Day Trips

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

Name: From Athens: Meteora Monasteries & Caves Full-Day Trip with Lunch
Start: 2025-05-05T07:00:00
End: 2025-05-05T17:00:00
Location: Athens

View of the tour guide giving information to tourist during Meteora Monasteries Full-Day Guided Tour with Lunch

Monastery of the Holy Trinity at Meteora

Tour guide explaining historical details to tourists in front of the Colosseum, Rome.

Monastery of Agios Nikolaos Anapafsas in Meteora

Duration

10 hrs - 14 hrs

Audio guide

Enhance your experience with multilingual audio guide

Transfers included

Meals included

Indulge in a sumptuous meal as a part of your experience

Instant confirmation

Mobile ticket

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)

These tickets can't be cancelled or rescheduled.

How do we collect reviews?
4.6
130 ratings
5/5
91
4/5
32
3/5
4
2/5
1
1/5
2
Guests from France, Spain, United States and over 20 countries have loved this experience
What our guests say
Muntean
Feb, 2025Verified booking
5/5
It was an excelent experience, with a duration of 4h 30 minutes in Meteora., full of information, many stops for the most beautiful views. As an Orthodox Christian, I had a spiritual experience too. We had a very good, passionate and helpful guide, Clement, and an excelent driver, Nikos Thank you guys, Claudia and Olga, Romania
Harmat
Apr, 2025Verified booking
5/5
We have seen beautiful lanscapes and monasteries of Greece. We had a charming tourguide.
Fernandez
Mar, 2025Verified booking
5/5
María
Mar, 2025Verified booking
4/5
Mariacarmela
Apr, 2025Verified booking
2/5

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.