The small town of Ouranoupoli (variants of the name Ouranoupolis, Uranopoli or Uranoupolis are also common) is located on a promontory of Athos and is the last publicly accessible place before the Monastic Holy State of Athos.

Despite its small size, it is also an important centre for pilgrims and the handful of tourists who have managed to obtain permission to visit the Monastic Republic through a complicated route. However, it is also a centre for sightseeing cruises and you will also find a nice beach here.

The dominant feature of the town itself is the well-preserved 14th century Byzantine watchtower Prosfórion towering over the harbour. In the centre of Uranopoli, you can enjoy shopping in the lively pedestrian zone with its many tavernas.

Athos Cruises

All regular ferries to Dafni, the main port of the monastic state of Athos, start at the local port, but you need a special permit to board them, which we write about on this page.

Much more popular, however, are the sightseeing cruises around the Athos peninsula, from which you can observe the rugged coastline with its many visible monasteries clinging to the mountainsides.

Cruises from Ouranoupoli usually last around 3 to 4 hours and cost between 20 eur and 25 eur. Cruises are organised by companies such as Athos Cruises, Calypso Cruises and others.

Beaches and swimming

Ouranoupoli is not a typical beach resort, but nevertheless there are several small quite nice sandy and pebble beaches right in the town.

The entrance to the water is often rocky, and the overall environment of the beaches is definitely not as well maintained as other resorts in Halkidiki.

Accommodation in Ouranoupoli

The town mainly accommodates visitors to the Monastic State of Athos and participants in sightseeing cruises, usually for one night. Even though Ouranoupoli is not one of the top resorts, prices here are significantly lower and even in high season start at 37 eur per night for 2.

Among the cheapest but also very well rated hotels with full room facilities are Hotel Avra* or Panorama Spa Hotel *.

Search for hotels in Uranopoli

How to get to Uranopoli?

The town is 118 km from Thessaloniki Airport and can be reached in less than 2 hours by car. You can park in a large car park outside the town for 4 eur per day.

There are also regular KTEL-Chalkidikis buses to Ouranoupolis, search for the destination on the web under the name "Oyranoypolis":

Thessaloniki - 5 times a day, journey time approx. 130 minutes and ticket price 13,60 eur
Ierissos - 4x daily, journey time 15 minutes and ticket prices 2 eur