Symi has no big sandy beaches, but there are plenty of pebbly stretches at the heads of the deep, protected bays which indent the coastline. PÉDHI , a 45-minute walk from Yialós, retains some of its former identity as a fishing hamlet, with enough water in the plain behind - the island's largest - to support a few vegetable gardens. The beach is poor, though, and patronage from yachts and the giant, overpriced Pedhi Beach hotel (tel 02460/71 981, fax 71 982; ¬73 and upwards) has considerably bumped up prices at several local tavernas , of which the most reasonably priced and authentic is Iy Kamares at the far south end. Many will opt for another twenty minutes of walking via a rough but obvious path along the south shore of the almost landlocked bay to Áyios Nikólaos . The only all-sand beach on Symi, this offers sheltered swimming, tamarisks for shade and a mediocre taverna. Alternatively, a paint-splodge-marked path on the north side of the inlet leads in just over half an hour to Ayía Marína , where there's a minuscule beach, a shingle lido with sunbeds, another snack bar and a monastery-capped islet to which you can easily swim.

 

Around Yialós, you'll find tiny NOS (Navtikós Ómilos Symis) "beach" ten minutes past the boatyards at Haráni, but there's sun here only until lunchtime and it's usually packed with day-trippers. You can continue along the cement-paved coast road, or cut inland from the Yialós platía past the abandoned desalination plant, to appealing Emborió (Nimborió) Bay, with a poor taverna ( Metapontis ) and an artificially sand-strewn beach a bit beyond. Inland from this are Byzantine mosaic fragments under a protective shelter, and, nearby, a catacomb complex known locally as Dhódheka Spília .

Plenty of other, more secluded coves are accessible by energetic walkers with sturdy footwear, or those prepared to pay a modest sum for the taxi-boats (daily in season 10am-1pm, returning 4-5pm; one-way fares available to the nearer bays cited above). These are the best method of reaching the southern bays of Marathoúnda and Nanoú , and the only method of getting to the spectacular fjord of Áyios Yeóryios Dhyssálona . Dhyssálona lacks a taverna and lies in shade after 1pm, while unalluring Marathoúnda is fringed by coarse, slimy pebbles, making Nanoú the most popular destination for day-trips. The 200-metre beach there consists of gravel, sand and small pebbles, with a scenic backdrop of pines and a reasonable taverna (menu of squid, chips and salad) behind. It's also possible to reach Nanoú overland, via Panayía Straterí chapel up on the main trans-island road, descending a scenic, forested gorge for some 45 minutes; most of the old path from Horió to Panayía Straterí still exists, making a marvellous traverse of about three hours in total, leaving time for a meal and swim at Nanóu before the boat trip back to Yialós.

For more hiking adventures, you can cross the island from Horió in ninety minutes to Áyios Vassílios , the most scenic of the gulfs with its Lápathos beach; in about the same time to Tolí , a deserted, west-facing cove, also accessible from Emborió; or in three hours, partly through forest, from Yialós to Áyios Emilianós at the island's extreme west end, where a little monastery is tethered to the body of Symi by a causeway. On the way to the latter you should look in at the monastery of Taxiárhis Mihaïl Roukouniótis (daily 9am-2pm & 4-8pm), Symi's oldest, with naive eighteenth-century frescoes and a peculiar ground plan: the current katholikón is actually superimposed on a lower, thirteenth-century structure abandoned after being burnt and pillaged by pirates during the 1400s, though a fine fresco of St Lawrence (Áyios Lavréntios) survives behind the altar screen. Resident, trilingual Father Amfilohios will gladly tell you anything else you might possibly wish to know about the place.

The Archangel is also honoured at the huge monastery of Taxiárhis Mihaïl Panormítis near the southern tip of the island, Symi's biggest rural attraction and generally the first port of call for the excursion boats from Rhodes (confirm the itinerary if you wish to proceed direct to Yialós - some craft do). These allow only a quick thirty-minute tour; if you want more time, you'll have to come by scooter from Yialós (though the still-unpaved road down from the central escarpment is terrible, with nine hairpin bends), or arrange to stay the night (¬9 minimum donation) in the xenónas (inn) set aside for pilgrims. There are large numbers of these in summer, as Mihaïl has been adopted as the patron of sailors in the Dodecanese.

Like many of Symi's monasteries, Panormítis is of recent (eighteenth-century) vintage and was thoroughly pillaged during World War II, so don't expect too much of the building or its treasures. An appealing pebble-mosaic court surrounds the central katholikón , tended by the monk Gabriel and lit by an improbable number of oil lamps. It's also graced by a fine témblon , though the frescoes are recent and mediocre. One of the two small museums (¬1.50 admits to both) contains a strange mix of precious antiques, exotic junk (stuffed crocodiles and koalas, elephant tusks), votive offerings, models of ships and a chair piled with messages-in-bottles brought here by Aegean currents - the idea being that if the bottle or toy boat arrived, the sender got their prayer answered. There's a small beach, a shop/kafenío, a bakery and a taverna ( Panormio ) popular with passengers of the many yachts calling in. Near the taverna stands a memorial commemorating three Greeks, including the monastery's abbot, executed in February 1944 by the Germans for aiding British commandos.