I Visited the Monasteries in Meteora, Greece

Last updated on 22 August 2025

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I don’t think I knew that the cliff-top monasteries in Meteora, Greece, existed before it was listed on the Contiki itinerary.

Okay, I probably did – they’re pretty famous, and they’re in movies – but I had forgotten, or they weren’t at the front of my mind. But when I saw them listed on the European Adventurer Contiki list of things we were doing, I was really looking forward to checking them out.

The week before we drove into the small town of Kalambaka, at the base of the mountains where the monasteries sit atop, we had caught the overnight ferry from Italy to Greece, stayed for one night in Athens, headed down to Mykonos for 3 nights, back to Athens for another night and then drove the 350km up to Kalambaka and Meteora.

The Six Monasteries at Meteora

There are six monasteries sitting perched on the cliff tops: Great Meteoron​ Monastery, Varlaam Monastery, Roussanou Monastery, Agios Stefanos Monastery, Holy Trinity​ Monastery, and Agios Nikolaos​ Monastery. They are all UNESCO sites, and each has various dos and don’ts that you need to adhere to when you’re there.

For all of them, better to play it safe and make sure that your shoulders and knees are covered. Long skirts and shirts are best. There are some shawls at the entrances you can wear if you haven’t managed to bring the right attire.

There’s a 5 euro per person entrance fee for all the monasteries, but kids up to 12 are free. Just keep that in mind when you’re visiting multiple monasteries.

They also vary when it comes to accessibility – as you can imagine, these cliff-top sites can at times be hard to get to. While we only went to three, here’s a little bit about all of them so you can get a sense of what it’s like when you visit.

Great Meteoron​ Monastery

The Holy Monastery of Great Meteoron is the OG, the biggest and oldest of all the monasteries.

It was founded in the 14th century by Saint Athanasios the Meteorite, and it really set the tone for monastic life in Meteora. The main church is dedicated to the Transfiguration, with mid-16th-century frescoes lining the walls. There’s also a museum there full of interesting bits and bobs.

There are 300 steep steps to get to the monastery, so wear good shoes if you visit. While apparently it’s a steep climb, it’s totally doable. Open 9:30-15:00 in summer (shorter hours and more closed days in winter).

👉🏻 Learn more about this monastery here.

Varlaam Monastery

This is the second largest of the monasteries; this one was founded in the mid-14th century by a monk named Varlaam, hence the name. He climbed up the cliffs with some other monks (absolutely crazy!), and the spot they stayed is what became this monastery.

There were some years where the monastery was abandoned, after Varlaam’s death, but in the early 150ss, two brothers from Ioannina came and breathed some new life into the place. They built a chapel dedicated to All Saints in 1541, and today there are stunning frescoes and artwork, a museum with relics, and of course, all those incredible views that you’ll get across the valleys.

Varlaam Monastery has fewer steps than the Great Meteoron Monastery, but it’s still a climb or around 140 steps. Open 09:00 to 16:00 during the summer (closed on Fridays) and 09:00 to 15:00 in the winter (closed on Thursdays and Fridays).

👉🏻 Learn more about this monastery here.

Roussanou Monastery

If you’re looking for a slightly quieter, more intimate monastery to visit, then the Roussanou Monastery is probably more your vibe.

Perched on a narrow rock column, the monastery sort of blends into the rock because it basically takes up the whole top of the cliff. It’s a three-storey building and one of the two female-run monasteries. Legend says Roussanou was the name of the first hermit-monk who made this crazy rock his home, hence the name of the monastery.

The main church is dedicated to the Transfiguration of Christ, and Saint Barbara – nuns dedicate the monastery to Saint Barbara when they eventually set up their convent there in 1988 (not that long ago in the grand scheme of things!). There are about 15 nuns there at the moment.

And to get to this one, you’ll need to do some climbing again, but not as much as the others. The steps up to the building at just off the main road, and there are around 140 of them, too. There’s also a bridge at the top, and you can see across the valley at some of the other monasteries.

👉🏻 Learn more about this monastery here.

Agios Stefanos Monastery

Also known as Saint Stephen, this monastery is the easiest to get to. There are no steep steps (phew!), just a bridge that you walk over to get to the main entrance. There is a lot of roadside parking here, too.

It sits about 300m above the valley below, and you can see Kalambaka below, and the valley of Thessaly. You’ll also spot the Pindus mountains from here and the river. The views are stunning, just like all the others.

The main cathedral, built in 1798 and dedicated to Saint Charalambos, houses relics, and inside you’ll find two chapels: the original 15th-century one, and then a newer one, too. Since 1961, it’s been a nunnery, and the nuns are still there to this day.

You can visit Agios Stefanos Monastery in the summer from 09:00 to 13:30 and 15:30 to 17:30, and then 09:30 to 13:00 and 15:00 to 17:00 in winter. No matter the season, the monastery stays closed on Mondays.

👉🏻 Learn more about this monastery here.

Holy Trinity​ Monastery

This is the James Bond Monastery. Holy Trinity Monastery is probably one of the most iconic monasteries, the one you might recognise from James Bond For Your Eyes Only, which came out in 1981. It’s right there on the cover, too.

But pop culture aside, the main chapel here was built in the 15th century, and the paintings and frescoes inside were added in the 17th and 18th centuries. There’s also a smaller chapel which was made in 17th century, dedicated to John the Baptist. It had a bunch of renovations in the 1970s, but still remains active and open for tourists to visit.

In the summer and the winter, you can visit between 10:00 and 16:00, and then in the winter, you can visit, but plan accordingly because it’s closed on Thursdays.

👉🏻 Learn more about this monastery here.

Agios Nikolaos​ Monastery

This is the first monastery you’ll come across if you’re making the trip up to the cliffs. It’s on a very narrow rock pillar and was built in the 16th century in Byzantine architecture.

There are stunning frescoes, just like all the others, a crypt that used to have sacred relics in it, and murals painted by a well-known artist, Theophanes. It’s a very small monastery, and it was built basically like a layer cake with internal stairs. The top of the cliff is a very small surface area, so the builders had to build up. There are multiple levels (making it very crowded if it’s busy!), but all the walls are covered in beautiful art.

Visit in summer between 09:00 and 17:00, and then in winter from 09:00 to 16:00, but on Sundays: 09:30 to 16:00. The monastery is open every day.

Our Visit to Two

We didn’t visit all six of the monasteries (to do so would involve a lot of planning, getting timing perfect, and not relying on herding a group of 35 people around on a coach), but we did get to go to two.

We were with a tour guide at the time, who had joined us in town on our bus, and she took us around the monasteries, telling us the stories and the history of the places. While we weren’t allowed to take photos inside, you can see some photos from the outside and across the valley.

Agios Nikolaos​ Monastery

This was our first stop, and as I mentioned, it’s one of the first ones you’ll find when you’re driving up from Kalambaka. We were, of course, on the coach, and the narrow roads full of tourists were a bit of a mission. But our coach driver was superb. 10/10

We got off the coach and started a long-ish walk up the 140ish steps. Thankfully, it wasn’t one of the 300-ish step monasteries! Because it was still very warm in mid-September, even that climb was a hot one! Some of the girls needed to wear almost a scrub-like dress over their clothes, as they didn’t have their shoulders covered, but once we were all at the top and appropriately dressed, we got to go into the monastery.

The three stories of the Agios Nikolaos​ Monastery are tight in space. And there were a lot of other people there that day. They did seem to stagger the visitors that well, but that was okay. We squeezed past other tourists, and our tour guide took us around the various rooms, pointing out interesting frescoes and artwork, commenting on the history of the place.

As I mentioned, we weren’t allowed to take photos inside the monastery, but these images are from the outside. You can see another monastery across the valley.

Agios Stefanos Monastery

Then we jumped back on the coach and drove to the Agios Stefanos Monastery, which was further into the cliffs. This one is one of the easiest to access – no stairs! – and you walk over a little bridge to get into the building.

We were ushered in, some getting scarves to cover up their shoulders once again, and in we went. Once again, no photos on the inside, but believe me when I say it’s beautiful. We also had a wander on the outside in the courtyards, and you can see right across the valley, down to the river below.

There’s also a gift shop in this monastery, so we had a quick pop in there before being on our way. My friend and I stopped at a truck selling cold drinks on the way back to the coach because it was the height of summer and absolutely sweltering.

Would I visit the Meteora Monasteries again?

100% without a doubt. They were incredible, and one of the highlights of my entire trip.

It’s incredible just how long it took for these monasteries to come together, but also just as incredible that they created these stunning buildings by hauling and pulling materials up the cliff face.

I’m so glad that they were on the Contiki itinerary, and I highly recommend checking them out if you’re visiting Greece!

Have you been to the monasteries in Meteora? What did you think?

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Tours to Meteora Monasteries