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3 day tour from Athens to Meteora - stop in Delphi or more time in Meteora?

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I'm visiting Greece in Late September. I'll be traveling solo and I want to go to Meteora so I was thinking of booking a 3 day/2 night trip there. They have one with and without a stop in Delphi on the way back to Athens. If i stop in Delphi, the bus leaves Meteora at 9am on the 3rd day. If I choose the one without Delphi, I get another 8 hours in Meteora. Any advice?

To put this trip in perspective I am flying into Athens on a Friday, Sat-Mon would be my side trip to Meteora and perhaps Delphi. I'd be back in Athens Monday night. I'd have Tues to myself and then I am doing a group tour that starts Wednesday. Not a Rick Steves tour, but with a former Rick Steves tour guide. So I'd have Tuesday in Athens to myself, then the group Tour starts Wednesday (mid-day I think) and that spends 2 more nights in Athens, 3 in Naxos, and 5 in Crete. I'd come back to Athens and spend 1 more night near the Airport before I fly home the following morning.

Back to Meteora - the trips i found get you there around lunchtime and then there is some downtime to check into your hotel then there is a sunset tour that visits 1 monastery. The 2nd day you can either do a morning hiking tour or a minibus tour. then you have the rest of the day free. Then the 3rd day would be even more time in Meteora or you go to Delphi.

I'm wondering how best to see as much as I can without it being too much in Meteora. I'm more inclined to do the hiking than be on a minibus, but I also would like to see a couple of more monasteries while I'm there. So how do i do that alone on the afternoon of the 2nd day, or on the 3rd day if I skip Delphi?

Thank you so much for any tips!

Posted by
1030 posts

To me, Delphi is such an iconic site that it would be a shame to miss it.

Posted by
3565 posts

We did have a car in Meteora and saw all but one of the monasteries staying two nights. It was in 2022 so had to spend a morning taking care of being tested for Covid for our return. We could have seen all of them without that.

But not having a car is more limiting.

We did a hiking tour as well and did visit one monastery. We could have walked to another but it was in the 90s and we decided not to, preferring to go back to our hotel and return later with a car. I would ask about whether you can walk from the monastery you do see to other ones. I also would inquire about which monasteries you would see on minibus tour. I too would prefer the hiking tour but the minibus might be a more practical way to see monasteries without a car.

I think there is a good chance you will have seen all the monasteries you can without a car by the end of the second day and that another day there might not be well spent. I would be inclined to go to Delphi. We stopped and spent one night on our way to Meteora.

Posted by
55 posts

Thanks for this. I've been trying to figure it all out and watched some YouTube videos and it seemed like maybe there is a bus that you can take that goes around and stops at all the monasteries? so like a hop on/hop off type thing. If thats the case then I thought maybe I can take that on the Day 2 afternoon and see another 1-2 monasteries. I'm more interested in the natural beauty but I dont want to miss the insides of these places entirely either - also for the hiking - how do you do this comfortably while also being dressed OK to enter a monastery? I was thinking maybe a long skirt I slip on over a pair of shorts? It seems like women shouldnt wear pants inside, but hiking in a long skirt or dress sounds kind of miserable.

Posted by
909 posts

In Meteora, if you take a guided tour with VisitMeteora.com, you can do a morning tour and then a sunset tour all in one day.
So arrive the night before, stay somewhere either in Kalabaka or Kastriki Wander the Main Street of Kalabaka and find dinner at one the restaurants there.

The tour will pick you up from your hotel. Do Both tours in one day. Stay the night
and then the next day, take the bus to Delphi.

We found the one day long tour day in Meteora to be sufficient, unless you want to hike around.

You can do both Meteora and Delphi in your time frame

Posted by
3565 posts

As I said, it was miserably hot when I was at Meteora. I hiked in shorts and a tank top but had a wrap around skirt with Velcro (brand was rip skirt) that I just put over my shorts to enter the monasteries. I had a very light weight cardigan of sorts to wear over my tank top. You could just have a skirt and wear a short sleeved shirt.

They also do have skirts that you can use-don’t recall if a charge as I did not use them.

Posted by
204 posts

Hello,

We visited Meteora and Delphi as part of a 3 night/4 day C.H.A.T. tour. Our day at Meteora included many viewpoint stops but only one tour inside a monastery. And to be honest, I didn't feel cheated about that.

However, if the weather was perfect, I can see that a bit of sunset hiking would be a real bonus to our time there. We actually experienced a tremendous thunderstorm, with the water absolutely rolling off the rock walls. Pretty incredible to watch, but I'm glad I wasn't hiking in it! :) Time of year was around third week of June.

But back to your question. Yes, I vote for including Delphi.

Whatever you decide, enjoy your trip! Greece is magical - one of my favorite countries.

Posted by
55 posts

So on Day 1 I already have the Sunset Tour, then Day 2 Hiking in the morning, but I need another afternoon thing to do that maybe includes another monestary? And then I will take the advice to see Delphi on Day 3 as I made my way back to Athens. I just need to figure out the afternoon of Day 2 so I dont waste it. Thank you!

Posted by
55 posts

Also if someone can recommend a great hotel that is close to things so I can walk around that would be great. I dont care about it being 5*. I just want it to be clean and comfortable and safe. I'm a late 40's woman traveling solo. Thank you! The VisitMeteora tours say they will pick you up in Kalampaka or Kastraki.

Posted by
909 posts

We stayed at the Divani Meterora Hotel in Kalambaka, Walkable to all the restaurants in town.

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