Symi Chorio - Pedi and Vigla Mountain Walks.

There are lots of walks you can do on Symi Greece - these Simi walks visit Byzantine Wine presses, circular walks from Pedi and Chorio, church and monastery visits and a walk up Vigla Mountain.

As Symi is such a small Greek Island it is easily possible to walk most of the island's paths and tracks during a two week holiday. However walking on Symi can be quite strenuous particularly if you start off from the harbour as you have to warm your knees initially by climbing Symi's famous Kali Strata to get up to the Old Town and then have a further enjoyable steep climb up excellent rocky paths to get over the saddle above Chorio. If you are staying in either Chorio or Pedi there is not a regular bus service to take you out so if you don't fancy the quite strenuous but really enjoyable climb to start with then a taxi up to the top is the answer of course - trying not to think of the fantastic views you haved missed out on... As mentioned most of our Symi walks described below are circulars.

Chorio - Vigla - Moni Kokkimidis - Chorio From the village square by the cafe go on up past the bars (the kiosk is on your right) and keep going - passing the grocers, the bakers and the old pharmacy - when you come to a shop on the left (a takeaway place selling rotisserie chicken (thanks Glen for the update)) take the steps on the right next to a supermarket (you cannot miss it since the supermarket has its produce stacked up all over the place on these steps). Continue along the alley, passing a small boutique on the right, and shortly afterwards where the alley splits go right up the steps - now the way is marked with blue and red dots.
Just follow these marks until you come to a more open area which has a lot of derelict buildings on the right, there are numerous red and blue markers on the walls around here but carry straight on until you reach a T-junction, turn left and then keep to the right of a supermarket. Turn right at the next alley and now follow the markers again until you reach an open area with a church slightly back to your left. Carry on in the same direction and then take the steps on the left - these will take you up to the donkey path.

Continue on up the path and just after a wire gate the path splits - take the left hand fork and now start climbing up on a fairly steep zig-zagging path. Just below the main road the path deteriorates - we found the best way up was to go slightly left and climb up by a telegraph pole. Turn right on the main road and stay on it (ignoring the road going off on the right to Taxiarhis Michali Roukouniotis) - when you reach a very sharp left hand bend look out for the old moni-path leaving virtually straight ahead - go onto this path and follow it between old stone walls until you come to the monastery Aghia Ekaterini - the path continues to the left side of the and comes out on a small road - carry on up the road to re-join the main road. Turn right and now follow the main road for about a kilometre to reach a concrete track going off to the left - you can now see the aerials up above you. Follow this road and look out for a small church on your right (which is worth taking a quick detour to visit).

The route now just involves following the (now) track as it winds it's way up to the aerials at Vigla - good views from here but can be very windy. Return back to the main road and turn left and just at the top of the hill take a concrete road going off to the left. This goes down through the valley passing the nice shady church of Ag. Ioannis Tsagrias - carry on until reaching a 4-way junction. Turn left to visit the church of Aghia Marina Potiou where you get good views through the valley. Return to the 4-way junction and this time carry straight on - this will take you past Arhangelos Kailiotis and then the monastery of Panagia Kampiotissa (which was closed when we were there but you could look at the gardens) where the track ends.

With the monastery behind you take a clearly visible track on the right which goes up and along the hillside - this track ends in a large bull-dozed area - but if you look on the right through the trees you can see a clearly marked path on the right - follow this path through the woods to climb up to the monastery at Kokkimidis - this is a really lovely area - seats outside and also nice and cool to sit inside - but really do remember to keep the gates closed since there are millions of "bad" goats around.
Return back down to the bull-dozed area - go left and almost immediately climb down to the right and then keeping slightly right find markers on rocks which will take you down to a track by the 4-way junction. Turn right on the track and follow it as it passes a farm on the left and continues on through forest - the path bears left as it goes through a saddle and then emerges in an open area with lots of old broken walls and foundations from a derelict village. Continue on the track to arrive at the Monastery of Panagia Hamon, pass this church on it's left side and pick up a path which comes out in a really open rocky area. Look carefully on your left to see an old threshing circle - the path continues on the far side of this. The path is marked with red and blue dots and now goes diagonally left and downwards with zig zags in places as it goes in and out of gullies - and heads on down passing several lone trees to arrive at the just above the cemetery. You need to go on down to the right side of the cemetery but this area is very rough and the path seems to have been destroyed so just make your way down to the road over the heavy rock and debris.

On reaching the road turn right and follow this road as it winds round the hillside - with views of Chorio and Pedi below you - to eventually reach the peaceful monastery of Zoodohou Pigis Vrisi. This is a lovely spot - you could easily spend a fair time up here maybe eating your afternoon picnic or perhaps just reading a book for a few hours and also as with most of the churches and monasteries there is water available if you need it.
Return back down the road to now pass through the gate and over the bridge - passing the cemetery then on reaching the main road turn right and walk back down into the Old Town. At the first bend, directly ahead of you there is a small path which goes through the trees and allows you to avoid the long looping bend the road takes - on rejoining the road look out for the good views of the windmills on the ridge above. Just after passing the dis-used football pitch below on the right look out for a road on the left with a no-entry sign - take this and then at the junction turn left and this will get you back to the Kali Strata and the Village Square.

Visiting the Byzantine Wine Presses on Symi The area where the Byzantine wine presses are located is towards the bottom of the island so you probably need to use a car to do this since there is no public transport. Head out on the main tarmac road towards Panormitis, pass the signs for Vigla and then Kokkimidis and park where you come to a really open area with a track on the right signposted to Ag. Nicholaos.

Having parked, walk along the main road still towards Panormitis, pass a track on the left which heads (and is signposted) to Nanou beach, then on the right take the ancient moni-path which starts by the monastery of Panagia Strateri and follow this for a short distance to then rejoin the main road. Turn right and then almost immediately left on a dirt track which dives off into a wooded area - the track comes out in an open area and now head for the small church in front of you. Having looked at the church head down right towards a fence and a large circular water container with some very green horrible looking water inside. Carry on along the path with the fence on your right and at the corner turn right and make your way through the woods and eventually turning right again to pick up the far side of the field (you are in fact going 3/4 way round the field from the church).

Keep going on through the wooded area with the fence still on your right until you reach a dirt track by a gate - don't go through the gate but climb up sharply right on a small path to reach another dirt track. Turn left and follow this a short distance until you reach a junction - go left here - this is now marked Byzantine Wine Presses. Follow this really lovely path through the woods until you reach another sign - from here the presses and bowls are up on the right on the hillside - so just wander around to find them.

You can continue along the path to visit another tiny church - we don't know it's name sadly. Return back along the path and this time stay on it to reach the main road by the monastery Sotiros Megalos Neras (which unusually was locked when we visited).
Turn right along the main road and head back towards where you parked - passing the monastery of Aghia Marina Neras on the way.

Chorio - Pedi - Chorio This is just an alternate way to walk down to Pedi from the Old Town going via the countryside - (and then you could also wander a little further along to visit the nice beach at Ag. Nikolaos).

From the cafe head down the Kali Strata and after a few metres turn right by Georgios taverna and follow the street and then take the next turning on the right (before reaching the Village Hotel) - this will bring you onto the main road. Turn right and follow the road soon passing a football pitch below you on the left and then a bus stop on the right - look out for a yellow house on the left and here take a path (which is marked) going downwards which passes just below a very small church. Continue along the sometimes walled path as it crosses the countryside to reach a bulldozed area - cross this and go up onto a track - turn left along the track and very soon go right on a signposted (Ancient Fortifications Drakos) path.

This really nice path goes between high stone walls and passes a stone shelter (dated 1909) - here there is a gate on the left which you can go through and have a snoop the other side of the wall. Continue along the path eventually crossing a stream bed (where you can divert to go on to the fortifications or go right to Monastery Panagia Eleoussa) - go left here on a very rubble track which crosses the dry streambed and then joins a wide track - go on passing a farm on the left and then reaching a newly built church** also on the left. Soon after you pass the church look out for a marked track on the right which goes through trees - just before reaching a walled garden and gate turn left and follow the path through more trees. The path swings round and then turns left by the side of a high wall - this eventually comes out by a very small church at Pedi.

Return by either following the main road back to Chora or you can follow the original path back to the junction after the new church ** - turn right and follow the track round the new football pitch and this will bring out onto the main road by a tiny church - turn left and follow this back up into Chora.

Our Other Simi Items can be found via our Symi Holidays Guide.