Six Orthodox monasteries, built on the summits of sheer rock pillars. Tap a peak to explore it.
👆 Tap a glowing peakNear Kalambaka in central Greece, hermits climbed into the caves of these sandstone towers a thousand years ago. From the 14th century, monks built monasteries on the summits — reached only by removable ladders and rope-hauled nets. Six survive today. Explore each above, or read their stories below.
Tap a peak on the map, or browse them here.
The largest and highest of them all, founded by St. Athanasios the Meteorite on a rock that rises more than 400 metres above the valley. Inside are a museum, an old refectory and a shadowy ossuary. If you visit only one, it is usually this.
The second largest, on a rock first settled by the 14th-century hermit Varlaam and rebuilt by two brothers from Ioannina. Look for the old tower where a rope-and-net windlass once hauled up everything — and everyone — that reached the top.
Dramatically built to cover its entire narrow summit, so the walls seem to grow straight out of the rock. Reached by small bridges from the neighbouring cliff, it is now a convent and one of the most photographed of the group.
The smallest monastery, built upward over several tiny storeys because its rock has almost no summit. Its treasure is inside: frescoes painted in 1527 by Theophanes the Cretan — the earliest signed work of the great Cretan-school master.
Alone on a sheer isolated pinnacle, reached today through a tunnel and about 130 steps cut into the rock. Film fans know it as the cliff James Bond scales in For Your Eyes Only (1981) — the most cinematic climb at Meteora.
The most accessible of the six — no long staircase, just a short bridge across a chasm — which makes it the gentlest visit for anyone wary of heights or steps. A working convent, it was damaged during the Second World War and later restored.
Meteora is far from the cities and the monasteries keep their own rotating days, so most international visitors come on an organised day trip. These highly-rated tours handle the driving, timing and a guide. Prices are indicative in AUD; GetYourGuide shows the live price and free-cancellation terms in your own currency at checkout.
The practical essentials before you pick a date.
Six monasteries survive and are open to visitors today, out of roughly 24 originally built on the rock pillars during the 14th to 16th centuries.
Yes, and it is strictly enforced: shoulders covered for everyone, women in a long skirt below the knee, men in long trousers — no shorts. Wrap-around skirts are usually available to borrow at the entrance for women.
It is roughly a 4 to 5 hour trip by road or direct train to Kalambaka, the town at the foot of the rocks. It is shorter from Thessaloniki, and many visitors come on a guided day trip with transport included.
Yes. Meteora is a popular day trip, with guided day-tours running from Athens, Thessaloniki and locally from Kalambaka, usually taking in several of the monasteries.
Yes. The six surviving monasteries are living Eastern Orthodox communities — some house monks, others nuns — and remain places of worship as well as visitor sites.
Spring and autumn are the most comfortable. Early morning and late afternoon give the best light, and sunrise and sunset are prime for photography. Each monastery closes on a different day, so check the current schedule first.
Each monastery is reached by a staircase cut into the rock — Holy Trinity has around 130 steps, while St. Stephen is the easiest, reached by a short bridge with no long climb. Expect uneven steps and inclines.
