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Meteora Tours
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14 hours (Approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English
Keeping you safe during COVID-19
What you can expect during your visit
Face masks required for travelers in public areas
Face masks required for guides in public areas
Face masks provided for travelers
Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
Social distancing enforced throughout experience
Regularly sanitized high-traffic areas
Gear/equipment sanitized between use
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized
Guides required to regularly wash hands
Regular temperature checks for staff
Paid stay-at-home policy for staff with symptoms
Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons
Overview
When visiting Athens, take a full-day detour to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Meteora. Ride a train through the Grecian countryside with included rail tickets and travel from the town of Kalambaka to the ancient clifftop monasteries in a luxury minibus with onboard Wi-Fi. View all six sky-high monastic retreats and visit three of them. You’ll discover hermit caves and enjoy lunch along the way.
- Full-day train tour to Meteora from Athens includes round-trip fare and lunch
- Visit the spectacular UNESCO-listed clifftop monasteries
- Travel from Kalambaka to Meteora in a luxury 19-seater minibus with onboard Wi-Fi
- Tour three monasteries and see the others from the outside
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The journey begins at the Athens Railway Station in the morning, where you’ll catch the train on your own with provided tickets. Relax and take in the diverse scenery of the Grecian countryside on the roughly 4-hour journey to reach Kalambaka, the town closest to Meteora. When you arrive, an English-speaking driver awaits you in a Mercedes Sprinter minivan equipped with air conditioning and onboard Wi-Fi.
Travel through a landscape of green valleys dotted with dramatic grey cliffs to reach Meteora, a World Heritage site built by Greek Orthodox monks who inhabited these incredible hard-to-reach sanctuaries high above ground. Visit three active monasteries, spending about 45 minutes inside each one (entrance fees not included). See the others from the outside on a van tour and discover the hermit caves of Badovas, stopping for frame-worthy photos at each site. A take-away lunch of sandwiches is provided.
After touring, return to Kalambaka and say goodbye to your driver back at the train station. You will have about an hour of free time to walk in the town’s center before hopping on the return train to Athens, where you'll arrive in the late evening.
Travel through a landscape of green valleys dotted with dramatic grey cliffs to reach Meteora, a World Heritage site built by Greek Orthodox monks who inhabited these incredible hard-to-reach sanctuaries high above ground. Visit three active monasteries, spending about 45 minutes inside each one (entrance fees not included). See the others from the outside on a van tour and discover the hermit caves of Badovas, stopping for frame-worthy photos at each site. A take-away lunch of sandwiches is provided.
After touring, return to Kalambaka and say goodbye to your driver back at the train station. You will have about an hour of free time to walk in the town’s center before hopping on the return train to Athens, where you'll arrive in the late evening.
Itinerary
Learn which monastery was the first to be established and the true motivations behind the monks’ decision to try to climb the steep rocks of Meteora and build the monasteries there.You will visit inside two out of the six active monasteries, we will take you to the most beautiful spots to enjoy amazing views and take photos of all the Meteora monasteries. With this comprehensive half-day morning Tour of Meteora, you’ll discover this astonishing site through the eyes and the narrative of the locals!
Duration: 45 minutes
Admission Ticket Not Included
The Holy Monastery of Varlaam is the second biggest monastery. It is located opposite of the Great Meteoro Monastery and it was founded in the mid 14th century by the exercitant Hosios Varlaam.
The elegant monastery Catholicon was built in the honour of Agioi Pantes in 1541-42, by two brothers from Ioannina, the priest-monks Hosioi Theophanes and Nectarios the Apsarades. The main church was decorated in 1548. Based on stylistic criteria, this magnificent wall-painting is attributed to the famous hagiographer from Thebes, Frago Catelano.
Duration: 45 minutes
Admission Ticket Not Included
This is the most accessible monastery, where instead of steps you simply cross a small bridge to reach the entrance. It is ideal for visitors who cannot use the steps and yet they wish to have a real experience of a Meteora monastery.
The beginning of monastic life on the rock of Agios Stephanos dates back to early in the 12th century. Hosios Antonios, in the first half of the 15th century, and Hosios Philotheos, who renovated or rather rebuilt from its foundations the old small and elegant Catholicon, the present church of Agios Stephanos, in 1545 are mentioned as its founders.
St. Stephen’s Monastery includes two cathedrals; the old 16th century chapel which was severely damaged during WWII and the consequent Greek Civil War, and the 18th century main cathedral that is dedicated to Saint Charalambos and includes his holy relics.
Duration: 30 minutes
Admission Ticket Not Included
The Great Meteoron Monastery is the biggest and oldest one of all. It was called the monastery that was “suspended in the air” (meteoro), because of the formation of the gigantic rock on top of which it was built.The Great Meteoro Monastery was founded by Saint Athanasios the Meteorite who was the first founder of the monastery and the organizer of the systematic koenovion.
Duration: 10 minutes
Admission Ticket Free
The Holy Trinity Monastery (Agia Triada) is the most difficult to reach, but once you get to the very top the panoramic view of the surroundings is simply captivating!
This Monastery is very close to the Saint Stephen’s Nunnery and it is perched on a steep and magnificent rock. It had already been organized Monastery since the year 1362 as indicated in a document by Symeon Uressis Palaeologos. Visitors have to follow a pathway that directs them initially to the foot of the rock, before they start walking up about 140 steps.
Duration: 10 minutes
Admission Ticket Free
The Holy Monastery of Roussanou has received the name of the first probable hermit who settled on the rock. The main cathedral was founded at the end of the 16th century and was decorated thirty years later.
Compared to other rocks where monasteries were built, the one of Roussanou has a lower elevation, which makes it more accessible. The monastery was initially founded by monks and it suffered severe damage during World War II. It became a convent in 1988.
Duration: 10 minutes
Admission Ticket Free
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Traveler Tips
- "Meteora is quite far from Athens (4 hours ride with a train), but the tour is definitely worth it." See review
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Product code: 6575P10
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