Hiking in Meteora is the perfect way to experience this scenic destination in Greece in an authentic way. The hanging monasteries, perched on towering rock pillars, were once a lonely and inhospitable place that was difficult to access. Today, a wide paved road runs between the monasteries and huge coaches transport their cargo from one monastery to the next. As far as we are concerned, that certainly detracts from the magic of this special UNESCO World Heritage Site. But we also discovered that walking in Meteora can bring you back to a more authentic experience.
Read more: the best things to do in Meteora and where to stay in Meteora.
How to get to Meteora in Greece?
Meteora is centrally located in it north of Greece. How to get to Meteora? Thessaloniki is nearby and it takes less than three hours driving to get there. The Greek capital Athens is just over four hours of driving.
As far as we are concerned, that makes Meteora a tough day trip with six to eight hours from Thessaloniki or Athens, but it can be done and a lot of day tours are offered from both destinations. If you have enough time, we recommend that you plan at least one night in Meteora. But if you don’t have that much extra time in your travel schedule, you should definitely take a day trip to this bucket list destination and just squeeze it all in one day.
Is Meteora worth visiting?
As one of the most beautiful destinations in Greece, Meteora is definitely worth a visit. Located in a spectacular landscape of rock formations and rock pillars, you will enjoy the most beautiful views. The special monasteries have rich decorations, a unique view and special architecture that seems to merge with the rocks. Meteora is a unique place that should be on every traveler’s bucket list.
Read more: best things to do in Meteora.
A visit to Meteora is all about the spectacular landscape and the six monasteries that balance idyllically on rocky outcrops. Make sure to schedule in enough time to visit the Meteora viewpoints. You will automatically come along them when hiking or walking the main road between the monasteries. Sunset would be the best time to visit them, although it will be busier around that time as well.
We often read in guidebooks that you have to visit all monasteries to experience Meteora to the best, so we visited five ourselves. We think that is a bit much though. Our advice is to visit two of them and the Grand Meteora and Varlaam monasteries would be our first and second choice as the two largest monasteries in Meteora.
We also highly recommend hiking in Meteora, as it is the best way to experience this scenic destination in Greece in an authentic way. The hanging monasteries, perched on towering rock pillars, were once a lonely and inhospitable place that was difficult to access. Hiking in Meteora will have you experience this much more than driving along the main road like the big tourist buses do. Continue reading to learn more about this great way to explore Meteora.
Meteora Hiking Map
Our Meteora Hiking Map shows both the location of the Meteora monasteries and the exact hiking trails. When you open the map, you can download the exact routes into your Google Maps and use them to navigate during your hike.
The 3 Best Meteora Hiking Trails
One of the best things to do in Meteora is the hike to the hidden monastery of Meteora. This seventh monastery is rarely mentioned in the list of the (six) monasteries of Meteora, nor is it seen on the official maps of the rock area. You can the hidden monastery, the Ypapanti Monastery, just north of the Great Meteora and Vaarlam Monasteries. You can get there with a good 4×4, but the best way to reach it is by hiking.
What is the Ypapanti Monastery? It is an ancient monastery that was not built not on the rocks, but against a rock wall. The beautiful location in the middle of the stunning landscape makes this monastery particularly picturesque. Unfortunately, the monastery itself is now closed to visitors. On older blogs, you’ll read that you can also visit the seventh monastery, but that is no longer correct.
There are several hiking trails to Ypapanti. One of the shortest trails leads from the parking lot of Vaarlam Monastery north to Ypapanti. You then walk back on the same trail.
We preferred the longer hike from this point on the map. With this hiking trail, you first walk downhill for about an hour. You’ll always be higher up in the mountains than the famous rock formations and monasteries of Meteora, over which you’ll have a beautiful view. On the way back you can choose to take the same trail back or hike a more northern trail, where you mainly walk through a forest. Although this hike involves quite some descending and ascending, this hiking trail to Ypapanti is very doable. The rise and fall are very gradual, so the trail is never very steep.
#2 From Kalabaka to the Trinity Monastery
The most popular hike in Meteora is the one from the town of Kalampaka up to the Holy Trinity Monastery. From the village you can see the Holy Trinity Monastery high on the rocks attracting its visitors to climb all the way up.
The route starts in Kalampaka – also written as Kalambaka – behind the Agias Triados Monastery. You can see the exact starting point on our hiking map for Meteora behind the Byzantine monastery in Kalambaka. The trail starts with a walking path of boulders and remains clearly visible and well-marked throughout the hike. The hike involves quite a bit of climbing as the entire trail rises up towards the monastery. That also means incredibly beautiful views, so don’t forget to stop and take in the views regularly.
The Meteora hiking trail ends at the Agias Triados. In our opinion, this is the least interesting of the Meteora Monasteries, but a ticket only costs € 3 per person and it is a very nice reward after the hike. Not much further you can also visit Saint Stefanos, a monastery with a beautifully painted chapel.
Read more: which monastery in Meteora should you visit?
#3 To the hermitages in the rocks
Part of the history of Meteora are the hermitages in the rocks. From the ninth century, the unique rock pillars were climbed by hermits who sought solitude here for religious reasons and lived in niches in the rocks. In the eleventh century, monks who had been expelled from other regions, found their new homes in this rocky area. From the fourteenth century, they built their iconic hanging monasteries on mountaintops and rock pillars.
You can still admire the hermitages in Meteora. Although they may not be particularly worth seeing, we think they are an inseparable part of what Meteora is and has been for centuries. The hike to the hermit caves of Meteora is also a very nice one to do because of the stunning landscape surrounding it.
The hike to the hermitages starts at the Meteora Digital Projection Center. You can see the exact trail marked on our hiking map. From there, you hike north towards the village of Kastraki. The trail leads around a huge rock formation and ends in a valley between the rocks. That’s where the iconic, free-standing Adrachti Rock is located. From there, walk to Panagia Church (also called the Agios Nikolaos of Badovas), a beautiful monastery built into the rock face. In the same rock wall, you can also see the wooden constructions of the hermit caves that have been around Meteora for centuries.
After this trail, you can walk even further into the mountains to the monasteries, but you can also leave it at that and settle down on a terrace in cozy town of Kastraki or have a bite to eat.
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