Hiking in Meteora, Monasteries in the Skies of Greece

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Meteora is one of those places that you see online and immediately want to visit. That was my reaction to the images I saw of cliff-top monasteries and rocky towers in the mountains of north central Greece. And so, hiking in Meteora became a priority of mine on my first trip to Greece.

Despite the brisk December weather and very little advanced planning, visiting Meteora was a highlight of my first time in Greece. Exploring northern Greece since then has been fun, but this remains a favourite spot of mine in the country. If you, too, want to see this incredible region, here’s what it’s like seeing Meteora’s monasteries independently.

 

What is Meteora?

Before we even get to where to go, it’s useful to actually explain what “Meteora” is.

Because you can’t just look at a map of Greece and spot a town or landmark called Meteora.

Meteora, which means “suspended in the air,” refers to incredible geological formations in the Greek region of Thessaly. Today, people also use the name to include the collection of Greek Orthodox monasteries that dot this strange, rocky landscape.

When visiting Meteora, you’ll see views of this jaw-dropping landscape and the historic monasteries that still survive there.

And yes, visiting Meteora is definitely worth it. There’s nowhere else like it.

 

How to get to Meteora

Kalambaka (Kalampáka or Kalabaka) is the nearest town to Meteora and is generally considered its main gateway.

From Athens, you can choose between traveling by train or bus. As of early 2025, the train line is still being repaired, but normally, you can take a train directly to Kalambaka. Otherwise, you can take a bus first to Trikala and then connect to a bus to Kalambaka. Either way, expect a long journey of 5+ hours.

Thessaloniki is closer to Meteora. Go by bus via Trikala, and the trip takes around 3.5 hours.

If you’re not confident in navigating your own way there or can’t be bothered organising transport, you can always book a tour. Your options are:

• Tour from Athens
• Tour from Thessaloniki
• Tour from Parga

 

Where to stay in Meteora

While some people choose to do a day trip to Meteora, staying nearby gives you way more time to explore.

Kalambaka is the obvious first choice, as it is the area’s main town and transport hub. There, you’ll find a wide selection of hotels, apartments, and guesthouses in Kalambaka.

But there’s also the small neighbouring village of Kastraki that’s closely linked with this destination. I stayed in Kastraki at Hotel Tsikeli (which was nice before and has since been renovated) and really enjoyed the village’s more old-fashioned feel. Now, Kastrakis is small and doesn’t have much to see or do, but its atmosphere added to the overall experience.

For more well-rated places to stay, look at the following:

• rel=”sponsored”Hotel Doupiani House
• Epavlis Meteora Suites Hotel
• Monastiri Guesthouse
• Guesthouse Kastelia

 

Hiking to the monasteries of Meteora

Meteora is famous for six historic monasteries that sit in remote and unlikely spots across its precarious landscape.

You can hike (or drive) to all of these monasteries from Kalambaka and Kastraki. Four of the monasteries are closer to Kastraki, while the other two sit high above Kalambaka.

Because of this, I chose to visit the Meteora monasteries over two days. On the first day, I hiked from Kastraki to the four nearby monasteries. The other day, I went to Kalambaka and hiked the other two.

You could choose to hike all six in one day. Each day, I came back for a late lunch, so if you plan ahead and bring food, you’ll have no reason to come back down. Taking a taxi at the start or end between Kalambaka and Kastraki will also help make it easier to fit in all six.

 

What it’s like hiking in Meteora

Before you see any monasteries, you’ll first be walking, so let’s start with the area’s hiking conditions.

What the route is like really depends on where you are. When leaving Kastraki and walking between some monasteries, you’ll follow the road. This isn’t a problem out of season since the roads are very quiet, but in high season, it may feel less safe with cars constantly passing by.

Other times, you’ll take forest trails, which autumn leaves may cover. The nicest section is when you walk out of Kalambaka towards the Monastery of the Holy Trinity. This section is a gentle stone path through olive groves, with locals walking and running along it.

Since the hike isn’t too rough or challenging, you can dress normally. I wore jeans, sneakers and layers to stay warm and never regretted not having hiking boots. But definitely bring water and snacks.

While the routes through Meteora aren’t classic hiking trails, I do think they belong among Europe’s best hiking trails because of the unique landscape and views.

 

Holy Monastery of St. Nicholas Anapafsas

If, like me, you’re starting in Kastraki, the first attraction to visit is the low-lying Holy Monastery of St. Nicholas Anapafsas.

It doesn’t take long to reach the village outskirts and soon you’re walking past vineyards. Turn a corner or two and you quickly see why the monasteries of Meteora are listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites.

That’s because you’ll soon see the 14th-century Holy Monastery of St. Nicholas Anapafsas, but also spot the Roussanou sitting perched out in the distance. Barely 30 minutes into my first full day exploring and I was already mesmerized by the scenery.

A gate right on the road marks the entrance to the monastery. Even with my early start, a local woman was already there, waiting to sell her arts and crafts. Since I was the only person about and wasn’t buying, I don’t think she was seeing much business come by.

After a steep walk up the road and a further climb up its imposing stairs I was inside the historic, but small, monastery. Inside was an incredibly lavish and highly decorated chapel that looked like it had been expertly preserved. Sadly I couldn’t take photos of the chapel, but I was able to take photos once I reached the rooftop. From there you see exquisite views over the town of Kastraki and the vibrant countryside.

It should be obvious by now that autumn is a great time to visit Meteora. The forest among the mountains and cliffs is bursting with patches of colour. I don’t think you’d even notice the rest of the landscape in other seasons, but autumn adds another element.

 

Great Meteoron Monastery

The Monastery of St. Nicholas is low and easily accessible on foot.

It’s the exception, though, not the rule. Because high above it, behind a wall of cliffs, stands the Great Meteoron Monastery.

Getting there involves continuing up the main road until you reach a hiking trail leading into the woods. Autumn leaves blanketed the trail, but I could still follow it as it led into the trees and then climbed higher and higher. The woods here get dense and cause the trail to narrow, which is surprising as this is meant to lead to a well-known tourist attraction. Still, I liked the intimate feel of the forest here.

Of all the hiking I did, this section up to the Great Meteoron Monastery might be the steepest. You need to clear the forest to get to the base of the monastery, but once you’re there, other monasteries are mostly at the same height.

The bad news when you reach the top of the path to the Holy Monastery of Great Meteoron is that it’s not over.

I know I was pained to see the winding stone stairway leading into the monastery. But I got there in the end, and it was well worth it.

Compared to the Monastery of St Nicholas, Great Meteoron is considerably larger and it has a small museum about the region’s history. It’s actually the largest and oldest of the Meteora monasteries, meaning it started the practice of building these monasteries in such remote places.

A nice bonus is that here you can see gorgeous frescos and its stunning chapel that lends the monastery a heavy spiritual ambiance.

The views from the Great Meteoron Monastery are also terrific, especially as you’re much higher at this point. But also what makes it special is that the monastery is aligned with the landscape so that there’s a gap in nearby cliffs, allowing you to see towards the monasteries of Varlaam and Roussanou.

 

Varlaam Monastery

At the Great Meteoron Monastery, you can see just how close you are to the Holy Monastery of Varlaam.

Follow the ridge line, and you will reach the monastery quite easily. Before reaching Varlaam, I found a ledge nearby with a great view and spent some time admiring the awesome scenery. I challenged myself to try and line up as many monasteries as I could in one shot.

Once I got to Varlaam, I opted against paying to go inside. I’d paid to enter the first two monasteries that morning — yep, you need to pay to enter each one. Another reason to give this monastery a miss is if you want a break from all the stairs.

 

Roussanou Monastery

Across the valley from Varlaam Monastery lies the Holy Monastery of Roussanou.

To me, this is the most photogenic monastery in Meteora. You get views of Roussanou Monastery from so many angles and they always accentuate how special the local landscape is.

I’m pretty sure it was this 14th-century monastery that most inspired me to want to visit.

Follow the main road along the cliffs and then branch on the road back down to Kastraki. Walking here, I saw cars and buses passing and realised that clearly walking wasn’t a popular approach to sightseeing here.

From the road, you can stare straight up the sheer cliffs that support the monastery, highlighing just how little wiggle room its builders left.

A staircase leads up to the entrance of what is now an active convent. Frescoes cover walls inside the monastery and it has a panoramic viewpoints of its own.

Honestly though, I was more interested in exploring the forest trail that led back to the upper road so I could find more views down to Roussanou Monastery.

 

Monastery of the Holy Trinity

The two reminaing Meteora monasteries are south of the others, near Kalambaka.

So, I first needed to get from Kastaki to Kalambaka, which itself is a 20-30 minute walk. Once in the town, head into the backstreets close to the mountains and find the trailhead.

While it’s a big change in elevation, it’s a nice walk up to the Monastery of the Holy Trinity. This is the monastery you see in the Bond film, For Your Eyes Only.

But what I like about the Monastery of the Holy Trinity is its viewing terrace. From its rooftop views, you can see all of Kalambaka and the wider valley in which the city sits. The cliffs opposite create an incredible sense of scale when you can compare them with people’s homes.

This is one monastery where climbing over 100 stairs to reach it is well worth doing.

 

Holy Monastery of St. Stephen

Last up we have the Holy Monastery of St. Stephen.

The road to the Monastery of the Holy Trinity continues all the way to this 15th-century building. Today it serves as a nunnery.

This is the most accessible Meteora monastery, as you only need to cross its bridge to visit, rather than climb flights of stairs. Renovations were underway at Holy Monastery of St. Stephen when I visited, so I didn’t go inside. It sounds like that’s a shame as it’s museum is said to be quite informative.

Still, going up to these last two monasteries allowed me to see the Meteora landscape from new angles and enjoy a day of walking and scenery. Rather than return through Kalambaka, I walked across to Roussanou Monastery in search of more viewpoints and went for a wander down through the forest.

 

Best Meteora viewpoints

One of the best things about hiking in Meteora is that you don’t miss the region’s best viewpoints.

Often the best spots for scenery are the in-between places. Lookouts sit on many of the bends along the road connecting the monasteries.

The best views of Meteora’s monasteries are usually from afar and these unnamed viewpoints give you that perspective. These spots, with their map link, are worth seeking out:

• Viewpoint just up above Roussanou Monastery on a rocky outcrop (Googlemaps here)
• Large rocky boulder that’s considered the “Main observation deck of Meteora” (Googlemaps here)

While these places are phenomonal for getting photos, make sure to put the camera down as well and simply enjoy the view in front of you. I know I lost track of time sitting marvelling at the mountains, the autumn colours, and the monasteries perched so precariously. You know it’s a good view when you’re able to get lost in contemplation like that.

 

Looking around Kastraki

Earlier I said that Kastraki doesn’t have much to see and do.

But maybe that’s a little unkind. The afternoon I arrived, I took a walk around Kastraki.

Having spotted a low-lying monastery nearby, I decided to climb it while there was still some daylight. The monastery wasn’t particularly exciting as it’s not one of the Meteora monasteries, but it offered great views of Kastraki and showed how small the village was in comparison to the rocky landscape.

Further up through the forest, I reached the Adrachti pillar, a fascinating rock formation standing on a spur between two high rocky cliffs. Going here was a great way to whet my appetite before the real hiking started.

These are the kinds of things you can see when you spend more than one day at Meteora.

 

Other places to visit in Meteora

So, clearly you can see a lot of Meteora by hiking around the area.

But, did I miss some things?

Well, yes I didn’t go inside every monastery. If you’re on a budget or not super interested in religious art, my guess is you won’t want to pay to enter all six.

But I also missed out on exploring beyond the highlights. The backhills behind the main monasteries are home to a bunch of churches and some other monasteries. I’m sure most tourists to the region skip these landmarks, but one does look quite interesting.

The Holy Monastery Ypapanti is another monastery that uses the landscape. Only it seems to be built into caves rather than onto of stone towers. It’s not clear to me if it’s ever open to the public, but there is a viewpoint where you can clearly see it. You could likely walk there but you’d need the time and energy after everything else.

Clearly, I could have used more time visitng Meteora, but two full days there let me explore at my own pace. This really is a place in Greece not to miss.