Step 2

Planning your route

After the arragments for our diamonitirio now we should ensure our hospitality in each monastery  This should not be done at random, but we must plan a route path that we will follow the days will be on Mount Athos. 

The first to consider is that the diamonitirio is valid for four days, that means that will stay for 3 nights. Every overnight should be done in a different monastery, with few exceptions (example Vatopedi monastery where you can stay a second day after the agreement of arxontaris (the monk that takes care of the accommodation). 

The route then we will follow should include monasteries or skites that are close to each other, or there is fast access from one to the other.  Otherwise we get into unnecessary trouble, wasting valuable time and unnecessary costs. 

As soon as we plan our route, we contact the monasteries asking for accommontation. If a monastery refused to accommodate us for any reason, we need to find alternative routes. The reason that some monastery can deny hosting are: 
> No promptly contacted and they have already completed a number of guests that can accommodate. In this case we can try to ask for another date and amend accordingly our path. 
> At this day the have a fest (feast means on that day they celebrate a name of a saint that has an important place for the monastery) and thus they don't accommodate at all. 
> It is one of the monasteries that they dont accommodate at all. (Because they performing repairs - Works etc.). One of these is currently Simonopetra. 

We should keep in mind that some monasteries accommodate without any previus communication for. These are the Great Lavra, Konstamonitou and Moni Zografou (Bulgarian). Also in the capital city Karyes, we can stay without having a reservetion at the skiti of St. Andrew (Serai). 

We must bear in mind that the more remote places (like the sketes of Kavsokalyvia Katounakia, New Skete, St. Anna) is easier to find accommodation than it is in monasteries, so we can include them in our route if we can't find accommodation on the monasteries.

Suggested routes:


Easy, ideal for those who travel first time on Mount Athos.

Ouranoupoli - Russian - Xenophon - Docheiariou - Ouranoupoli. 

Ouranoupoli - Daphne - Xeropotamou - Xenophon - Docheiariou - Ouranoupoli.) 

Ouranoupoli - Konstamonitou (or Campus) - Docheiariou - Xenophon - Ouranoupoli. 

Ouranoupoli - Daphne - St. Paul - Dionysius - Gregory - Daphne - Ouranoupoli. 

Ouranoupoli - Daphne - Agia Anna - New Skete - St. Paul (or Dionysus) - Daphne - Ouranoupoli. 

Moderate routes:

Ouranoupoli - Daphne - Karyes - Iberians (or Almighty) - Stavronikita - Koutloumousi (or Seraglio) - Daphne - Ouranoupoli. 

Ouranoupoli - Daphne - Karyes - Karakalou - Philotheou - Koutloumousi (or Seraglio) - Daphne - Ouranoupoli. 


More Difficult - at higher cost:

Ouranoupoli - Giovanitsa (Monastery Hilandar) - Esphigmenou - Vatopedi Monastery Moni Xenophon - Ouranoupoli. 

Ouranoupoli - Daphne - Karyes- Vatopedi - Stavronikita (or Almighty) - Koutloumousi (or Seraglio) - Daphne - Ouranoupoli. 

Ouranoupoli - Daphne - Karyes - Great Lavra - Karakalou (or Philotheou) - Koutloumousi - Daphne - Ouranoupoli. 

Ouranoupoli - Daphne - Dionysius - Kafsokalyvia - Daphne - Docheiariou (or Konstamonitou). 

Difficult - for Experts.

Ouranoupoli - Daphne - Agia Anna - top Athos - New Skete - Xenophon (or Docheiariou) - Ouranoupolis. 

Ouranoupoli - Konstamonitou - Vatopedi (footpath) - Docheiariou - Ouranoupoli. 

Ouranoupoli - Agia Anna - Katounakia - Kafsokalyvia (footpath) - Ouranoupolis. 

Of course is safer to design the route, considering our personal criteria (age, physical condition, economic and spiritual reasons). 

Here are some of my videos with various routes: 

Routes of Mount Athos