About this experience
Admire the monasteries atop the UNESCO World Heritage Site at Meteora. Explore the small village of Kastraki and spot the monument of the Great Leonidas on the way back through Thermopylae.
Highlights
- Take photos and create lifelong memories at this picturesque yet imposing natural beauty
- Return to Athens via Thermopylae, hearing battle tales along the way where 300 Spartans fought 100,000 Persians
- Enjoy authentic Greek food in Kastraki village
- Walk around the rock formations and visit up to three of the monasteries for an up-close look at ancient hermit life
What's included
- English-speaking driver
- Pickup and drop-off in Athens and Piraeus
- Private transportation
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- WiFi on board
- Bottled water
How to use
- Show Mobile Ticket
- At Redemption Counter
What to expect
We start our tour early in the morning from Athens till Meteora. Our driver will pick you up from your hotel/ apartment or the airport/ port. The travel time is about 4,5 hours.
The first stop is at Kalabaka, a town of the municipality of Meteora in the Trikala regional unit, part of Thessaly in Greece. The population was 12,000 at the 2011 census, of which 8,330 in the town proper. The Meteora monasteries are located near the town.
We arrive at Meteora and visit up to three Monasteries. Breathtaking at first site, the Monasteries are of great cultural and natural importance. Split from earthquakes, weathered from the wind and the water over millions of millions of years, these immense rocks are an authentic masterpiece of mother nature.
The Meteora is a rock formation in central Greece hosting one of the largest and most precipitously built complexes of Eastern Orthodox Monasteries. The six (of an original 24) monasteries are built on immense natural pillars and hill-like rounded boulders that dominate the local area.
Meteora is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List and the name means "lofty", "elevated", and is etymologically related to meteor.
Please be modestly dressed. Women are suggested to wear long skirts & long sleeves. If you do not have, you will be given a skirt on your way in.
Next stop is at Kastraki, a picturesque village near Meteora, where we have free time for lunch at a traditional Greek tavern with your friends and family or shopping.
As we leave the magnificent Meteora behind us, let us not overlook the Battle of Thermopylae of 480 BCE, which has long been the topic of cultural motivation, as it is perhaps the most famous military last stand of all time. The monument of the Great Leonidas, King of Sparta, in Thermopylae, will grace our path on our way back to Athens in the late afternoon. The drive is about 4,5 hours.
Terms & conditions
Please note, the drivers are not official tour guides, but they are knowledgeable and can provide fascinating commentary in fluent English. Although they will not enter the archaeological sites with you, they can answer most of your questions about the places that you visit.