Does anyone know the visiting hours of the monestaries on Patmos - particularly John's and the where the book of Revelation was written? Also, any other interesting things to do there?

Are you just stopping there on a cruise??? They take you up to the Monastery in the Am on a tour bus... or you can just take a taxi on your own. It is Open in the AM untilabout 2 I think... also, down thehill about 200 yards from the monastery is the so-called Grotto where supposedly St. John wrote the book of Revelations. No proof of this whatever. A grotto with ikons and a niche in the wall where the Saint supposedly laid his head. It's your call.

The view from the monastery is very nice... I went to Patmos on a day excursion from Samos ... saw the monastery ... sat around in the hot boring square, waiting for our 4 pm boat back.

Patmos has some nice beaches if you taxi or rent a car... it is a nice island for people who go there and stay for the summer... I know an artist who has a home & studio there & spends 2 months each summer and of course loves it ... but not much to see for others who are outsiders. There are many more islands that have sights and activities of inteterest more accessible to one-timers ... Samos, Naxos, Paros, Sifnos, Serifos, Milos ... the list goes on.

thanks! It would not be a cruise, but a stop for a day form Samos in October - they don't seem to have an 'official' ferry schedule yet tho. Seems that we would have to go over on he ferry one day and back on the next.

GRover, there is usually a one-day excursion that goes from Pythagorias at 7:30 am, and departs Patmos about 4:30pm (1630) hrs. Did you try Google? I just now googled "Samos 1-day excursions to Patmos" and here's one that came up, there's an e-mail address for further information --- to find out if the daily tours continue in October:
http://www.diavlos.gr/samos/by-ship/byship.html
and here's a Virtual tourist report:
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/7c27b/660a5/6/

Grover, Google is your friend; always try Google first

Thanks!~