Meteora
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Why go
- Explore Great Meteoron, Meteora’s oldest and largest monastery.
- Take in views of other monasteries and two ruined monasteries from centrally placed Rousanou.
- Follow Meteora’s trail network of 14 routes.
- Discover monasteries once reached in pulley-operated baskets, before stairways opened easier access around 1920.
- Visit St. Stephen’s museum in its old refectory.
Opening hours
Today09:00 – 17:00Show all
Interesting facts12
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Water, wind and temperature extremes sculpted Meteora’s sandstone and conglomerate along faults in the rock.
Meteora - Wikipedia -
2000
The rocks form a protected Natura 2000 habitat.
Μετέωρα - Wikipedia -
Local mythology says the rocks fell from the sky to give ascetics a place for prayer and retreat.
Météores - Wikipedia -
St. Stephen has workshops for painting, embroidery, incense-making and needlework.
Meteora - Wikipedia (part 2) -
200 metres
The cliffs reach 200 metres high and up to 300 metres wide.
Μετέωρα - Wikipedia -
Monks used local guides and scaffolding supported by beams driven into holes in the rock to reach the pinnacles.
Météores - Wikipedia -
Some monasteries were abandoned because they were hard to reach or at risk of collapse.
Meteora - Wikipedia -
Grand Météore is the largest monastery and has been continuously occupied since its founding.
Météores - Wikipedia -
The monasteries stand on high sandstone rocks that can appear to float in hazy weather.
Meteora - Wikipedia -
St. Nicholas Anapausas stands atop a narrow rock about eighty metres high and is the first monastery pilgrims encounter on the way to Meteora.
Meteora - Wikipedia (part 2) -
The Meteora MTB Race is held annually.
Meteora - Wikipedia (part 2) -
Climbing takes place at the Tour du Diable, rocher de Doupiani, Tour des Météores and rocher de Bantowa.
Météores - Wikipedia
History
- 60 million years agoSeabed movement raised the plateau and formed vertical fault lines.
- 800s CETraditions place hermit monks on the pinnacles in this period.
- 11th centuryThe first documented hermitages date to this period.
- 1334Athanasios arrived from Athos, helping monastic life in the region expand.
- 14th centuryMonasteries were established on the pillars, mainly from the second half of the century.
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- 15th centuryAt their peak, as many as 24 monastic communities occupied the summits.
- 1517Theophanes and Nektarios Apsarades began rebuilding Varlaam’s churches.
- 17th centuryMany monasteries were gradually abandoned; difficult access and the risk of collapse contributed to some abandonments.
- 1798A new katholikon, or main church, was built at St. Stephen.
- 1920sMonks reached the pinnacles with local guides and scaffold platforms supported by beams set into holes in the rock.
- 1921Queen Marie of Romania became the first woman allowed into Great Meteoron.
- World War IIMeteora suffered bombing during World War II; wars also damaged or destroyed some monasteries.
- 1954A magnitude 7 earthquake shook the pillars, which remained standing.
- 1961St. Stephen became a nunnery.
- 2005A major rockfall closed Meteora’s access road for several days.
Shorts
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Majestic METEORA 🇬🇷 Cinematic Journey in SecondsNESI Videos
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Meteoraesalvotti
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Meteora (Greece) / TBSUNESCO
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Meteory, Meteora Kalambaka Thessaly GreeceKM Travel is my life!
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Monastery of Rousanou @ Meteora, Kalambaka, Greece, EuropePietro Pecco
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Discover the beauty of Meteora - a road trip from AthensAthens Experiences - Tours & Transfers
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Meteora, Thessaly 2022 vol. 1See!
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METEORA, GREECE 2023: The Ultimate 4K Drone Tour in Metoera GreeceThatsTwine
Tips for your visit
- Use Kalabaka as the starting point for a monastery visit.
- Six inhabited monasteries welcome visitors, but their weekly closing days differ; check each monastery before planning your route.
- Ypapantí is usually closed and has no road access.
- Theopetra Cave has reopened to the public following restoration.
Best time to visit
- Summer is a particularly popular season for outdoor activities at Meteora.
Know before you go
- Ascent to the monasteries is prohibited during thunderstorms.
- Follow the monasteries’ dress rules. At some, women wearing trousers may need to borrow an apron.
- Climbing to uninhabited monastery ruins is discouraged because access can be difficult and dangerous.
Don't miss
- Varlaam’s museumSee its relics and ecclesiastical treasures.Varlaam monastery
- St. Nicholas Anapausas frescoesSee 14th-century frescoes on the third floor, reached by an interior staircase.St. Nicholas Anapausas monastery
- Holy Trinity monasteryRecognise the setting used in the 1981 James Bond film For Your Eyes Only.Holy Trinity monastery
How to get there
- On footWithin Meteora, staircases and paths cut into the rocks lead to the surviving monasteries.
- On footA roughly 17-kilometre circuit loops around the monasteries.
Sources: Meteora - Wikipedia · Meteora - Wikipedia (part 2) · Kalambaka - Wikivoyage (eat) · Meteora - Wikipedia · Μετέωρα - Wikipedia · Météores - Wikipedia · checked 24 Sep 2026
- Website
- meteorahotels.com/
- Phone
- +30 2432 078180
Questions and answers
Which Meteora monasteries are open to visitors?
The six inhabited monasteries are open to visitors. Their weekly closing days differ.
How do visitors reach the monasteries?
The surviving monasteries are reached by staircases and paths cut into the rocks.
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