Cave of Apocalypse
Cave of Apocalypse
4.2
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A beautiful monastery built near the cave where St. John the apostle wrote the Book of Revelations.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.2
556 reviews
Excellent
295
Very good
136
Average
90
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24
Terrible
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raybyerley
Mandeville, LA4,750 contributions
Oct 2024 • Friends
We visited the Monastery first then came down the hill to this religious historic and holy place.
We saw and touched the cave walls where John was supposed to have received divine inspiration for the book of Revelations.
The pictures of the cave entrance I took. We were not allowed to take pictures inside but there are pictures available on the internet that show exactly what we saw (I was not able to attach the internet pictures).
After the cave we walked back to Skala to return to the ship. An easy walk except for the very uneven “cobble stones” large cobble rocks really.
We saw and touched the cave walls where John was supposed to have received divine inspiration for the book of Revelations.
The pictures of the cave entrance I took. We were not allowed to take pictures inside but there are pictures available on the internet that show exactly what we saw (I was not able to attach the internet pictures).
After the cave we walked back to Skala to return to the ship. An easy walk except for the very uneven “cobble stones” large cobble rocks really.
Written October 27, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
yaktokyo
Tokyo, Japan2 contributions
Aug 2024 • Couples
This is where St. John told me about the future from God. If you go to Patmos Island, I think you should stop by. It's not that big. You can go on cruise ship excursions, but it's close to the harbor so you can get there on your own. It's cheaper that way. It's close, but it's a mountain, so you should at least take a taxi to get there. It was 10 euros one way. Cruise ships arrive until 7 p.m. It seems to close early on other days, so be careful.
Automatically translated
Written August 15, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Χαρά Χ
32 contributions
Jul 2024 • Friends
The sacred place exudes peace and tranquility. If there is the priest, he can tell you a few words about his story. Go early to avoid the crowd. The cave is very small and when they come group, it fills with suffocants. Many tourists do not respect the sanctity of the place and while it is forbidden, they constantly take photos with flash and video, disturbing those who come to worship.
Automatically translated
Written July 19, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
greconj
New Jersey402 contributions
Jul 2024 • Family
Wonderful and emotional visit to this important site. Well managed from a tourist perspective to allow many visitors in an organized fashion. Either take a guide, or read up ahead of time to ensure you understand what you will see. Beautiful place.
Written July 13, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mary H
Eau Claire, WI287 contributions
Jun 2024 • Friends
We saw the place where it is believed the author of the Book of the Revelation did his writings. We also passed under the arch with the three-fold crack made by the voice of God according to religious followers. No photography allowed inside the grotto.
Written September 27, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
eleni g
Corinth, Greece165 contributions
Sept 2023 • Family
The personification of indifference to fellow man, lack of hospitality, very poor services during our visit.
I went with my 90 year old mother who wanted to visit the cave of revelation. It had a no-car entrance and a spiral downhill ramp, long distance, leading to the church. An old man can walk down a path, but not up it. I assumed that the site is visited by global citizens of all ages, and that they would have provided a way for the elderly and disabled. At the entrance, the gentleman who sells ecclesiastical items, when I asked him about the difficulty of our return, due to the big uphill, he answered me indifferently and rudely: go back the way you came. So did a gentleman who was cleaning the place, cleaning the windows, he told me do as you think. I asked if there is a wheelchair, they said no. I asked about the abbot, was he helping us, and I was told he was resting, it was 11.30-12. in the morning, they told me, you will see him when he comes down, when? we do not know. Investigating the surroundings of the church, next to the building, there are 30 very steep stairs, with access to a car, however, violating the prohibition. My mother became suffocated and her life was in danger because of her age. Leaving the compound, I saw behind the main entrance, an abandoned wheelchair. I asked a local taxi driver what it was, and he said they have it there for people who have trouble walking. The taxi driver knew it, the two working gentlemen at the monastery did not. Shame on these 2 gentlemen workers, they insult the sacred space, when they themselves have inhuman behavior. A sacred space must choose the people who surround it! Also, a place with a lot of traffic must have accessibility for the elderly and people with mobility problems!
I went with my 90 year old mother who wanted to visit the cave of revelation. It had a no-car entrance and a spiral downhill ramp, long distance, leading to the church. An old man can walk down a path, but not up it. I assumed that the site is visited by global citizens of all ages, and that they would have provided a way for the elderly and disabled. At the entrance, the gentleman who sells ecclesiastical items, when I asked him about the difficulty of our return, due to the big uphill, he answered me indifferently and rudely: go back the way you came. So did a gentleman who was cleaning the place, cleaning the windows, he told me do as you think. I asked if there is a wheelchair, they said no. I asked about the abbot, was he helping us, and I was told he was resting, it was 11.30-12. in the morning, they told me, you will see him when he comes down, when? we do not know. Investigating the surroundings of the church, next to the building, there are 30 very steep stairs, with access to a car, however, violating the prohibition. My mother became suffocated and her life was in danger because of her age. Leaving the compound, I saw behind the main entrance, an abandoned wheelchair. I asked a local taxi driver what it was, and he said they have it there for people who have trouble walking. The taxi driver knew it, the two working gentlemen at the monastery did not. Shame on these 2 gentlemen workers, they insult the sacred space, when they themselves have inhuman behavior. A sacred space must choose the people who surround it! Also, a place with a lot of traffic must have accessibility for the elderly and people with mobility problems!
Written October 17, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dean-Traveller
Mugla, Türkiye1,394 contributions
Mar 2023 • Couples
John was exiled by the Roman governor of Ephesus for promoting Christianity. He spent 18 months on the prison island of Patmos. He lived and prayed in a cave. Jesus appeared to John and asked John to write down the vision which described the ending of earth as we know it. This became the last book of the bible, the book of Revelation.
The cave was special. To be able to kneel and pray where John had prayed. The cave is now part of a complex of monastic buildings protected by UNESCO.
The Cave of Apocalypse is a couple of kilometres up hill from the port of Skala, where cruise ship tenders land. Walkable, but the Monastery of St John is further up the hillside and more of a hike. Steep paths and a maze of streets, so sat nav are sturdy footwear are helpful. An inexpensive taxi ride means one can avoid expensive cruise ship excursions. No commentary that way and there is little in the way of information at the sites.
There is a smooth path or rougher steps from the car park for Cave of Apocalypse.
Excursion groups can fill the cave and lessen the experience so wait for a quiet time if you can. We dawdled at the back of a group to have some time of peace after others had left.
The cave was special. To be able to kneel and pray where John had prayed. The cave is now part of a complex of monastic buildings protected by UNESCO.
The Cave of Apocalypse is a couple of kilometres up hill from the port of Skala, where cruise ship tenders land. Walkable, but the Monastery of St John is further up the hillside and more of a hike. Steep paths and a maze of streets, so sat nav are sturdy footwear are helpful. An inexpensive taxi ride means one can avoid expensive cruise ship excursions. No commentary that way and there is little in the way of information at the sites.
There is a smooth path or rougher steps from the car park for Cave of Apocalypse.
Excursion groups can fill the cave and lessen the experience so wait for a quiet time if you can. We dawdled at the back of a group to have some time of peace after others had left.
Written December 30, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alison S
Springfield, MA1,048 contributions
Apr 2022
This is the cave where St John wrote his Gospel and Apocalypse as an old man, dictating to a scribe. You approach the cave either by lovely, old, irregular stairs or by a newer, easier ramp. A small building has been constructed around the cave entrance which detracts a bit from the experience. The cave itself is not very large, but a small shrine has been set up with candle lighting. Definitely have a guide point out the significant points of John's writing and life in the cave. The cave can feel quite crowded, as it did on out visit, which also takes away from the experience.
Written June 15, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alex J
Melbourne, Australia2,203 contributions
May 2019
As a practising Catholic, this was one of the sights my wife and I eagerly looked forward to seeing, on our cruise around the Greek Islands. We took an optional tour (paid tour) from our ship MV Celestyal Olympia. Not cheap, but really worth it. Please take the paid tour, like we did, if you are on any similar "islands cruise". Ships stop at Patmos only for about four hours, it is nearly impossible to see this place and monastery further up the hill in such a short time, if you rely on public transport. Also, it helps to have a guide. As we had taken a paid tour, we had an excellent guide, who gave us an enormous amount of information. She also pointed out the best places to get photos. The views are stunning. As for the cave itself, it is somewhat underwhelming for non-believers, and for those who don't appreciate history. It is really something for practising Christians, not for sightseeing tourists. St. John the Divine lived in this cave for several years, in exile, and wrote the Book of Revelation, more than 1900 years ago! There are a few steep steps to go down into the cave (and to climb up when you leave the cave!). We went in May, and yet there were so many tourists, it was a real crush on the steps. Single file up and down. I shudder to think how unbearably crowded this place will be in high season, in July/August. I would love to go again to Patmos and stay there for a couple of days, and see this place without the crowds, and spend some time contemplating St. John the Divine. Perhaps in winter. It would be colder, but the crowds would not be there!
Written April 18, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rob M
Cheyenne, WY9,033 contributions
Apr 2023 • Friends
The problem is that when you're in a cruise group, there's a time schedule. Beautiful views from the top. No pictures were allowed inside the cave, but you can feel the power of what happened thousands of years ago. Worth seeing.
Written April 1, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Is there a fee to enter the cave?
Written March 21, 2024
How far is the walk from the cruise port to the Cave of Apocalypse? Is there a fee to get in either of them?
Written March 13, 2023
I would like to visit the Cave and the Monastery in October, we will arrive in the late afternoon.
You can refer me companies or someone who makes the excursions and or transfers there. Thank you
Written October 2, 2019
There are agencies who give guided tours from other islands; we saw ships coming in with tourists who were taken op to the monistary.
We took a taxi in the early Sunday morning up to Xora and visited the monastery, Xora, the Windmills and the cave by foot and walked back to the coast.
Written October 3, 2019
Our cruise arrives on shore at 6.30 pm in July 2019.
Will we be able to tour the Cave and monastery?
Written July 10, 2019
Yes , Both the Cave of Apocalypse and The Monastery of St. Johns always are open for Cruise travellers .
Written July 28, 2019
I want to go here next month my cruise is docking from 5:45pm to 9pm. Will this still be open? Does anybody know about times or any tours that start later in the afternoon
Written June 2, 2019
Yes when cruise ships arriving on the island no mutter what time
is, the cave of Apocalypse and the monastery of St. Johns are open for the tourist arriving . When there is no cruise
ship in the harbour, then both sides close at normal times..
Written July 3, 2019
I would like to visit the cave and monastery in November. I cannot find an official website that states when each one is open to the public (days and times). Does anyone know where to find this information?
Written October 6, 2018
The cave was open at 10:00 and it was still open at 17:00 when I was there. This time may change during winter - but the monastery nearby could give more information or at least have the same opening hours. Look at this site:
patmos monastery of st john has a website that may not be put on this site due to tripadvisor´s rules. There are som opening hours shown.
Written November 15, 2018
Is the cave and ferries open all year? I would like to go on November.
Written October 5, 2018
At the moment, unfortunately you have to go down, very steep steps ,The good news is, when I was there end of May 2019 ,they were currying out works so that you can enter the cave at grown
level rather than from above. when the works is finish it should be easier for disable people to Visit.
Written July 3, 2019
Hi, I think that I can only visit the monastery and cave on a Sunday. Do do know if there is access on this day?
Written February 6, 2017
Hi Ron, they have mass in the cave on a Sunday and i believe the monastery is closed on Sunday
Written May 8, 2017
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