing does not state capacity or boat type, and that is a real gap: a catamaran is mentioned by one reviewer, nothing more.
How does the King of Rhodos Symi cruise compare with other Symi boats?
It is the cheapest Symi ticket per hour on my Rhodes list, but it is not the best-reviewed and it is the slowest crossing among the options below.
| Tour | Price | Length | Rating | Swim stop |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| King of Rhodos cruise (this page) | USD 34 | 8 h | 4/5, 69 reviews | Bay and/or monastery |
| Rizos Cruises Symi trip | USD 35 | 8 h | 4.3/5, 659 reviews | St George's Bay |
| Sebeco Lines speedboat | USD 35 | 7 h | 4.5/5, 5,796 reviews | Listing names none |
| Rhodes Sea Lines high-speed | USD 62 | 6-9 h | 4.7/5, 4,165 reviews | St George's Bay |
For USD 1 more, the Rizos boat offers a fixed swim stop and more than nine times the reviews, so I'd pick it over the King of Rhodos boat if the swim is your priority. The Sebeco speedboat is my pick for time ashore. This cruise wins only on price per hour and on the possibility of the monastery.
Is the Symi day cruise from Rhodes worth it?
For USD 34 and a calm day, a day cruise to Symi from Rhodes is worth it if you want an island afternoon for the cost of a taxi, and not worth it if you need a guaranteed swim or guided commentary.
- Worth it for: budget travellers, people happy with 3 hours of wandering, anyone who wants the monastery.
- Weigh up: the itinerary lottery, the lack of announcements, and a crossing that one reviewer found slow.
- My call: I'd book it midweek in June to September, when the Aegean is usually calmest, and I'd ask which stop that day's departure includes.
Planning more than one day? My page on island hopping around Rhodes lists other crossings and what each includes.
When is the best time to take the Symi cruise?
June to September gives the driest weather, with no rain days in June, July and August in the 2025 data, though wind still reaches 30 km/h or more on a few days.
| Month | Avg daily high | Rain days (1 mm+) | Windy days (30 km/h+) | On deck |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17.3 °C | 12 | 0 | Cool and wet; bring a jacket |
| Feb | 14.4 °C | 6 | 5 | Coolest month; jacket on deck |
| Mar | 20.1 °C | 4 | 5 | Mild; layers |
| Apr | 19.8 °C | 9 | 4 | Mild; sea still cold |
| May | 24.9 °C | 5 | 5 | Warm; first swims |
| Jun | 33.2 °C | 0 | 0 | Hot and dry; shade matters |
| Jul | 34.7 °C | 0 | 1 | Hottest; hat and water |
| Aug | 33.2 °C | 0 | 5 | Hot; hat and water |
| Sep | 30.7 °C | 1 | 1 | Warm sea, calm days |
| Oct | 24.7 °C | 11 | 2 | Warm; showers return |
| Nov | 22.6 °C | 9 | 2 | Cooler, wetter |
| Dec | 17.8 °C | 11 | 7 | Cool and wet; jacket |
Wind is the one that matters on the water. A day with 30 km/h gusts is when the captain may change the stop, and the listing gives the captain that right. October 2025 had 11 rain days, so shoulder-season trips are the gamble.
Daylight is rarely an issue: the boat is back around 5 pm, and sunset in Rhodes on 15 October is at 18:32.
What do passengers say?
The 69 reviews average 4/5, and the sample I can see leans positive on the boat and the island, with the complaints clustering around communication and the stop order.
- Praised: a clean, comfortable boat, friendly crew with clear instructions, Symi harbour and the St George's swim.
- Mixed: the monastery visit and swim are called highlights by some, while one reviewer says the bay was a quick in-and-out with no swim.
- Complaint: no announcements and no audio guide, a shorter time in Symi than the advertised 3 hours, and stops in a different order from the listing.
Only a handful of reviews are visible to me, so these are patterns, not statistics.
Who should skip the Symi cruise?
Skip it if you get seasick, need a guaranteed swim, or want a narrated tour; the listing excludes people prone to seasickness and offers no reliable guide.
- Anyone prone to seasickness, named by the listing.
- Travellers who want the same fixed route every day.
- Anyone who needs commentary on Panormitis or Symi's history.
- Visitors who cannot manage Symi's steep stairs: the town climbs a hill on an island that rises to 560 m.
If those apply, look at the other boat tours in Rhodes, such as a short snorkeling tour that stays near the coast.
How do you book the King of Rhodos Symi cruise?
USD 34 per adult for the 8-hour cruise with 3 hours in Symi; free cancellation until 24 hours before, pay later available.
Check availabilityI earn a commission if you book through this link, at no extra cost to you.
- Pick your date and read the start time shown.
- Message the operator for the pier, boat name and that day's stops.
- Pack a towel, swimwear, sun hat, sunscreen, cash and a card.
- Be at the quay 30 minutes early.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the King of Rhodos Symi cruise?
The listing gives 8 hours in total, including roughly 3 hours of free time in Symi's Gialos harbour. Start times are not printed on the listing page, so check availability for your date.
Do you always get both St George's Bay and Panormitis Monastery?
No. The listing says each day's route includes the swim stop, the monastery, or both, and the captain can change it for weather. One reviewer reported a quick pass at the bay with no swim.
Where does the Symi boat leave from in Rhodes?
The listing does not name a pier; it says the location depends on the option booked. One 2024 reviewer was back in Rhodes Town at 5:20 pm, so ask the operator for the exact quay in your voucher.
Is the Symi cruise good for people who get seasick?
Probably not. The listing lists people prone to seasickness under not suitable, and the open Aegean crossing has windy days in most months of the year.
Is lunch included on the Symi day trip?
The listing mentions snacks and drinks but no meal. Reviewers describe having lunch at a harbourside taverna in Symi, so budget for that separately and bring a card or cash.
Is the boat air-conditioned and does it have toilets?
Yes. The listing names an air-conditioned salon and onboard toilets, and one reviewer mentions sofas on the bow for sunbathing.
Can I cancel the Symi cruise?
Yes, free cancellation applies up to 24 hours before the start for a full refund, and the listing offers reserve now, pay later.
Is this cheaper than the high-speed boat to Symi?
Yes on the ticket: USD 34 against USD 62 for the high-speed boat. The price per hour is also lower, but the crossing takes longer, so you may have less comfortable time ashore for the same day.
Do I need to bring cash for Symi?
I would carry some. The listing's packing list includes both a credit card and cash, and island tavernas and shops can differ in what they accept.
Does the cruise run on Greek public holidays?
The listing does not say. The next national holiday is Ochi Day on 28 October 2026, so ask the operator whether the sailing runs before you book.
Sources: GetYourGuide listing for the Symi Island cruise (operator KING OF RHODOS LP), checked 2026-10-17; Visit Greece, Symi; Hellenic National Meteorological Service; Open-Meteo archive API; Nager.Date API; Frankfurter API; sunrise-sunset.org API.
