Meteora: Morning Half Day Sightseeing and Monasteries Tour
Description
Join this classic, authentic, morning tour in Meteora and meet its most cherished local legends through the eyes of a local. Explore centuries-old monasteries, enjoy the breathtaking panoramic views and discover unearthing hidden gems most travelers don’t know about.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Join this morning sightseeing tour to Meteora and fully experience this true wonder accompanied by a knowledgeable local guide. The tour starts with a convenient pick-up (with our VIP minibus) from your hotel in Kalabaka or Kastraki. During this guided tour you will have the opportunity to see all six magnificent monasteries and admire the interior of three of them. Additionally, view some of Meteora’s most spectacular hidden gems like the ancient Chapel of Doupiani and the magnificent St. George “Mandilas” cave. You will also discover the “other side” of Meteora, like the truth about why the hermits settled in these imposing caves a thousand years ago and how the monks achieved the “impossible”. If English isn’t your primary language, don’t worry! We offer free audio guides in Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Chinese & Korean. Last but not least, take the opportunity to enjoy the breathtaking panoramic views and capture some amazing photos that you will cherish forever.
At the bottom of the Holy Meteora Rocks and not far from Kalambaka is located Kastraki (translated as small castle in Greek). This picturesque village took its name from a small Byzantine castle, whose ruins are still saved today.
The Monastery of Saint Nicholas of Anapafsas is literally suspended in air on a small rock and is the first monastery that we meet on our way from Kastraki village to the stone forest of Holy Meteora.
The Roussanou Monastery, also known as Arsani, stands on top of an impressive vertical and steep cliff of Meteora, between the Monasteries of Saint Nicholas Anapafsas and Varlaam.
The Monastery of Great Meteoron or Transfiguration of Christ, expresses the greatness and history of the Holy Meteora, as it is the oldest and most important monastery.
The Varlaam Monastery or Monastery of All the Saints is located on an imposing rock exactly opposite of the Great Meteoron and it is the second largest monastery of Meteora.
The Monastery of the Holy Trinity is the third oldest monastery in Meteora and is the most difficult to reach, since visitors should cross a downhill path and then ascend 145 steps carved into the rock. It is said that the first hermits used a rope ladder and a net to build it and they spent 70 years to carry the all the materials needed.
The Monastery of Saint Stephen’s (Agios Stefanos) is located just above the city of Kalambaka and is the most accessible monastery in Meteora, as there are no steps to reach the entrance and the access is easy through a small stone bridge.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We offer convenient pickup from your hotel in Kalabaka or Kastraki. If your hotel's name is not listed please reach directly to us after your booking. The pickup time from Kalambaka is between 08:45 to 09:00 while from Kastraki between 09:00 to 09:15.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- The monasteries of Meteora impose a dress code for visitors. Men are required to wear long trousers and shirts with sleeves. Women must wear skirts that fall below the knee (trousers are not permitted) and cover their shoulders. Alternatively, women can use a long scarf wrapped around the waist to meet the dress code requirements.
- The monasteries of Meteora only accept cash for the entrance fees (€5 per person/monastery).
- To use our free audio guide, please be sure to bring your smartphone and earphones with you.
Reviews(189)
Nikos was an awesome tour guide and Giorgos made us feel very safe with his driving skills . It has been a wonderful experience .
Meteora is a fabulous place to visit, with tremendous cultural and geographical wonders. On our tour, we visited 3 monasteries. Our guide and driver were very helpful. A word of caution for travelers with physical challenges such as bad knees or hips--you have to climbs a LOT of stairs and walk some distance up hills to visit some of the monasteries. Plan your visit accordingly!
Thank you for your wonderful review! We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed the cultural, historical, and natural beauty of Meteora and that our guide and driver helped make your experience enjoyable. We also appreciate your helpful advice for future travelers, as some monastery visits do involve stairs and uphill walking. Thank you for choosing our tour.
Dress appropriately, wear closed and supportive shoes, enjoy! You will see the interior of 3 monasteries and the other 3 from the exterior.
Thank you for your review! We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed the experience and appreciated the opportunity to visit three monasteries while viewing the others from scenic viewpoints. Your practical advice about appropriate clothing and supportive footwear will be helpful for future travelers. We’re glad you enjoyed the experience!
Excellent organization, precise and punctual from the booking to the pickup at the meeting point. Exceptional Vassili, the guide who accompanied us and filled our gaps in English knowledge with his explanations in Italian.
Thank you for your wonderful review! We’re delighted to hear that everything was well organized and ran smoothly from booking to pickup. Vassili will be thrilled to know that his Italian explanations helped make the experience even more enjoyable and accessible. We’ll be sure to share your kind words with him. Thank you for choosing our tour.
Absolutely awesome! Incredible scenery, breathtaking beauty! Wonderful guide and driver provided information about the monasteries without overdoing it. Well organized tour, good communication emails with organizers on meeting point, dress code, etc
Thank you for your fantastic review! We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed the incredible scenery and breathtaking beauty of Meteora. It’s wonderful to know that the guide and driver, along with our organization and communication, helped make your experience so enjoyable. We truly appreciate your kind words and are glad everything met your expectations. Thank you for traveling with us!
We were running a little late for our tour. I would like to thank Georgia in the Kalamata office for being so incredibly helpful in booking us a taxi, to ensuring we met up with our guide at the right place, as quickly as possible. Our Guide Costas was excellent, we loved Meteora!
Thank you for your wonderful review! We’re delighted to hear that Georgia was able to assist you and ensure you joined the tour smoothly despite the delay. We’ll be sure to share your kind words with her. It’s also great to know that Costas made your experience memorable and that you loved Meteora. It was a pleasure having you with us.
We had a great time on our tour with Yurgos as our guide. The explanations and the stories were so interesting! Everything was very pleasant and professional- we definitely enjoyed our time and recommend doing this tour with them.
Thank you for your wonderful review! We’re delighted to hear you had a great time and enjoyed Yurgos’s explanations and storytelling. It’s fantastic to know that you found the experience both pleasant and professional. We’ll be sure to share your kind words with Yurgos. Thank you for your recommendation and for choosing our tour.
A good tour of the area and three Monasteries.
Thank you for your review! We’re delighted you enjoyed exploring the Meteora area and visiting the three monasteries. We truly appreciate your feedback and thank you for choosing our tour!
A trip not to be missed. We got rid of the parking problem and received a lot of information about the impressive history of the area. The professionalism and kindness of the guide Vasilis and the driver Yorgos were remarkable. I recommend.
Thank you for your wonderful review! We’re delighted you enjoyed the experience and appreciated learning about the impressive history of Meteora without the stress of parking and logistics. It’s great to hear that Vasilis and Yorgos made such a positive impression with their professionalism and kindness. We truly appreciate your recommendation!
I signed up for this trip that promised a small group tour of the monasteries in a private luxury van. Instead the company showed up with an 80 person mega bus with no prior warning. I would not have signed up for such a tour. Having so many people ruined the experience and there was no opportunity to ask questions with the tour guide—he was just too busy herding us all on and off the bus. Additionally we sat around forever waiting for everyone to be accounted for. I contacted the tour operator 2 times to request a refund and they will not respond.
Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry to hear that the change of vehicle affected your experience. However, we would like to clarify that the description of an “80-person mega bus” is not accurate. In fact, no operator in the region owns vehicles of that size. On the day of your tour, we experienced an unexpected last-minute issue with one of our minibuses. Rather than cancel the excursion, we arranged a slightly larger replacement vehicle so that all guests could still enjoy the experience. This situation was explained to everyone upon boarding, and the tour proceeded as planned with the complete advertised itinerary. We are also sorry if you felt unable to engage with the guide. Our guides are always happy to answer questions throughout the tour, and with approximately four hours spent in Meteora, there are multiple opportunities for interaction during visits, stops, and transfers. We appreciate your feedback and are sorry that the experience did not meet your expectations. Thank you for joining our tour.
