Athens: Full-Day Meteora Monasteries Tour with Greek Lunch

Discover one of the world’s most popular UNESCO sites on this Athens to Meteora day trip. Explore ancient monasteries, enjoy panoramic views and learn all about the region’s history and myths.

Duration: 14 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Athens - Embark on an extraordinary day trip from Athens to the Unesco World Heritage Site of Meteora. Explore centuries-old monasteries, enjoy breathtaking panoramic views and uncover hidden gems of Meteora that most travelers won’t know about.

Your journey starts as you board our private, air-conditioned bus at 07:45 AM, conveniently departing from the street across the Central Railway Station of Athens (Stathmos Larisis). Sit back and enjoy a scenic bus ride through the enchanting countryside, offering picturesque glimpses of mainland Greece.

  • Meteora - By noon, you’ll arrive at Meteora, where your friendly local tour guide will await you, to begin an unforgettable adventure through this natural wonder called Meteora. During this guided tour, you’ll be able to see all the majestic monasteries of Meteora and even step inside three of them to explore their captivating interiors. Also, discover the hidden treasures of Meteora, including the ancient hermit caves and the magnificent St. George Mandilas cave.

Moreover, uncover the ‘secret’ side of Meteora accompanied by your local, knowledgeable, English-speaking guide, learning about why hermits chose to settle in these imposing caves a thousand years ago. Immerse yourself in the rich history and intriguing myths of Meteora, as you hear detailed explanations and fascinating stories. If English isn’t your primary language, don’t worry! We also offer free audio guides in Spanish, French, and Italian.

Also, capture amazing photos during our multiple panoramic photo stops.

  • Kalambaka - Additionally (exclusive to this tour), discover the charming small town of Kalambaka located in the foothills of Meteora and enjoy a traditional Greek lunch. Your meal will include a fresh salad, a choice of main dish (with multiple options to cater to your preferences), freshly baked bread, and refreshing water. Vegetarian and vegan options are also available.
  • Roussanou Monastery - 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.
  • Saint Nicholas Monastery - 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.
  • Varlaam 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.
  • Holy Trinity Monastery (Agia Triada) - 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.
  • Agios Stefanos - 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.
  • Great Meteoron Monastery - 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.
  • Athens - Come evening, we’ll set off on our journey back to Athens, and you can expect to arrive there at approximately 10:15 PM.
What's Included
  • Local, knowledgeable English-speaking tour guide
  • Greek Lunch at a local restaurant
  • Panoramic photo stops
  • Stops to see all the monasteries of Meteora
  • Air-conditioned bus with onboard WiFi
  • Free Audio Guides in Spanish, French and Italian
  • Refreshment breaks at local shops on both bus routes
  • Free time to visit the interior of 3 of them
  • Roundtrip transportation from Athens to Meteora
  • Bottle of water
  • Immersive Guided Meteora tour
What's Not Included
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Entrance fees of each monastery (3 euros per person)
  • Guided tour inside the monasteries (available upon request)
Additional Information
  • If you wish to use our free audio guides in Spanish, French or Italian, please be sure to bring your smartphone and earphones with you.
Location
Stathmos Larisis
Begin your adventure by boarding our private, air-conditioned bus at 07:45 AM. The bus will be conveniently located on the street just opposite the Central Railway Station of Athens (Stathmos Larisis). You'll easily identify it by the "Meteora Trip" sign displayed in the front window.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.6
(48 Ratings)
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Dianaz1979
Jul 14, 2024
Unforgettable - Perfect organization. Times perfectly respected. Maria's Guide of exceptional skill and sympathy. On meteora there is little to say... a unique experience. Don't miss this experience!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Barbarazg1318zi
Jul 6, 2024
“Spectacular & Breathtaking!” - I’m so happy I decided to go on the day trip to Meteora. I initially thought that one day would be too tiring and too rushed for a trip such as this but it wasn’t like that at all. The bus and bus ride were very comfortable - George our driver was excellent and the scenery beautiful. Maria our guide, who joined us in Kalabaka, was extremely knowledgeable with a bubbly personality which made her a joy to listen to. Our lunch in Kalakaua was tasty and generous and accommodated my vegetarian requirement easily. As for Meteora itself, all I can say is spectacular & breathtaking! I highly recommend this day trip and the team at MeteoraTrip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Grandtour07038524718
Jul 4, 2024
Amazing day trip! - Pickup, travel and drop off was extremely easy and comfortable. The guides were absolutely great, we had Nickolas and he was great. Amazing day trip with lots to see.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pamela_a
Jun 16, 2024
Great Day! - The coach was super easy to find at the station, our driver was really great and when we got to the main town we met our guide Maria, she was great and very informative in telling us all about the history of the Meteora, she doesn’t go inside the Monastery's with you which gave us opportunity to explore at our own leisure and meet back on the coach at the allocated time! Very traditional Greek lunch and kept us full for the entire day! Really recommend this tour if you want to have about 1 hour at the Monastery’s and don’t want to worry about having to commute to the area, also the coach did not have USB chargers so bring a power bank for the long trip 👍🏼
Review provided by Viator
Jessica_s
May 23, 2024
Wonderful tour - This was such a great tour. It is a long drive and long day but in my opinion totally worth it. Meteora and the monasteries were really great to see and I'd do it again. Only advice is to plan ahead for food, you get lunch which is very good but not dinner and you get back to athens at about 10pm so I wish I'd thought ahead and brought sandwiches or something but that was my oversight tour was great.
Review provided by Viator
Sherpa535142
May 22, 2024
A perfect day - 4 hours by bus from Athens... But it was worth it 😍 We were welcomed by Nikolas (our guide) and Georges (our driver) throughout our day and they were incredible 🫶 We couldn't have asked for better for this daytime. The perfect driving, the very clear and very interesting explanations, the photo stops without tourists. Thank you both again for this wonderful day. We were amazed by it and we have wonderful memories ❤️
Review provided by Tripadvisor
彥君
May 22, 2024
During the trip, we carefully arrange rest time. However, there are limited places to go to the toilet at the Sky City attractions. We should inform everyone as soon as possible to be physically and mentally prepared. - The bus ride was comfortable and the itinerary was well organized The signboards on the buses during assembly can be clearer, so that event participants can quickly and accurately board the bus they should take.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Actregular_traveller
May 21, 2024
A long day, but a memorable experience - We confirmed beforehand that we could find our way to the train station where the tour departs from. As it was, the metro was quiet at that time of morning and we found the bus without issue - all the tours to Meteora are using buses at present as the train line has been closed since about Aug 2023. We were told that the new highway had only recently opened, taking an hour of the travel time - as it was, it took from just before 8am to about 10:30pm to get there and back, around 8 & 1/2 hours of which was getting there and back. The bus trip there was uneventful, with a break around half way (both directions) at an OK roadside cafe used by travellers. Once we arrived in the Meteora area we were broken into smaller groups of around 9-10, taken for lunch and then off with a mini-bus and guide who took us around the sites, explained some of the history and gave advice. We had paid to have the included lunch - this was a wise option as the lunch was prior to normal lunch times in Greece and we may have struggled getting in to the few cafes/tavernas open at that time. Local guide and driver were excellent. A long day, but we had good weather with fine views so thoroughly enjoyed this world-class site.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Blessyalex_t
Aug 1, 2024
Long drive and tiring/hot, but worth it! - Stunning views, but we went in July 2024. So hot! The bus was A/c but honestly didn’t feel that cold. Tour guide was Maria, she was goofy and friendly, but jokes a tad scandalous lol. She kept it fun though. The monasteries themselves left us speechless. Long drive there and back; 4 hours both ways. Driver kept things very close time and on schedule.
Review provided by Viator
Melanie_b
May 9, 2024
Beware of what they promise… - This review is based on the dissatisfaction of what was promised to us and what we actually received. Let me start by saying, Meteora is an absolute must to see…it is amazing and so beautiful and fascinating. Our tour guide was also very knowledgeable and the mist of the trip was fabulous! Now let me tell you what we didn’t get as part of our trip. When I signed up for this trip (There were 5 of us) we decided to go with the more expensive one mainly because it was a smaller group (said max 15) compared to 45. We paid $130.00 verses $88-100 that the other ones were. A couple of weeks before we went, I kept seeing these lower prices and not the one for $130 so I called Viator and asked what the difference was. They assured me it was because of the smaller(15) people and that we could get picked up from our hotel. So I agreed to that and paid over $600 for this tour. There were many things we didn’t get…our group was 35…we were suppose to transfer to a luxury smaller bus in the town we stopped in but that didn’t happen…had to stay on big full bus for entire day…was told there was wi-fi, there wasn’t…was told they provided water, they didn’t …was told there was a stop at the hermit caves…there wasn’t …so all these things were not fulfilled. When I got back to the states, I reached out to Viator and basically was told it’s not their problem and they were not will to refund anything back to us. I wasn’t asking for the full refund, just the lower price which I thought was fair. Unfortunately I and non of the others in my group will be using Viator again! Go on this trip but do it through a company that stands behind what the ad says! Melanie Bickar…one unhappy customer
Review provided by Viator
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September 2024
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