Meteora Day Trips from Athens

Meteora is a long commitment from Athens: the tours we describe run about 14 hours, with roughly 8 to 9 of them spent travelling. We list 13 day trips that make the journey in one day. Travellers have left more than 6,328 reviews on the trips we list here, with an average rating of 4.6 out of 5. Of the trips shown here, the one with the most reviews is "Meteora Day Trip with Sunset, Caves, Beachfront Stop & Lunch", with more than 4,085 reviews and a rating of 4.7 out of 5.

Coach tours with lunch and seaside stops

Most travellers find an organised coach the least stressful way to cover the distance, and this type adds Wi-Fi on board, bottled water and a lunch built around Greek flavours. The drive is broken by "seaside stops instead of crowded highway rest areas", one listing notes; it also lists German, Spanish and Italian among its languages. Rated 4.7, it runs about 14 hours.

Coach tours with a guide or an audio guide

A second coach tour lets you choose between a live guide and an audio guide, depending on the option selected, and travels with Wi-Fi on board. It runs about 14 hours and is rated 4.2.

By electric buggy around the monasteries

For a more active day, one tour adds a guided electric buggy experience of 4 hours covering approximately 50 km, with a drive through Kalampaka, Kastraki and the Meteora monastery circuit; its inclusions also list the Hermit Caves of Badovas and the hidden Ypapanti Monastery. The highlights add two sea side stops on the scenic drive from Athens, and the listing runs about 14 hours.

Minivan tour with pickup in Athens

One of the tours we describe travels by air-conditioned minivan with pickup and drop-off in Athens, and its inclusions list lunch. It runs about 14 hours; where the coach tours above list Wi-Fi and a guide, this one lists pickup, lunch and the vehicle.

Private tours with a guide

For a private day, one tour lists pickup and drop-off at centrally located hotels and apartments in Athens, a roundtrip transfer by air-conditioned vehicle and a professional guide. Private means the vehicle and guide are for your own party, and the listing notes free cancellation up to 24 hours before. It also runs about 14 hours.

The trips in the table all run about 14 hours, so the comparison is about how you travel, who guides you and what is included. The guided row reflects the coach tour; the buggy's 4 hours of driving sit inside its 14-hour day.

Table data is indicative and comes from the GuruWalk catalogue. Each activity's current details, including availability, are the ones shown on its listing when you book.

How many monasteries you can enter in a day

A day gives you time to photograph all six Meteora monasteries, but to go inside only two or three of them.

Dress code at the monasteries

At the Meteora monasteries the dress code is strict: women wear skirts below the knee, men wear long trousers, and everyone covers their shoulders. Some gates lend wrap-around skirts.

Cash, steps and closing days

Each monastery charges a small entrance fee and takes cash only, so carry cash. Some monasteries require climbing over 300 stone steps, and closing days vary through the week, so the ones you can enter depend on the day you go.