PATMOS TRAVEL GUIDE

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AREAS

Chora

The island's capital Patmos or Chora (Hora) is built 3 km southwest of the harbour (Skala). It spreads out under the walls of the monastery of St.John like roots of a tree. Many islands have villages called Hora. They are usually the main village and the first settlement making them the oldest developed areas on their island.

Hora or Patmos has many times been referred to as the queen of all Hora's, not only because of the monastery, but for the Byzantine residences that are unique to the island and said to be the strongest built in the Aegean.

Skala

Around the 16th century Skala was one of the most important commercial ports in the Mediterranean. It was originally made up of warehouses and maintenance facilities for local and incoming ships. The buying and selling of loot from pirates and the making and export of woman's stockings and embroidery were the major economical assets to the island and its people. At sunset everyone would return to their protected homes in Hora via the steps (skala).

The first homes were built at the beginning of the 19th century when European ships chased off the pirates from Turkey, Arabia and other countries. The Greek government, under military dictatorship, built the current port in 1972.

Skala is now the most populated and most frequently visited place on the island. It offers most of the public services and being the island's only port it has a selection of supermarkets, gift shops, restaurants, hotels, cafeterias, bars and everything you would expect to find in a commercial harbour.

Grikos

Grikos bay is situated in the southeast. It is approximately 4.5 km from the port in Skala. The road runs parallel to the coast making walking to and from Skala very beautiful and popular, especially for joggers.

The bus stops by several times a day leaving you 50 meters from the beach. There are taverns, a rent-a-bike with a cafe, hotels and apartments, a kiosk and heaps of sand to lay your towel on.

Grikos is a popular settlement during the summer because it is quieter than most towns around the island, especially during the high season (August). Its beach is the longest on the island with crystal clear waters and tamarisk trees for shade.

Tragonissi ("ram island") populated only by goats and a goat herder, faces the bay protecting it from bad weather (except SE winds) and making it perfect for yachts and boats to stop by or moor on the jetty where the sea has a depth of 2 meters.

Agios Nikolaos

This locality is where the craftsmen and artists that built the monastery lived with there families.

The church of Agios Nikolaos (St.Nicholas), that the bay was named after, is one of the oldest on the island. It was built in the 11th century for and by the craftsmen and their families.

It has a very old icon of St Nicholas that was brought to Patmos by workers from Trebizond in Asia Minor, and is believed to perform miracles.

In the Greek Orthodox faith St Nicholas is the guardian of the sea and seamen. You will notice that a lot of boats and caiques have been named Agios Nikolaos in order to keep them and their men safe at sea.

It is believed that the bay and town are named so because when approaching by sea a light guides you towards the safety of the bay.