⛪ Essentials

Dress codes: monasteries, churches and Mount Athos

Beachwear stays at the beach. In churches and monasteries, cover shoulders and knees. Mount Athos admits men only, with a permit.

Contents · 4

ΑChurches and monasteries
ΒTowns and tavernas
ΓAncient sites
ΔMount Athos

Churches and monasteries

Greece is an Orthodox country and its churches are places of worship first. Shoulders and knees covered for everyone; at monasteries, women are often expected to wear a skirt rather than trousers. At Meteora the rule is enforced at the door. Speak quietly, do not photograph services, and ask before photographing monks or nuns.

Towns and tavernas

Swimwear is for the beach. Walking through a village or into a shop in a bikini or bare-chested is considered rude. Nobody expects formal dress at dinner, even in smart places.

Ancient sites

No dress code beyond common sense — but the sun is the issue: a hat, proper shoes (marble paths are slippery) and water.

Mount Athos

The monastic republic on the Halkidiki peninsula admits men only, with a permit (diamonitirion) issued in limited numbers — around €30 for non-Orthodox visitors, as reported. Everyone else sees the monasteries from the sea, on cruise boats from Ouranoupoli.

Before you go

Flights to GreeceCompare fares into Athens and straight into the island airports — Santorini, Mykonos, Crete, Corfu, Rhodes, Zakynthos, Kefalonia. Flying direct to the island often beats Athens plus a ferry.Search flights →Data & eSIMGreece is in the EU, so EU roaming applies and most European visitors need nothing extra. Worth it if you are arriving from outside the EU, or want a data bundle for maps and ferry apps.Get an eSIM →Travel insuranceMedical cover and trip protection bought before you leave. The European health card covers public-hospital care, not repatriation, a private clinic on a small island or a cancelled holiday.Get a quote →

We may earn a commission from these. It never changes your price.

Where the journey goes next

Thassos first — then the neighbours of a Balkan road trip and the coasts across the water. Same format, the same honesty about the money, written place by place.

Turquoise water and a long sandy beach below green hills on Thassos

Our sister site · North AegeanThassos has a guide of its ownThe green, marble-edged island of the north Aegean, a short ferry crossing from Keramoti or Kavala and one of the Greek islands Romanian travellers know best. Beaches, mountain villages, tavernas and where to stay — covered in depth on thassos.online.Open the Thassos guide · thassos.online →