VACATIONS FROM HOME: PATMOS / LIPSI

Wednesday, July 8, 2026

PATMOS / LIPSI

FROM THE END OF DAYS TO THE END OF A WONDERFUL DAY

Lipsi
Two islands in one day.

The first one you might have heard of, but probably not the other.

On our second day of sailing with Variety Cruises for their “Unexplored Greece” excursion aboard the beautiful three masted Panorama we got to visit Patmos and then sailed on to Lipsi.

PATMOS

The Book of Revelations was written on Patmos by St John the Divine, aka St John the Theologian, one of the 12 disciples of Jesus Christ. He was banished to Patmos by the Romans, but only after they dunked him in boiling oil, but he emerged unscathed.

Revelations is the final book in the New Testament and foretells the second coming of Christ and the end of days.

Monastery of
St John the Theologian
Patmos

Appropriately it was on a Sunday morning we visited this revered Orthodox Christian destination. We went on a guided tour of the Cave of the Apocalypse, where St John wrote Revelations, and the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian, of which the earliest parts date from the 11^th Century. Both are UNESCO World Heritage sites. The monastery also has a museum with several manuscripts and relics including, believe it or not, the skull of St. Thomas. (Pun intended.)

There was an admission cost to both, but that was covered by Variety Cruises.

After our tour we had an hour or two to idle away on this tranquil island. We found a shady table of an outdoor café in the quiet port town of Skala and relaxed over freddo espresso, (Greek iced coffee), with metrio (a little bit of sugar) before heading back to the Panorama.

Monastery of
St John the Theologian
Patmos

Patmos

LIPSI

There is absolutely nothing to do on Lipsi except walk the 8-kilometer island, swim on any of the quiet beaches, go diving or sit at an Ouzeri along the lengthy quay to take in a brilliant sunset. There are no cultural attractions on Lipsi as there was on Patmos. The island of just 800 residents has no large hotels or resorts, and there is an ordinance limiting buildings to just two-stories. Janet and I thought the island was perfect, very peaceful and tranquil. It does get busier during the months of July and August, but it felt like we had the island to ourselves as we explored it on an early Sunday evening this past June.

Brilliantly white-washed buildings with daubs of color, usually blue (as this is the cheapest pigment) for accents lined the meandering pathways that served as streets away from the port. Lipsi is an actively working marina, with lots of colorful fishing boats moored, the ship’s nets spread out drying in the sun.

The island is a popular stop for yachts as well and this easternmost Dodecanese archipelago is closer to Turkey than mainland Greece.

Lipsi

WINE NOT

Our island excursion was a visit to the Nico Grylli Winery where our group was seated at a long table overlooking the marina and the vineyards to sample their five wines paired with different foods. The last was the Aposperitis from the unique and rare Fokiano grape variety which was served with perfectly spicy nibbles.

Seating at Nico Grylli Winery

We purchased a bottle of their Rose Water to take home.

NICE GRYLLI WINERY LIPSI

OUZERI

LIPSI

We opted to not take the van all the way back to the Panorama and decided to walk the quiet streets before finally settling in on the colorful chairs of the Asprakis Taverna (or Ouzeri) for Ouzo and a Mythos beer and meze to watch the sunset. Yacht kids tootled past on their scooters, people walked their dogs and it was just the perfect place.

We weren’t done for the night though. We ambled over to Nick and Louli’s Ouzeri for more ouzo and yet another meze. This place was even quieter and locals seated near a rack of drying Octopus tentacles happily waved at us when we approached to enjoy one final stop on this tranquil island where there’s nothing to do.

Thanks for reading.

Love Janet and greg