Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Plane -- Patmos has no airport, but it is convenient (especially by hydrofoil and catamaran in spring and summer) to three islands which do: Samos, Kos, and Leros. Rather than endure the all-but interminable ferry ride from Piraeus, fly from Athens to one of these, then hop a boat or hydrofoil the rest of the way to Patmos. Samos is your best bet: With the right schedule, you can get from the Athens airport to Patmos in 3 hours via Samos.

By Boat -- Patmos, the northernmost of the Dodecanese Islands, is on the daily ferry line from Piraeus to Rhodes -- confirm schedules with Piraeus Port Authority (tel. 210/417-2657 or 210/451-1310) or Rhodes Port Authority (tel. 22410/23-693 or 22410/27-695). Patmos has numerous sea links with the larger islands of the Dodecanese, as well as with the islands of the northeast Aegean. Options are limited from late fall to early spring, but Easter through September, sea connections with most of the islands of the eastern Aegean are numerous and convenient. With Blue Star Line's (www.bluestarferries.com) new high-speed ferries, the travel time from Piraeus has been reduced to about 7 hours.

Visitor Information

The tourism office (tel. 22470/31-666) in the port town of Skala is directly in front of you as you disembark from your ship; it's open June through August daily from 9am to 10pm. It shares the Italianate "municipal palace" with the post office and the tourist police (tel. 22470/31-303), who take over when the tourism office is closed. The port police (tel. 22470/31-231), in the first building on your left on the main ferry pier, are very helpful for boat schedules and whatever else ails or concerns you; the building is open year-round, 24 hours a day. There is also a host of helpful information about Patmos at www.travelpoint.gr.

Apollon Tourist and Shipping Agency, on the harbor near the central square (tel. 22470/31-724; fax 22470/31-819), can book excursion boats and hydrofoils and arrange lodging in hotels, rental houses, and apartments throughout the island. It's open year-round from 8am to noon and 4 to 6pm, with extended summer hours. Astoria Tourist and Shipping Agency (tel. 22470/31-205; www.astoriatravel.gr) is also helpful. For the "do-it-yourselfer" in you, pick up a free copy of Patmos Summertime. Warning: The map of the island provided in that publication is not particularly accurate -- as is true of many other tourist maps of Patmos.

For Your Health -- One essential you need to know about Patmos from the outset is that tap water is not for drinking. Drink only bottled water.

Getting Around

By Moped & Bicycle -- Mopeds are definitely the vehicle of choice on the island, provided you have a proper license. At the shops that line the harbor, 1-day rentals start at around 20€ ($26) and go up to 40€ ($52). Australis Motor Rent (tel. 22470/32-723), in Skala's new port, is a first-rate shop and you can usually rent for less than a full day at a discounted rate. You can also contact Billis (tel. 22470/32-218) on the harbor in Skala. Bicycles are hard to come by on the island, but Theo & Georgio's has 18-speed mountain bikes for 10€ ($13) per day.

By Car -- Two convenient car-rental offices, both in Skala, are Patmos Rent-a-Car, just behind the police station (tel. 22470/32-203); and Avis, on the new port (tel. 22470/33-095). Daily rentals in high season start about 50€ ($65). The island does not have that many gas stations, so be sure you watch your gas tank gauge.

By Taxi -- The island's main taxi stand is on the pier in Skala Harbor, right before your eyes as you get off the boat. From anywhere on the island, you can request a taxi by calling tel. 22470/31-225. As the island is quite small, it's much cheaper to hire a taxi than to rent a car.

By Bus -- The entire island has a single bus, whose current schedule is available at the tourist office and is posted at locations around the island. Needless to say, it provides very limited service -- to Skala, Hora, Grikos, and Kambos -- so it's best to use another method to get around.

Orientation

Patmos lies along a north-south axis; were it not for a narrow central isthmus, it would be two islands, north and south. Skala, the island's only town of any size, is situated near that isthmus joining the north island to the south. Above Skala looms the hilltop capital of Hora, comprising a mazelike medieval village and the fortified monastery of St. John the Divine. There are really only two other towns on Patmos: Kambos to the north and Grikou to the south. While Kambos is a real village of roughly 500 inhabitants, Grikou is mostly a resort, a creation of the tourist industry.

Most independent visitors to Patmos, especially first-timers, will choose to stay in Skala (Hora has no hotels) and explore the north and south from there. Patmos is genuinely addicting, an island to which visitors, Greek and foreign, return year after year. So while it makes sense on your first visit to Patmos to be centrally located, you may wish to stay elsewhere during future visits.

Fast Facts

Commercial Bank of Greece on the harbor and National Bank of Greece on the central square offer exchange services and ATMs. Both are open Monday through Thursday from 8am to 2pm and Friday from 8am to 1:30pm. You will also find an ATM where ferries and cruises dock at the main pier. For dental or medical emergencies, call tel. 22470/31-211; for special pharmaceutical needs, call tel. 22470/31-500. The hospital (tel. 22470/31-211) is on the road to Hora. The post office on the harbor is open Monday through Friday from 8am to 1:30pm. The tourist police (tel. 22470/31-303) are directly across from the port.

For Internet access, the Internet Cafe at Blue Bay (Blue Bay Hotel) is open April through October, daily from 8am to 8pm. Millennium Internet Cafe (on the lane to Horio, near the OTE office) is open year-round, daily from 9am to 10pm. A short walk down toward the new port will bring you to Just Like Home (tel. 22470/33-170), where a load of laundry costs 15€ ($20). It's open daily until 9pm year-round, and until 10pm in July and August. Cold-water wash and rinse are available, as are hand washing and dry cleaning.