respect
Mount Athos is where monks go to escape the modern world, and as you're visiting as a guest, you have to respect their rules and behave as they expect you too. In general terms, monks expect pilgrims to visit them, and not tourists. When possible, try to keep a pious attitude, even if you are not Orthodox, and avoid inquiring the monks with questions that may seem too "worldly" for their concerns. The monks consider themselves to be living in a place without time, so when inquiring about chronological dates e.g. the foundation date of the monastery do so in a tactful way which avoids making you look touristy.
Conventions of behaviour vary somewhat from monastery to monastery, so when in doubt, ask the master of the guesthouse, the archontaris. In general:
Do not hold your hands behind your back as if on a sight-seeing tour, hold them in front of you in a sign of reverence.
Avoid engaging in activities which may be disrupting for the monks, like bathing in the sea or listening to loud music.
Photography of monasteries is allowed, but photography of monks or inside churches is generally prohibited without explicit permission. In some monasteries e.g. Agiou Panteleimonos photography is banned in the whole monastery territory. On feast days, the presence of huge crowds result in many people taking photographs even inside the church, and in these cases the ban is not enforced. However, avoid taking photographs with flash or in a manner which may be annoying to the monks.
Video filming is prohibited in all Mount Athos, however this is rarely enforced for low-quality video being made by point-and-shoot cameras. However, if you are filming with professional equipment, you will raise many suspicions that you are producing a sneak documentary about the Mountain!
Dress respectfully: no shorts. Shirts and T-shirts with short sleeves are often allowed, although not in all monasteries. Dressing in white shoes may also be considered disrespectful.
While visitors are usually welcome at services, there may be space constraints in the summer high season, and non-Orthodox may be restricted to certain outer parts of the church e.g. the exonarthex or expected not to attend at all. Even if allowed in the services, non-Orthodox should abstain from partaking from the Holy Mysteries Communion or taking the antidoron unconsecrated bread at the end of the service, and should inquire before venerating relics if they are allowed to do so.
No women are allowed in all Mount Athos.
