Meteora monasteries – the miracle of Greece. Few kilometers northwest of the town of Kalabaka, the impressive rocks of Meteora are rising from the plains of Thessaly been one of the most amazing places in Greece. Many centuries ago, on these gigantic rocks with the breathtaking landscape reaching heights of more than 600 meters, it was formed one of the most important monastic communities of Greece. The Greek word Meteora means “suspended in the air” and this phrase aptly describes these remarkable Greek Orthodox monasteries.
Meteora is a great place to experience , a spectacular landscape and byzantine monasteries perched on top of steep rocks that house priceless artifacts and wall paintings. Today only six monasteries are active with a small number of monks or nuns who reside on Meteora. In 1988, the Meteora monasteries have been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List and the Meteora-Antichassia area is part of the Natura 2000 network hosting some rare species of birds and flowers. As you approach the town of Kalabaka, the nearest big town near Meteora , and the picturesque village of Kastraki you will see a complex of giant sandstone rock pillars that climb up into the sky. On top of them you will spot the famous Meteora monasteries.
Rate This!
[Total: 1352 Average: 4.9]
Which Meteora monasteries to visit?
Holy Monastery of Great Meteoron
The Great Meteoron, also known as the Holy Monastery of the Metamorfossis (Transfiguration of Christ), is a male monastery and is the oldest and largest of all the monasteries of Meteora. It is built on the greatest rock of the complex, the Platys Lithos or Playtlithos. It was founded little before the mid-14th century (around 1340) by a scholar monk of Mount Athos, Saint Athanasios Meteorites. The monastery has a pleasant courtyard and there are many amazing frescoes to see. Probably one of the most interesting parts of the monastery…
The Varlaam Monastery is named after the first monk who built the first church on the rock. This was in 1350 and Varlaan built three churches, a room for himself and a water tank. Unfortunately no other monks joined him, after his death the site was abandoned for 200 years. In 1517 two monks from Ioannina, Theophanes and Nektarios Apsarades , re-founded the monastery. Nowadays the monastery can be reached by a bridge and has a small museum, there are a lot of impressive 16th century paintings to see as well…
The Rousanou Monastery was built in 1545 by Maximos and Ioasaph of Ioannina, it is unclear who the actual monastery is named after, but it is dedicated to St.Barbara. Like other monasteries at Meteora the Roussanou monastery was looted during the Second World War. The monastery is reached by a bridge that has some dramatic drops. Nowadays the Monastery is run by nuns. The monastery is located on the way from Kastraki to Meteora between St. Nicholas Anapafsas and Varlaam monastery…
St. Nicholas Anapafsas monastery was founded in the 14th century and nobody is quite sure who the monastery is named after. This Monastery is most famous for its frescoes by the famous Cretan artist Theophanes Strelitzas in 1527. Some of these frescoes include the passion of Christ and the Virgin Mary praying. The monastery fell into disrepair and was completely abandoned for 60 years from 1900 to the 1960’s when the Greek government repaired the monastery…
The 14th century St. Stephen monastery is the closest monastery in Meteora to the main town of Kalabaka, and so the easiest to visit. St. Stephen monastery was founded by St. Antoninus Cantacuzene, who is thought to be a son of the Serb ruler Nicephorus II of Epirus, in 1400. The Katholikon at the monastery is dedicated to St. Charalambos who’s head it contains, as it is believed to prevent illnesses. Much of the monastery was destroyed during World War Two and the Greek civil war that followed. The monastery is run by Nuns…
You may recognise the monastery of Holy Trinity as it was used in the James Bond movie ‘For your eyes only’ Roger Moore scales the cliff face. Out of all the monasteries of Meteora Holy Trinity has the most dramatic location, the rock face is a sheer drop and the rock itself is a lot more slender. The monastery was built in 1458 and had many treasures, but most of these were looted by the Germans during the Second World War, most of the frescoes are from the 18th century…
Meteora Thrones is the leading travel service company in Meteora and the surrounding area, which has earned the trust and loyalty of visitors who want to organize in the best and most effective way their visit to Meteora and the Holy Monasteries.
We organize everyday tours with the goal to offer you the absolute and authentic Meteora experience with the best prices in the area. Enjoy with us the best panoramic and majestic views of your life. Our experienced staff and the “State of the Art” VIP Limo Mini bus we own guarantee an unforgettable, high quality, way to discover our unique place.
We also provide private tours with VIP services and personalized programs to enjoy the magic of Meteora in the maximum. Come along to make the tour of your dreams!
Excellent, well organised trip by meteora thrones. Amazing views from our hotel and then on the sunset tour that evening. We opted for the 3 hour hike the... read more next day which was great fun and amazing views. Definitely worth the 4 hour train journey each way
NESmallFurriesRe2018 May 2, 2022
Beautiful weather, perfect amount of time at each monastery, and good information from Giannis the tour guide
anuragk612 April 30, 2022
This was my third visit to Kalambaka and Meteora, a magical place where I admire the wonder of nature and the perseverance of human will. It was the second time... read more a booked a tour with Meteora Thrones, a very professional agency. The guide, named Sarah, was knowledgeable and accurate, kind and timely, and fluent in Spanish. Highly recommended!
431henningj October 5, 2022
Great views. The guide took us to three monasteries and showed many astonishing views from the road bends. Even though our train was half an hour late, she didn't rush... read more and was attentive to our
needs.
719dmitryv November 8, 2022
This was a great tour, I liked it so much I went ahead and booked their half day Monasteries tour for the next day. The sunset tour was my favorite... read more of the two because we got to go see a Monastery, an old church, the hermit caves, and the sunset from sunset rock. It really is spectacular to see the sunset behind the rocks. They picked up and dropped off at my hotel which was really convenient.
terriwR1386ZW July 24, 2022
We had Clement from the Meteora Thrones Travel Center. Clement was the epitome of professionalism as a tour guide. He was extremely knowledgeable of the sites, local area (being... read more a resident himself), Greek history and Greek Orthodox Religious History. Clement spoke perfectly clear English, having lived in England and Canada. Most of all he was extremely thoughtful, polite, and courteous. When it started to rain hard, he met us outside the monastery to give us umbrellas so we didn’t get soaked walking to the van in the parking lot.
MONASTERY SITE
Unfortunately, the day we went was rainy and foggy/misty so we weren’t able to see all the monasteries from the outside. We visited 3 Monasteries inside and stopped at viewpoints to see 2 others, but again it was somewhat foggy we were unable to clearly see some of them. What we did see inside the monasteries we visited was beautiful and the views from up top stunning. Mondays are good because all are opened, except the one convent/nunnery, otherwise the monasteries alternate openings during the week. The Grand Meteora is closed on 3 weekdays. Winter hours are shorter closing at 4pm or earlier. We liked Grand Meteron and the St Varlaam. Wear SKIRTS inside the Monasteries out of respect. If not you will have to pay for a scarf like skirt at the entrance. The entrance fee is 3 euros per person cash for each monastery. Bring small bills.
3 BONUS Sites: As a result of us not being able to see all the monasteries, Clement offered to take us to one of the first HERMIT CAVES (really something to see, origin of habituating the area and eventually constructing the monasteries on the rocks.) He also took us to see the old BYZANTINE CHURCH that was built on top of Apollo’s Temple and explained the religious aspect inside the church. We also drove to see St Anthony’s Monastery and another ‘more’ recent hermit cave.
Our Tour VAN vehicle was spacious, clean and seemed like a newer Peugeot. Our Driver (sorry didn’t catch his name) drove carefully and safely through the windy roads.
Clement also recommended a restaurant in town that he frequented, when we were waiting for our train back to Athens. After, dinner Clement and driver drove us to the train station. They waited for us in the van while we dined.
TRAIN - Meteora Thrones company was very responsive in answering all questions. Tour company also emailed /WhatsApp our train tickets promptly. Clear instructions, Clement met us at the train station in Kalabaka with a placard of our name. Very well organized. Meteora Thrones Travel Center is probably the largest tour company in this area. The train ride itself was comfortable (Buy the first class cabin, it’s not that much more). Seats inside can slide down so you can lean back. If you have the entire cabin yourself (6seats), you could probably make it into a sleeper bed and lay down. You yourself must board the 7:57am train from Larissa Athens main train station. It’s a 4hr train ride each way and upon return you’ll arrive around 10:30pm back in Athens. However, we were delayed for 40mins (train employees did not specify why) and that made getting back very late. It’s a long day but this way you won’t have the additional day and expense of having to stay overnight in the vicinity of Kalabaka.
Overall, Clement was an excellent tour guide, very good tour (it ended up being a private tour for us even though we booked a small group tour), tour company is well organized and responsive.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND METEORA THRONES TRAVEL CENTER.
10028TA December 25, 2022
An unforgetable tour - There was no train so the trip from Athens to Meteora and back was by bus. I must recommend this tour because it is very interesting, the visit included three... read more monasteries and is amazing how those monasteries were built so many years ago. The views are excellent, specially for those fans of photography. It is a tour that you cann´t miss.
OnAir25653452 November 10, 2023
Great tour guide person - Knowledgeable tour guide person. Visited 1 monastery out of 2 inside and 5 out of 6 in total outside
Georgebano April 27, 2023
I went for the two day trip and had maria and Elias driving. I much appreciated the views and how Elias didn’t speed through everything so I got to see... read more nice views going up. Maria was a great tour guide I learned so much stuff from here and she was really interested in getting to know us. I feel like I know so much more than I would’ve if I went with some other company and I love how the tour was tailored to what my group wanted. We went places and had plenty of time to explore and take pics before coming back to the van for a new place. Maria and elias thank you so much it was the best experience ever!
Janellejb2022 February 1, 2022
Awesome experience - Great time and an even greater tour guide! We really enjoyed this experience and would do it again..
David_Anglin November 28, 2022
Family trip. Excellent guide. Pictures dont do it justice. Hotel was comfortable. A highlight of our trip.
chrisv445 August 16, 2022
This was a private tour and was well worth it! Both our driver and tour guide have been exceptional, friendly yet professional!
Our tour guide, Charis, was very... read more knowledgeable about the history of the monasteries and other attractions in the area of Meteora that we visited and he literally answered any question that he had, a lot of times backing his responses with references to official historic and recent research data.
That was probably on of the best experiences overall we had from a guided tour that lasted a bit over 5 hours. Thank you Charis, Sakis and Meteora Thrones!
K K March 29, 2022
Meteora - We bought the tickets directly from the meteora thrones- Travel center’web site . Not too much expensive, 92 euros. Because of some issues caused by flooding , we went there... read more by bus instead of train,. They worked hard to find a solution. It was better than a cancellation. Very well organised with a very interesting guide . I do recommend the tour.
GlobeTrotting585430 October 10, 2023
Awesome and great experience - The 2D 1N trip allowed us to see 5 monasteries and to experience the day and evening beauty of Meteora. It gives us extended time to truly appreciate the beauty... read more of the place. The hotel stay was also comfortable and allow us time to walk through the small village Kalampaka.
Shih Kiat C December 6, 2022
Great experience! - This review was great! We really enjoyed the monasteries and driving past/ going inside them. We went inside 3/6 and saw really cool things in all of them. Thomas was... read more a great guide and our driver navigated the busy, narrow roads very smoothly.
abbinutt May 13, 2023
You must do this if you are staying a few days in Athens!
My husband and I spent a week in Athens, and this is one of three tours that... read more we planned during our stay. Since taking the train to Meteora, the scenery on our way there and the village were unique.
The staff were very nice and helpful.
You need this tour! 🙂
857mabeld October 20, 2022
The driver Christoff picked us up at our Air BnB in Athens and drove us to Meteora. He was very polite and spoke conversational English, which was... read more great because my Greek is terrible. Traffic in Athens was terrible so we arrived later than expected.
In Meteora we met Klement our tour guide. Due to scheduling they did the best to get us into 3 different monasteries. I felt like we were not rushed and had adequate time at each location. Additionally, we made a lot of stops to take photos and sight see. Klement and Christoff provided a lot of information and the children enjoyed the trip. The trip ran longer than planned but it was completely worth it.
At the end of the trip, Klement suggested we eat at a Taberna right near the Meteora Thrones HQ for dinner. It was awesome.
We left kalampaka at 7 pm and headed back to Athens with a different driver. We arrived back at our Air BnB around midnight. It was a very long day, but an excellent trip. The guides were great, we saw everything that we needed to see, and had enough time to enjoy the scenery.
I would highly recommend this trip.
Splitpi March 10, 2023
Excellent tour and Antonis was the best guide. He was very knowledgeable and went above and beyond our expectations.