Experience the dramatic clifftop views and inspiring solitude of Meteora on this full-day train trip from Thessaloniki. Ride the rails through the countryside to the town of Kalambaka, where a driver whisks you away in a Mercedes van to the UNESCO World Heritage site. Visit ancient monasteries built at astonishing heights up in the cliffs and learn the legends behind these sacred places from your guide.

Train tour to Meteora from Thessaloniki includes round-trip fare and lunch
Visit three active monasteries at the UNESCO World Heritage site
Take in sweeping panoramic views of clifftop monasteries and hermit caves
Learn the fascinating, ancient history of Meteora from a guide

What's Included

Local guide
Mineral water
Transport by air-conditioned vehicle with Wi-Fi

Gratuities
Entrance fees (3 euros per person at each monastery)
Lunch

Departure & Return

Departure Point

Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki 546 29, Greece
Catch the morning train of 8:56 a.m. from Thessaloniki to Meteora from Thessaloniki’s Central Railway Station and enjoy a Day Trip from Thessaloniki to Meteora by Train that will give you the chance to explore Meteora and the monasteries.

Departure Time

8:15 AM

Return Details

This activity will end right where it started.

What To Expect

The full-day adventure begins at the Thessaloniki railway station, where you'll catch a morning train with provided tickets. Relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Grecian countryside on the journey, stopping to switch trains at Paleofarsalos station. After arrival at Kalambaka, the closest town to Meteora, you’ll be greeted by an English-speaking driver at the station and transported to the monasteries in a comfortable Mercedes Sprinter van.

Visit three of Meteora’s captivating, UNESCO-listed monasteries, built directly into the cliff face at dizzying heights by monks in search of solitude and safety. Learn the history and legends behind these sky-high sanctuaries as you tour them with your guide (entrance fees not included). You'll also see the hermit caves of Badovas and admire the exteriors of neighboring monasteries; be sure to keep your camera handy while traveling through a dramatic landscape of ancient stone jutting out of a lush valley.

Say goodbye to your driver and guide at the Kalambaka train station in the late afternoon. You will have about an hour of free time to walk in the town’s center. Then trace the route back to the Thessaloniki train station.

Meteora

Kastraki is indeed a most picturesque place with an authentic, local character. Feeling closer to the local lifestyle in the Greek province, enjoying the proximity to nature and finding peace of mind are some of the major assets of this place that urge visitors to book accommodation in this traditional, beautiful village.

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Agios Nikolaos Anapaphsas (Pass By)

The Holy Monastery of Saint Nicholas of Anapafsas is the first Monastery that we encounter on our way to the Holy Meteora and was founded at the end of the 14th century. For the name Anapafsas there are numerous interpretations two of which are the most popular. The first one is that the name Anapafsas was attributed by one of the monastery’s benefactors, while the second explanation has to do with the monastery’s position being the first to be encountered on the way up and probably served to the pilgrims and other visitors as a resting place before continuing on.

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
To enter the monasteries, appropriate clothing is required; Ladies should not wear short skirts and must have long sleeves; Men are not allowed to wear shorts
A small amount of walking is involved, but there are stairs to climb in the monasteries

Not wheelchair accessible
Most travellers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 34 travellers

Operated by Visit Meteora

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

about cancellations.

Frequently Asked Questions

The answers provided below are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.

Q:What is the policy on face masks and attendee health during Full-Day Meteora Tour from Thessaloniki by Train?

A:The policies on face masks and attendee health are:

Face masks required for travellers in public areas
Face masks required for guides in public areas
Face masks provided for travellers

Q:What is the policy on sanitisation during Full-Day Meteora Tour from Thessaloniki by Train?

A:The policies on sanitisation are:

Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
Regularly sanitised high-traffic areas
Gear/equipment sanitised between use
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitised

Q:What is the social distancing policy during Full-Day Meteora Tour from Thessaloniki by Train?

A:The policies on social distancing are:

Social distancing enforced throughout experience
Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons

Q:What measures are being taken to ensure staff health & safety during Full-Day Meteora Tour from Thessaloniki by Train?

A:The policies on staff health & safety are:

Guides required to regularly wash hands
Regular temperature checks for staff
Paid stay-at-home policy for staff with symptoms

Traveller Photos

Reviews

4.5

33 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 33 reviews

Exceptional tour to Meteora Monasteries

vduarte1, Jul 2022

Exceptional excursion! Our guide Caterina was so knowledgeable, passionate & helpful. Meteroa & it’s surrounding town is so beautiful and you can stay there to fully enjoy the beauty of the monasteries. The train from Thessaloniki & it’s transfer went smoothly.

A great way to explore Meteora!

Katharine_K, Jul 2022

We are archaeologists, so we have, perhaps, unreasonably high expectations when it comes to tours. However, this tour did not disappoint. Katalina was friendly, incredibly knowledgeable and good at attending to the group's needs. She's also a local and her love of the region was obvious. The monasteries and scenary themselves are breath taking. Plus, the train tour was small (12 people) so we got to see a lot and ask a lot of questions. Totally worth the time and money to travel to Meteora from Thessaloniki.

Meteora is a wonderful place to visit, but not with the tour group I was assigned!

triciaburritt, May 2022

This is a fantastic place to visit, but I was disappointed on my arrival on the train at Kalabaka to find that I was assigned to travel on a very full and cramped coach of 30 plus people. My tour was described as having the comfort of a VIP limousine minibus in a group of no more that 15 people. The guide was not particularly welcoming and tended to be too casual and opinionated in her remarks.

It's very, very amazing!

Shawn_T, Apr 2022

We had a great visit to Meteora - our guide was very informative. The coach was very comfortable. There is a fair amount of walking - perhaps 15 minutes at the first stop - Many steps (500+ in and out) at the first monastery, about 100 steps at the second, and no significant distance at the third. We visited on a Sunday, so there were not many options for food during the day. We brought some snacks with us, picked up a few at the first stop (a bar & a bakery), and brought extra water, also. On the day we went, there were snack and souvenir opportunities at the first two monasteries, and also restrooms at all 3. It was a great trip and we highly recommend it.

Highly recommend

William_D, Apr 2022

Very nice guide, comfortable car, stunning and very interesting places you get to see during tour. Highly recommend.

1 traveler found this review helpful

Katerina was amazing

kimberleyjbailey, Feb 2020

The tour guide Katerina was very knowledgeable and had so many personal stories about each of the monasteries. She made up for the fact that taking the train there was inconvenient.

Meteora

beverley_r, Sept 2019

Great day, amazing pics, Ava our guide was fantastic and informative, and more than happy to take some pics of me

Great Trip!!!

Dennis_S, Oct 2018

Other than an almost disaster with the train transfer at Paleofarsolos (the train ticket should also be written in English as we almost made a big mistake with the transfer. Meteora was beyond amazing and the only regret is that the next time I would stay in Kalabaka for a few days to have more time to take this incredible in place in a more leisurely pace (not the fault of the tour company). We did see two of the six monasteries but by staying longer, I found out that all six are available if there was more time. Sotos our driver and Vasilios our guide made the trip even more enjoyable.

Demetrios did an excellent job as...

Alex_L, Mar 2018

Demetrios did an excellent job as our tour guide. My wife and I very much enjoyed the monasteries. It was very nice small group in the van and the guide and driver did such a great job not only describing the sights, history and significance. But they stopped for pictures and helped take pictures and got us some great views. Very much enjoyed the tour!

Great guide, amazing driver...

Kris S, Jan 2018

Great guide, amazing driver, fascinating, one-of-a-kind site. Highly recommended. The only problem was that this tour involved taking 2 trains to the town where the guide and driver met us, and 2 trains back. All 4 trains were late - the last had me waiting on a dark platform for 2 hours. I was later told this is normal for Greek trains.

1 traveler found this review helpful

This tour was great once we got...

Ivory S, Oct 2017

This tour was great once we got there. We really enjoyed the monasteries, but I felt like it was a little short for all the traveling 3hours it took to get there by train. It's definitely worth seeing because it's just amazing. We had to make a train connection going, which didn't take too long. Coming back, we would have had to wait 1.5 hours for the connection, but luckily there was a train there that we caught by 1 minute.

Excellent service all round and they...

Lance D, Aug 2017

Excellent service all round and they tried very hard to make up for the late train. Great value for those short of time but if you have the time consider staying there overnight. We would use Viator again.

Questions?

Product code: 6575P11

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Full-Day Meteora Tour from Thessaloniki by Train

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