Things to do in

Kalabaka

Take a day trip from Athens to Meteora with a guide, with round-trip train tickets to Kalambaka and onward transportation included. Get a panoramic view of all 6 holy monasteries and enter 3 of the most popular ones. While exploring the region’s hidden gems, visit the hermit caves of Badovas. Redeem your e-ticket for the early morning departure from Athens at and travel to Kalambaka using the train tickets sent to you in advance. Sit back and admire the beautiful landscapes along the way.  The train ride takes about 4 hours and it is recommended that you bring your own food and drinks. Upon arrival in Kalambaka, meet your guide at the train station and start your customized Meteora tour. See all 6 monasteries of the stunning rock formation over 5 hours. Look inside 3 of the UNESCO World Heritage monuments for a glimpse behind their imposing walls. Stop taking photos of locations that only the locals know about. Have the chance after the tour for a nice walk in the city of Kalabaka and be prepared for the departure of the train. Be dropped off at Kalambaka Train Station to make the late afternoon departure for Athens.

Your 4-hour sunset tour begins with a pick-up at your Kalambaka or Kastraki hotel, and a drive by VIP limo minibus to the nearby UNESCO World Heritage Site of Meteora. Travel in comfort and safety in a luxury air-conditioned VIP minibus to the unique and world-famous rock forest of Meteora. Enjoy a comprehensive tour that takes you to all 6 monasteries, with the opportunity to visit the interior of 1 or 2 of them. Your tour leader will remain with you throughout, providing information about the area in your language. At the end of the monastery tour you’ll be able to enjoy one of the best sunsets in Greece from the best vantage point in Meteora.

Embark on a trip to Meteora from Athens, including round-trip train tickets. View all six monasteries and enter inside three of them. Learn all about the area's history and myths from your own local guide. Enjoy free time to explore and snap photos in Kalabaka before returning to Athens at the end of the day. Your trip starts by redeeming your train e-ticket (received via email shortly after your booking) for the morning 07:57 train departure from the Central Railway Station of Athens to Kalabaka. After the scenic train ride through the beautiful Greek countryside, you will arrive at Kalabaka’s train station at 12:03. Meet your tour guide who will be waiting for you holding a signboard with your name. You will then board in a comfortable VIP minibus in order to begin an unforgettable journey to this true wonder called Meteora. During this guided tour you will have the opportunity to see all six magnificent monasteries and admire the interior of three of them. View some of Meteora’s most spectacular hidden gems like the ancient Chapel of Doupiani and the magnificent St. George “Mandilas” cave. You will also discover the “other side” of Meteora, like the truth about why the hermits settled in these imposing caves a thousand years ago and how the monks achieved the “impossible”. Last but not least, you will have the opportunity to enjoy the breathtaking panoramic views and capture some amazing photos that you will cherish forever. At around 16:45 get taken back to Kalabaka’s train station (or at a nearby local restaurant if the optional lunch is selected). Before the train back to Athens departs at 18:22, enjoy an hour and a half of free time to explore the nearby center of Kalabaka on foot. The train arrives in Athens at 22:26

Embark on a full-day bus trip to Meteora from Thessaloniki. Explore this UNESCO world heritage site and admire the unique landscape. Depart Thessaloniki in the morning and journey to the amazing monastery complex of Meteora to visit 2 of the 6 holy monasteries, depending on their operating schedule. Get access to holy sites such as the women's Monastery of Agios Stefanos with its impressive wood-carved iconostasis, or visit the Monastery of the Holy Trinity, perched on the top of a rocky precipice over 400 meters high. Alternatively, discover the tower of the old preserved net at the Monastery of Varlaam, or explore the largest of the monasteries at the Monastery of Great Meteoron. Take in panoramic views of these incredible structures and the stunning landscape. Enjoy a traditional Greek lunch in Kastraki, near the city of Kalampaka, before heading back to Thessaloniki.

Travel by train through the countryside on a day trip from Athens to the Meteora monasteries and Hermit caves, with the option to upgrade to first-class tickets. Take a scenic drive from Kalambaka and visit 3 of the monasteries atop their rock pinnacles along with the caves of Badovas with a guide. Catch the train to Kalambaka in the morning from the Athens railway station and enjoy a trip that will give you the chance to admire the beauty of the countryside. Arrive in Kalambaka by noon, a small town built at the foot of the majestic grey rocks, and crowded by the Meteora monasteries. Meet your driver and board a VIP Mercedes minibus to transfer to the UNESCO-listed clifftop monasteries of Meteora. Travel through a landscape of green valleys until you reach the rock formations. Visit 3 active monasteries over the next 5 hours (entrance fees not included). Next, discover the caves of Badovas, where the last of the hermit monks of Meteora lived more than 2 centuries ago. Stop for frame-worthy photos at each site, learn the stories and legends, and enjoy great views from the most panoramic spots. At the end of the day, be driven back to Kalambaka. Enjoy an hour of free time to walk in the town’s center or to have a light lunch (at your expense) before hopping on the return train to Athens.

Spend a few hours in Meteora and fully experience the magnificence of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Learn about its history, architecture, and the spirituality of its monasteries.  This tour is specially designed for people coming from Athens or Thessaloniki to Meteora by train and departing the same day. At 12:05 PM, your train arrives at Kalabaka Train Station, where your tour leader will be waiting for you holding a sign with your name on it. After boarding a VIP limo mini-bus, make a short stop to have something to eat or snack. Then, begin your wonderful 5-hour tour to see Meteora and all six of its active monasteries.  Explore inside three of them, a unique opportunity exclusive to the local partner. Stop for plenty of photo opportunities and at many secret spots that only locals know. At the end of your tour, you will be transferred back to the train station before your train departs back to Athens or Thessaloniki at 6:22 PM.

Embark on a 2-day tour to the archaeological site of Delphi and the historic Orthodox monasteries built on the rocks of Meteora. Learn about the myths and history attached to these sites from your guide on this guided tour from Athens. Day 1: Depart Athens for the ancient site of the Oracle of Delphi. Travel by air-conditioned coach through the pretty towns and villages of Thebes, Levadia, and Arachova on the slopes of Mount Parnassus. Arrive in Delphi and explore the ruins of the ancient sanctuary of Pythia, the high priestess of the Temple of Apollo. Explore the temple and learn about its significance from your guide. Then, continue to the beautiful town of Kalabaka for dinner and your overnight stay. Day 2: After breakfast, make your way to Meteora, famous for its stunning rock formations. Visit the monasteries built to serve the monks and nuns following the teachings of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Return to Athens via Trikala and Lamia. Stop at Thermopylae to admire the monument to the Greek warrior-king Leonidas I, who died there in 480 BC. Arrive back in Athens by the early evening.

Explore the UNESCO-listed Meteora monasteries on a full-day guided trip from Athens. Take the train to Kalambaka and ascend to the clifftop to admire the monasteries and hermit caves of Badovas. Catch the train for Kalambaka from Athens railway station. Admire the beauty of the countryside along the way before arriving in Kalambaka, a small town built at the foot of rocky grey cliffs crowned by the monasteries of Meteora, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Spot your driver upon arrival in Kalambaka, holding a signboard with your name on it. Be shown to the vehicle that’ll take you to the monasteries, where you'll have time to visit 3 of them, as well as the hermit caves of Badovas. At the end of the day, be transferred back to Kalambaka. Enjoy some time to explore the town and enjoy a light lunch (not included in the tour price). Afterward, the train departs Kalambaka, arriving in Athens in the evening.

Embark on a 2-day tour that takes you to the ancient city of Delphi and across the scenic Plain of Thessaly to Kalambaka. Explore the picturesque small town located at the foot of Meteora, the site of one of the most important groups of Greek Orthodox monasteries. Detailed Itinerary Day 1 Start the day with a relaxing drive through the beautiful Greek countryside, passing by the cities of Thebes, Levadia, and Arachova, before arriving in Delphi at around noon. At Delphi, you’ll have the opportunity to visit this important site that appears in Greek mythology. In ancient times, Delphi was considered to be the center of the universe and was guarded by a python dragon that was killed by Apollo. See the ruins of the Temple of Apollo, which was built in the 4th century B.C. and was destroyed by Emperor Theodosius I in 390 A.D. It was also here that the priestess Pythia would foretell the future from the famous Oracle of Delphi. Visit the theater that seated 5,000 spectators and hosted plays, poetry readings, and festivals. At the nearby stadium, the Pythian Games were held every 4 years. Athletes from all over the Greek world would come to compete, and these games would become the predecessor to the modern Olympics. At the end of the day, drive to Kalambaka, a lovely city with beautiful gardens and magnificent views of the Meteora rocks. Overnight in Kalambaka. Day 2 In the morning, head to Meteora for a tour of the fascinating cliff-top monasteries. Be amazed by the cliffs, which average a height of 1,000 feet, and were first inhabited in the 9th century by a group of hermit monks who lived on the rock towers Today 6 monasteries remain out of the original 20. Views of the entire valley from the magnificent rock towers, and the peace of the surroundings, make this a unique place to visit. On the way back to Athens you’ll make a short stop at the monument to Leonidas, the King of Sparta who died in 480 B.C. at the famous Battle of Thermopylae.

Day 1 Catch the train to Kalambaka from Athens Railway Station, and enjoy a trip that will give you the chance to admire the beauty of the Greek countryside. Upon your arrival in Kalambaka, the English speaking driver will be waiting for you at the train station, holding a signboard with your name on it to transfer you to your hotel. In the evening you will join the Meteora Sunset Tour to admire breathtaking views of Meteora, and discover all the hidden gems of this place. Day 2 Next morning, you will have the opportunity to choose the activity you prefer, the Meteora Hiking Tour or the Half-day Morning Tour. The guide will meet you in the lobby to explore together Meteora, and discover the natural beauty and cultural heritage of this area. Enjoy a journey back in time, and learn the stories of the first hermits and monks who laid the foundations of the monastic community of Meteora. At around 5 PM, the driver will pick you up to transfer you to the train station. At 5:22 PM the train departs from Kalambaka and arrives back to Athens at around 9:30 PM.