Meteora

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Overview

The extraordinary rock formations of the Meteora region would be an unmissable tourist attraction even if they weren’t crowned by Byzantine monasteries. However, the sheer spectacle of those monasteries – somehow glued atop slender stone pinnacles by medieval masons and now collectively listed as a World Heritage site – makes this one of the most visited attractions in all Greece. This strange and beautiful landscape also offers wonderful opportunities for walkers and climbers.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Interiors of the Monastery of the Holy Trinity in Meteora - complex of Eastern Orthodox monasteries, Greece 510164240 Kalambaka, Roussanou Monastery, Orthodox Church, Convent, Cloister, Dawn, Fresco, Scenics, Religion, Ancient, Famous Place, Architecture, Rural Scene, Indoors, Outdoors, People, Meteora, Thessaly, Greece, Tree, Plant, Summer, Cliff, Mountain Range, Mountain, Ceiling, Monastery, Church, holy trinity, Orthodox, UNESCO World Heritage Site

    Moni Agias Triados

    Meteora

    Of all the Meteora monasteries, Moni Agias Triados, which featured in the 1981 James Bond film For Your Eyes Only, feels the most remote. A long down-then…

  • Meteora, Greece 909530790

    Moni Agias Varvaras Rousanou

    Meteora

    Dramatically perched atop a steep pinnacle and accessed via a high narrow wooden bridge, Rousanou convent has an intimate atmosphere. Its small community…

  • Moni Agiou Stefanou

    Moni Agiou Stefanou

    Meteora

    High above Kalambaka, at the end of the road, Moni Agiou Stefanou suffered considerable damage during and after WWII, and is less architecturally…

  • Moni Varlaam

    Moni Varlaam

    Meteora

    Beside the road a few hundred metres short of Moni Megalou Meteorou, Moni Varlaam was first occupied by the hermit Varlaam around 1350. It’s now…

  • Moni Agiou Nikolaou

    Moni Agiou Nikolaou

    Meteora

    The 15th-century Moni Agiou Nikolaou is the first monastery you reach from Kastraki, 1km from the village square. Many visitors, keen to press on to the…

  • Moni Megalou Meteorou

    Moni Megalou Meteorou

    Meteora

    The Meteora’s largest monastery looks down on Kastraki from the highest rock in the valley (613m). Founded by St Athanasios in the 14th century, it grew…

  • Theopetra Cave

    Theopetra Cave

    Meteora

    Theopetra Cave, 7km southeast of Kalambaka, has been closed to visitors since 2016 due to the fear of landslides. Its first human occupation has been…

  • Psaropetra Lookout

    Psaropetra Lookout

    Meteora

    For a panoramic break while visiting the monasteries, visit the clifftop Psaropetra Lookout, 650m south (right) from the fork in the road where continuing…

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Articles

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Cyclades, Greece, Lonely Planet Traveller magazine, Mykonos, Naxos, Paros, Santorini, Issue 94, Great Escape, October 2016 Sunset over whitewashed houses of Fira, Santorini, Greece

Tips & Advice

Greece itineraries: 6 ways to see the Greek islands and mainland

Jan 30, 2025 • 14 min read

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