A spectacular two-level town built on seafaring wealth.
Symi Town joins the harbour of Gialos to hillside Chorio through Kali Strata, with neoclassical mansions, museums and waterfront restaurants.
Gialos forms one of the Aegean's grandest arrivals, its narrow harbour enclosed by restored merchants' houses. The Nautical Museum explains sponge diving and shipbuilding, industries that financed the architecture still visible today.
Five hundred stone steps of Kali Strata lead to Chorio, where lanes, churches and ruined windmills continue across the ridge. Day visitors often stay below, making the upper town a rewarding place to understand local life.
Practical information
Ferries dock in Gialos. Luggage transfers are essential for high accommodation; climb early or late, and use local buses if steps are unsuitable.
