We were on Patmos for a short day during a cruise. We decided to take the "walk" to the monestary. It is a steep hike, not a walk! It has a roughly-cobbled path up the hill. Several in our group turned back 1/2 way up the hill. The monestary is beautiful. Don't miss it. However, if anyone in your group is not up for a hike/strenuous walk, I recommend a taxi! We left the monestary as it closed. There were no more taxis running. It was a long, tough walk back down in the dark (no lighting on the path). We weren't prepared for a hike, so several of us struggled coming down the steep, rough paths w/o tennis shoes/hiking boots. Just wish We would have been prepared.

The Monastery of Saint John the Theologian has the village of Chora built around its fortifications. This Greek Orthodox monastery was founded in 1088 on the hilltop of the island of Patmos. The monastery became a UNESCO heritage site in 1999. The Monastery was named after St. John of Patmos, the author of the Christian Book of Revelation. The cave where John received the revelation from Christ is lower down the hillside. Many people visit on excursions from the cruise boat tender port in Skala, but a short taxi ride from Skala is a less expensive way to visit. It is a long, steep hike on cobbled streets to make the journey by foot. This is an active site of worship as well as a museum, so respectful dress and behaviour is expected. The museum has many ancient texts and bibles. The site can be crowded when cruise boats are in port.

This is well worth the bus trip (or walk) up. The monastery of St John the Divine/Theologian/Evangelist is gorgeous with ancient Christian artefacts, frescos and gold leaf everywhere. Not too many crowds. The stairs are steep and narrow once you get there. Also, the path to the windmills is not clearly marked - it disappeared twice and we had to ask to find them. Couldn’t find the Cave of the Apocalypse on the walk down, but still a lovely (if steep) cobbled path. Highly recommend.