Mt Athos, Greece

Mount Athos is a mountain and a peninsula in Macedonia, northern Greece. This World Heritage Site is home to 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries and forms a self-governed monastic state within the sovereignty of the Hellenic Republic.

Mount Athos has been described as one of the most beautiful places on earth, boasting enormous monasteries, like castles or fortresses which dot the coast and appear on the mountain slopes. Unfortunately women are not permitted to visit the monasteries, however cruises along the coast allow both men and women to view them from the sea.

Along the cliffs there are caves and many simple houses or kelions that have several monks in each and a small church. There are churches, virgin forests and animals that are found nowhere but the Holy Mountain. There are monks from every country in the Orthodox world and even some from non-orthodox countries. The seashore is perhaps the most beautiful in the Aegean, pristine and rarely used for swimming since monks don't generally go to the beach.

Things to See & Do

* Zograf Monastery
* Stavronikita monastery
* Aghiou Panteleimonos Monastery
* Ouranoupolis village
* Cruise to Ouranoupolis and port of Daphne

General information

Cruise Season - Feb to Dec
Currency - Euro (€)
Language - Greek
Land Area - 390 km²
Population - 2,500 (estimate)
Electricity - 2 round pins European style
Time - GMT/UTC plus two hours
International Country Telephone Code - + 30

Port Location - From the town of Ouranopoulis there is a small boat that takes you to the port of Daphne, the official entry point for pilgrims to Mount Athos, or Agia Oros.

Travel Links - While the most common access is via caique from Ouranoupolis, boats also leave from Ormos Panagias on Sithonia. Cruises along the coastline of the Holy Mountain are also offered, so that both sexes can get a glimpse of its centuries-old monasteries. There is also one bus that goes from the port of Daphne to the town of Karyes in the center of the peninsula.