Meteora, Greece

Tucked away in the cliffs via a four hour train from Athens is the lesser known town of Meteora, Greece. The stunning cliffs are home to six ancient monasteries that were built to achieve “ultimate isolation”. When planning my Greece itinerary, there was the obvious destination of Santorini, but I also wanted to see something that wasn’t considered a main tourist attraction. Meteora was just that and worth the addition to my trip!

The six monasteries in Meteora are:

1) Holy Monastery of Great Meteoron

2) Holy Monastery of Varlaam

3) Holy Monastery of Rousanou

4) Holy Monastery of St. Nicholas Anapafsas

5) Holy Monastery of St. Stephen

6) Holy Monastery of Holy Trinity

Two trains daily, 7:20AM from Athens to Kalabaka (Platform 8) & 17:15 from Kalabaka to Athens

I decided on overnight trip to Meteora, though if you are short on time, you can do this trip in a day. I departed on the 7:20 AM train from Athens (departs from Larissa Athens Railway station) and it took about four hours to arrive in Meteora. I was able to check in early at Dellas Boutique Hotel, drop my bags and freshen up, then went on a guided afternoon/sunset tour of the area by Meteora Thrones.

View from one of the scenic stops on the tour

Looking out over Meteora, Holy Monastery of Holy Trinity in the distance

Scenic views of Meteora

To enter the monasteries, you do need to have your shoulders and knees covered, most provide sarongs at the entrance to cover up should you need it. I also think I spent hours petting the dogs and cats that are everywhere.

Looking down over Kalabaka

If you are looking for a unique destination to add to your Greece itinerary, I would highly recommend Meteora!