Tour Options

From April to October, local island boat tours take you to area sights and may include a picnic on a remote beach or even a visit to the shores of Turkey. For example, Triton Holidays of Rhodes organizes a visit to Lindos by boat; a caïque leaves Mandraki harbor in Rhodes town in the morning, deposits you in Lindos for a day of sightseeing and beachgoing, and returns you in the evening for EUR 20. On Symi, Kalodoukas Tours runs boat trips to the Monastery of Panormitis, as well as to secluded beaches and islets, which include swimming and a barbecue lunch. Aeolos Travel in Kos organizes one-day cruises to other islands. A1 Yacht Trade Consortium organizes sailing tours around the Greek islands near the Turkish coast. If you're not renting a car on Rhodes, it can be worth it to take a bus tour to its southern points and interior. Triton Holidays has, among other trips, a guided bus tour to Thermes Kallitheas, Epta Piges, and Lindos (EUR 30); a bus tour to Kameiros, Filerimos, and Petaloudes (EUR 30); and a full-day trip through several points in the interior and south (EUR 35). Astoria Travel provides day bus trips to Patmos's St. John the Theologian Monastery and the Monastery of the Apocalypse (EUR 20).

On Symi, George Kalodoukas of Kalodoukas Tours leads wonderful guided hiking tours around the island and does an excursion to his Marathoudas beach-area organic farm. The company sells a short book by Frances Noble (EUR 7) that outlines 25 walks around the island. On Rhodes, you can pick up a book with 18 walks from the Rhodes town EOT office.

Contacts

A1 Yacht Trade Consortium (Rhodes-Kallithea Rd., Rhodes Town, Rhodes, 85100. 22410/01000. www.a1yachting.com.)

Astoria Travel (Skala harbor, Patmos, 84300. 22470/31205. www.astoriatravel.com.)

Kalodoukas Tours (Behind Trawler's taverna, Yialos, Symi, 85600. 22460/71077. www.symi-greece.com.)

Symi Tours (Symi harbor, Yialos, Symi, 85600. 22460/71307. www.symitours.com.)

Triton Holidays (Plastira 9, Rhodes Town, Rhodes, 85100. 22410/21690. www.tritondmc.gr.)