Symi

Symi's wealth came from sponge diving and from shipbuilding, and in the nineteenth century it was rich enough to build the tiered amphitheatre of neoclassical houses that makes the harbour so photogenic: pale ochre, cream and blue facades with pediments and shuttered windows, protected now by preservation rules that dictate colours and materials. The upper town, Chorio, is reached by the Kali Strata, a stone stairway of some five hundred steps, and holds a castle site, churches and quieter lanes. On the southern coast the monastery of Panormitis, dedicated to the Archangel Michael, draws pilgrims from across Greece and is the first stop for many day boats. Beaches are pebble coves reached by boat taxi, and the island is dry, steep and largely treeless.

What you actually see

• The harbour tiers - neoclassical mansions stacked around the bay.
• The Kali Strata - the long stone stairway up to Chorio.
• Panormitis monastery - the pilgrimage complex on the southern coast.
• The boat-taxi coves - pebble beaches reached from the harbour.

When to go

May, June, September and October for warm sea and manageable day-trip traffic; midsummer brings heavy heat and crowds from Rhodes between eleven and four, after which the island empties again.

Honest expectations

Day boats fill the harbour in the middle of the day, so staying overnight is a different experience entirely. There is little flat ground: almost everything involves stairs. Water is shipped in, so it is expensive and used sparingly.

Nearby

Rhodes lies an hour east by fast boat; Tilos and Halki are the neighbouring Dodecanese islands.