Symi cruise port guide
Symi belongs to the Dodecanese islands and lies across the Asia Minor coast and just a few nautical miles NW of Rhodes. Aristocratic and far off the model of mass tourism, Symi pleasantly surprises its visitors with its plain, aristocratic yet wild beauty. As you glimpse the perfectly formed harbor of Symi, Gialos, you are confronted with a beautiful picture-postcard Venetian village. Wonderfully well-preserved two and three story mansions with their facades painted in bright and vivid colors reflect the island's rich past since Symi was once one of the richest islands with a tradition in sponge diving, ship building and wood carving. The history of Symi goes back to ancient times. Aigli, Metapontis and Kariki are some of Symi's ancient names where according to mythology the Graces were born. Symi got its current name from the nymph Symi, who according to the myth mated with Poseidon, God of the Seas, and brought to life Hthonios who became the leader of the island's first inhabitants.
About Symi
Symi is a small, mountainous island in the Dodecanese chain, celebrated for perhaps the most beautiful harbour in Greece. The harbour town of Yialos is lined with colourful neoclassical mansions built during the island's 19th-century sponge-trade prosperity. Tourism is now the main industry, with day-trippers and overnight guests arriving from nearby Rhodes.
The Monastery of the Archangel Michael Panormitis at the island's southern tip is a major pilgrimage site accessible by boat, car, or the three-times-daily bus. Above the harbour, Ano Symi rewards those who climb the famous staircase with sweeping views and Byzantine-era churches. The island is exceptional walking terrain, particularly in spring and late summer.
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