Sými

‘Greece’s Portofino’ lives up to its nickname: it’s a beauty. The arid, crisp light illuminates Sými’s splendid amphitheatre of neoclassical houses, stacked one on top of the other right up the barren hillsides.

Yachting society adores it, and there’s a fair sprinkling of excellent restaurants to feed and water them. And, like the Portofino in Italy, Sými has two distinct personalities: daytripper from Rhodes time, when pandemonium reigns around the harbour, and early morning and evening, when serenity rules – at night, when the lights come on, it is pure romance.

Sými, however, is about ten times as big as Portofino. It’s also a frying pan from July to September. On the other hand, the island stays wonderfully warm into October and is particularly lovely in the cooler months of spring.

History