Meteora
Visiting the monasteries of Meteora on the Plain of Thessaly, with hotels in Kalambaka and guided tours available.
Meteora
Photo by Vangelis Batsikostas on Unsplash
To witness, for the first time, the precipitous rocks of
Meteora soaring above the plain of Thessaly is an experience both powerful and
unforgettable.
At first the grey-black masses appear to be sculptures put
there by some Greek God who dabbled in pottery, but as you get closer you see
there is something even more striking about them: built into the sides, or on
the summits, are clusters of monastic buildings, with no visible means of access,
as if they too had been dropped from heaven.
Meteora
Photo by Martina Bäcker on Pixabay
The rocks are in fact made of sandstone and were formed
about 30 million years ago when the plain was originally a sea. The pounding of
the water turned the sandstone into these surreal Daliesque shapes, which were
left when the sea eventually retreated.
Photo by Siggy Nowak on Pixabay
The name Meteora means 'rocks in the air' and how the
Meteora monasteries were built is still open to speculation: wooden
scaffolding, a network of ladders, ropes floated over the tops on kites to gain
the first footing, or a combination of these.
Photo by Tasos Lekkas on Pixabay
What is known is that the first of the monasteries dates from
1336, by which time the rock faces had already been scaled by hermits seeking –
and certainly getting – seclusion. The first hermit is thought to have been a
man named Barnabas who came here in about 985AD.
Our Pick of the Guides to Greece
At one time there were 24 monasteries and today there are 13,
but only six are open to the public, and not all at the same time. This is to
help maintain some sense of peace and privacy for the handful of monks and nuns
who still live in five of the monasteries. For this reason visitors should
dress appropriately: wearing shorts or having bare shoulders may result in
admission being refused.
Photo by Alexander Nachev on Unsplash
The Megalo Meteoro or Metamorphosis monastery is the
highest, oldest and one of the grandest of the monasteries. It was founded by a
monk named Athanasios who came to Meteora from Mount Athos, and the cave in
which he lived can still be seen just outside the entrance to the monastery,
which stands at 1752 ft (534m).
At Varlaam you can see one of the original ascent
towers in which both visitors and supplies were hauled up by rope before steps
were carved into the rocks. The travel writer Patrick Leigh Fermor was visiting
the monasteries one time and looked dubiously at this arrangement. He asked the
monk who was showing him round how often they replaced the rope. 'Every time it
breaks,' was the reply.
Opening Hours
It's vital to check locally to find out which monasteries are open to visitors and what their hours are. You can also check on the Visit Meteora website.
Kalambaka, near Meteora
Photo by Richard Mcall on Pixabay
Meteora Hotels
Accommodation is available in the nearby town of Kalambaka,
or the village of Kastraki, which is even closer but much smaller. From here it
is a few minutes' drive to the monasteries. Alternatively you can walk or join
an organised tour to visit the monasteries.
Central Greece and Thessaly pages
Central Greece and Thessaly has many Greek visitor attractions, like ancient Delphi, Meteora, the Pelion and Ossios Loukas monastery.
Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece and is in the Mount Olympus National Park in Macedonia, with Litochoro being the best base.
The city of Volos has several museums and is a major port, and also the gateway to the charming Pelion peninsula with its traditional villages and beaches.
Trikala is a city in Thessaly, noted for its traditional architecture with lots of things to see and a good base for visiting the monasteries of Meteora.
The Pindus Mountains range runs along the border between Epirus and Thessaly, includes two national parks and some of the highest mountain peaks in the country.
The Parnassus Mountains rise behind ancient Delphi and the mountain village of Arachova, and the Parnassus National Park is one of the two oldest in Greece.
Ossios Loukas is a Byzantine monastery that stands between Athens and Delphi and is the burial place of the Greek hermit, Blessed Luke.
This beautiful drive along the northern shore of the Gulf of Corinth (Korinthiakos Kolpos), goes from Delphi to Missolonghi via Galixidi and Nafpaktos.
Visiting the ancient site of Delphi and its archaeological museum in the Parnassos Mountains of Central Greece.
Arachova is a mountain town in the Parnassus Mountains of Greece and a good base for visiting the ancient archaeological site of Delphi, a 15-minute drive away.
The Bradt Guide to Northern Greece is a detailed guide to Thessaloniki, Halkidiki, Macedonia, Thrace, The Pelion, The Sporades and the rest of Northern Greece.
Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here's how...
Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?
- Click on the HTML link code below.
- Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment,
your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.
-
For keen birdwatchers, birdwatching on Lesbos offers a chance to see over 300 species in diverse habitats on a key migratory route between Europe and Africa.
Read More
-
The Greek capital continues to celebrate spring with the 3rd This is Athens – City Festival, presenting a diverse program of events and activities, all with free admission. Throughout the weekend, the…
Read More
-
British travelers seeking value for money in Europe this year will find it in Athens, according to the annual Post Office Travel Money City Costs Barometer. The Greek capital is once again among the T…
Read More
-
Kalymnos, Thassos, Lefkada and Skopelos have been identified as some of the most affordable destinations for British travelers booking package holidays this summer, according to a recent analysis by W…
Read More
-
Greek authorities have once again decided to keep one of the country’s most-visited beaches, Navagio on the island of Zakynthos, closed to the public due to safety risk.
Read More
-
The 3rd This is Athens – City Festival is currently underway, showcasing a diverse array of entertainment events and creative activities suitable for families and adults. An initiative of the Athens D…
Read More
-
UK tour operator Jet2holidays and leisure airline Jet2.com have expanded their summer 2025 program by adding 35,000 seats to various destinations, including two Greek islands.
Read More
-
Athens is ranked as one of the top European cities for family science trips, according to a report by Ubuy, a global e-commerce platform. Ubuy’s new report reveals Europe’s top 20 cities where familie…
Read More
-
Transportation and travel in Greece will be disrupted on Wednesday, May 1, as public transport and ferry employees have announced their participation in strike mobilizations to mark May Day. According…
Read More
-
A new beer festival is coming to Athens and for three days will quench the thirst of beer lovers with well-known and rare labels from around the world as well as from Greek microbreweries. Lager? Pils…
Read More