Athos, a mountainous peninsula in Chalkidiki, has been a land of monks for more than a thousand years: 20 monasteries with their sketes and cells, governed by the Holy Community at Karyes. Pilgrims stay a few nights as guests of the monasteries, sharing services and meals, and move between them on foot, by boat or by minibus. In one visit pilgrims usually see only some of the places here.
Only men may enter Athos. Every pilgrim needs a permit, the diamonitirion, booked in advance with the Pilgrims' Bureau; the number of permits per day is limited. It is collected in Ouranoupoli, and the only way in is by boat from Ouranoupoli or Ierissos.
Walking trail, 68 km · Xiropotamou – Karyes – Iviron, Karyes – Vatopedi, Vatopedi – Zografou – Hilandar, Simonopetra – Grigoriou – Dionysiou, Dionysiou – Agiou Pavlou – Skete of St Anne, Skete of St Anne – summit of Athos, Summit of Athos – Great Lavra
Day 1 · By boat to Dafni, up to Karyes
- OuranoupoliA seaside village with a Byzantine tower by the harbour; here pilgrims collect the diamonitirion and board the boat along the coast.
- DafniA small port with a few houses and shops; from here boats go on along the coast and minibuses run to Karyes.≈ 24 km from the stop before
- Karyes: the ProtatonLuke 1:46–48The small capital of Athos, seat of the Holy Community; its church, the Protaton, of the 10th century, keeps wall paintings of c. 1300.≈ 5 km from the stop before
Day 2 · The north-east coast: Iviron, Vatopedi, Hilandar
- Iviron MonasteryA monastery on the east coast, founded in 979/980 by Georgian monks, as the monastery gives it.≈ 4 km from the stop before
- Vatopedi MonasteryA large monastery by a bay on the north-east coast, with a Byzantine church and a busy guesthouse.≈ 10 km from the stop before
- Hilandar MonasteryA monastery in a green valley in the north; much of it has been restored since the fire of 2004.≈ 8 km from the stop before
Day 3 · The south-west coast: Panteleimon to Dionysiou
- St Panteleimon MonasteryLarge buildings of the 19th century on the shore, with green domes, between Dafni and Ouranoupoli.≈ 13 km from the stop before
- Simonopetra MonasteryA monastery of several storeys built on top of a rock high above the sea.≈ 7 km from the stop before
- Dionysiou MonasteryA fortified monastery on a rock just above the sea on the south-west coast.≈ 3 km from the stop before
Day 4 · The south: St Anne, the summit, Great Lavra
- Skete of St AnneSmall houses of monks on a steep slope above the sea around a church of the 17th–18th centuries; the path up the mountain starts nearby.≈ 4 km from the stop before
- Summit of Mount AthosMatt 17:1–2A bare marble peak with a small chapel of the Transfiguration; a little lower stands the chapel of the Mother of God with a shelter.≈ 3 km from the stop before
- Great LavraThe first in rank of the 20 monasteries, a walled monastery near the south-east tip of the peninsula.≈ 5 km from the stop before
Before you travel, check your country’s travel advice. Opening hours and the rules of the sites change — see their official pages.
© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL 1.0 — Walking trail: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0), joined and simplified by Bible Explorer.
Land outlines: Natural Earth (public domain).