Patmos island lies between Leros and Ikaria. It is famous for its religious past as one of the Apostles of Jesus, Saint John the Divine, wrote the Book of Revelation (the Apocalypse) during his exile. Its mild climate, the impressive natural beauty, the tourist infrastructure and the beautiful beaches, promise unforgettable vacations. There are two main “cities” on Patmos: Skala, the harbour area and where most of the residents live and Hora (or Chora), the hilltop area dominated by the Byzantine Monastery of St. John build in 1088 to withstand pirate raids.
Patmos, as the other islands of Greece, is full of beaches and every one of them offers something different. The best beaches of Patmos are lying on its eastern coast, north and south of the island’s port. A few beaches are only available on the west coast, which is mostly rocky, windy and inaccessible by road. You can swim in Ag. Nikolaos, Agriolivadi, Alikes, Apollou, Aspri, Diakofti, Grikos, Kambos, Lambi, Livadi Geranou, Lefkes, Meloi, Merika, Mersini, Petra, Psili Ammos and Skala.
IMPORTANT FACILITIES for YACHTS AND BOATS ON CHARTER in Patmos Island (Necessary needs and infrastructure for yachtsmen or generally for anyone who is on sailing vacation / yachting holidays onboard a sailing yacht or a motor boat).
| Patmos Island | Technical assistance | |||||||||
| Fuel | Water | Provisions | Ice | Engineer | Electrician | Plastic repairs | Wood works & repairs | Chandler store | Sail maker (repairs) | GSM Mobile Telephone COVERAGE |
| YES | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES | NO | NO | NO | NO | YES |
WATER SPORTS in Patmos Island
Only the beaches of Agriolivado, Kambos, Grikos and Meloi are organised for water sport activities offering canoes, paddle boats, water skis and wind surfing boards rentals, as well as equipment for paragliding.
SCUBA DIVING in Patmos Island
The island and the many islets surrounding it are ideal for scuba diving, though there are no diving centres on the island yet.
RENT A CAR / BIKE in Patmos Island (main town and port)
PATMOS Rent A Car, Tel 2247032203, http://www.patmosrentacar.com/el/
HISTORY Information for Patmos Island
The island was first inhabited around 3000BC most probably by the Dorians, followed by the Ionians and the Romans who used it as a place of exile for criminals, politican and religious troublemakers. That was when Apostle John came to the island where he conveyed the inhabitants to Christianity and wrote the Apocalypse. After the division of the Roman Empire, Christianity was officially recognised and spread rapidly throughout the Greek islands and the Byzantine Empire flourished as Patmos and its people are culturally advanced. However, after the continuous pirate raids, the island was left deserted for several years until 1085 when Reverent Father Christodoulos was given the complete control of the island and began the construction of the monastery. The rest of the history is very similar with the rest of the Greek islands as the island was then conquered by the Venetians, the Knights of St. John, the Turks, the Russians and finally the Italians and the Germans. In 1945, the Germans left and the island of Patmos stayed autonomous until 1948 when, with the rest of the Dodecanese Islands, it joined the rest of independent Greece. In 1983 Patmos was formally declared by the Greek Parliament a Holy Island.
MUSEUMS AND other interesting SITES in Patmos Island
The Monastery of St. John and the nearby Cave of the Apocalypse, where the revelations took place, are major pilgrimage destinations and popular tourist sights. You may also visit the Treasure Museum of the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian located inside the monastery, the Cultural Museum in Chora (Tel. +30 22470 31360) and the remainings of the Acropolis of Patmos on the hill of Kastelli near Skala.
LOCAL THINGS & STUFF to check or BUY in Patmos Island
Make sure to taste some of the traditional sweets called “pougia”, which are made of dough and almonds, topped with sugar and syrup and “apidakia” made of walnut and honey. They can be found in all the pastry shops of the island.
Apart for its sweets, Patmos is famous for its high-quality cheese products (touloumotyri and mizithra), so you may also taste the great cheesepie with tasty past and fresh local cheese. It is one of the islands’ specialties!!
Fresh fish and excellent seafood can be found in various tavern of Patmos. As for shopping, you will find linen reversible weavings, fine embroideries, handmade jewellery, handmade icons and beautiful hand-woven fabrics with traditional designs.