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Day Trip to Meteora: Explore Monasteries and Caves
4.6
663 Ratings
Athens
Dive into some of Greece’s most amazing landscapes on a day-long bus journey to Meteora, an experience that’s mesmerizing in ways you couldn’t possibly conceive.
Dive into some of Greece’s most amazing landscapes on a day-long bus journey to Meteora, an experience that’s mesmerizing in ways you couldn’t possibly conceive.
Duration:
14 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Kalabaka - Catch the bus of 08:00 am to Kalambaka in the morning from opposite the Athens Railway Station and enjoy a trip that will give you the chance to admire the beauty of the countryside. Arrive around 12:30 pm in Kalambaka, a small town built at the foot of the majestic grey rocks, and crowded by the Meteora Monasteries.
- Meteora -…
- Kalabaka - Catch the bus of 08:00 am to Kalambaka in the morning from opposite the Athens Railway Station and enjoy a trip that will give you the chance to admire the beauty of the countryside. Arrive around 12:30 pm in Kalambaka, a small town built at the foot of the majestic grey rocks, and crowded by the Meteora Monasteries.
- Meteora - Arriving in Kalambaka, our English speaking expert escort will be waiting you holding a signboard with your name on it and will transfer you to the Meteora Monasteries. For almost 5 hours you will have the time to explore two Monasteries as well as the hermit caves of Badovas. Meteora is included in the UNESCO world heritage monument list. The monasteries are perched on top of towers of sandstone, which for centuries provided totally inaccessible retreats for the monks. The most visited Monastery is the Holy Monastery of Great Meteoron, which is the largest of the monasteries located at Meteora. It was erected in the mid-14th century and was the subject of restoration and embellishment projects in 1483 and 1552. The building serves as the main museum for tourists. The Katholikon (main church), consecrated in honour of the Transfiguration of Jesus was erected in the middle of 14th century and 1387/88 and decorated in 1483 and 1552.
- Kalabaka - At the end of the day, our expert escort will transfer you back to Kalambaka, where you will have the time to stroll around and have a light lunch (not included). At 5:35 p.m. the bus departs from Kalambaka, and arrives at 9:58 p.m back to Athens.
What's Included
- Visit two Monasteries and the hermit caves of Badovas
- Transport by air-conditioned vehicle with WiFi
- Free Map and bottle of water
- Round-trip shared transfers in Kalambaka and Meteora
- Expert English speaking escort
- Local taxes
- Visit two Monasteries and the hermit caves of Badovas
- Transport by air-conditioned vehicle with WiFi
- Free Map and bottle of water
- Round-trip shared transfers in Kalambaka and Meteora
- Expert English speaking escort
- Local taxes
What's Not Included
- Hotel pick-up and drop-off service in Athens
- Food and drinks
- Entrance fees of the Monasteries (each monastery admission costs €3 per person per monastery)
- Hotel pick-up and drop-off service in Athens
- Food and drinks
- Entrance fees of the Monasteries (each monastery admission costs €3 per person per monastery)
Additional Information
- Infants (ages 3 and under) are free
- To enter the monasteries, appropriate clothing is required. Women should not wear short skirts and must have long sleeves. Men are not allowed to wear shorts.
- Amendments are serviced based on the availability
- The tour requires customers to climb stairs upon their approach to the monasteries. If someone finds…
- Infants (ages 3 and under) are free
- To enter the monasteries, appropriate clothing is required. Women should not wear short skirts and must have long sleeves. Men are not allowed to wear shorts.
- Amendments are serviced based on the availability
- The tour requires customers to climb stairs upon their approach to the monasteries. If someone finds climbing stairs challenging, it is possible to wait at the parking area where some benches are.
- Customers do not need to buy the monasteries tickets ahead of time. They pay in cash on the spot.
- The bus that will drive the customers to Kalambaka is only for the travel group.
Location
St. Larissis
You need to be in the opposite side of the Athens Railway Station at 07:30 am. You can reach the Athens Railway Station by metro, getting off at the Larissis Metro Station.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.6
(663 Ratings)
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Dfwontario
Oct 29, 2024
Day trip to Meteora - Awesome day trip from start to finish! Very long, approximately 15 hour day but worth every minute. Our bus driver was amazing, Gus I believe and our guide was very informative and injected humour. Highly recommend this day trip!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Key_c
Oct 25, 2024
Spectacular scenery and excellent tour guide - A long ride but worth it. Katarina was a local and she was so personal and sharing her personal journey with this special place that made the tour even more memorable. She was superb. 4 hours each way is not for everyone. If I could do it over, I would combine both Delphi and Meteora with one shot in 2 days instead of spending most of the day on the bus. The monasteries are truly a unique part of the Greece experience.
Review provided by Viator
Isabel_c
Oct 24, 2024
Great tour - Great tour. Definitely worth the drive. One of the best tours I have been on.
Only key down was bus was completely full and wasn’t a comfortable drive for all.
Review provided by Viator
Lorna_h
Oct 22, 2024
Bucket list experience! - Loved this tour! It was a long day, 5 hours up, 5 hours visiting the monasteries and 5 hours back but so worth it. Along the way we stopped for lunch and returned to the same place for dinner, after visiting the monasteries. The price of lunch was included but not for dinner. The monasteries were beautiful, all perched on top of a mountain. The van brought us up close which was excellent as I couldn't walk up all the stairs. Totally enjoyed this tour!
Review provided by Viator
Curtis_c
Oct 21, 2024
Meteora day trip from Athens - Meteora's geological features are virtually without compare. The sandstone/limestone formations tower vertically hundreds of meters, replete with complex curves, convexities and concavities that (in miniature) would do a modern potter well. The history of Meteora and its region, and especially of the almost organic development of the monasteries imbedded and perched precariously on the towering formations is utterly fascinating. The monasteries themselves are sublime masterpieces of architecture. In our case, our local tour guide, Maria, was a font of knowledge and anecdotes about Meteora, delightfully blending sincere reverence for the Greek Orthodox monastic communities and her religion admixed with a charming irreverence born of her childhood experiences clambering around the formations.
Our bus trip to and from Athens was fine, with convenient restroom and eating breaks each way and our Greek lunch in a restaurant at the foot of the formations was good. Our cheerful driver to Meteora even gave is a brief side trip to Thermopylae.
Review provided by Viator
Angie_k
Oct 19, 2024
Meteors was amazing! - It was a long day with 5 hour each way but worth the trip. If you have time I would recommend add another site and make it an overnight trip instead. Our tour guide Alexis was very knowledgeable and her colorful commentary made it more interesting. Our bus driver was great, recommended a few more stop for pictures, the views were breathtaking. The only downside was the morning check in, there were so many buses from different agencies and the sign was not clear. We had to check with 4 different drivers for the name list to find the right bus.
Review provided by Viator
Leigh_b
Oct 19, 2024
Long but Memorable Day - The trip was very long and there are LOTS of stairs and steep inclines to navigate, but it was a once in a lifetime destination and worth the effort. The tour extremely well organized. Our guide, Maria, was very knowledgeable and gave an incredible amount of information to us. Frequent stops for snacks and bathrooms were appreciated. The area is other-worldly and stunningly beautiful. Just be prepared for the hiking and long bus ride to and from Athens.
Review provided by Viator
Shellhorn
Oct 18, 2024
Marvelous Meteora - Long trip but stops were welcome. Great guide and beautiful views. Loved the history and sights. The monasteries were amazing and the natural formations outstanding.
Review provided by Viator
Acli
Oct 18, 2024
An amazing trip to Meteora - It’s a long day with 5 hour bus ride each way but worth the trip. Very impressive sites and views are amazing. Makes you wonder how much effort it took to build the monasteries. Our tour guide Alexis was very good, many colorful commentaries to make the stories more interesting. Our bus driver was great, he was very helpful with taking pictures and making sure we are safe when walking on the rocky areas. Morning checking was a bit chaotic as there were too many buses from different agencies and we had to check our names with each bus driver to find the right bus.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Paul
Oct 16, 2024
Worth the time and dollars . Excellent. - Worth the time and the dollars . Once we figured out where our bus was and got on - everything was smooth went very well . We are pleased we spent our time this way . The sights , the education , the food experiences all exceeded our expectations.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
