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
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.
While there’s abundant food and lodging nearby in the modern town of Kalambaka and the pretty village of Kastraki, there’s almost no infrastructure among the actual monasteries themselves, around 5km further up the road. Parking is minimal, so ideally you’d explore them on foot, by bus or on a tour with a local operator.
Explore Meteora
- Moni Agias Triados
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…
- Moni Agias Varvaras Rousanou
Dramatically perched atop a steep pinnacle and accessed via a high narrow wooden bridge, Rousanou convent has an intimate atmosphere. Its small community…
- MMoni Agiou Nikolaou
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…
- MMoni Megalou Meteorou
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…
- MMoni Varlaam
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…
- MMoni Agiou Stefanou
High above Kalambaka, at the end of the road, Moni Agiou Stefanou suffered considerable damage during and after WWII, and is less architecturally…
- PPsaropetra Lookout
For a panoramic break while visiting the monasteries, visit the clifftop Psaropetra Lookout, 650m south (right) from the fork in the road where continuing…
- DDoupiani Rock
Towering above the northern end of Kastraki, Doupiani Rock became home to the region’s first church, Panaghia Doupani, in the late 12th century. Hermits…
- AAdhrakhti
A striking solitary rock column known as the adhrakhti (‘obelisk’) commands the skyline as you look up the valley from Kastraki village. Considered the…
Top attractions
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Meteora.
See
Moni Agias Triados
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…
See
Moni Agias Varvaras Rousanou
Dramatically perched atop a steep pinnacle and accessed via a high narrow wooden bridge, Rousanou convent has an intimate atmosphere. Its small community…
See
Moni Agiou Nikolaou
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…
See
Moni Megalou Meteorou
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…
See
Moni Varlaam
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…
See
Moni Agiou Stefanou
High above Kalambaka, at the end of the road, Moni Agiou Stefanou suffered considerable damage during and after WWII, and is less architecturally…
See
Psaropetra Lookout
For a panoramic break while visiting the monasteries, visit the clifftop Psaropetra Lookout, 650m south (right) from the fork in the road where continuing…
See
Doupiani Rock
Towering above the northern end of Kastraki, Doupiani Rock became home to the region’s first church, Panaghia Doupani, in the late 12th century. Hermits…
See
Adhrakhti
A striking solitary rock column known as the adhrakhti (‘obelisk’) commands the skyline as you look up the valley from Kastraki village. Considered the…
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