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From Athens: Meteora Monasteries & Caves Full-Day Trip with Lunch

Tour guide speaking to passengers on a bus during the Meteora Monasteries tour from Athens.
Meteora monastery perched on a cliff with mountains in the background, Greece.
Tour guide explaining rock formations to tourists in Meteora, Greece.
Meteora monastery perched on rock formation, surrounded by lush landscape, Greece.

Duration

10 hr - 14 hr

Free cancellation

Free cancellation up to 3 days before the start of your experience

Book now, pay later

Book now without paying anything. Cancel for free if your plans change.

Audio guide

Enhance your experience with multilingual audio guide

Transfers included

Meals included

Indulge in a sumptuous meal as a part of your experience

4.6/5

(237)

Tania Fraga Beiroa

Tania

Sep 2025
Verified booking
4/5
The place is stunning, definitely worth visiting. The guide Vaso and both our drivers wery very nice and helpful. I must say we didn't actually visit the Hermit cave, only the caves were mentioned from afar. Also boarding the buses in the morning was a bit chaotic, there where 4 buses on both sides of the street and it took a long time to figure out which one each person was supposed to be in (I arrived 40min early and still was the last to board the bus), as everyone is sent to the same bus and the poor driver was overwhelmed with the queue of people asking where to go. I feel like there must be an easier, more organised way to do this.
Shanna, Malzseva

Shanna,

Sep 2025
Verified booking
5/5
Even though the place was a 4 hour drive from Athens, it was well worth the wait. It was out of this world! Our guide was very knowledgeable and helpful. The drivers were also great. I purchased lunch with the trip and it was decent for the price. The day before I booked the trip, something came up and I needed to reschedule. When I called the agency, Anastasia helped me rebook my trip. I was grateful to her for that. I will book with this agency again if I have the privilege of returning to Athens.
Charkova Natalia

Charkova

Sep 2025
Verified booking
4/5
The staff who brought us and accompanied us during our visit to Meteora. Thank you. But there were some nuances: the tour description said that there was a phone charger. It was expected that you could charge it in the bus seat, but you could only charge it with the bus driver. The number of connected phones is limited by the number of USB ports in the adapter. We bought a tour from Athens, the trip takes several hours, the phone is actively used and runs out of battery during this time.
    • This tour is your all-in-one pass to Meteora, combining luxury travel, monastery visits, hidden cave access, and a traditional Greek lunch, all in one unforgettable day.
    • A professional guide will share how monks carved staircases into sheer cliffs, how nuns preserve ancient rituals, and the hidden meanings behind frescoes painted during Ottoman rule.
    • Depending on the day, explore Great Meteoron, with its fresco-lined dining hall and relic-filled ossuary, or Varlaam, known for its ornate domed chapels and a 12,000-litre rain barrel suspended high above the valley floor.
    • Follow a short trail to reach the weather-worn Hermit Caves, where monks once lived in complete isolation, hoisting up supplies with ropes and ladders that still dangle hauntingly above the entrances.
    • Did you know? At Great Meteoron Monastery, a monk named Father Theophilos spent over a decade reviving 15th-century frescoes using natural pigments made from crushed stone and local plants.
    • Round-trip, luxury coach transfers to and from Athens (with free Wi-Fi, USB chargers, and air-conditioned facilities)
    • Meteora tour with panoramic views of all 6 monasteries
    • Traditional Greek lunch at Kastraki Village
    • Entry to 3 to 4 monasteries (subject to the day’s schedule, as some monasteries are closed on specific weekdays)
    • Entry to the Hermit Caves of Badovas
    • English-speaking driver
    • Expert English or Spanish-speaking tour guide (based on option selected)
    • Smart audio guide in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Polish, Korean, Chinese, and Japanese
    • Bottled mineral water onboard
    • Pick-up and drop-off from your hotel in Athens
    • A small offering of €3 to €5 per monastery
    • Guide inside the monasteries (multilingual audio guides available)
    • Tips for the guide (optional)
  • TOTAL DURATION13 hours 30 minutes - 14 hours
    MODE OF TRANSFERA/C Bus
    Timeline
    Map
    Start point

    Larissa Station

    Get direction
    3 hr 28 min by A/C Bus
    336 km
    Kalabaka

    1. Kalabaka

    Free Admission
    30 min
    6 min by A/C Bus
    2.2 km
    Kastraki

    2. Kastraki

    Tickets included
    60 min
    2 min by A/C Bus
    1 km
    Meteora monasteries

    3. Meteora monasteries

    Tickets included
    3 hr
    6 attractions

    Highlights

    6 min
    2.7 km
    The Hermit Caves of Badovas

    4. The Hermit Caves of Badovas

    Tickets included
    30 min
    26 min by A/C Bus
    1.9 km
    Kalabaka

    5. Kalabaka

    Free Admission
    30 min
    3 hr 11 min by A/C Bus
    339 km
    End point

    Larissa Station

    Get direction

    Your ending point would be same as your start point

  • You can cancel these tickets up to 3 days before the experience begins and get a full refund.

  • 4.6
    237 reviews

    How do we collect reviews?

    These ratings include verified reviews from both Headout guests and our trusted partners who operate this experience locally. All reviews come from real travelers who've taken this experience.

    170
    48
    7
    5
    7
    Guests from Spain, United States, France and over 10 countries have loved this experience

    What our guests say

    Jakob Holst

    Jakob

    Oct 2025
    Verified booking
    5/5
    We left Athens at 8:00 and returned at 22:15 from Meteora. It was a long day but worth it. Meteora Tours had wery good logistics with a comfortable bus, efficient refreshment stops and a good lunch meal. The local guide was knowledgeable and entertaining. The monastery visits were interesting and the landscape astonishing. All in all a "must do" experience and a "top 10" sight in Europe in our opinion.
    Tony Hopson

    Tony

    Oct 2025
    Verified booking
    4/5
    Overall good experience despite needing to confirm pick up as conflicting information on tickets and booking page. Long day so be prepared but the driver and tour guides were engaging and knowledgeable, the monasteries and scenery were beautiful, and the lunch was tasty. We stopped off to visit 2 monasteries and had a number of other photo stops throughout the day.
    CHONG LYE CHEONG

    Chong

    Oct 2025
    Verified booking
    3/5
    1. It would be useful if the meeting information indicated to find purple bus rather than mentioning about sign. We were cross the road multiple times to find the correct bus. 2. Over on the ticket information on: - English speaking driver when the bus driver were not able to speak English. - no audio was provided - no water bottle was provided.
    Guillermo A Rendon

    Guillermo

    Oct 2025
    Verified booking
    5/5
    Great tour guides and excellent transfer transport accomodations. Loved everything would do it again! Guides was fun and friendly, we stopped at all the major locations and they let us take as many pics as we wanted. I loved the stops for breaks and food we had. Such wonderful experience I highly recommend it to everyone.
    Rhonda Deborah Tsesmetzis

    Rhonda

    Oct 2025
    Verified booking
    5/5
    All the monestaries l vivsited were just awesome. The beautiful black sandstone rocks they were built on looked stunning and the wonderful guide explained every detail clearly and helpful.
  • What to bring

    • Bring cash for monastery offerings (€3 to €5 per site) and any small purchases.
    • Wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes with a good grip. Trails and monastery steps can be uneven and steep.
    • Carry water and a light snack, especially during the summer months (June to August).
    • Don’t forget earphones and a fully charged smartphone if you plan to use the audio guide during your visit.

    What's not allowed

    • Photography is welcome in outdoor areas, but taking pictures inside churches, or of monks and nuns, is not permitted.
    • Drone use is strictly forbidden unless you have special permission.

    Accessibility

    • Most of Meteora’s sites are not wheelchair-friendly, as all monasteries involve climbing stairs or navigating inclined paths.
    • For visitors with limited mobility, St. Stephen’s Monastery offers the easiest access, with a level, paved path and minimal steps.

    Additional information

    • Exit Larissa station and head straight across the street. You'll find your 'Visit Meteora' bus parked on Theodore Diligianni Street, right outside Everest Café.
    • Depending on the day, you’ll enter 2 to 4 monasteries. Each monastery has one designated closing day per week (Great Meteoron is closed Tuesdays, and Varlaam is closed Fridays), so the tour route may vary.
    • Monastery offerings (€3 to €5 per person) are not typically included in tour prices and must be paid in cash at the gate.
    • A modest dress code is strictly enforced at all monasteries. Men should wear long pants, while women must wear long skirts and cover their shoulders. Wrap skirts and shawls are available at the entrance if needed.
    • Tours use local minibuses or shuttle vans for transportation between stops. Roads can be winding, but distances are short.
    • Toilets are available at larger monasteries like Great Meteoron, Varlaam, and St. Stephen’s. A small tip is often expected when using them.
    • Guides are not permitted to offer commentary inside the monasteries. Enhance your visit with the multi-language audio guide.
    • Your voucher will be emailed to you instantly.

    • Display the voucher on your mobile phone with a valid photo ID at the meeting point.

    • Please arrive at the meeting point 15 minutes before the scheduled time of your tour to avoid any delays.

    Meeting point

    • Please check your final voucher for the meeting point details and specific instructions.

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