Location: Patmos
Top Things to do in Patmos
9 Sights & Landmarks in Patmos That You Shouldn't Miss
Patmos (Greek: Πάτμος, pronounced [ˈpatmos]) is a small Greek island in the Aegean Sea, most famous for being the location of both the vision of and the writing of the Christian Bible's Book of Revelation.
Restaurants in Patmos
1. Chapel of Profitis Ilias
2. Monastery of St. John
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 670 reviews
Massive stone monastery completed in the 11th century in honor of St. John the apostle.
Reviewed By Alex280546 - Melbourne, Australia
My wife and I were very happy that our ship, the MV Celestyal Olympia, visited Patmos, on a cruise around the Greek Islands. As practising Catholics, we looked forward to seeing the cave where St. John wrote the Book of Revelation. We took an optional tour (paid tour). The tour took us first to the cave, then to this magnificent monastery on top of the hill. While the cave had a lot religious significance, this monastery was a real sightseeing gem. Wonderful location, great views, and plenty of history. (it is 1000 years old, whereas St. John lived in the cave, in exile, over 1900 years ago). There is a fantastic little museum, where you can see some very interesting church treasures, including the document signed by the Byzantine Emperor Alexis in 1088, establishing this monastery. As we had taken a paid tour, we had an excellent guide, who gave us an enormous amount of information. She also pointed out the best places to get photos. The views are stunning. One caution: your transport cannot take you right up to the entrance, it will need to park a fair way below. So, there is some climbing involved. If it is rainy, the cobblestones will be slippery and dangerous. Not a place to take a stroller!
3. Walking in Patmos
4. Chora Patmos
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 331 reviews
Reviewed By alisonsM6413UD - Newbury, United Kingdom
Chora (also known as Hora) is absolutely gorgeous. Every narrow street is a photoshoot in and of itself. There are several good restaurants here the views from which are spectacular (our favourites were Benetos and Jimmys). There's the monastery museum to visit which is lovely. I suspect in normal times (ex covid) Chora is generally packed with tourists so best to go early or late. Luckily for us with it being mid September and no cruise ships visiting Patmos we'd Chora all to ourselves and it truly is a magical place
5. Windmills of Patmos
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 112 reviews
Reviewed By 616iank - Alnwick, United Kingdom
Greek winmills are unusual, unique in style and wonderfully photogenic. These are near the great monestary, so do not miss them, as they are away from the parking area. Great views from here.
6. Nunnery of the Annuciation
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 31 reviews
Reviewed By 900tricia900 - London, United Kingdom
A tranquil and beautiful place to visit. No direct bus service to it if you don't have a car, but you can get there via car, bike or taxi, or walk to it from Hora (regular bus service between Hora and Skala).
7. Cave of Apocalypse
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 525 reviews
A beautiful monastery built near the cave where St. John the apostle wrote the Book of Revelations.
Reviewed By septyandcindy - Edmonton, Canada
My wife and I visited this site in May 2019 as part of a 14-day tour retracing the footsteps of the apostles John and Paul in Asia Minor (modern day Greece and Turkey.) The inclusion of this attraction was a no-brainer: what biblical tour to this part of the world could possibly omit the place where the disciple John wrote the Book of Revelation? (By way of background, John was the only one of the original twelve disciples to escape execution and spent the last years of his life in exile on the island of Patmos. Exile was less harsh than the death penalty and would, the authorities hoped, impede John’s ability to spread the troublesome gospel of Jesus Christ.) Most of our travel group were people of faith and approached the entire tour as a spiritual pilgrimage rather than a sightseeing holiday. As a faith-growing experience, our visit to the cave did not disappoint. It was extraordinarily moving to see the cave where John witnessed the visions he described in the Book of Revelation, the last book of the bible. It was equally gut-wrenching to see the harsh cave conditions in which this elderly man laboured so faithfully in his old age to document the Word of God. To see the hole in the wall where he purportedly rested his head every night (a rock-hard pillow to be sure!) made me realize the kind of physical sacrifice he made to complete his work. I completely get the many lukewarm reviews of this attraction on TA. The cave is small, dark and cramped; the stairs down to it are uneven and difficult to navigate. From a secular sightseeing perspective, the cave is underwhelming. If you’re not a believer, I’m honestly not sure it’s worth your while to go. But for a person of faith, the Cave of Apocalypse is an amazing 5-star experience. Don’t miss it if you’re in the area.
8. Chapel of St. Anne
9. Simantiri Masnion
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 9 reviews
