The 7 Best Monasteries to Visit in Meteora, Greece
Author: Janice Vazquez | Last updated: November 22, 2023
Meteora is a region in central Greece, near the town of Kalambaka in the region of Thessaly. It is known for its stunning natural rock formations and monasteries built on of them. The name “Meteora” comes from the Greek work “meteoreos,” which means “suspended in the air” or “up high”.
The monasteries were constructed in the 14th and 15th centuries and were designed to be inaccessible to outsiders as a means of protecting the monks. At one point, there were two dozen monasteries across Meteora; today only 7 monasteries remain active and open to the public. One monastery is not open to the public, but you can view it from a distance. Read on to learn about the best Monasteries to visit in Meteora, admission, location and the Meteora monasteries visiting hours.
1. Holy Monastery of Grand Meteoron
- Admission: 3 euros
- Visiting Hours (Summer): 9 AM – 15:00 PM
- Visiting Hours (Winter): 9 AM – 14:00 PM
- Closed: Every Tuesday (Summer), Wednesday, Thursday
- Location: https://goo.gl/maps/Y7vf5v2viEKcHTSJ6
Overview: The Holy Monastery of Grand Meteoron is the largest and oldest of the monasteries at Meteora. Monk Athanasios Koinovitis built the monastery in the 14th century. Building this monastery was a difficult and dangerous task, but Athanasios and the others were motivated by their deep religious beliefs and a desire to establish a place of solitude and worship.
Fun fact: The name comes from the size of the monastery with great manuscripts.
Visiting: The monastery was accessible by walking across a bridge and then climbing up 300 steps. Inside, we saw the church (no photos or videos), the ecolastical museum (downstairs), the museums of history and folkore, and manuscripts and newmartyrs exhibition hall.
Time Needed: 1 hour
2. Saint Stephan Monastery
- Admission: 3 euros
- Visiting Hours (Summer): 9 AM – 13:30, 15:30 PM – 17:30 PM
- Visiting Hours (Winter): 9:30 AM – 13:00, 15:00 PM – 17:00 PM
Closed: Every Monday - Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/PqvqFfaRKMQXiJYt8
Overview: Saint Stephan’s Monastery was built in the 14th century and has undergone several renovations. It is known for the architectural style, which combines both elements of Byzantine and post-Byzantine design.
Fun Fact: This is the most self-sufficient nunnery with 33 nuns doing all of the tasks.
Visiting: The monastery was easily accessible by a small bridge. Inside, we saw a church and a museum.
Time Needed: 40 minutes
3. Monastery of Varlaam
- Admission: 3 euros
- Visiting Hours (Summer): 9 AM – 15:00 PM
- Visiting Hours (Winter): 9:00 AM – 14:00 PM
- Closed: Every Tuesday (Summer), Wednesday and Thursdays
- Location: https://goo.gl/maps/EtrJhb1z4tK7sUow6
Overview: Saint Varlaam, monk from Serbia, came in the year 1350 and gathered materials to build a small shelter. It took him 23 years to build the chapel; he carried all the materials with his hands. After his death, the monastery was abandoned for almost 200 years. Then, two rich brothers came and donated their money to expand the church. They also built another church dedicated to all of the saints.
Visiting: The monastery was accessible by walking across the bridge and then climbing up 140 steps. We paid 3 euros a person to enter. Inside, we saw the church, the wooden barrel (contains 12000 liters of wine), the net (transportation device), the exhibition, and the museum.
Time Needed: 50 minutes
4. Holy Trinity Monastery
- Admission: 3 euros
- Visiting Hours (Summer): 9 AM – 17:00 PM
- Visiting Hours (Winter): 10 AM – 16:00 PM
- Closed: Every Thursday
- Location: https://goo.gl/maps/xi7VWGa3nZyaTPk57
Overview: The Holy Trinity Monastery was built in the 14th century by a monk named Dometious. It has the best view and is the most authentic monastery because it doesn’t have any exhibition or museum. It’s the same monastery as it was 100 years ago. The monastery was featured in the James Bond 007 film ‘For your eyes only’. The Holy Trinity is considered to be the most iconic monastery in Meteora.
Fun Fact: Currently, only one monk lives inside the monastery.
Visiting: The monastery was accessible by walking down the hill and then climbing 300 steps. It took about 10 minutes to reach the entrance. Inside, we saw the church, courtyard, and panoramic views of Meteora.
Time Needed: 1 hour
5. Holy Monastery of Roussanou – Saint Barbara
- Admission: 3 euros
- Visiting Hours (Summer): 10 AM – 16:00 PM
- Visiting Hours (Winter): 9 AM – 14:00 PM
- Closed: Every Wednesday
- Location: https://goo.gl/maps/AkPXxDa24HsDCZBJ9
Overview: The Holy Monastery of Roussanou – Saint Barabara was built in the 14th century by a monk named Roussanou. The monastery is the only nunnery and houses 15 sister nuns.
Fun Fact: Follow the trail from this monastery to a panoramic viewpoint.
Visiting: The monastery was accessible by walking up the hill and then climbing 140 steps. It took about 5 minutes to reach the entrance. Inside, we saw the church and court yard.
Time Needed: 45 minutes
6. Monastery of Saint Nikolas
- Admission: 3 euros
- Visiting Hours (Summer): 9 AM – 17:00 PM
- Visiting Hours (Winter): MON – SAT: 9:30 AM – 16:00 PM, SUN: 9:30 AM – 16:00 PM
- Closed: Every Friday (Summer)
- Location: https://goo.gl/maps/NFwzi4k6q1FHAfdT8
Overview: The Monastery of Saint Nikolas was built in the 14th century. It was most likely used for pilgrims as a resting place before continuing on. Out of the 6 monasteries, this was the smallest, but had a magnificent view of Varlaam Monastery, rock formations and a panorama view of Kalambaka.
Visiting: The monastery was accessible by walking up the steep hill and then climbing up 140 steps. It took about 10 minutes to reach the entrance. Since we walked so much the day before, I was out of breath when I made it to the top of this monastery. Inside, we saw the church, exhibition hall, and transportation cart.
Time Needed: 50 minutes
7. Monastery of Saint Adonis
- Location: Kastrki Village, next to Hermit Caves of Badova
- Location: https://goo.gl/maps/PaeVmv7xjTjiWzKa6
Overview: The monastery was built in the 14th century into a natural cave. Currently a monk, whose 80 years old, lives there alone. Unfortunately, this monastery was closed to the public, so we could only take pictures from the outside.
Visiting: Not open to the public
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