Lake Plastira, 30km west of Karditsa or 40km south of Trikala, was created by the damming of the Tavropos River in 1959. To learn about its evolving ecosystems and endemic flora, visit the well-tended Botanical Garden on its western shore. Aromatic and medicinal plants such as yarrow and artichoke can be purchased at the small store and cafe.
Botanical Garden
Meteora & Thessaly
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
29.71 MILES
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…
29.24 MILES
This enjoyable museum focuses on a beautifully displayed collection of antiquarian books, from versions of Aesop’s Fables to a 1567 edition of Homer. The…
18.07 MILES
Trikala's best museum, housed in the city’s former Ottoman baths (later a prison), houses an intriguing and unusual mixture of exhibits. Displays…
29.44 MILES
High above Kalambaka, at the end of the road, Moni Agiou Stefanou suffered considerable damage during and after WWII, and is less architecturally…
Natural History & Mushroom Museum
29 MILES
Once you pass its forbidding modern exterior, this museum comes as a quirky surprise. Downstairs, dioramas display stuffed birds and animals ranging from…
13.64 MILES
To reach this superb little 13th-century Byzantine church in a lovely riverside setting, cross the Portaikos river in modern Pyli, 18km southwest of…
18.56 MILES
Trikala’s castle crowns a hilltop just back from the northern side of the river, 400m west of the central squares. Although it stands on the site of…
18.03 MILES
The amazing brick-built dome of this imposing mosque, built in the 16th century for the nephew of Süleyman the Magnificent, rises above the southern…
Nearby Meteora & Thessaly attractions
13.64 MILES
To reach this superb little 13th-century Byzantine church in a lovely riverside setting, cross the Portaikos river in modern Pyli, 18km southwest of…
14.68 MILES
Founded during the 16th century, Moni Agiou Vissarion sustained heavy damage during the Greek struggle for independence, though its central church still…
18.03 MILES
The amazing brick-built dome of this imposing mosque, built in the 16th century for the nephew of Süleyman the Magnificent, rises above the southern…
18.07 MILES
Trikala's best museum, housed in the city’s former Ottoman baths (later a prison), houses an intriguing and unusual mixture of exhibits. Displays…
18.42 MILES
A grassy fenced-off enclosure, 200m west of Plateia Iroon Polytechniou towards the fortress, is stubbled with the ruins of what’s said to be the ancient…
18.53 MILES
The Varousi quarter, just east of the fortress, was home to Trikala’s wealthiest Christians under Ottoman rule. Their fine old mansions, sporting…
18.56 MILES
Trikala’s castle crowns a hilltop just back from the northern side of the river, 400m west of the central squares. Although it stands on the site of…
27.08 MILES
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…