Holiday Ayo - Mount Athos is a collection of 20 monasteries situated on the Chalcidice Peninsula in Greece.

It's a spectacularly beautiful place, and it's become a popular tourist destination for those lucky enough to gain access. Because women are not allowed within 500 meters of the coastline.

In fact, not only are human women not allowed but even female animals are barred. Women will not be granted a permit and must stay behind as their male friends board the ferry at one of the two closest ports.

According to tradition, the Virgin Mary with John the Evangelist, or their way to visit Lazarus in Cyprus, encountered a stormy sea that forced them to temporarily seek refuge in the port which is now the Holy Monastery of Iviron.

The Virgin Mary, admiring the wild beauty of the place, asked God to give her the mountain as a present. Then the voice of our Lord was heard saying: "Let this place be your lot, your garden and your paradise, as well as a salvation, a haven for those who seek salvation".

Since then, no woman can step on the slopes of the mountain. The myth is reinforced by the decree of the President of Greece, according to which a woman who set foot on Mount Athos is provided for arrest and imprisonment.

Women who are interested in experiencing Mount Athos can only take advantage of going on an Athos cruise and viewing the monasteries from a distance since for a thousand years no woman has been able to visit Mount Athos.

Mount Athos is one of the most mysterious places, surrounded by legends. According to one legend, the mountain rose from the depths of the sea at the behest of the god Poseidon.

With its help, the gods crushed the revolt of the titans. And according to another legend, the Titan Athos during the uprising threw a huge stone, which became a mountain.

It is the only place in Greece that is completely dedicated to prayer and worship of God. For this reason, it is called the Holy Mount.

The highest point of Mount Athos is like a huge cone, reaching 2033 meters in height. It’s a naked, treeless crest that seems to lance the sky and its slopes are fully covered by ancient evergreens.

If you decide to visit Mount Athos remember that only men can access it and before going there you will have to get all the permissions and authorizations from the Office of pilgrimages of Mount Athos in Thessaloniki. Kids underage must be accompanied by their father or by someone responsible for them.

How to Get There

You can’t access the religious area on land but only after taking a boat from Ouranoupoli’s port. These boats are checked on a regular basis to make sure people don’t carry forbidden objects and that women aren’t taking part in the trip.