Athos is a peninsula in Greece, the so-called third finger of Halkidiki. It’s 5-10km wide, about 45km long, with a surface of 389km2. The peninsula is hilly, covered with dense forests, and in the southeastern part of the peninsula on 2033 meters above sea level, there’s the top of mount Athos, covered with forest.

According to the constitution of Greece, a part of the peninsula known as the Holy Mountain is political self-government, the autonomous part of the Greek state and politically belongs to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece, and spiritually it’s under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, Istanbul. The capital city and the administrative centre of the Holy Mountain is Karyes. Since the UNESCO meeting in 1988, the Holy Mountain has been declared a World Heritage Site in the category of natural and cultural value.

Of course, a part of Atos that doesn’t belong to the Holy Mountain and is available to tourists. Places that are popular as resorts on Athos are Ierissos, Ouranopolis, Nea Rodha and Ammouliani island located across Ouranopolis. The most popular and largest city in Athos is Ierissos.

Atos is less popular compared to Sithonia and Kassandra and less-visited at this time when mass tourism has flooded most of the tourist destinations in Greece, though it’s lower attendance is considered to be an exceptional advantage.

The places on Athos offer all the conditions for a peaceful holiday, and the unreal beautiful, semi-sandy beaches are an opportunity for relaxed enjoyment in natural beauties without crowd and noise.

One of the most beautiful beaches is Legend, near Nea Rodha, while Komitsa, Kakoudia and Xiropotami are still intact and naturally beautiful.

The tourist part of Atos is small, the places are close to each other, as well as the beaches, and they’re easily reached by car. Local bus transportation is not developed that much.

Every place has a supermarket, while in Ierissos you can find Lidl and Masoutis. Ierissos also has an open market every Tuesday.

Athos is famous for its excursions or cruises around the Holy Mountain. The trip starts from Ouranopolis.

Ammouliani is an island across Ouranopolis and Trypiti, and you can take a boat every to it half an hour. The island is small but known for its unusual and beautiful beaches. Many say that Ammouliani is the most beautiful part of Athos, due to its beautiful sandy beaches, the crystal clear sea and untouched nature.

Usually, on the list of all visitors of the peninsula is a Serbian monastery Kakovo. You can also visit the ancient Stagira, the birthplace of Aristotle.

For those who prefer a more active holiday, Sithonia is not so far away.

Visit the following link for the complete list of accommodations in Athos.