Monastery of Great Meteoron

Monastery of Great Meteoron tickets: which one to buy

The Great Meteoron is the largest and oldest of the six monasteries still inhabited at Meteora in central Greece, perched on the highest of the rock pillars above the town of Kalambaka. Entry is ticketed, cheaply, and paid at the gate. The main practical points are that each monastery closes on a different day of the week, and the Great Meteoron is normally closed on Tuesdays, and that the monasteries close in the early or mid afternoon, so a tour that starts late may miss the interiors.

Guided tours from Kalambaka by minibus visit two or three monasteries in a morning with viewpoints between them, and sunset tours cover the rocks but not the interiors. Day trips from Athens by train or coach are long and leave little time. Hiking tours follow the old paths between the rocks and are the best way to understand the landscape. Dress rules are strictly enforced, with skirts lent to women at the entrance.

Visiting Monastery of Great Meteoron: what to see

The monastery was founded in the fourteenth century by a monk named Athanasios, who climbed the rock with a group of followers and called it Meteoron, the place suspended in the air. For centuries the only way up was by rope ladders or in a net hauled by a windlass, and the old winch house can still be seen. Today visitors reach it by some three hundred steps cut into the rock and a tunnel. The katholikon, the main church dedicated to the Transfiguration, is covered inside with frescoes painted in the sixteenth century, including graphic scenes of martyrdom that visitors find startling.

Around it are the old refectory, now a museum of icons, manuscripts and embroidered vestments, the kitchen with its blackened ceiling, the wine cellar with barrels, and an ossuary with the skulls of former monks on shelves. A museum of the Greek struggle in the Second World War occupies part of the buildings. A wine cellar and an old barrel store sit off the courtyard and still hold the monks' equipment.

Monastery of Great Meteoron opening hours and the best time to go

Meteora is busiest from spring to autumn, with coach groups arriving from mid-morning, and the Great Meteoron is the most visited monastery, so arriving at opening is the best way to have its courtyards quiet. Summer is hot and the climb of steps is exposed. Spring, when the fields below are green, and autumn, when the light is softer, are ideal. Winter brings mist around the rocks and the monasteries keep shorter hours.

Sunset is famous and draws crowds to the viewpoints, but the monasteries are closed by then. The road from Kalambaka to the monasteries is steep, and the town has plenty of accommodation, which makes an overnight stay easy. Allow an hour for the Great Meteoron, and plan the day around the different closing days of the other monasteries. The rocks are floodlit on some summer evenings and can be photographed from the road below.