Visit Meteora

A taste of Meteora

Meteora is unlike any other place in Europe — a vertical otherworld where 60-million-year-old sandstone pillars, some over 400 metres tall, rise straight from the Thessalian plain in shapes that look almost intentional, and 14th-century monks decided each one was the perfect place to build a monastery as far from worldly distractions as physically possible. Originally the only way up was a hand-cranked rope net or a series of ladders pulled up behind the visitor; today, six of the original 24 monasteries are still active and reachable by carved stairways or short roads. The Great Meteoron (Megalo Meteoro) is the largest and oldest (founded 1340s) and has the most spectacular setting; Varlaam, Roussanou (the most photogenic, perched on a single rock), and Agios Stefanos (the women's nunnery, easiest to reach by road) are the others most visitors hit. The frescoes inside, particularly the 16th-century work of the Cretan School at Roussanou and Great Meteoron, are some of the finest in the Greek Orthodox world. Base yourself in the village of Kastraki or Kalambaka below, drive or hike between sites (don't try to do all six in one day), and watch the sunset from the panoramic Psaropetra viewpoint — it's one of the great experiences of southern Europe.