This is the southern Dodecanese loop we recommend most often from Rhodes: seven days covering Symi, Tilos, Nisyros, Halki, and Lindos, with roughly 120 nautical miles of total sailing and no leg longer than about 35nm. It suits couples and families who want history, volcanic scenery, and quiet harbors — with noticeably calmer meltemi conditions than the open Cyclades.
The charter week runs Saturday to Saturday: you board Saturday afternoon and hand the yacht back the following Saturday morning, which gives you seven full nights on board. Our captains adjust the day order to the forecast, so treat this as the shape of the week rather than a fixed schedule.
The route at a glance
- Day 1: Board in Rhodes — evening in the Old Town
- Day 2: Rhodes to Symi (~23nm)
- Day 3: Symi to Tilos (~35nm)
- Day 4: Tilos to Nisyros (~20nm) — the volcano day
- Day 5: Nisyros to Halki (~28nm)
- Day 6: Halki to Lindos (~30nm)
- Day 7: Lindos to Rhodes (~25nm) — final night in Rhodes
Day 1 — Board in Rhodes
Embarkation is Saturday afternoon in Rhodes — usually Mandraki or the marina, a short taxi from the airport. Once you have settled in and met the crew, spend the evening in the medieval Old Town: the Street of the Knights, the Palace of the Grand Master, and dinner inside the walls. We recommend keeping this first night simple — the week starts properly tomorrow, and the Old Town is a better send-off than an evening passage.
Day 2 — Rhodes to Symi (~23nm)
A three-to-four-hour sail brings you to the most photogenic harbor in the Dodecanese. Symi’s amphitheater of neoclassical houses is best entered by sea — arriving by yacht here beats every ferry view. Have lunch at anchor in St. George’s Bay under its sheer cliff, then take a harbor-front table in Gialos for the island’s famous small shrimp. Overnight in the harbor or, if it is full in peak season, at anchor in nearby Pedi Bay — your captain will call it on the day.
Day 3 — Symi to Tilos (~35nm)
The longest leg of the week, so we start early. Many of our crews break the trip at Panormitis on Symi’s south coast — a monastery set on an enclosed bay that feels nothing like the busy main harbor. Tilos is the quiet one: fewer than a thousand residents, an eco-island ethos, and the abandoned stone village of Mikro Chorio to wander before dinner in Livadia. If you came to the Dodecanese to get away from crowds, this is the day it delivers.
Day 4 — Tilos to Nisyros (~20nm)
Nisyros is the day guests talk about afterward. The island is an active volcano, and you can walk down onto the floor of the Stefanos crater — 300 meters wide, sulfur vents still steaming. Go in the morning before the day-trip boats from Kos arrive, then spend the afternoon in Mandraki, one of the most underrated harbor towns in Greece. Overnight here is usually calm and pleasantly local.
Day 5 — Nisyros to Halki (~28nm)
Halki is the smallest inhabited island of the Dodecanese and has largely escaped development: one harbor village, Emborios, a row of restored captain’s houses, and water clear enough to see your anchor. There is genuinely little to do here — that is the point. Swim off the boat, take the tender to Ftenagia or Kania beach, and have a long taverna dinner on the waterfront. This is the night that resets everyone’s pace.
Day 6 — Halki to Lindos (~30nm)
Crossing back to Rhodes’ east coast, you anchor beneath one of the great sights of the Aegean: the Acropolis of Lindos on its 116-meter rock. Climb up in the late afternoon when the heat and the coach tours have faded — the view over the bay is the best in the Dodecanese. St. Paul’s Bay, the almost-enclosed cove below the acropolis, is a favorite overnight anchorage of our captains when conditions allow.
Day 7 — Lindos to Rhodes (~25nm)
An easy final day running up the east coast with swim stops along the way — Tsampika beach and Anthony Quinn Bay are the two we use most. You are back in Rhodes by late afternoon for a last evening in the Old Town, and disembarkation is Saturday morning after breakfast.
How to make this week work
The meltemi is real here in July and August but noticeably gentler than in the central Cyclades, and every leg on this route has shelter options. Symi and Rhodes are harbor nights; Halki, Lindos, and often Nisyros are anchor nights — if you strongly prefer one or the other, tell us and we will match the yacht and route accordingly. The order above assumes normal summer conditions; your captain may run it in reverse if the wind argues for it.
Prefer quieter, smaller islands with even shorter hops? Look at our northern Dodecanese itinerary from Kos, or browse all routes in our Greece itineraries guide. When you are ready, send us your dates, group size, and budget — we will shortlist yachts based in Rhodes that fit this exact week.
Talk to a Yacht Charter Expert
Finding the right yacht is one of the most important parts of the whole charter process, and one of the easiest places to go wrong without the right guidance.
That is where our experience matters. We know how to look beyond the listing, spot the differences that matter, and shortlist yachts that are a strong fit for the group, the budget, and the kind of trip you actually want to have.
If you are planning a charter in Greece, we would be happy to help you find the right yacht.
