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Choose the smaller island before adding the nights
For ten days of Rhodes and Kos island hopping, use Rhodes–Symi–Kos with four nights on Rhodes, two on Symi and three on Kos. For fourteen days, choose Rhodes–Kos–Leros–Patmos–Kos instead, leaving a final Kos night before flying home. Both plans start with an arrival on Rhodes and end with a departure from Kos; neither assumes you can fly in and out of Rhodes without adding a return crossing. The ten-day route is the better fit for a first multi-island holiday with fewer moves. The longer route earns its extra travel by giving Leros and Patmos actual stays.
What the operator timetable actually establishes
The Dodekanisos Seaways timetable examined on 26 October 2026 showed a northbound Rhodes–Symi–Kos–Kalymnos–Leros–Lipsi–Patmos sequence that day. The 31 October listing showed a southbound Patmos–Leros–Kalymnos–Kos–Symi–Rhodes sequence. This supports the corridor and the two directions; intermediate port calls do not mean a nonstop voyage, nor do they necessarily require a change of boat. The following day-by-day plans are flexible night patterns, not journeys certified for those dates. A route appearing on one date does not establish daily service, next summer’s frequency or availability.
Dodekanisos Seaways: dated ferry itinerariesTwo Dodecanese itineraries: 10 or 14 days
10 days · 9 nights
Nine nights: four Rhodes, two Symi and three Kos. Best for a smaller-island stay without extending to the northern end of the chain.
- Day 1
Arrive on Rhodes
Transfer to the chosen Rhodes base. Keep the evening for a nearby meal rather than a timed attraction.
Overnight: Rhodes
- Day 2
Rhodes Medieval Town
Spend the day in the medieval town; a Rhodes Town base avoids a separate island-wide transfer.
Overnight: Rhodes
- Day 3
Lindos day
Make Lindos the main outing rather than combining it with a ferry move.
Overnight: Rhodes
- Day 4
A flexible Rhodes day
Use the day for the coast or unfinished town visits. Keep it flexible if weather changes the next crossing.
Overnight: Rhodes
- Day 5
Rhodes to Symi
Take the booked sailing to Symi’s town harbour and settle in. A Panormitis-only arrival is not the same destination.
Overnight: Symi
- Day 6
Stay on Symi
Spend time in Gialos and Chorio. Treat a Panormitis visit as a separately arranged outing if you want it.
Overnight: Symi
- Day 7
Symi to Kos
Use a verified northbound Symi–Kos sailing. If it does not fit, change the nights before reserving this sequence.
Overnight: Kos
- Day 8
Kos Town
Use the day for town archaeology and the waterfront; keep the Asklepieion as a separate journey.
Overnight: Kos
- Day 9
Kos beach or inland day
Choose one coast or inland outing, returning to the same room before the departure day.
Overnight: Kos
- Day 10
Leave from Kos
Transfer to Kos Airport for a separately booked departure. This variant requires flights into Rhodes and out of Kos.
Book these directed legs, not a generic island-hopping ticket
For the ten-day plan, resolve Rhodes → Symi and Symi → Kos before fixing the rooms. For the fourteen-day plan, resolve Rhodes → Kos, Kos → Leros, Leros → Patmos and Patmos → Kos. The last is a southbound return, not an assumption that the northbound boat reverses when you need it. Search the exact origin, destination and date for each. A through ticket can include calls at other islands; a proposed connection involving a different vessel needs its own transfer margin. If the sequence does not fit, move nights between bases or omit a stop rather than turning a missing service into a same-day connection.
Dodekanisos Seaways: dated ferry itinerariesPorts and the journey between rooms
On Symi, distinguish the town harbour from Panormitis monastery. On Kos, the island airport, Kos Town ferry arrival and Mastichari are not interchangeable places. Leros has Lakki and Agia Marina: Blue Star’s still-published construction notice says its vessels have used Agia Marina instead of Lakki from 8 November 2025 until completion. That notice does not establish another company’s berth, so use the named port in the actual sailing instructions. Budget the transfer from the ferry to the room on every island, not only the sailing time.
Blue Star Ferries: Leros berth-change noticeWhat to change for a week or a slower fortnight
For a week, keep one main island and one smaller island: Rhodes with Symi, or Kos with Leros or Patmos, subject to matching crossings. Do not squeeze all four main stops of the fourteen-day route into seven days. For a slower fortnight, omit Leros and redistribute its nights between Kos and Patmos, or keep Rhodes and Symi as the whole trip if those are the places you most want. Additional island names do not create additional full days. The fourteen-day version gives Leros only one full day; travellers particularly interested in its history should take nights from elsewhere rather than adding more outings to that day.
Season and flight buffers
The operator’s displayed listings extended into November 2026, but the northern corridor did not appear on every displayed date: some days instead ran Rhodes–Symi–Halki–Tilos–Nisyros–Kos. Do not treat that southern branch as a substitute ferry to Patmos. The examples establish neither a winter closure nor a year-round promise. Match every transfer to your month. In the longer plan, the final Kos night is an editorial buffer before the flight, not a guarantee against multiple days of disruption. If a separate ticket is expensive to miss, increase the margin or reduce the island count.
Dodekanisos Seaways: dated ferry itinerariesCost the nights and the complete ferry moves
Price nine room nights for the ten-day route and thirteen for the fourteen-day route, using the actual room occupancy and cancellation terms. Add every directed ferry ticket, any selected seat or cabin, port transfers on both sides, airport transfers and sightseeing transport such as the Lindos outing. The longer plan has four sea legs rather than two and a split Kos stay, which can change transfers and room choices. No fixed fare or daily budget is quoted here: use live prices for the intended dates rather than a generic cost-per-island allowance.