The monasteries of Meteora

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
9
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
8
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
8
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
6
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
8
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
9
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
80 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
53rd/457
Top 20%
continent
Europe
country
Greece
Length of time
1-2 days
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$20 (typically $10 - $30)
Time of year visited
October
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Christian site Cliffs Mountains
All Tags
Canyons Climbing Forests Hiking Local villages Temple complex Towers UNESCO world heritage site
Wow Factor
Two scores: first is the wow factor which ranges from ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️, and a separate category for the truly "gash". The second is the more analytical travel experience score, which considers 6 varied criteria to give an overall score out of 100.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Summary

Wow, how are the Monasteries of Meteora not more famous? We were blown away by how stunning the mountains are, the beauty of the monasteries perched on top, and just how well done it all is. Driving the ridge road that links the monasteries was a 🤩 🤩 🤩 moment—not to be missed on a Greek itinerary.

As with all major sites, there are good ways and bad ways to do it, so I’ve included tips below to get the best of it, and to see how Meteora fits into a one or two week Greece itinerary – see the 2 week Greece Itinerary post – full of the route, things to prioritise and general tips for the trip.

 

The Monasteries of Meteora - Varlaam Monastery from the Meteora ridge road at golden hour

Table of Contents

 

 

1. Orientation — before I arrived I was trying to figure out “how to do them” / “where do I start” / “which one is best,” etc., etc. But it’s very simple- a ridge road connects all six monasteries. The interiors are broadly similar; the road and its viewpoints are the real focus and highlight.  Stay in Kastraki if staying overnight – brilliant views and close to the main Meteora area, so you can dip in and out depending on the time of day.

 

2. Don’t go on a tour — God, they looked soul-destroying, and you miss the highlight which is  driving/walking that road and impulsively stopping as long as you want for the views. Rent a car or, if you can’t afford a car, get a bus to the top and walk the road.

 

3. Timings – opening times and days open vary a lot.  Make life easy and check the simple summary on the Meteora Thrones website. I don’t recommend going right at opening (typically 9 am), unless it’s one of the small ones. It’s rammed at that time. We turned up at 8:50 am for Varlaam, stared at the queues, laughed, and turned around 🤣🤣🤣. A better time is around 3:30 pm when the crowds are dying down.  And a day is enough — we stayed a couple of nights so we didn’t feel rushed and enjoyed the village of Kastraki. But you can easily drive the monastery road, soak up the views, visit a couple of monasteries, and do a short hike in a single day if needed.

 

4. Views are the highlight, but the monasteries are of course also cool— focus on the views.  You don’t need to walk far to lose 90% of the fellow tourists, and the views are gobsmacking. Our favourite spot was between Great Meteoron and Varlaam.  That being said, walking around the monasteries is cool — we visited the small St Nicholas Anapafsas Monastery in the morning and Varlaam in the late afternoon. Both were fun, with nice paintings and insights into monastic life. Varlaam has the big wow views; Anapafsas is the cuter, smaller one. Typically the four monasteries to the north have the better views, and the Holy Monastery of Great Meteoron is the largest.  Bring cash — the monasteries only accept cash. Typically €5 per person.

 

5. Do a hike and go a bit further afield — there are many trails along the top, but because the road views are already stellar, I suggest something a bit different. We walked a loop straight from Kastraki around Holy Spirit Rock via Mikro Ágio Pnévma (insane views from this top point, with only a little scrambling) and the Monks’ Prison (a line of tiny cave cells and ledges built into a sheer cliff). The route is simple once you’re on it, but finding the start can be tricky with only Google Maps—see the photo of the route from AllTrails. I’d really recommend the walk. It took us about 2 hours with stops; there are a few short, steep sections—bring grippy shoes.  Go a bit further afield — the monasteries are the focus, but the mountains are the star. Consider a short drive away from the main area through nearby ranges with equally crazy views. We loved dinner at Eagle’s Nest Restaurant, only ~10 mins away: incredible views and no crowds. Be sure to order the lamb/goat—it’s not “indiscriminate meat”; they just tend to have one or the other 🐑🐐🤷🤣.

 

Map of the route around Holy Spirit Rock

Highlights

Meteora #1 The stunning views of the monasteries perched impossibly high on top of the dramatic mountains. Best spot we found was on the rocky outcrop between Great Meteoron and Varlaam monasteries

#1 The stunning views of the monasteries perched impossibly high on top of the dramatic mountains. Best spot we found was on the rocky outcrop between Great Meteoron and Varlaam monasteries

Meteora #2 The drive along the road that connects all 6 of the monasteries. Something super cool about driving past these beautifully pretty buildings as they appear to fly beside you

#2 The drive along the road that connects all 6 of the monasteries. Something super cool about driving past these beautifully pretty buildings as they appear to fly beside you

Meteora #3 The loop hike around the The Holy Spirit Rock via the Mikro Agio Pneuma and the Monk's Prison. Gorgeous views and a nice 2 hour break from the crowds on the top of the mountains

#3 The loop hike around the The Holy Spirit Rock via the Mikro Agio Pneuma and the Monk's Prison. Gorgeous views and a nice 2 hour break from the crowds on the top of the mountains

Meteora #4 Visiting the monasteries themselves, beautiful in their own right . . . like Varlaam Monastery

#4 Visiting the monasteries themselves, beautiful in their own right . . . like Varlaam Monastery

Meteora #5 Or just seeing some of the intricate paintings and beautiful interiors, also in Varlaam

#5 Or just seeing some of the intricate paintings and beautiful interiors, also in Varlaam

Meteora #6 Catching the sunrises over the insanely steep and dramatic rock formations

#6 Catching the sunrises over the insanely steep and dramatic rock formations

Meteora #7 Going a bit further afield and having dinner at the Eagle’s Nest Restaurant only 10mins away, with incredible views and no crowds

#7 Going a bit further afield and having dinner at the Eagle’s Nest Restaurant only 10mins away, with incredible views and no crowds

Meteora #8 Being able to jump off the main road and walk for less than 2mins and have the views and landscape all to yourself. This spot was between the Saint Stephen and Holy Trinity Monasteries

#8 Being able to jump off the main road and walk for less than 2mins and have the views and landscape all to yourself. This spot was between the Saint Stephen and Holy Trinity Monasteries

Meteora #9 The Monk's Prison - a line of tiny cave cells and ledges built into a sheer cliff that are way more dramatic than the photo suggests, and hidden behind The Holy Spirit Rock

#9 The Monk's Prison - a line of tiny cave cells and ledges built into a sheer cliff that are way more dramatic than the photo suggests, and hidden behind The Holy Spirit Rock

Meteora #10 Unexpected things, like finding this shrine area right at the top of the Mikro Agio Pneuma on the Holy Spirit Rock

#10 Unexpected things, like finding this shrine area right at the top of the Mikro Agio Pneuma on the Holy Spirit Rock

Meteora #11 The views down from the Mikro Agio Pneuma on top of the Holy Spirit Rock

#11 The views down from the Mikro Agio Pneuma on top of the Holy Spirit Rock

Meteora #12 Exploring some of the caves dotted all through the countryside by the monasteries. In this case the Monk's Prison that goes deep into the Rock Holy Spirit

#12 Exploring some of the caves dotted all through the countryside by the monasteries. In this case the Monk's Prison that goes deep into the Rock Holy Spirit

Meteora #13 The town of Kastraki - cute, simple restaurants, empties after 6pm and with wonderful views of the mountains

#13 The town of Kastraki - cute, simple restaurants, empties after 6pm and with wonderful views of the mountains

Interesting History of the Monasteries of Meteora

The monasteries were built for many reasons: isolation, a feeling of being closer to God, and protection. As the Byzantine Empire declined and bandits and warlords spread, many monasteries could only be accessed by ladders, ropes, and winches. They’re holy places—but also mini fortresses. Scaling these rocks against resistance would’ve been a military nightmare.

Experiences Nearby

Wow Factor Score Two scores: first is the wow factor which ranges from ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️, and a separate category for the truly "gash". The second is the more analytical travel experience score, which considers 6 varied criteria to give an overall score out of 100. LowHigh
  • Elite, unmissable
  • World-class, downsides
  • Meets the Wow Factor
  • Worth it
  • Meh
  • Gash

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Hiking the Dolomites in summer

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Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences - from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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