The monastic coast, seen from the water
Athos cannot be entered without a permit and is closed to women altogether, so this trip stays offshore and in Ouranoupoli, the last town before the monastic border.
- Length
- 5 days · 4 nights
- Months
- May – June, September – October
- Stops
- 4
The route on a map
1 · 1 night
Thessaloniki
Arrival night and a market morning before heading east.
2 · 2 nights
Ouranoupoli
The last secular town on the peninsula, with a Byzantine tower and boats along the Athos coast.
3 · 1 night
Ammouliani
A small fishing island a short crossing away, with sand beaches facing the Athos peninsula.
4 · A day here
Vourvourou
A final stop on the drive back, for a swim among the islets.
Day by day
Day 1
Arrival in Thessaloniki
Sleep · Thessaloniki
Settle in and spend the evening in the markets and Ladadika.
Day 2
East to Ouranoupoli
Sleep · Ouranoupoli
A two-hour drive, arriving in time to walk the harbour and its fourteenth-century tower.
Day 3
The Athos coastal cruise
Sleep · Ouranoupoli
A full-day boat along the shoreline, passing twenty monasteries, some founded in the tenth century.
Day 4
Ammouliani
Sleep · Ammouliani
A short crossing for a slower day of swimming and a seafood lunch on the small harbour.
Day 5
Vourvourou, then home
Departure
A last swim at the islets on the drive back to Thessaloniki airport.