Meteora
Meteora's towering sandstone pillars crown six cliff-top monasteries. Hike ancient trails between these extraordinary spiritual retreats and look out over the pine-cloaked valleys of Thessaly.
Meteora's sandstone pillars rise abruptly from the floor of the Thessalian plain, their sheer faces and flat tops shaped by millions of years of wind and rain. On six of these improbable summits, Eastern Orthodox monasteries have stood for centuries, their whitewashed buildings and dark-domed chapels seemingly defying gravity. The Greek word meteora means "suspended in the air," a description that strikes visitors the moment they see the rock formations for the first time.
Monasteries on the cliffs
The oldest monasteries date to the 14th century, founded by monks seeking solitude far from the world below. Access was originally by rope ladders and nets, raised and lowered by pulley systems — examples of these remain preserved at certain sites. Today, broad stone staircases and pathways cut into the rock make the monasteries reachable for visitors, though the ascents still demand attention. Six monasteries remain active, each with its own church, refectory and collection of religious art. Frescoes inside date from different centuries, and the museums hold centuries-old manuscripts and textiles.
Hiking between the pillars
Well-marked trails connect the monasteries, winding through pine forest and across open slopes with views that stretch across the plain to distant mountains. The walk between sites is gradual in places and steep in others, with sections of stone steps and rocky paths. Depending on the route chosen, a full circuit can take most of a day. Along the way, you pass beneath the pillars themselves — their bases covered in scrub oak and wild herbs — and you hear only birdsong and the wind. Rock climbers also come to Meteora for the routes on the pillars, though this is separate from the monastery trails.
A landscape shaped by time
The pillars themselves are composed of sandstone and conglomerate, formed when rivers deposited sediment in this region during the Tertiary period. Subsequent uplift and erosion left the isolated columns standing. The monasteries were built not for spectacle but for withdrawal from the world — their locations chosen precisely because they were inaccessible. Walking here today, you move through that same deliberate quiet, with the rocks above and the wide Thessalian plain spread out below.
Find it on the map
- Meteora Natural wonder
Tours that visit Meteora
No tours visit this place just yet — tell us where you want to go and we'll build one. See all tours
Before you book you should know
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Is this trip right for you?
Our groups are capped at eight travellers, which is about a third of what the industry calls a small group. Eight people share one vehicle, one table at dinner and one guide's attention, and the day can change on the road without anybody being left behind. If you are looking for a coach, a fixed script and a microphone, this is not that.
Most days involve real walking, often on ground that was laid two thousand years before walking shoes: marble worn smooth, cobbles, uneven steps and long site paths with little shade. Bring shoes you can spend a morning in.
Some days move between regions and are largely a drive, with stops along the way. Summers are hot — well over 35°C inland — and winters are colder than most people expect, so layers, a hat and sunscreen earn their place in the bag whatever the month.
How demanding a particular trip is, is written on the trip itself: the physical rating in the header, and the day-by-day itinerary above.
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Rooms, and travelling on your own
Trip prices are per person, sharing a twin room. Each traveller picks their own room while booking, so a party can mix the three:
- Twin share — two single beds, shared with someone you are travelling with or with a traveller of the same gender.
- Travelling as a couple — one double room.
- Individual room — a room of your own, for a single supplement on top of the trip price. Availability is limited, and the supplement for a given date is shown next to the option when you book.
Solo travellers are welcome on every departure, and most of our groups have one or two aboard.
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Accommodation
The hotels named in an itinerary are a guideline rather than a guarantee. Where one is full, or has dropped below the standard we booked it for, we substitute a property of a similar standard in the same area — we would rather change the hotel than the trip.
Check-in is usually mid-afternoon. If you arrive early we will ask for the room, but no hotel can promise one before its own check-in time; luggage can normally be left at reception in the meantime. If you want the room from the night before, ask us and we will add the extra night to your booking.
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Passports, visas and insurance
Entry requirements depend on your nationality and change without much notice, so the only reliable source is the official one: the government of the country you are travelling to, and your own foreign ministry's travel advice. Check both before you book a flight.
Many countries ask for a passport valid for at least six months beyond your travel dates, and for blank pages. It is worth looking at yours now rather than at the airport.
We ask every traveller to carry travel insurance covering medical treatment and repatriation, and we would strongly encourage cover for cancellation and for your luggage as well.
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Your departure is guaranteed — the day can change
Once a departure is on the calendar it runs. We do not cancel a trip for want of a minimum number of bookings, so a booked date is one you can plan flights and leave around.
What can move is the shape of a day. Museums and archaeological sites change their hours, roads close, weather turns, a local holiday lands in the middle of the week. Where that happens your guide reorders the day, or swaps a stop for one of the same weight, and tells you why. Changes to a booked itinerary are covered by our Booking Terms & Conditions.
