To start with: every pilgrimage to Athos starts with an email send to the pilgrimsbureau in Ouranopolis:
athosreservation at sign gmail.com
Please notice: in this post use the words “at sign” instead of the symbol @, to prevent spy-bots to hack the email addresses of monasteries (thanks Japetus).
Remember that you’ll have aply for your Diamoniterion 3 months before the start of you pilgrimage. Only 14 non-orthodox visitors are allowed to enter each day (and 120 Orthodox) and you’ll need a reservation beforehand for the 3 nights you will spent in the different monasteries. Add the full names, passportnumbers and religion of the visitors, and a copy of their passports in your email. When you collect your Diamoniterion on the morning of departure you pay eather 25 or 30 euro (Orthodox or not).
Secondly: don’t forget to make a reservation 2 months before the start of your pligrimage for the ferry to Dafni at 9.45 h and back from Dafni to Ouranopolis at info at sign agioreitikes-grammes.com (the boat from Ierissos leaves at 8.35 h.: do say to the Pilgrims Office at forehand that the Diamoniterion is to be collected in Ierissos). For more information about the routes go to their website.
If you want to use transport by minibus/taxi on Athos use this information (thanks to Athos Maps):
We recommend hotel Akrogiali in Ouranopolis: the owners Kosta and Karolina speak English. On my browser their website does not work properly, but asking for a reservation by email works fine, use: info at sign ouranoupolis-akrogiali.gr. It is a cheap and clean hotel, and ask for a room with a sea view, if you like the sound of the waves. Don’t forget to mention my name Wim Voogd or the name of this weblog.
For breakfast or a cold beer later we recommend bar Isalos from Maria and Anna, say hello from us! (also read our updated post 1729).
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In the list below you will find the different possibilities to communicate digital (instead of phoning of faxing): please help us to keep this list up-to-date and share new information with us (use the “mail us” option in the Links or write a comment)!
Email addresses and online reservations of the monasteries
01 Great Lavra: iera.moni.megistis.layras at sign gmail.com (thanks Joseph Skinner 11/8)
02 Vatopedi: filoxenia at sign vatopedi.gr or monastery at sign vatopedi.gr
The online regsitration is here: https://hospitality.vatopedi.gr/reservations/login.aspx
03 Iviron: ivironfiloxenia at sign gmail.com (also: imiviron at sign gmail.com). Website www.imiviron.gr (thanks Michael, 28/8/2022)
04 Chilandariou: pilgrims at sign hilandar.org
05 Dionysiou: monidionysiou at sign gmail.com or grafiotaxis at sign yahoo.com (thanks Michalis 28/7) ! According to Vladislav these addresses do not seem te be valid- 2/12/2017! another adress: agiosnifon at sign gmail.com (January 2018 – thanks Guido).
06 Koutloumousiou – imk.athos at sign gmail.com (thanks Cris 25/8) or use this contact form on the internet (in Greek):
07 Pantocratoros – filoxenia at sign pantokrator.gr (thanks Gabriel 16/5/17) or try this website https://pantokrator.info/contact/.
08 Xeropotamou: xeropotamou at sign yahoo.gr
09 Sografou: new information: online booking form: https://zograf.site/en/login (thanks Vladislav Golupski 19/3/2023)
old info: zografergo at sign gmail.com or zograf.logos at sign gmail.gr
10 Docheiariou – dohiarmon at sign gmail.com (thanks R.V. Knezevi 30/11)
11 Karakallou – does not use email for reservations. Best is to call during working hours, between 14-16 AM +30-23770-23225 (information 25/9/2023).
Notice: according to Angel – see comment 5/2/18- this Yahoo.gr e-mail address is not correct. The yahoo.com adress is also unavailable, so no contact by email at the moment (31/1/2023).
12 Filotheou: philotheou.filoxenia at sign gmail.com (thanks John 5/4/2017) or info at sign philotheou.gr (FoMA 22/9/19) or grammateia at sign philotheou.gr (info agionorosroutes.com 27-2-2023)
13 Simonopetras: hospitality at sign simonopetra.gr
14 Agiou Pavlou: visit at sign agiou-pavlou.gr (thanks Vladislav 2/12/17) or moni at sign agiou-pavlou.gr (FoMA 22/9/19)
or: evdokimos at sign me.com (thanks Ioan 27/7)
15 Stavronikita – no email, no electricity (exept for the arcondariki outside the monastery): telephone +30 23770 23255
16 Xenophontos: bew: register here and make a hospitality request online (currently no group larger than 3 pilgrims – thanks Andrew Buchanan 17/3/2023) – https://filoxenia.imxenophontos.gr/reservations/login/en
old: arhontariki at sign imxenophontos.gr or inxenofa at sign gmail.com (thanks Michalis 27/7)
17 Grigoriou: filoxenia at sign imog.gr (thanks Mike 11-1-2023)
18 Esfigmenou – ? (konaki in Karyes: info at sign esphigmenou.gr, do not use for reservations)
19 Panteleimonos: rpm.palomnik at sign gmail.com or st.panteleimon at sign list.ru (info agionorosroutes.com 27-2-2023)
20 Konstamonitou – imkonstamonitou at sign gmail.com (thanks Michail, 12/2/19) (beware: the monastery does not have electricity and non-orthodox pilgrims are not allowed in church and the trapeza).
We have 18 email addresses of monasteries now, only two to go, Esfigmenou monastery and Stravronikita (info 12/2/2019).
Skites and kelli
Skiti Agiou Andreou: +30 23770 23810
Prodromou: prodromuarhondaric at sign yahoo.com (thanks Gavriil 24/8/18)
Nea skiti: evangelismos.neaskiti at sign gmail.com(thanks Michael, 12/2/17). This email address iera.nea.skiti at sign gmail.com I found here. (3/12/2018). The email address seems to be offline (9/2/2019 – thanks Vladislav). Or use this contact form on the internet (in Greek!). Wim, 30/7/2019
Try to contact Father Eusebios Christofi from England on his Facebook-site.
Skiti Xenofontos: eugeniosathos at sign gmail.com or nikonathos at sign gmail.com
Skiti Profitou Eliou: skitioros at sign gmail.com : the arcondaris Filimon is now the abbot here
Kafsokalivia: call on Monday to Friday on 11.00 PM on this telephone number (from Europe): 00 30 2377 023319.
Lakkou skiti:
Kelli of Father Stephan: 23770 23636
Kelli of Father Varsanufie: 23770 23858
Kelli of Father Pavel: 23770 22587 (6972765236 – mobile)
Kelli of Father Isidor: 23770 23871
Kelli of Father Pimen: 6946572266 – mobile (thanks Leonard – 16th June 2020)
Kellion
Timiou Stavrou – Father David: crest1969 at sign hotmail.com
Mylopotamos – runned by late father Epifanios: info at sign mywines.gr or go to the website mywines.gr.
Kerasia: Father Theologos: +30 2377 022843
Michalis made me aware of this website from the Mount Athos Center, with lots of (partly dated) information.
Updates -short discription-:
July 27th 2023: post 1835 is tranported to an extra page on this weblog “How to plan a visit?” and we added on overtview of the taxi prizes.
June 27th 2023: text ajustments and more information about how to ask for a Diamoniterion, general info and a new (third!) emailadress of Dionysiou, plus a telephone number of Kerasia
March 19th 2023: Sografou now also has an online registration form to ask for hospitality
March 17th 2023: Xenofontos now offers an online hospitality/registration request (max 3 pilgrims)
March 6th 2023: The monastery of Lavra also opened their doors again for pilgrims, but this information is not confirmed. It is said that only one or two pilgrims (!) are allowed to visit the monastery each day (information FoMA meeting).
February 20th 2023: at the time of writing negative Covid tests are no longer required in order to be granted a Diamonitirion to travel to the Holy Mountain from mainland Greece!
October 2022: Vatopedi now requires a ‘pilgrim id’ for its reservations, obtainable after a quick registration at hospitality.vatopedi.gr.
Old information from the COVID period: The fathers at Vatopedi monastery required a negative PCR covid test to be shown (not older then 48 hours -€60- at vipdocter.gr in Ouranopolis), despite the obligatory rapid test performed upon entrance to Athos (free of charge). It was irrelevant that you already have a full vaccination scheme or not. Another new rule at Vatopedi was that FIRST and directly you have to go this monastery, if you go to Athos. So you cannot go to another monastery (or Karyes) first and afterwards go to Vatopedi).
Wim Voogd, 27 July 2023
