Things to Do at Meteora

By Frank Adam Burns · Updated 31 August 2026

Six working Byzantine monasteries perched on sandstone pillars rising three hundred metres out of a plain in central Greece. Photographs do not prepare you for the scale, and Meteora is the one Greek site that consistently surprises people who thought they had already seen the best of the country.

The monasteries

Twenty-four were built from the fourteenth century onward, reachable originally only by rope ladder and net. Six remain active. Great Meteoron is the largest and most visited, with a museum and the original winch tower. Varlaam next door is nearly as impressive and slightly quieter. Rousanou sits on its own pillar and photographs best. St Stephen's is the most accessible, reached across a short bridge rather than a stair climb. Holy Trinity is the hardest to reach and the most dramatically sited.

Each closes on a different day of the week, which is the single thing to check before planning your route. Modest dress is required — shoulders and knees covered, and women are asked to wear a skirt, though wrap skirts are lent at the entrance.

Sunset and the viewpoints

The road between the monasteries has several pull-offs, and the sunset viewpoint near Holy Trinity is the one most photographers use. Go an hour early in summer to get a spot. The rocks turn from grey to gold to deep orange over about twenty minutes.

Walking and climbing

Old footpaths link the monasteries through the rock formations, and walking between two or three of them is far better than driving. Meteora is also a serious rock-climbing destination with hundreds of bolted routes.

Getting there

The train from Athens to Kalambaka takes about four and a half hours and is one of the more scenic rail journeys in Greece. Kalambaka and Kastraki at the base of the rocks both have good accommodation. Two nights lets you do it without rushing.

Meteora pairs naturally with Delphi on a mainland loop from Athens, and with Thessaloniki if you are heading north. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site listed for both its cultural and its natural significance — one of very few places with that dual listing.