Cruise along the monastic state of Athos

Boats leave twice a day, usually at 10:30 and 14:00. The standard price for an adult is 20E, if you inquire at the booths in the port, it is possible that they will offer you a price of 15E per cruise. You can board more than 30 minutes before departure and take a better seat. But it is not a problem during the voyage to commute around the ship between the decks and take pictures or enjoy. The ship does not stop anywhere, it simply goes to the holy mountain and back

Right at the beginning of the cruise, at the exit from the port, you have beautiful views of the whole of Ouranopol with the famous tower

After less than ten minutes of sailing, you are already at the borders of the Monastic Republic. The rest of the fortifications of the monastery of Zygos can also be seen

The seagulls know they'll get old bread, so they do aerial maneuvers around the ship. A very good opportunity to see them up close in flight

At the mouth of a large mountain valley there are not only extensive groves of olive trees, but also the ruins of a small monastery

The first major monastery along the way is Gourounoskete, also called New Thebais

Along the way, the boat passes a number of beautiful beaches, but it is not allowed to build here

Another point on the way is the ferry port of Yovanitsa

For me, the first really beautiful place on this cruise is the watchtower of the port of Zograph, set in a beautiful hilly landscape

Just a few hundred meters from the port of Zograph is a small church on a rock

You will only realize the monumentality of the monasteries on Athos when you arrive at the Dochiariou Monastery.

Just less than a kilometer away is an even larger monastery – Xenophontos

The monasteries are so close to each other that they fit in one photo. Directly above them rise the green slopes of the local hills

The most monumental of all monasteries is the so-called Russian monastery of st. Panteleimon

Xiropotamou Monastery is only less than two kilometers away from the Russian monastery, but unlike it high in the mountains

If you are a man and you get permission to enter Athos well in advance, Dafni is the only place where you can enter this monastic state.

The highlight of the whole voyage for me was the view of the „Eagle's Nest“ monastery Simonopetra perched in rocks high in the mountains. Splendor

When approached, it is beautiful to see how the monastery was built directly on the rock

The closer you get to where the ship turns back, the more and more beautiful the landscape. Another of the monasteries, this time built on a rock directly above the sea, is Osiou Gregoriou

Views of Mount Athos are getting better and the last monastery in relative proximity – Dionysia – is approaching

After an hour and three quarters of sailing, we are below Mount Athos, rising more than two kilometers above sea level, literally. The monastery of Agiou Pavla can still be seen on the horizon. The ship turns and returns to Ouranopol in the same way