Patmos

Patmos

Patmos is a small Dodecanese island, 34 square kilometres, famous as the island where St. John the Theologian wrote the Book of Revelation in exile. Its landscape is dominated by the fortified Monastery of Saint John, founded in 1088 by St. Christodoulos, which crowns the hill above Chora like a Byzantine castle, and the Cave of the Apocalypse halfway down where John heard the voice of God.

Chora is one of the best preserved medieval settlements in the Aegean, with white houses and old captains’ mansions, while the port town Skala below is small and low-key. With quiet, mostly pebbly beaches like Psili Ammos, Grikos and Lambi, and a strong spiritual atmosphere, Patmos feels more contemplative than its neighbours Leros or Kos, a UNESCO World Heritage pilgrimage island as much as a holiday one.

The holy island of Revelation in the Dodecanese

Patmos is situated off the west coast of Turkey, the northernmost island of the Dodecanese complex on the eastern borderline of the Aegean Sea, about 55 kilometres southwest of Samos and 158 to 168 nautical miles southeast of Piraeus. It is a small volcanic island with rocky soil, about 10 miles long and 6 miles broad along the northern coast, 7.5 miles long and 6 miles wide, with area c.13 square miles or 34 square kilometres. The municipality including offshore islands Arkoi pop 54, Marathi pop 6 and several uninhabited islets has combined land area 45.039 square kilometres and population 3,044 in 2001, about 3,000 approximately today.

The island is made up of three indented headlands linked by two isthmuses about 2 kilometres wide, with Kalikatsou Rock and Petra Beach. Main communities are Chora the capital city with the Monastery of Saint John Christodoulou founded 1088, and Skala the only commercial port. According to Rev 1.9 exiled St John the Divine wrote the Book of Revelation here. Forbes in 2009 named Patmos Europe’s most idyllic place to live for quiet tranquility.

This is for you if you want sacred sites, picturesque villages and natural beauty with pilgrimage history. It is not for party islands or large resorts.

How to get there & around

Patmos has no airport — you go by direct ferry from Port of Piraeus to Patmos. Blue Star Ferries operates with departures like 00:00 arriving 08:20 for 8h20, 05:10AM arriving 12:30PM for 7h20, 13:01 arriving 20:20 for 7h19, 11:00AM arriving 06:30PM for 7h30, 18:00 arriving 02:10AM for 8h10, and overnight 23:10 or 18:00 arriving 06:00 for 12h00. Fastest around 7h19 to 8h10, slowest 12h05. There are also connections via Syros with total 7h21m. On the island buses and taxis connect Skala port to Chora up the hill and to beaches like Kambos — you can drive across quickly but the indented coast needs time.

Sources

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Last Updated on August 31, 2026 by admin