Planning a Patmos itinerary means deciding how days to spend and how to balance the island’s spiritual sights, beautiful beaches, boat trips and quiet villages. Two days cover the essentials, three to four give a relaxed, rounded visit. A week lets you swim widely. Hike, and hop to neighbouring islands, all at the slow pace … Read more
Patmos sits at the heart of a cluster of small, beautiful islands, so day trips and island hopping are among its great pleasures. Frequent ferries and fast catamarans link it with relaxed Lipsi, historic Leros, climbers’ Kalymnos and larger Samos, while small boats reach the near-empty islets of Arki and Marathi, making Patmos an ideal … Read more
Hiking in Patmos is a rewarding way to see the quieter, wilder side of this small holy island. Following old stone monopatia and marked trails between the towns, monasteries, chapels and remote beaches. A network of eight waymarked routes, most of them gentle, links the pilgrims’ path from Skala to Chora with coastal walks, hilltop … Read more
Patmos food is simple, seasonal and sea-facing, built on fresh fish and seafood, local cheeses, garden vegetables. Thyme honey and traditional sweets. Eaten in relaxed tavernas by the harbour, on hillside terraces and behind the beaches. For such a small island it has a rich and rewarding table, from humble grilled octopus to elegant, creative … Read more
The best time to visit Patmos is the shoulder season of late spring and early autumn, when the weather is warm and settled. The sea is swimmable. The island is lively without the crowds and prices of high summer. Patmos enjoys a classic Aegean climate of hot, dry summers and mild, wetter winters, so the … Read more
Patmos is a small island, but its beaches, villages and viewpoints are spread out and served by only a modest bus network, so for visitors a hire car or scooter is the key to seeing it freely. Renting a vehicle turns the scattered highlights, the remote southern beaches, the northern coves and the hilltop capital, … Read more
Skala is the port and main town of Patmos, the lively, low-rise hub where every ferry and cruise tender arrives. Set around a sheltered natural harbour beneath the hill of Kastelli. Comfortable, central and welcoming, it is where most visitors are based, with the widest choice of hotels. Tavernas and shops on the island and … Read more
Deciding where to stay in Patmos means choosing between the convenience of the port at Skala. The atmosphere of hilltop Chora. The beaches of Grikos and Kampos, along with a scatter of quieter bays. The island is small, so nowhere is far from anything, but each area has its own character, and picking the right … Read more
Getting to Patmos takes a little planning, because the island has no airport and can be reached only by sea. Most visitors either take an overnight ferry from Piraeus, the port of Athens. Or fly to a neighbouring island such as Kos or Samos and connect by a short catamaran. Regular ferries also link Patmos … Read more
Some of the best experiences in Patmos happen on the water. The greater part of the island’s finest coast, its hidden coves, clear-water inlets and offshore islets, can only be reached by sea. A boat trip is one of the most rewarding things to do here. Whether a short half-day cruise, a full-day private charter, … Read more