Mount Athos Cruise Tour

The cruise starts from Ormos Panagias, situated in N-E of Sithonia peninsula in Chalkidiki. From this seaport we will go on with our journey, sailing towards the south of the Athos Peninsula, until we reach the south limit, where the highest point is 2.033 m. From here we shall sail north, along the western coast.

You will be able to see from close (from the boat), the mysterious and miraculous place which has been for centuries the center of Orthodoxy and you will find out new information about the history of Mount Athos and 8 of its monasteries.

After approximately 4 hours we shall stop in Ouranoupolis, where you will have enough free time to discover this village, to take a walk, to shop or to have a traditional meal at one of the best taverns there. On our way back from Ouranoupolis, the boat will sail to the west, to Ormos Panagias and for 1 hour and a half, you will watch a wonderful program with traditional dances and Greek music. The cruise will finish in Ormos Panagias. If your place of accommodation shall be in Thessaloniki, the bus will be waiting for you there to drive you back to your hotel.

Pickups from Chalkidiki and Thessaloniki (only on Saturdays)

The Price of the Excursion Includes:

Transfer

Escort

Cruise ticket

The onboard guide is conducted in English, Greek, German, and if needed in French and Russian language, from an audio guide narration system.

The excursion is available every Tuesday and Saturday from May to October

Explore More About Mount Athos:

Cloaked by beautiful chestnut and other types of Mediterranean forest, the steep slopes of Mount Athos are punctuated by twenty imposing monasteries and their subsidiary establishments. Covering an area of just over 33,000 hectares, the property includes the entire narrow rocky strip of the easternmost of the three peninsulas of Chalcidice which jut into the Aegean Sea in northern Greece.

The subsidiary establishments include sketae (daughter houses of the monasteries), kellia and kathismata (living units operated by the monks), where farming constitutes an important part of the monks’ everyday life. An Orthodox spiritual center since the 10th century, Mount Athos has enjoyed a self-administered status since Byzantine times. Its first constitution was signed in 972 by the emperor John I Tzimiskes.

The 'Holy Mountain', which is forbidden to women and children, is also a recognized artistic site. The layout of the monasteries (which are presently inhabited by some 1,400 monks) had an influence as far afield as Russia, and its school of painting influenced the history of Orthodox art. The landscape reflects traditional monastic farming practices, which maintain populations of plant species that have now become rare in the region.