Meteora Hiking Tour – My experiences hiking in Meteora Greece

Here's my experiences of hiking in Meteora, Greece. Be guided along Meteora hiking trails that will take you around monasteries, through valleys, and over hills. 

Exploring the fantastic landscape during a Meteora hiking tour

About Meteora in Greece

Some parts of the world have an ambience and feel to them that is hard to put into words. They just feel ‘right', and more often than not, man creates spiritual temples or refuges in these places.

Stonehenge and Machu Picchu are great examples of this. Meteora in Greece is another.

Situated almost in the centre of mainland Greece, Meteora has acted as a place of refuge and as a religious centre for centuries.

Monasteries have been built on top of awe-inspiring rock formations, and the entire area one of the 18 UNESCO World Heritage sites in Greece.

 

The Monasteries of Meteora

Whilst the monasteries of Meteora are still in operation, only a handful of monks live in them nowadays. This is in part, because Meteora has become a bit of a victim of its own success.

Whilst opening up the Meteora area and monasteries to the public has provided the income required to maintain them, the peace, quiet and serenity that the monks yearn for is compromised. You can still see monks when visiting Meteora, you might consider it a rare sighting!

A Meteora hiking tour is the ideal way to appreciate the incredible rock formations and landscape of this part of Greece. Here's my experiences.

Meteora Hiking Tour

I've been fortunate to visit Meteora monasteries on a couple of occasions, and on one trip took a hiking tour offered by Meteora Thrones.

The Meteora hiking tour was an opportunity to experience the surroundings as the original monks would have done before cars, motorbikes, and tourist coaches discovered the area. The perfect way to enjoy the fantastic landscape!

Beginning the hiking tour with Meteora Thrones

Hiking in Meteora, Greece

The hiking tour around Meteora started with a hotel pick-up (in a luxury mini-van no less!), which took us to the Great Meteoron Monastery.

 

Visiting the Great Metreon Monastery during a Meteora hiking tour

This is the largest monastery in the area. Whilst it is technically still in use as a monastery by a handful of Christian Eastern Orthodox Monks, in reality, it is more like a museum open to tourists.

Most of the areas are open to see (unlike other monasteries in Meteora), and walking around gives you a peak into how life must have been ‘back in the day' for the monks. For me though, it was the magnificent views which most appealed.
Seen from a distance, Meteora in Greece has a truly fascinating landscape. By taking a Meteora hiking tour, you can get up close and personal, and experience it from a different perspective. Read the full article to find out more.

Hiking in Meteora

On leaving the monastery, the Meteora hiking tour proper began. Accompanied by our guide Christos, we started to descend down into a valley on part of the western hiking trail.

Meteora Hiking Tour - let the walking commence!

Although it was spring, there were still autumn leaves on the ground, and the small wooded area had an almost ancient feel to it.

Our hiking guide would stop occasionally, and point out edible plants, different types of trees, and other things of interest. Without him, we would just have walked by. Always pays to have a local guide to point out things sometimes!

Our hiking guide describing some of the plants and trees during our hiking tour around Meteora

Hiking around Meteora

Walking around the rock formations and monasteries along the Meteora hiking trails was a lovely experience. The way that nature seemed to be in perfect harmony gave the Meteora hiking tour another dimension. I highly recommend it!

 Meteora has some incredible landscapes which look even more epic as you follow the Meteora hiking trails which lead around them!

Meteora is famed for its fantastic landscape. It is always tempting to try and imagine images in the shapes of the rocks. The one below reminded me of the statues I had seen on Easter Island!

This rock formation in Meteora reminded me of Easter Island

Final thoughts about Hiking Meteora Greece

The hike was not particularly technical, and in my opinion anyone with average fitness could cope with it. There were a couple of small sections which required some care and attention, but the guide was always around to lend a hand if needed.
 
He also mentioned that a five year old had hiked with his parents on this tour in Meteora, so there are no excuses! The actual hiking itself lasted for about 2 hours. The total length of the tour which began at 09.00 is 4 hours long.
 
Note – Not suitable for parents pushing kids in strollers.
 
 

 Meteora Hike FAQ

Readers planning to visit the Meteora monasteries often have questions such as these about this magical destination:

How long is the hike to Meteora?

Allow between 4 and 6 hours to hike in the area so you can get as many photos as you want of all the monasteries.

Can you climb Meteora?

You can take organized rock climbing tours in parts of Meteora. Climbing Meteora is said to be tough for novices, and even the most seasoned climbers find it challenging.

Can you walk to the Meteora monasteries?

There are 16kms of walking trails leading to the famous monasteries in Meteora, Greece. This means you can walk to all 6 monasteries, although keep in mind that at least one monastery will be closed on any given day of the week.

How do you get up Meteora mountain?

Meteora is located near Kalambaka. You can reach Kalambaka by bus, train and by driving.

Read more about Meteora

 

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A Meteora hiking tour is a highly recommended addition to your things to do in Meteora, Greece list. Here's my experiences on a guided Meteora hiking activity.

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