PRIVATE : 1 day Meteora Tour from Thessaloniki by Train

Excellent tour! Our guide, Dimitris, was just amazing with his knowledge, not only for the Meteora but for so many other areas. A very good walk, amazing views & discussions.... read more />
We enjoyed every moment of this journey!

Thanks Dimitris!

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.

The tour was well organized and professional. We were picked up at the Kalabaka train station and hopped into the waiting tour buses. There was no confusion about which bus... read more we should get into.

The bus was clean and the driver was an expert considering the meandering roads.

The tour guide was informative. If we had not joined a tour, I don't think we would experience as much.

It was worth it and highly recommended.

Thank you for the lovely trip. It was mesmerizing journey. The itinerary was very well thought and organised. And the guide was very good.

Amazing tour. Would highly recommend this to anyone. Young and old. Convenient hotel pick up. Our guide was very knowledgeable and made our experience even better.

Despite the heat in Greece this summer, this was so worth it, yes, even climbing hundreds of stairs to get into the monasteries. I'm not a religious person, but the... read more history, the beauty of the landscape, and the people are all so amazing. I am truly fortunate to have such an experience.

Excellent trip. I tried to find the cheapest way to get to Meteora with my wife, but from the distance from Meteora from Athens it made the most sense booking... read more with this company. Renting a car would have been too much of a hassle as we only planned to visit Meteora and get back and our airbnb based in the center of Athens didn't even have parking therefore car would have been to exhausting of a drive and expense to rent. Especially trip taking 4 to 5 hours driving. Company instructions was very easy to follow and we learned a lot from our guide. I recommend this method and company as the best way to reach Meteora, especially if your only planning to be there for a day.

Great experience. It was fenomenal and Klement(Klime) was wonderful as a tour guide. We had a private tour, with multiple stops, explanations and stories. We definitely recommend it if you... read more are going to Meteora. Thank you!

My (teenage) daughters and I did the Hiking Meteora Tour in the morning/ early afternoon and the Sunset Tour in the late afternoon/evening. Both guides were VERY knowledgeable and made... read more sure that everyone in our group (the hiking tour included younger children than mine as well) was entertained. During the hiking tour, we learned loads about the geology of Meteora, mythology, history and botanics. During the Sunset Tour, we took a shuttle to many gorgeous places I would not have found on my own (for example, the Byzantine Church of the Assumption of the Virgin in the town of Kalambaka - it is absolutely STUNNING). Both tours were extremely interesting and I can highly recommend them for all age groups. We were picked up from our hotel on time and got dropped off in front of our hotel again after the tours. Communication with Meteora Thrones was very smooth and I would definitely book with them again if I come to the area! Thank you to the team for a wonderful time in one of the most amazing spots on earth!!

Great service, friendly staff gorgeous places. Special thanks to our guide Eleni and our driver George

Monasteries were amazing, guide was very informative, all trip was organized super well, train tickets were sent on time. Very full day of exploring. Highly recomended.

Such a Amazing experience - Really nice!! The staff was perfect, beginning with the driver and bus (comfortable) because was a long journey (4 hours) to arrive there!

The stop points good to... read more and clean, and a tour guide that know deeply the history about monasteries and lived inside there those thing were fundamental to complete my experience

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.

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.

Wow this tour was incredible. I am sooooo glad that I took the 2 days tour instead of only one day. The first day, the sunset was magical. Simply incredible.... read more A movie-like sunset. Peaceful, zen, beautiful, with an amazing view of the mountains and monasteries.

The second day, I took the hiking tour. I was with my teenagers, and honestly it's not that hard of a hike. But the views... wow... Among the most amazing views I had in my life. We were (me and my kids) alone with the guide, so we had a very personalized tour. The hiking tour allows to see things you wouldn't see otherwise. It was GREAT we loved it.

The tour gives you a great overview of what meteora has to offer, a monastary & church visit and amazing sunset to finish.

Many thanks to Yiannis and Kostas for making the "Majestic Sunset" tour such a great experience! The Meteora is simply spectacular. The tour is very well organized to... read more maximize what you are able to see in the four hours of the tour. The narration is fascinating with so many details you would never be able to know without an expert guide. The last 30 minutes on Sunset Rock make for memories of a lifetime (and a few great photos!). Highly recommended!

Interesting facts, fascinating tour details (including the amazing spinach pie), glorious views and fun in the way! Everything we wished for a day excursion from Thessaloniki. Thank you so much!