Travel by bus through the beautiful countryside on a full-day tour from Athens to the Meteora monasteries. Upon your arrival at the town of Kalambaka, you will visit the medieval monastery complex, which sits perched high atop sandstone cliffs and is honored by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. It’s a wonderful way to experience one of Greece’s most breathtaking and off-the-beaten-path cultural treasures.

Day trip from Athens to the UNESCO-listed Meteora monasteries
Reach the dramatic monastery complex with the help of an expert escort
Learn about the history of these unique, 14th-century monasteries
Enjoy free time to dine and explore in the town of Kalambaka

What's Included

Round-trip shared transfers in Kalambaka
Expert English speaking escort
Transport by air-conditioned vehicle with WiFi
Visit two Monasteries and the hermit caves of Badovas
Free Map and bottle of water
Local taxes

Hotel pick-up and drop-off service in Athens
Food and drinks
Entrance fees of the Monasteries

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

St. Larissis
Athens 104 37, Greece
You need to be in the opposite side of the Athens Railway Station at 07:30 am. You can reach the Athens Railway Station by metro, getting off at the Larissis Metro Station.

Start time

07:30 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Meet up in the early morning just opposite the Athens railway station to board the bus to Kalambaka, and take in views over the Greek countryside during the five-hour drive. Once you reach Kalambaka, you will meet your English-speaking tour leader to catch your private transfer to Meteora.

Spend five hours exploring two UNESCO-listed monasteries—including the Holy Monastery of Great Meteoron—and the hermit caves of Badovas at your own pace, with your tour leader providing assistance and transportation between the sites. End with transport back to Kalambaka and free time to explore the town and have a bite to eat (own expense) before catching the bus for the return trip to Athens.

Kalabaka (Pass By)

Meteora

5 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Kalabaka

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Infants must sit on laps
Most travelers can participate
Infants (ages 3 and under) are free

To enter the monasteries, appropriate clothing is required. Women should not wear short skirts and must have long sleeves. Men are not allowed to wear shorts.
Amendments are serviced based on the availability
***IMPORTANT UPDATE from September 2023 until further notice: due to the recent flooding affecting train services, this tour will be operated by a modern air-conditioned bus as replacement departing from opposite Athens Larissis station at 07:45am. The journey takes approximately 5 hours (with a 20 min refreshment stop) You will spend 5 hours in destination visiting Meteora and then return to Athens (arrival at approximately 11:00pm)***
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 45 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Ecaterina_W

We left Athens in a big coach and after we arrived at the base of the rocks of Méteora we were taken by three very comfortable minibuses with three friendly and highly professional guides. Our guide was Dimitris. He was an experienced and extremely knowledgeable guide, explaining in detail the history of the mountain. It was a real pleasure being guided by a person like Dimitris. We’ve seen three of the beautiful monasteries and an unforgettable sunset. They organised everything near perfection. Thank you Dimitris, you are amazing! We highly recommend this tour

Reviews

4.5

551 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 551 reviews

Great experience visiting the monasteries and convents etc.

Ann_N, Apr 2024

Our guide when we arrived in Kalamata/Meteora was great! Finding the right bus at Larissa in the beginning was a bit chaotic!

Metheora Tour

Monica_R, Apr 2024

Beautiful place and good and knowledgeable guide ! It was a great experience for us to discover these place.

A wonderful experience

Catherine_K, Apr 2024

A trip of a life time! Meteora should be seen by everyone. The drive from Athens to Medora is long, but there are plenty of stops on the way. Our tour guy was informative, accommodating, and very funny. She gave us plenty of opportunities for picture taking and was very knowledgeable about the history of the area. We highly recommend this incredible tour.

Meteora excursion

Lorraine_L, Apr 2024

The trip from the village to the monastery with our guide Maria was amazing and extremely informative. It was a wonderful experience to see. My only suggestion would be to examine how to meet the bus in Athens. I was dropped off early in the morning there were 30 buses plus on that street. I arrived at quarter after seven and could not locate the Meteora bus. I ran up and down both sides of the street and the side streets trying to locate the correct. It was 755 when I finally located the bus. It left at 8:10 I was getting very anxious that I was going to miss the excursion, that would be the only part that I would make better. I was not the only one that was a little concern and had to rush and find the bus. There were several other tourists as well had difficulty. I would highly recommend examining this part of the tour on the experience was amazing, particularly in the monasteries.

Amazing experience but a little disorganized

Siddharth_G, Apr 2024

Maria was an amazing tour guide explaining everything throughly and answered any questions we had. However the transfer at kalabaka was very disorganized, we were left behind at the transfer point due to a language barrier as another couple took our place with our tour group . Imagine being a tourist being stuck in the middle of nowhere with no idea what’s happening, luckily someone else from another tour company contacted them and they came back for us. I HIGHLY recommend that the tour company have the guests name printed on a piece of paper( LIKE THE OTHER TOUR COMAPNIES DID) so everyone knows which tour guide to go with especially if they can’t pronounce your name. Maria however saved the day we really enjoyed this trip, its a can’t miss experience and worth the long journey

very good

Ariela_U, Apr 2024

the guide maria was very professional, interesting and amusing. the organization and food were perfect

Unique

Alicia_D, Apr 2024

Coastas and Katherine the guides were great. I learned a lot, and the place is of course a UNESCO protected area. Out of this work!!!!!

Very interesting

Artyom_S, Apr 2024

Very interesting and according to expextation.A lot of information and there is time for visiting, pit stop.

Breathtakingly beautiful place!

Rachel_B, Apr 2024

Meteora is breathtakingly beautiful, I’m so glad we decided to experience this place! Maria was a perfect guide, she was very knowledgeable, friendly, and personable. In the few little rest times we had, we very much enjoyed talking about cats with Maria. I highly recommend this outing to anyone- while it is a long day, it is 100% worth the journey. You will not be disappointed with any aspect of this experience. Our driver (can’t remember his name) was also a great photographer and very nice. The place we stopped for lunch was also great, everyone was friendly and catering to the needs of customers, and the food was superb! It was an exemplary experience, I highly recommend booking.

Worth the long trip

Sarita_B, Apr 2024

Our tour guide Dimitri was amazing. He gave enough facts and has a good sense of humor. Its a long bus ride but it is abolutely worth it. The views are breathtaking!

Meteora was amazing!

Brad_L, Apr 2024

This was such a cool place to visit! Huge cliffs with monasteries on them. I’ve never seen anywhere like this place in the world. Such beautiful views. We had a great lunch (extra cost) at a local spot also that was very good. Long day on the buses from Athens (5 hours each way) but well worth it. Book this tour!

Nice tour

gabriela_b, Apr 2024

It is a fantastic place and the driver was very polite and nice our tourist guide was very nice and helpful , nice food

Had an unforgettable...

Hasmik_T, Mar 2024

Had an unforgettable experience with the tour team, special thanks goes to Caterina. Can't memorise the name of the driver, I beg his pardon, they were both so passionate about their work.

Breathtaking views

Terence_A, Mar 2024

Amazing experience. Guide was well educated in the history of the region and the monasteries. Lunch service was great.

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Dear Guest, Thank you for taking the time to write us your review. We are pleased to hear that you enjoyed your tour with us and truly appreciated our services. We hope to see you soon in one of our future experiences. Best Regards, Margarita Karavasileiadi

Just beautiful

Mads_T, Mar 2024

It’s a long trip to get there and I almost lost my patience on the way! However it was worth all the hours. This place has to be experienced - it’s mind blowing beautiful - landscapes that reminded me about Lord of the Rings. The guide was knowledgeable and had a welcoming energy. Only minus is the few short breaks. However still full recommend

What a history lesson!

Christine_M, Mar 2024

Our guide is from kalambaka and said, we probably wouldn’t remember his name… He’s a history, major and 27 years old… Best guide I’ve ever had on a tour!! Listen knowledge was more than I expected. The history lesson I got from this tour was over the top! It’s a long day, but broken up very well. Great stop for lunch and very comfortable buses, including how pleasant the bus drivers are. 5+ stars!!

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Dear Guest, Thank you for taking the time to leave us your review. We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your trip to Meteora and that our tour guide provided you a memorable experience. We hope to see you soon in one of our future activities. Best Regards, Margarita Karavasileiadi

Exceptional

Priyanka_C, Mar 2024

A must do activity in Greece . exceptional natural beauty and guide was super knowledgeable. Highly appreciated !!

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Dear Guest, Thank you for taking the time to leave us your review. We are pleased to hear that you enjoyed your tour with us and that you had a memorable experience. We hope to see you soon in one of our future trips. Best Regards, Margarita Karavasileiadi

Worth every penny!

Zachary_N, Feb 2024

Very knowledgeable about the area, amazing guide and driver!! You can tell how passionate they are about Meteora and share their own personal stories of how special this place is!

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Dear Guest, Thank you for taking the time to leave us your review. We are pleased to hear that you enjoyed your tour with us and that you had a memorable experience. Hope to see you soon in one of our future trips. Best Regards, Margarita Karavasileiadi

The views were phenomenal...

Tamara_H, Feb 2024

The views were phenomenal and our guide was super friendly and knowledgeable. The monasteries were beautiful and it was nice to get to see the inside of some of them.

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Méteora, magic land

Ecaterina_W, Jan 2024

Response from Host, Jan 2024

Dear Guest, Thank you for taking the time to write us your review. We are pleased to hear that you enjoyed your tour with us and that you had a memorable experience. We always try to serve our guests in the best possible way and we are pleased that you experienced this effort. We hope to see you soon in one of our future trips. Best Regards, KeyTours Team

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