Greece Patmos Tours

Patmos Tours cover a small Aegean island regarded as one of the holiest sites in Orthodox Christianity, traditionally identified as the place where St. John the Theologian wrote the Book of Revelation while in exile around 95 AD. The island's religious sites and whitewashed hill town have drawn pilgrims and visitors for centuries.

Reached by ferry from Piraeus, Kos or nearby Turkish ports, Patmos tours are often included within a wider Greece island-hopping route or visited as a day trip from the Turkish coast.

Cave of the Apocalypse

Partway up the hill between the port of Skala and the town of Chora, the Cave of the Apocalypse marks the spot where tradition holds St. John received the visions recorded in the Book of Revelation. A small chapel built into the cave preserves the rock said to have served as his pillow and desk, and the site has been a place of pilgrimage since the Byzantine period.

Monastery of St. John the Theologian

Above the cave, the fortified Monastery of St. John the Theologian dominates the hilltop town of Chora, its walls built in 1088 by the monk Christodoulos. Inside, the monastery keeps a library of Byzantine manuscripts and icons alongside a treasury of ecclesiastical artifacts. Together with the Cave of the Apocalypse and the town of Chora, the monastery was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999.

Chora and Skala

Chora's lanes wind between whitewashed houses built defensively close together, a layout meant to confuse pirate raids centuries ago, with the monastery walls visible from nearly every corner. Down at sea level, Skala serves as the island's port and main town, with waterfront tavernas and the departure point for boats to the surrounding beaches.

Beaches of Patmos

Away from the religious sites, Patmos keeps a scattering of quiet beaches along its coastline, including Psili Ammos, reached by boat or a walking trail in the south, and Grikos, a small bay near a fishing village a short drive from Chora. None of the island's beaches see the crowds of the larger Greek islands, in keeping with Patmos's slower pace overall.

Patmos Tour Options

Day tours to Patmos run from several points along the eastern Aegean, including the Turkish coast. The Daily Patmos Tour from Bodrum crosses by boat to spend a day visiting the cave and monastery before returning the same evening.

Best Time to Visit Patmos

May through October offers the warm, dry weather typical of the Aegean, with June and September avoiding the busiest midsummer weeks while keeping the sea warm enough for swimming at the island's smaller beaches.