Visited 2 Monasteries and Discovered 4 Viewpoints: An Exciting Day in Meteora

Author: Janice Vazquez | Last updated: August 20, 2023

Janice and Julius standing in front of Meteora's surrounding landscape of rolling rock formation and Hol Monastery of Grand Meteoron — *Janice and Julius at a viewpoint near the Holy Monastery of Saint Barbara Roussanou*

In December 2022, I traveled with my family (mom, dad, and brother, Julius) to Greece. We spent a total of 20 days visiting different cities, sightseeing, eating Greek food, and learning about Greece’s history and culture. Today, we spent the day visiting the last two Meteora monasteries and taking pictures from viewpoints.

In the morning, we went to a local coffee shop called Mikel Coffee Company, which had a modern decor and offered a wide selection of espresso, cappuccino, coffee, chocolate, baked goods, sweets, and drinks. We ordered a strawberry milkshake* called Georgia and a Mexican mocha. The coffee took 5 minutes to prepare, which gave us enough time to plan which monasteries we were going to visit. Our goal was to visit the two remaining monasteries and viewpoints that we didn’t get to visit yesterday with our tour guide.

Viewpoint #1 – Near Holy Monastery of Saint Barbara Roussanou

After breakfast, my brother drove to the Holy Monastery of Saint Barbara Roussanou, while I took videos of the drive up the mountain. He found parking easily on the side of the street. When we got out of the car, we saw a couple taking pictures across the street. We decided to see what kind of pictures they were taking and were surprised by the incredible viewpoint. From standing on the rock, we saw rolling rock formations and several monasteries.

Janice posing in front of Meteora's surrounding landscape of rolling rock formations and monasteries — *Janice posing in front of Meteora’s surrounding landscape of rolling rock formations and monasteries*

*Julius posing in front of Meteora rocks*

Monastery 5: Holy Monastery of Saint Barbara Roussanou

After we took pictures, we walked across the street to visit the monastery. To access the monastery, we walked up a hill and climbed 140 steps. It took about 5 minutes to reach the main platform. From the platform, we took a few pictures of the building and the panoramic view.

*Julius going up the stone stairs to visit the monastery*

*Janice going up the stone stairs to visit the monastery*

After a few more steps, we made it to the top and paid 3 euros a person to enter the monastery. Inside, we saw the gift shop and then headed into the church, where photos and videos were prohibited. Then, we walked around the courtyard and saw a bell with a cross on top. The monastery was small and there wasn’t much to see. We spent 30 minutes (15 minutes to view the monastery and 15 minutes to walk up and down the steps).

The bell in cased in a stone structure with a red cross engraved in the wall and a metal cross on top — *A metal bell enclosed in a stone structure*

On the left sits a plant and a wooden hammer on a stone ledge. On the right a door says "no entry" — *A plant, a hammer, and a door says “no entry”*

Tip: In our comprehensive guide, we explain the visiting hours for each monastery, provide the location, and an overview of what to expect.

Viewpoint #2: Viewpoint Meteora

Next, we drove to the Viewpoint Meteora for a wonderful panoramic view of Meteora rocks and the monasteries. We walked for a minute on a walkway which led to big flat rocks, which were easy to climb. From the top of the rocks, we can see the Monastery of Varlaam, Grand Meteoron, Saint Barbara Roussanou, and Saint Stephan.

*Panoramic view of Meteora rocks (left and right back) and Monasteries (bottom right)*

Viewpoint #3: View of Meteora and Village

Next, we drove for a minute to reach View of Meteora and Village to get a wonderful view of the surrounding landscape, the village of Kalampaka, and Saint Stephan Monastery. This viewpoint was right off the road. We spent the least amount of time taking pictures from this viewpoint.

The Holy Trinity Monastery and village of Kalampaka from a viewpoint — *The Holy Trinity Monastery and village of Kalampaka* *from a viewpoint*

Viewpoint #4: Meteora Panorama

Next, we drove to the Meteora Panorama to get a lovely view of Meteora rocks and several monasteries. This viewpoint felt the safest because the platform had metal railings and stone walls. From the viewpoint, we can also see the Holy Trinity Monastery, Monastery of Varlaam, and Monastery of Grand Meteoron.

*The Holy Trinity Monastery from a viewpoint*

Viewpoint #5: Main Observation Deck of Meteora

Lastly, we drove to the Main Observation Deck of Meteora aka Sunrise rock to get a fantastic view of Meteora rocks and most of the monasteries. We were lucky to find a parking spot as somebody had just left. We walked for 1 minute to reach the top of the rocks which were rough and rugged. On the right side, we can see the Monastery of Saint Nikolas, Varlaam, Grand Meteoron, and the Nunnery of Saint Barbara Roussanou. On the left side we can see the Holy Trinity Monastery. This was my favorite viewpoint in Meteora.

Janice at the Main Observation Deck of Meteora with a backdrop of Meteora rocks — *Janice *standing on a rock* and the Meteora rocks can be seen in the back*

*Julius standing on a rock with his hands held high at a viewpoint*

*Janice and Julius standing on a flat rock at the edge of the viewpoint*

The 4 monasteries (The Monastery of Saint Nikolas, Varlaam, Grand Meteoron, and the Nunnery of Saint Barbara Roussanou) from a viewpoint — *The 4 monasteries (The Monastery of Saint Nikolas, Varlaam, Grand Meteoron, and the Nunnery of Saint Barbara Roussanou) from a* *viewpoint*

Monastery 6: Monastery of Saint Nikolas

After checking out the views, we drove to the Monastery of Saint Nikolas. Fortunately, there were plenty of parking spaces available in the parking lot in front of the monastery and across the street.

To access the monastery, I walked up a steep hill and saw some stairs, which looked like a shortcut, so I took it. Afterwards, I saw either I could walk up the hill or take more stairs up, so I choose the stairs route again. Afterwards, I was out of breath. I saw there was one more flight of stairs, which means there were only 140 steps left. It took about 15 minutes to reach the entrance.

The main pathway that leads to Saint Nikolas Monastery — *The starting point*

The elevator is next to the flight of stairs that lead to the Saint Nikolas Monastery — *The midway point*

The entrance to Saint Nikolas Monastery — *The destination*

I paid 3 euros to enter the monastery. Inside, I saw the church, which prohibits photos or videos.Then, I walked down the hallway and saw pictures of religious figures. Then, I took a flight of stairs to a viewpoint and saw a lovely view of Meteora rocks and the village of Kalampaka.

The village of Kalampaka can be seen from a viewpoint at Saint Nikolas Monastery — *The village of Kalampaka can be seen from a viewpoint*

Meteora rocks can be seen from a viewpoint at Saint Nikolas Monastery — *Meteora rocks can be seen from a viewpoint*

Once we finished taking photos, we headed back down the steps. Overall, we spent: 50 minutes (20 minutes to view the monastery and 30 minutes to walk up and down the steps).