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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Everything you need to know about Visit Meteora and booking a trip with us.

Frequently Asked Questions About Meteora The Monasteries

The opening hours often change from year to year, so beware when relying on information provided in guidebooks or general web sites. We will try to do our best in keeping the timetable of visiting times and days of monasteries up-to-date. Check the opening hours of Meteora monasteries here.

Before we answer this question we have to specify that everything should be taken into account. It depends on how fit you are, the transportation and time available, weather conditions ect. Most people are able to visit between 2 to 4 monasteries per day. The few visitors who visit all 6 of them within one day are missing out a magical, more slow-paced adventure. We recommend at least 2 days stay in Meteora.

There are many reasons not to want to drive while exploring Meteora — like if you’re not confident driving on the opposite side of the road, your spouse is a terrible copilot and you just want to have fun instead of arguing; or if you want to enjoy the scenic road and not to feel stress about the narrow and curvy roads. Lack of parking space outside the monasteries is especially frequent phenomenon during the pick period in the summer. So by joining one of our tours might save you a lot of headaches and unwanted distractions.

Yes all the monasteries are open on weekends

Appropriate clothing for everyone is required to enter the monasteries. Sleeveless clothing and shorts over the knee for men are prohibited and you‘ll be denied access if dressed that way. For ladies skirts and shawls are available to borrow or buy at the entrance of monasteries in case they don’t have such clothing to cover themselves.

The Monastery of the Holy Trinity and Great Meteoro are the less accessible (over 300 steps). Rousanou, Varlaam and Saint Nicolaos have an average number of 140. Some of the monasteries apart the staircases requires uphill walking in paved paths. The Holy Monastery of St Stephen is connected with a walking bridge, thus making it more accessible than any other monastery.

In each monastery there is an entrance fee of 3 euro per person. Kids up to 12 years old they don’t pay entrance fees in the monasteries.

During the pick period from May till late October be prepared to face issues with finding parking space or brief traffic jams outside the monasteries of Great Meteoro, Varlaam, and Agios Stefanos; even more during the rush hours between 10:00 am to 14:00. This happens due to the limited width of the roads and the limited parking spots available outside those monasteries.

If possible, try to be outside those monasteries way before 09:00 am to avoid any big crowds. Or you might consider leaving your car in the hotel and join one of the many tours offered by the locals.

Pets, with the exception of service dogs, are not allowed inside the monasteries.

Meteora is an area of few square km, encompassing a rock forest with over 100 giant rock pillars of different shapes and sizes, some of them 400 meters above the ground. The monasteries are built on top of those pillars like a natural extension. The best way to explore such a unique site is by spending quality time here and by combining walking and driving. That will allow you to explore deeper the region and get out the most of your visit here. Make sure to allocate at least 2 days here to have the best experience.

Kalambaka is fairly easy to reach by train or bus. There are two convenient direct trains from Athens, as well as several trains connecting with the main Athens-Thessaloniki line at Palaiopharsala. You may also find buses from Athens, or Metsovo and Ioannina, two beautiful areas towards the Pindos mountains. There are frequent local buses from Kalambaka to Kastraki and to Trikala, which is the principal town of the area, 20 minutes from Kalambaka. Trikala also has a big bus station for a wider range of bus connections. Find more info on how to get to Meteora here.

There are public buses between April and October starting from Kalambaka at 09:00 in the morning and every 2 hours till 17:00 in the evening. So it’s not very convenient if you wish to use it from monastery to monastery like a hop-on, hop-off bus. Mostly serves as a one way trip to reach the monasteries and then you will be on your own. You can check the buses timetable to Meteora here.

The mountain range to the east and north of the site experiences a wide climatic variation from very hot summers to cold winters with heavy snowfall. Summer is the driest time, storms occurring all year round especially at higher altitudes.

Yes, there are few labs at Kalampaka town where you can have a test. For more details you can send message.

Frequently Asked Questions About How To Book A Tour/Trip With Visit Meteora

Step 1: Find your Visit Meteora tour by browsing our packages. You can filter by destination and travel style.

Step 2: Next, press the “book now” button. Choose your departure date and time.

Step 3: Select your ticket category and number of bookings.

Step 4: Upgrade your booking with add-on if available.

Step 5: Confirm your shopping cart and accept our terms of service and privacy policy. And insert your e-mail address.

Step 6: Insert your information.

Step 7: Checkout, choose your payment method and finish your booking. You’ll be required to pay a deposit or pay in full, depending on the tour and the dates.

Of course, you can always contact us for booking assistance or send us an inquiry if you need.

You will receive an email that acknowledges that we have received your order as well as a receipt for your payment (if paid by card). 

If you have book a trip that includes train tickets or hotel, we will send you the train tickets via email approximately one month before your trip date. Make sure to search on your spam e-mail folder before you contacts if you can not find the e-mail.

We encourage our clients to book as far in advance as possible to ensure that your preferred travel dates, accommodation class and additional activities are available.

This is because it takes time to make all the arrangements for a complete travel package. Your travel consultant must book or reserve each included service individually with each supplier and personalise your itinerary accordingly, all before your arrival.

Frequently Asked Questions About Payments

We accept payment by credit card and electronic bank transfer. Also we accept Alipay, Sofortüberweisung, Apple pay and Google pay.

Please contact us as soon as possible if you must change or cancel your travel plans.

Cancellation requests must be submitted by email. The cancellation fee generally depends on the length of notice and type of booking and refund policies of our local providers. 

For more information on our cancellation policy, please visit our Terms and Conditions page

If a scheduled activity during your stay is cancelled due to weather conditions, we will offer alternatives at no additional cost. 

Should your activity be cancelled, you should contact your travel consultant as soon as possible during your stay to make alternative arrangements.

We offer discounts for children for most tourist services published on our website. The discount depends on the age of the child and on the type of service being offered.

If children of a certain age are prohibited from a particular tour or activity, it will be stated in the package details. Please contact us if you have other questions about travelling with children.

If we have issued a refund to you and you can not find it on your bank statement, please search for refunds under the name of our payment provide “trekksoft” or “trekpay” or “payyo. If you still can not find it, please contact us.

Frequently Asked Questions About Our Services

Apart the circle road route which is 20 km there is a total of 40 km network of different hiking trails 40 km in total. Not all of them are well marked. Some of the trails are in a very poor condition in terms of navigation while some other trails will end up in a serious drop off. So please be extremely careful when you decide to explore those trails on your own. While these walks can be done independently, a knowledgeable guide can greatly enhance your safety and experience and can choose your path carefully. If you don’t trust your sense of direction, then let us guide you by joining one of our hiking tours!

If you don’t have much time and you are here for couple of days only then a knowledgeable local guide can lend a laser focus to any sightseeing visit, and this may never be as valuable as when you have very little time in one place like Meteora. Meteora is a site which is exceptionally rich in historical or cultural significance; an educated tour guide can offer a depth of experience and knowledge that goes beyond guidebook snippets or plaque-reading. A good tour guide will always know the best hours to visit attractions, which places you can skip, how to avoid rush hour, what is closed or under construction, and any number of tricks and tactics that will help you get the most out of a heavily visited location.

Around the monasteries, there are no restaurants or cafes, only canteens that serve few quick snacks and beverages, so it is always a good idea to take some snacks and a bottle of water or refreshments with you. Don’t forget the appropriate clothing and your camera!

We organise all the travel arrangements in our tour packages in close cooperation with trusted local suppliers in each of our destinations.

After booking a tour package, your designated travel consultant will arrange all included services:

accommodation
day tours (if included)
car rental (if self-drive)
train, cruise and ferry tickets (as applicable)
any other custom services requested

We will send you the train tickets, vouchers and any other document via email approximately one month before your trip date.

IF YOU NEED ANY HELP, GET IN TOUCH WITH ONE OF OUR TRAVEL EXPERTS

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