Best Ways of Getting Around Meteora Monasteries

Posted by KaiserGlider (San Diego) on 05/22/21 11:29 PM

Hello fellow Rick Steve-eans!

First time visiting Meteora this June. So far our plan is to take the direct early morning train from Athens and stay two days.

How feasible is it to get around the monasteries using the local bus from Kalambaka? According to the KTEL website, it is supposed to depart from the KTEL bus station in Kalambaka three times daily, stop at all the monasteries, then return to Kalambaka. The reason I am looking into this is because we have trouble walking long distances, and we also have concerns about renting a car and finding parking spots. So we were thinking of using either this bus or a taxi to get from one monastery to another. Booking a tour is on the table as well but would be an Option B, since we would prefer to explore at our own pace.

I can't seem to find any recommendations/reviews about this Kalambaka-Meteora bus; the only reason I know it even exists is because I saw the timetable brochure on the KTEL website. So I thought I'd post here and get your thoughts on the best way for us to get around the monasteries.

Thank you!

Posted by Bob

Reading, PA, USA

05/23/21 02:11 AM

1637 posts

I did a Google search on "Kalambaka-Meteora bus" and found quite a bit of information.

Posted by Valerie

Pacific Northwest

05/23/21 11:36 AM

2679 posts

So for our trip a couple of years ago, I knew that I wanted to see each monastery, despite lots of stories about how you only need to see two or three at most. I love that kind of architecture and I loved the pictures of the buildings perched on the spires. I looked at bus tours, private transportation and trying to use the local buses.

In the end, we hired a company to drive us up from Athens and we spent a couple of nights near Meteora. Our driver dropped us off at the entrance to a monastery and then waited somewhere nearby and came back to pick us up when we were done at each place.

Our pace, our schedule. Perfect. This was not the cheapest way to do this but we, like you, have some mobility issues and, as hard of a lesson as it was, I’ve learned that I have to spend a bit more now - but it means I still get out there and see stuff!

Keep in mind that, even with a private driver waiting for you, there’s a lot of uneven walking at most of the monasteries. Like some pretty challenging (but scenic!) pathways and switchbacks. See if you can find a YouTube video of the walk up to some of them and make sure they’re ok.

At any rate - I loved that we did it and it was completely worth it! We used Private Greece Tours. I can’t give you a price for a one night trip to Meteora because we priced something longer with them. https://www.privategreecetours.com/

Posted by Paul

Eastern Iowa, USA

05/23/21 12:00 PM

8050 posts

Been a while, but I took the bus up to the Great Meteoron, and walked down the main road, from which I believe you can hit 4 of the 6. As someone else noted, I do not think you can rely on the bus as a hop-on-hop off tool. For the other two, I would look at a taxi or private driver.

If cost is not an issue, then sure, hire a private driver or guided tour.

Posted by KaiserGlider OP

San Diego

05/23/21 08:11 PM

5 posts

Thanks for all the replies! Yes, I was mostly interested in knowing if the bus could be used as a sort of hop-on hop-off. The brochure says you can buy an all-day ticket and lists all the stops, but doesn't specify what time the bus is at each stop. None of the online Meteora guides I've read go into any sort of detail about this bus either... timetables, whether or not they recommend it, etc. Which I thought was odd, and probably an indicator that it's not very convenient for tourists to use.

What we'll probably do is book a tour on the first day, then take a taxi or rental car the next day to hit anywhere else we want to go. Again, thanks for the info.

Is there such a thing as a taxi stand at any of the monasteries? Basically what I'm asking is, if you get dropped off at one monastery and you don't tell the driver to wait for you, is there a way to get back to Kalambaka? Or would you have to wait for the local bus?