Monasteries of Meteora

For me, the monasteries in Meteora are one of the most spectacular places in the world ...it is beautiful and has really spectacular views. There are seven monasteries nestled around the mountains, most of them with monks but a few with nuns. At first, the monasteries were only accessible by ropes that the monks raised and lowered. I asked a monk how often they changed the ropes and the answer we received was "whenever the Lord wants," an answer that wasn't entirely reassuring! If you go there, it's best to spend the night in the village of Meteora since there are many places to sleep. If you're in a rental car, you can visit all the monasteries in one trip.

Gran Meteoro is the largest monastery in Meteora, a valley near the town of Kalambaka. It can be reached by train from anywhere in the country. I came from Thessalonica and made an easy train transfer. You will be notified where to get off the train and you can just wait on the same platform. When you get to Kalambaka, it's best to hire a taxi to take you to Gran Meteoro, which is not very expensive. Then you can walk back down through all the monasteries. For those who don't know, Meteora is a valley full of completely vertical stones with monasteries carved into the zenith, like darts stuck in the ground.