We have booked our train tickets to Meteora but it looks like it is going to rain that day (next week). It is also quite chilly that day. Does anyone have experience with bad weather in Meteora? Is it still possible to see anything?
Posted by
Minnesota
4 posts
We toured Meteora on a completely rainy, soaker of a day (October 9, 2021). Our guide drove us between the three monasteries we saw, and we used wide umbrellas and rain jackets with hoods to try to stay somewhat dry. While we had wished for a sunny clear day, we were still able to see them, and the rainy, moody weather lent a sort-of mystique to the experience. It was still a wondrous time, but we do look forward to hopefully returning someday in better weather. Let me know how your time goes 😊
Posted by
Brighton, UK
1388 posts
Can’t answer the weather question but I just came across this which might be of interest?
Posted by
Moncton NB
1030 posts
Yeah, big experience for me. Fog is the problem you have to avoid, more than rain. First time I went was fog and rain. We saw NOTHING exterior. Only via postcards could I even tell that I was so high up on a rock. Really try to avoid going to Meteora in bad weather.
Second time I went in fine weather and it was AWESOME.
Posted by
OP
10 posts
@darrenblois. Exactly what I am worried about - low visibility. Is there any way to look up the prediction for fog? Is there more chance of fog when it is chilly and rainy or just chilly. Perhaps someone familiar with the area can chime in?
Posted by
OP
10 posts
Thanks everyone for the guidance!
Update - We did go on the day that it rained because we didn't have a choice. Didn't want to skip Meteora. In the end it was worth it. There was a lot of fog but it was windy so the fog kept lifting and we could see everything. Even nice panoramic views. Got very lucky. We definitely recommend doing Meteora if you have 4-5 days in Athens. It was beautiful and unique. It was super cold that day (almost zero) but we managed.
Our itinerary if that is helpful for anyone in the future - We booked tickets ourselves on the Trainose website. When we went directly to the website, it didn't work very well, so we went through the rome2rio website - it asks for dates etc. and directs you to the Trainose website. Make sure to pick the non-stop option. It was pretty smooth and nothing like the Acropolis ticket experience. Pretty user friendly and clear. We booked tickets from Athens-Kalambaka (7:20 AM) and back (5:15 PM) for the same day as we didn't have time to spend a night at Kalambaka. The train tickets were around 25 USD per person. We booked a "train to train" tour with Meteora Thrones (note that if you don't want to deal with Trainose, Meteora Thrones and VisitMeteora both offer a complete one day tour where they book your train tickets for you). They picked us up at the station and took us to three monasteries. The guide was good but we wish we had a bit more explanation about the inside of each monastery. When we got back to Kalambaka, we had 45 min left for a quick bite at a downtown tavern near the fountain. Boarded the train and got back to Athens at around 9:30 PM. The train station is right next to the metro station so it is easy to get to wherever you need to be. Note that the Athens station from which you board the train to Meteora is called Athens Larissi.
For anyone trying to DIY without staying overnight, we do recommend going with a tour company or at least having a cab ready for you at the station that will take you around. There is too little time to waste trying to find everything. And probably not enough time to walk to everything although I did read a few trip reports from people who said they did that - they had a cab drop them off at Holy Trinity and then walked everywhere. The monasteries have different hours on different days and different seasons, so it is easier to hire an expert and let them guide you everywhere. There are many other places in Greece where DIY might work much better.