Wearing a skirt to be allowed into monasteries

They will provide a wrap--at least they did at the one I visited, Moni Agiou Ioanni Prodromou (Stemnitsa area).

I visited clifftop monasteries of nuns near Kalabaka in early 2020. At the entrance, the nuns had wraparound overskirts that we could put on over our pants. Some women in my group brought a large lightweight scarf and tied the scarf sarong-style over their pants (that was fine with the nuns).

The chief requirement is that the knee is covered, all of the knee.

I am sure the answer varies by location. In July, in Meteora, the fabric wraps that had been loaned in previous years were this summer just for sale.

Knees and shoulders need to be covered. So, no shorts, no mini skirts. No shorts for men either, BTW.

You should be fine with pants as long as they cover your knees. If you are wearing a tank top, you will be asked to put something like a scarf or a jacket around your shoulders.

Meteora is very specific that you do. And that because of Covid, they no longer provide wraps of any sort.

I would buy a wrap around skirt that you can put on when you visit. I am planning to take a light weight one to Greece next year.

Thanks for the heads up!

It did not even pop into my head that covid would have eliminated the free wraps--of course!
(I hope it did not eliminate the loukoumi.)
A very large scarf comes handy in many situations.

We visited the monastery of Hosios Loukas. I don’t remember what I was wearing, probably capris or long pants; but it certainly wasn’t a skirt. I hadn’t packed any. A big sign made it clear, through pictures, that bare shoulders or knees were not allowed.

I don’t know the last time BethFL was in Greece, but we visited Meteora (3 monasteries) on October 9, 2021 and the monasteries DID provide the skirt wraps that people could tie around themselves if they weren’t wearing a skirt. They were on hooks just inside the entrance of each monastery.

Now, on the day we went, it was very rainy, so a lot of ladies had pants on and were taking advantage of the provided skirt wraps… so in some of the monasteries, there were very few wraps left on the hooks (and I saw a lot of ladies wearing the provided wraps, they had a distinct pattern). Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions about Meteora 😊

I actually haven't been to Meteora yet but am planning to go next spring so have been reading the websites. That is where I read that they were not providing skirts because of covid. But your post suggests that they are!

My philosophy in cases like this is to believe the most restrictive information I uncover so I will not end up disappointed and unable to get inside a sight I want to see. The requirement was definitely for skirts (not full-length slacks) on women at some Greek sights when I was there in the mid-90s, and loaners were available. But things may have changed significantly since then on either count.

They provide a wrap. I wore a dress with leggings a week ago. Super easy!

Thank you all for your replies and insight. I went to Meteora 2 weeks ago and this is what I found: ALL monasteries provide skirts. They are usually hanging on hooks near the ticket counter. However, there are probably not enough for the summer tourist season; for my visit in November, there were plenty for the small crowds that were there. Not knowing this, I purchased a large scarf in Athens at one of the many tourist shops. I found one that had Santorini images all over it; not something I would normally purchase or even wear. But it was cheap. Now these many days later, I have decided to give it to my daughter whose bucket list includes Santorini and who just might find a use for it as a picnic table cover. When I wore it at the monasteries, it was a bit long making it difficult to walk up the steep stairs. So, when no one was looking or when I was not in the chapel, I wrapped it around my waist to keep it from dragging along the ground and becoming a tripping hazard. Doing it that way, I was able to show respect where it was requested - in the chapel - and did not have to worry about tripping when in the gift shop, court yard or passageways. This was all weird to this long-time feminist but added to the experience of traveling beyond my home and comfort zone.

Thanks for the update. I would recommend rip-skirt as a great travel item folds small, looks good, and be used for multiple purposes from having a quick skirt to a beach cover up.

I took a black rip skirt to Italy last summer and loved it! I wore it both as a beach cover up (with a black bathing suit) and out to dinner. We are planning to visit Meteora this coming June and I want to hike. I thought I could put it in my day pack and wear it over shorts or capri to enter the monasteries.