One day trip to
Meteora
Meteora is a must-see place in Greece, as it is a unique geological phenomenon, located in central Greece, next to the city of Kalambaka.
The huge natural rock towers found there are home to 14th-century cliff top monasteries built by Eastern Orthodox hermit monks who settled in the area in the ninth century and began living in the caves and fissures of the rocks. Meteora is one of the largest and most precipitously built complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Greece, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.Today only six monasteries out of the twenty four built in the rocks of 400 and 600 meters high still remain. Meteora, which literally means in Greek “middle of the sky” or “in the heavens above”, with its breathtaking landscape and its religious atmosphere will give you the change to witness the ascetic life, offering you a unique insight into the country’s spiritual customs through your visit to its remaining monasteries. After the fascinating tour of the 2 most accessible monasteries, you can enjoy a delightful lunch with Greek traditional dishes and “Mezedes” in the picturesque Kastraki village. So if you want to get a taste of this holy place and feel its spiritual atmosphere while also witnessing the greatness of nature, Meteora is the right destination for you!
- See the Monastery of Holly Trinity famous from the James Bond movie!
- Admire the six Monasteries (Great Meteoro, Varlaam, S. Stephan, Rousanou etc) that are in operation today and receive many pilgrims. Most of them were founded in the 14th century.
- Climb the 300 steps leading to the highest peak of the biggest rock and visit the Monastery of the Transfiguration.
- Visit a very old and strange church, the Assumption.
- Experience moments of relaxation and culinary delights in the shadow of Meteora.
- Walk the streets of the picturesque old quarter of the amphitheater built Kastraki.
- Go up to the oldest settlement of Kalambaka to discover the fountain with magical properties.
Schedule
History
Geology
The Monasteries
Important Information
Included
Not Included
Schedule
The day trip to Meteora starts at 08:00 am from the Conference Venue.
We will board our bus which will take us through the national highway to Larisa-Trikala-Kalabaka.
After a 2.5 hour drive during which our certified experienced guide will explain you the areas through which the bus is going and their history we arrive at our first stop which is the town of Kalabaka to visit a local industry for handmade souvenirs and icons.
We continue by taking brief stops on the best breathtaking viewpoints of Meteora. We will then visit the hermit caves of Badovas.
We continue our trip by visiting the holy sites such as the women’s Monastery of Agios Stefanos with its impressive wood-carved iconostasis, or the Monastery of the Holy Trinity, perched on the top of a rocky precipice over 400 meters high. Alternatively, we 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.
We then head to Kastraki to enjoy an optional traditional Greek lunch. At around 5 p.m. we board our bus and take the highway back to the Conference Venue.
History
In the 9th century, an ascetic group of hermit monks moved up to the stone forest.
They were the first people that occupied the caverns of Meteora since the Neolithic Era.
Caves in the vicinity of Meteora were inhabited continuously between 50,000 and 5,000 years ago.
However, the monasteries were built later, in the 14th century, when the monks tried to hide somewhere from the increasing number of Turkish attacks on Greece.
Of the 24 monasteries that were built, only 6 (five male, one female) are still functioning, with each housing fewer than 10 monks/nuns
Geology
Beside the Pindos Mountains, in the western region of Thessaly, these unique and enormous columns of rock rise precipitously from the ground. But their unusual form is not easy to explain geologically.
About 60 million years ago during the Paleogene period a series of earth movements pushed the seabed upwards, creating a high plateau and causing many vertical fault lines in the thick layer of sandstone.
It is unusual that this conglomerate formation and type of weathering are confined to a relatively localised area within the surrounding mountain formation
The Monasteries
The rock monasteries of Meteora have been characterized by Unesco as a unique phenomenon of cultural heritage. Six monasteries are still functioning:
- The Monastery of Great Meteoron, which is the biggest of the Meteorite monasteries, founded in the middle of the 14th century.
- The Monastery of Varlaam which is the second, big in size monastery, founded in the middle of the 16th century.
- The Monastery of Rousanou, founded in the middle of the 16th century.
- The Monastery of St. Nicholas Anapausas, founded in the beginning of the 16th century.
- The Monastery of St. Stephen, which is one of the most attainable monasteries, founded in the middle of the 16th century.
- The Monastery of Holy Trinity, which is the most difficult to reach, founded in the middle of the 15th century.
Important Information
- The bus trip duration from the Conference Venue to Meteora is 2.5 hours each way, including a short stop along the way to use the restroom and buy snacks.
- The monasteries have strict dress rules prohibiting entry to male visitors wearing shorts and female visitors with sleeveless sweatshirts
- Women need a long skirt/ dress to enter the monasteries. Women cannot enter the monasteries wearing trousers or jeans.
- To reach the monasteries, you will be required to climb stairs
- You will stop for an optional traditional Greek lunch in Kastraki.
Included
- Round-trip transportation
- Official English Tour Guide
- Basic travel insurance
- Entrance fees to Monasteries
- Guided tour inside the monasteries and museums
Not Included
Cost of lunch at Kastraki