VISIT MOUNT ATHOS

 

The Hiking Challenge. Many people from around the world visit Mount Athos every year to have a wonderful hiking experience.

VISIT MOUNT ATHOS

 

VISIT ATHOS AND LIVE A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE

VISIT MOUNT ATHOS

 

VISIT MOST OF THE TWENTY BYZANTINE MONASTERIES in  MT ATHOS  FOR A HIGHLY MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE

VISIT MOUNT ATHOS

 

CONTACT US  TODAY TO DISCUSS YOUR OPTIONS OR TO RECOMMEND A PROGRAM TAILORED EXCLUSIVELY TO YOUR NEEDS

our toursSIGHTSEEING - PILGRIMAGE ON HOLY MONASTERIES

Private Tour – To Mount Athos

Αναλυτικά Εντός
εώς 4 days

2 Days pilgrimage tour

Details Innen
2 days | 1 night

3 Days pilgrimage tour

Details Innen
3 days | 2 nights

HIKING MOUNT ATHOS

OUR SERVICES

For the past 25 years our expert guides have directed countless excursions to Mount Athos. We organize standard or customized tours to suit the specific requests of pilgrims. Our guides are present for the entire duration of the tour.

HIKING

With our thorough knowledge of the many hiking paths throughout Athos we will guide you to sites providing breathtaking views of the Aegean Sea and the monasteries that rise up from the peninsula's rocky shores.

MONASTERIES

We arrange tours to all of the monasteries sites depending on the selected monasteries' ability to accommodate our tour at the time of reservation.

PILGRIMAGE

Many relics of saints and centuries' old church treasures of Orthodoxy are preserved by the monasteries of Athos including relics of saints which exude a sweet fragrance of Holy Myrrh.

SIGHTSEEING

We arrange sightseeing tours of Mount Athos. The monks of the Holy Mountain welcome pilgrims warmly and present for viewing the relics and spiritual artifacts housed by the monastery.

TRANSPORTATION

Transportation from Ouranopoli to Mount Athos is only by water route via ferry or speedboat as per the choice of the pilgrim. Transportation between monasteries is via minivan.

ACCOMODATION

Overnight accommodations at the monasteries are arranged at the time that a tour is secured. Reservations are dependent on the availability of rooms at the chosen monastery or Kelli.
get to know us

WHO WE ARE

Discover all the well-hidden secrets of orthodoxy. With us You will live unique and unforgettable moments that you will always want to repeat.

BANTIS
NIKOLAOS

A pilgrimage trip to Athos is a unique experience. It will be my pleasure to accompany you on this journey, to tour together in the Holy Monasteries and to discover the secrets of orthodoxy with the help of my 25-year experience on tourism professions. I speak english. Mount Athos is the core of Orthodoxy, it is not just an experience, it is a way of life.

BANTIS
ATHANASIOS

I love pilgrimage trips to Athos and together we will live a special experience in this sacred place. Through out my 25 years of experience on tourism professions, I will reveal you all the well hidden secrets of orthodoxy. I speak three foreign languages English, French, Italian. The route to the Holy Mountain of Orthodoxy will be a visit that you will always want to repeat.

 

OUR GUESTS Thoughts of visitors who have experienced the tour with us.

Demos Argyros USA 6/10/2019

The first thing you said to us is we are going to live Mt Athos not just visit.  Truly the most amazing trip I have ever experienced.  Your guidance and attention to detail along with your knowledge of each place we visited was absolutely incredible.  The different monasteries, icons, experiences and interactions with the monks left me in awe.  Mt Athos is a special place and being with you made it come alive in a way that I could never dream of.  We lived Mt Athos and I look forward to living it again!  The only way to live Mt Athos is through you and your company!

Paul Roubekas 10 June 2022

I had the best time of my life while on a tour of Mount Athos with Athos Tours! The team at Athos Tours are very professional.  Don’t be put off by the simplicity of the website.  Each tour can be customized to meet as many of your goals as possible.  Mount Athos is a different world, your goals have to be balanced agent the Orthodox Church’s ecclesiastical calendar, which runs the life of the monasteries and skitis.  The ecclesiastical calendar shifts a little every year. Over the years Athos Tours have been in business they have developed dozens of relationships with abbots of monasteries and monks that maximize the number of places visited during a tour.  These relationships create a robust network of contingency options a person cannot plan for on their own.  There is no way to pack in as much as Athos Tours can buy build your own tour using the email address and phone numbers on the Mount Athos website.  The trust relationships Athos Tours have developed over the years also allow you to see thing most pilgrims don’t see.  I got to stay several nights at a home in a skiti that is not listed on the website Mount Athos website, that had a view that was so beautiful it would take more than a thousand words to describe.  This only happened because of the knowledge and relationship that Athos Tours has with the monasteries and skitis. Mount Athos is the only place where your sense of “soul” is touched. We humans have five basic known human senses and another four internal human senses.  But none of the academic listings of human senses list the human soul.  Going to Mount Athos will stimulate your sense of “soul”. All pre-planning emails were answered in a timely fashion with the clarity needed to avoid misunderstandings.  

Lance Wolf & Pedro Nunez 27 June 2022

My. Athos – Day 1 (am) – Spent 3 days living with the monks in this incredible historic peninsula. With 20 Orthodox monasteries and numerous skites dating back to the 10th century, Mt. Athos is a separate world. The magnificent historic structures, lavish interiors, and unparalleled art (paintings, icons, frescoes, religious objects, furnishings, relics) are glorious and in superb condition. And, the hospitality of the monks added to the thrill of staying there. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Jose A Ruiz Spain 22 July 2021

Hello Athanasios! It was great meeting you and your brother and spending time together. The organization of the trip was perfect and I had an awesome experience. An experience to remember. Thank you very much!! I will recommend you for sure!!

Stefan Robila USA 23 June 2021

Traveling with Athostours lets you focus on the extraordinary spiritual experience rather than having to consider the logistics. All our messages to Athanasios were promptly and patiently answered. Our trip was well planned and went smoothly. It started early in Thessaloniki with a prompt pick up from the hotel, we then traveled to Ouranoupoli then by boat to Mt. Athos. At each monastery, we visited we were welcomed with open arms. Despite the ongoing pandemic, Athanasios was able to organize a safe journey that we will treasure forever. We hope to return to Thessaloniki and to Agion Oros. Thank you very much!

Hans Vanoorbeek Belgium 6 September 2021

Dear Athanasios and Nikolaos, Sorry for my belated reply. Thanks again for the great trip to Mount Athos. A truly unforgettable experience….even for an experienced world traveler as myself was really impressed by the VIP treatment that I received….

Martin Schröde 22 October 2021

Dear Athanasios and Nikolaos, this is to say thanks again for a wonderful and impressive trip/pilgrimage to Mount Athos. The trip was professionally planned and perfectly organized. You took care of absolutely everything: getting the official permit for the visit (in a minimum of time!), picking me up at the hotel, booking the monastery (probably a special challenge in this Covid 19-times) and the boat, organizing a wonderful sightseeing tour with the opportunity to meet holy people like Monk Gabriel, etc  – practically everything. As I do not speak Greek, you translated and explained everything to me. As a Catholic Christian, it was a special and unforgettable experience to get an insight into the orthodox church. Attending the orthodox liturgy for several hours in total, living the frugal life of monks in an orthodox monastery for 2 days, praying with the monks, joining the monks in their frugal meals: all this created a feeling in me which I cannot describe. This world of men only was a completely new and different world to me. However, that made it so extraordinary and exciting for me. In addition to this, I enjoyed being a part of the group. All nice and friendly people who also did their best to help me understand. And the Mount Athos countryside: virgin nature and landscape, towered by the holy Mount Athos itself. So beautiful! All this in a unique political environment, the autonomous monk’s republic of Mount Athos. It was my pleasure to have met you and join the group on this pilgrimage. Be sure I will make advertisements for this tour as much and as often as possible. Thank you !!! Martin

Samuel Johnston USA 24/9/2019

Athanasios did an outstanding job guiding us around Mount Athos. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of the history, organization, and schedule of every site we visited. He had friends in every monastery, and could arrange for transportation, access, lodging, and food wherever we went, even on very short notice. We had originally planned for a major hike, and he arranged for supplies and a mule to accompany us. Then, when weather suddenly intervened and cancelled the hike at the last minute, he quickly prepared a new itinerary that was even more satisfying than what we had originally planned. Our group was not Orthodox and we didn’t speak Greek, and we were very concerned about showing proper respect, and Athanasios was always patient in explaining what was expected of us. He could open a conversation with everyone we encountered, and he found people that we could talk to. He is an excellent guide and I would recommend him to anybody who wants to visit the Holy Mountain.

Christofer Smirnakos Australia 22/9/2019

I was very grateful for the experience that I shared with Athanasios on ‘The Holy Mountain’ of Agios Oros. Athanasios was an excellent tour guide, knowing both English and Greek fluently. Every experience was made that much more fulfilling due to the explanations he gave to our group, making sure we understood everything we were bearing witness too. Agios Oros generally speaks for itself, the locations and sites you visit, they all have a holy presence that make your heart and soul go through a purification and cleansing process. This is made possible by detaching yourself from the outside (material) world. But most of all, it was Athanasios that took us to these amazing locations with ease and the appropriate transport (air conditioned). Athanasios made the paperwork process run very smoothly by making sure we had all the resources we needed for our stay. I will definitely be returning to the ‘The Holy Mountain’ and I will be sure to share the experience again with Athanasios. 10/10!!! – Greek Orthodox pilgrim from Australia Christopher Smirnakos

Joachim Maier

Germany

Hi Athanasios, I’m happy, I’m still chilled. I love Greece…. We are dreaming of Greece and Athos… Also Mathieu and Bernd. And I gave Stratos Dimitriadis a recommendation …. You are the best guide!

Ernest Vasseur USA June 2019

We had a magnificent visit to Mouth Athos, thanks to Athanasios and Nikolas, our excellent guides. They arranged everything and made us feel comfortable in a magical place.

Tom Kushner

USA May 2019

Phil, Meet Athanasios who was my guide for our magnificent trip to the Holy Mountain. The hole process (Visa, hospitality, transport,etc.) is quite Byzantine, hope you like the pun, and Athanasios took incredible care of us and we had an easy and wonderful stay on Athos. Consider yourselves connected, if you need someone to help plan your tour, he’s the guy! We called him Allstate because we were always in good hands! Best, Tom

Jonathon Bond

ENGLAND 3/5/2018

Dear Athanasios and Nikos: Many thanks from all our group for organizing such a memorable visit to Athos for us – we’ve all come away with many special memories. Your care and organization were brilliant – thank you. I will be back in touch in due course to discuss possible arrangements for a return 5-day trip (including the Grand Lavra, climbing Mt Athos etc), probably for May or October 2020. Best regards, Jonathon

Gus Spenos, M.D.

USA

My journey to Mount Athos began many months before my actual departure from the USA. Mr. Bantis provided me with detailed information regarding the numerous historical and religious sites present on the Holy Mountain which enabled me to “customize” my pilgrimage. Although I had outlined a rigorous schedule that would challenge the most experienced of guides, we had no difficulty in meeting the outlined itinerary. My pilgrimage over three days included five monasteries(including Simonos Petras, to which a visitation pass is prized and most difficult to acquire), three Kelli’s, and personal meetings with ascetic monks living in isolated sites on Athos. The paths on Athos are unmarked and pilgrims travel by trial and error, obviously resulting in delays with a risk that their destination may not be reached. These paths are well known to Mr Bantis. All aspects of my journey were meticulously arranged and completed, including all transportation and accommodation needs to and from Athos as well as on Athos. I was regularly introduced to monks throughout Athos, all of whom Mr. Bantis has personal friendships. We attended numerous morning and evening liturgical services. My personal and spiritual life was deeply enriched and much of it I owe to Mr. Bantis’ expert guidance.

Mathieu Meyer

Germany

Dear Athanasios, it was a great pleasure to visit Athos with you. As you said it takes some time to realize what we have experienced and what we have experienced was truly exceptional. Please let me know if I can be of any help regarding a trainee for your younger son. Have a nice weekend Best regards Mathieu

CONTACT US

    Proxenou Koromila 30

    Postal Code 54623 Thessaloniki

    Call from USA to GREECE

     

    (011 30) 2310 459595

    (011 30) 6949311953

     

    Call from EU to GREECE:

    (0030) 2310 459595

    Mob: 0030 6949 311953

    NEWSLETTER