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.
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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!
The whole tour was amazing.
We learned a lot about the monasteries and their history. The guide was really nice and available.
We could visit a monastery and the Byzantine... read more church, afterwards we went to see an absolutely beautiful sunset at the top of the rocks.
Would recommend it and do it again !!
nrchloe October 2, 2022
Christos was a wonderful guide, really engaging, and full of knowledge and stories. Even my teenage kids were enthralled by the many anecdotes and insight into the places we visited.... read more
Nothing to add to how breathtaking Meteora is, the photos do not do it justice and the other reviewers write far better than I.
But I will add another reason to take this tour is that you will visit some monasteries out of the beaten path. If we had just driven ourselves we would probably have stuck to the big ones
SpanishTraveller62 June 30, 2022
Had a fantastic time with our tour guide Dimitri. We did the sunset tour the evening before - if you are staying overnight, I highly recommend doing both! I was... read more traveling with my parents who are both in their 60s so I was concerned about the amount of steps to the monasteries but visiting 3 monasteries is very doable. The morning weather is also a lot cooler than in the afternoon, when it gets scorching hot in the summer. Both the sunset and morning tours offer some respite from the heat
travelLTN June 29, 2022
Perfect tour! Very informative, great duration, I had a blast! I strongly recommend that tour to see the Meteors.
Louise C September 19, 2022
Dimitris was our private guide for the afternoon. He was very knowledgeable and professional. We could not have asked for a better experience. Even had umbrellas when a torrential rain... read more came and dropped us to a local Taverna for dinner before returning us to the train station. Very reliable tour company.
TennesseeReiki June 13, 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
Unfortunately due to the pandemic, we didn't get to do this tour we had planned for 2020. But George & his team have been fantastic throughout - initially providing a... read more credit voucher then as it became increasingly likely that we wouldn't be able to use that, they provided a full refund! They have been helpful, kind and unfailingly polite in our email correspondence.
If/when we do get back to Greece (from Australia) I will definitely use this company to make my long awaited trip to Meteora! Thank you so much George & all your team.
Jan K October 19, 2022
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
All trip was great! From the time when you get train in athens(larisis train station) till you go in kalambaka all the time you see a million pictures from places!!... read more Meteora thrones care obout people who visit meteora! Thank you so much vaso and sakis for everything!!!
mchristo000 March 1, 2022
Meteora Thrones takes good care of their customers. We were guided by Chrysa, an effervescent, knowledgeable, engaging young woman and a great story-teller. The tour was everything I hoped for.... read more I learned a lot. I only wish we had more time at each monastery. Thank you for a great experience!
Rebecca808 June 29, 2022
Best way to book a local organized bus tour to maximize seeing as many of the monasteries as possible. The tour was 4 hours long with a very knowledgeable guide... read more and comfortable midsize bus. Visited 3 monasteries inside with plenty of time to spend and enjoy the sights. Stopped at several beautiful look out points for the perfect photo opportunities. We greatly enjoyed this tour and were glad we chose this hassle and stress free option as driving and parking around the sights can be challenging especially during peak season. The price of 24 Euro was very reasonable for this wonderful experience.
523noemi1717 October 18, 2022
The Meteora Thrones travel company were a great team. Prompt on schedule, with immaculate timing between monasteries.
Guide Yannis was a cool chap, with a good sense of humour,... read more and a decent array of facts about the area.
Approximately 3-4 hours total time.
Would recommend this trip to others.
Mark R June 23, 2022
Meteora visit - Absolute stunning views and totally worth the long day of getting there and back to Athens. A bit disappointed we couldn’t take the train (there was flooding and route was... read more impassable). However, I was impressed that you arranged buses as an alternative. I would have been so disappointed to not have been able to see this area of Kalabaka and the historical monasteries. The tour guide was so helpful and informative. The beauty of the rocks and area is indescribable. A definite must see. Thank you for putting together such an awesome adventure.
JillPerez-Guerra September 30, 2023
This tour has been our favorite one! The tour guide was excellent, provided us full history information and was also fun.
NitramJavier June 9, 2022
We were very satisfied with this tour during which we visited three monasteries and stopped at the most beautiful places along the way to see the spectacular panoramas of Meteoras.... read more
Pick-up from Kalabaka train station was quick and easy. We avoided the long queries at the entrances of the monasteries. Maybe we were just lucky or maybe the tour itself was organized really smoothly. The guide also was great.
Even though it would be great to have more time in each monastery, it is the best what you can do when traveling from Athens and back on the same day.
noctua5 October 28, 2022
Not to Miss! - Tour guide was very knowledgeable and humour. Also very patient. Meteora is so beautiful and unbelievable
SgLiew March 18, 2023
Wonderful tour - It was a wonderful experience! The tour guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. We stopped at 3 monasteries and stopped at all the great picture locations. Meteora was an amazing... read more place. We are so happy to have taken this tour.
Even though a major train accident occured in Greece about 2 weeks ago, they provided us with a great tour. All the trains were cancelled in the country, but they still chartered a luxurious bus to Kalabaka. They communicated about the transfer change very smoothly.
We highly recommend this tour!!!
mikiwerner March 12, 2023
It's an magic tour through the Meteora forests and paths, along with a visit to the monastery of Varlaam. Special thanks to Chris, our guide, who was very informative and... read more funny as well, showing us the herbs, the mushrooms, the moss direction on the trees and was full of jokes with this amazing greek accent. I would definitely do that again in the future.