Symi Citadel

The Kastro crowns the upper town of Chorio, on the site of Symi's ancient acropolis, where the Knights of St John built a fortress in the Middle Ages. Stretches of wall survive, along with a church rebuilt after the original was destroyed during the Second World War.

The real reason to come up is the view: the neoclassical houses of Gialos stacked around the harbour below, Pedi bay on the other side and the Turkish coast across the water. From the harbour it is a stiff climb up the Kali Strata, a long stepped street of several hundred steps, followed by lanes through Chorio. Do it early in the morning or near sunset, never at midday in summer, and take water.