Mount Athos viewpoint

At the southern exit of Sarti, above Platania beach, the road towards Sykia opens onto a spot with a panoramic view of Mount Athos. From here, about 30 km away as the crow flies, you see the whole Athos peninsula, some 50 km long, rising to the summit of the mountain at 2,033 metres.

The view changes a lot through the day. In the morning the sun rises behind the peninsula and Athos appears as a dark silhouette; in the afternoon it's lit from the west and the slopes are easier to make out. On the clearest days, usually in spring and autumn or after a north wind, you can even pick out details of the coastline.

The stop takes a few minutes. Pull over only where the car is fully off the road, as the route is winding and busy in August. If you want to see the monasteries up close, the cruise from Ouranoupoli passes right in front of them.