Meteora - 2 Days From Athens Everyday With 2 Guided Tours & Hotel

An amazing experience! The team was so professional, kind and responsable. The guide was really good, providing detailed information and open to give further explanations about the monasteries and the route. The bus was really comfortable and the hotel staff (Hotel Alexiou) very kind and gentle. The visits were very good, on time and complete. We recommend a lot taking this tour and appreciate the professionalism and kindness of the staff!

Bus situation picking up and leaving for return was a mixed up mess. To start, groups of us with overnight bags had to go from bus to bus in several locations to find out. " are we on this bus or that bus". Then on return bus the same event in Meteora happened, only when we were told this is our bus, the "Single Day" riders took all the seats with their luggage and seating, so we had to request over and over, may I and my wife sit here, and sit together?? Literally requesting a free pair of seats. The hotel we had was spacious but in sunlight all day and then bright street lights at night, so extremely hot with no A/C or relief or breeze. Now the good thing was that the actual trip to sites was well done, well explained, excellent tour guides, great amount of time, never rushed. Guides were very helpful, and fully explained each site.

The guide and tour were fine. The major issue was the hotel. Rated as 4 star but was like 2 stars hotel. Also, if you plan right then you really do no need 2’day trip. Our next day was basically wasted after 1 pm. Nothing to do.

Our guides (Maria and Nicolas) were excellent. Very knowledgeable. One note to Viator about the hotels though: we had picked a 4* hotel. Except for the location, the hotel was quite rundown.

This is a bit of an endurance test but really well worth doing. Chaotic at the bus pick up point. It would be better if you were given your bus number with your final ticket. Bus not new but reasonably comfortable. 2 hours on the road before the first stop. Half hour break then another nearly 2 hours. At meteora we didn't know what hotel were staying in but some people had been told. Again would have been helpful to know. The hotel was good and staff really friendly. Picked up at 4.45pm to do the sunset tour. We saw one church and 2 monasteries before arriving at the sunset point. Dropped at hotel after 8pm so only time for dinner and bed as had been out all day. Next morning pick up 8.45am and we were out for 4 hours on and off the bus seeing 3 monasteries. It is fantastic to see but there are a lot of steps and you do need to be fit. We then had time for lunch then bus home at 5.45pm. Arrived back in Athens at 10.40pm. Really long exhausting 2 days but absolutely worth it as meteora is like no where else. Just be prepared to be shattered!

An excellent tour with very informative tour guides.

Brilliant! Spectacular location and bus tours very informative...second day visiting 3x monasteries and getting fit, great tour guide!

The tour was excellent , the hotel for a 4* was very disappointing, and the driver back to Athens wasn't courteous.

John - the guide & George - the driver were great. Really enjoyed the experience & would recommend to anyone visiting Greece. The tour company seems VERY well organized & dialed in for how they run this particular tour.

This tour was definitely one of the highlights of our trip, everything was great, thank you.

Meteora Thrones did not disappoint! From start to finish the service and accommodations were excellent. I highly recommend 2 days if you can because there is so much to see and spending time in Kalambaka was magical. Our guides Yianni and Nicholas were very knowledgeable and helpful and our drivers Elia and George made the steep tight drives look easy.

We booked the two-day package from Athens and had an absolute blast! We had a great time on the Majestic Sunset Tour with Themis who was very knowledgeable and made the tour fun to be on! Since we do like to move around a little, the highlight of our stay in Meteora was the Morning Hike with Kosta as our guide. What was so special was the fact that he has studied history, is very passionate about geology, and that he is a local of the area like Themis and most of the people who work with them from what we have gathered. The hike could have felt very generic, but since Kosta answered all of our questions in detail and with enthusiasm, it felt like a very personalized experience. He knew how to incorporate very specific and interesting information related to each viewpoint who were all different from what we had seen previously. He made us see Meteora from a whole new perspective! Finally, the path was very accessible to us, pretty average hikers, and even though we were scared of the sun and the heat, the hike was often times in the shade, which made it very enjoyable. Thank you to our guides and drivers, we definitely recommend!

The tour was very good. Logistics were smooth. Bus was comfortable on the way there. Bit hot on the way back. Guides were excellent. There was some repetition of information with the evening and morning tours. We were able to see 4 of the monasteries and other photo stops. Guides were wonderful. I was on crutches and a wheelchair so I couldn’t see all but they helped to get as close as I could. It felt like a bit of waste of time in the afternoon of the second day but we enjoyed a 3hour lunch. I understand that they need to combine the overnight tour with day trip for transport. Overall a very good experience. Would recommend.

The experience was great, and the process was easy throughout. The company responded to all me e-mails very fast. Even though we decided to book the hotel ourselves, they still offered pick-up and drop-off at our hotel.

Excellent arrangement balancing activities with leisure with overnight stay in the town at the foot of the magnificent rock formation and monasteries atop the rocks!

The Good: The tours were phenomenal! The tour guides were friendly and knowledgable. The Bad: the directions on where to catch the bus and how we’re not clear. The bus was directly in front of the train station not across the street as originally indicated (with all the other company ) so we had to cross traffic back-and-forth several times checking each bus. Two times the drivers checked the list for our names and did not have us listed and then told us there would be a third bus. Our bus finally arrived lat. Whew! To complicate matters, although we booked three reservations, paying full price, we discovered we were all put in the same room - three of us! When I reached out to customer service, they told me because we did not identify in the special notes that we wanted three individual rooms they didn’t give us our own rooms. We were put into a room w 3 beds and because it was a holiday were no rooms available to separate us. I explained if we had booked the tours individually we would each have our own room and still pay the same price. - regardless they could not give us separate rooms. Because one in our group snores badly I wound up going to another hotel and paying a lot more money to have my own room. The next day, the bus was overbooked by one - me. Because they had separated us for some reason the tour guy had to stand up until we figure out the confusion. We think because I was taking the hiking tour on day two and my companions were taking the monastery tour, they separated us the entire trip. The next day - again, the bus was overbooked, and I was separated from my companions and put into a taxi to the monastery. I’m still not sure if I missed out on any of the tour guide commentary on the way up. On the return trip to Athens, we were driven to another bus stop and had to join another group that was already on the bus which meant our group once more had to be separated into three different seats wherever we could find space. Overall, the bus situation and the hotel room situation made this less than pleasant for us as friends traveling together. The tour guides were amazing… the rest of the logistics left a lot to be desired.

The 2-days tour is definitely worth it given it includes the sunset tour which the day trippers won't get. It was nice that our accommodation was in Kalabaka, a bigger town than Kastraki, to explore during our free time. We visited St. Stephen the 1st day and 3 others on the 2nd day (Varluum is the best). The pick up and drop off was across from the Larissa Metro. A little disappointed that they should have forewarn us that the station was closed early before we arrived back in Athens, and maybe informed us of the available shuttles to the nearby metro.

Very well organized, Nice comfortable hotel, efficient transfers and beautiful scenery. What more con you get for the price?

It’s a wonderful place to visit. And especially if you take the 2 days trip. You will get to see the beautiful sunset and get the feel of the town and you get to visit the monasteries the second day. Both our tour guides were wonderful Vasssilis and Yiannis were courteous they gave us lots of information and they were superb.

Meteora is beautiful and the tours were well run. The problem was with the buses. You show up at Larissa station and people rush to crowd the bus. Once you get to the front, you learn you’re not on the list. More discussion and you are told to wait for next bus. Same process with a gaggle of people pushing to find out you need you must wait for next bus. My name was on the 4th bus. A terrible system.

Long story short Meteora is great place to visit and definitely you should see it. Also Meteora Thrones has great guides, explaining history of place and people in understandable way and contained a lot of cool facts. I like also sense of humor of one of the guides. But the start was terrible. You have a lot of buses waiting at starting points, a lot of people and you need to check bus by bus if this is yours or not because driver has passengers list. This could be improved, buses should be numbered and you should receive via email/sms only a bus number.

Wonderful tour guides. Well paced between Meteora sites. Overall the best idea to stay for the night and enjoy two days.

Excellent guide María ,passionate about explaining everything to everyone.Super friendly and helpful driver -Christos . On the way out we were on a small bus ,as we were on the excursions-only 5 people.We took the 2 day tour but booked our own hotel (works out much cheaper and they still pick you up ) .The only negative which didn’t reflect on the quality of the experience in general was the big bus on the way back full of a rowdy school group of teenagers-but maybe something the company should take into account

The arrangement of the 2 days was very confusing. The returning ride was badly organized. We were lucky that my husband and I could sit together. The sunset tour was only average but the sunset view was amazing. The PANORAMIC morning tour was great. Clement was our tour guide and Vasilis was our driver for the morning tour Both of them were great. I have learnt a great deal of the monasteries history from our tour guide. We have opted for the 3*hotel. Although the hotel was only 8 -10 minutes walk from city center, it feels like it was in the middle of nowhere. The area was quiet and quite dark. Hotel claims it is a 4 stars and quite new. We were totally disappointed with the room. It is just like a 1-2 stars motel room in N. America. However, the breakfast is like a true 4 star hotel. We enjoyed the breakfast very much. We visited 3 monasteries in the morning tour. Each was about 1 hr. Because we need to climb 300+ steps for one of the monasteries, we didn't have enough time to see it. However, the whole experience of this tour is still super!

The best trip, very informative and of course Meteora was absolutely beautiful. My guide Vaso was the sweetest and very informative and very accommodating. I loved everything about my 2 day trip. I will probably do it again in the summer as well. Thank you!

I went on the 2-day Meteora tour from Athens. Both the tour guides were very knowledgeable and our one tour guide, Clemont, took some great photos of me and my friends. Between both days, we saw all of Meteora but also had a good amount of time to walk around Kalabaka and go for a short hike to the hermit caves. Going in the off season was great because there weren't many people, but we were still able to get the full experience. I highly recommend this tour!

Excellent service and wonderful experience. Klaimond and Maria were brilliant guides for us. Breathtaking landscapes and a blessing tour. I made also good friends from the tour. Overall 5star experience. Definitely recommended

The 2 day tour is highly recommended as the trip from athens to kalabaka is lengthy (6 hours one way) but comfortable. The first day was exhausting as we arrive late and had to skip the hotel check in and go ahead with the tour right away so make sure to eat a meal at the bus stop midway or pack something to eat. The guide we had (Giannis and Aphrodite) were knowledgeable and accommodating. The best thing about the second day was getting to see all the sites ahead of the other tours and avoid large crowds. Overall the experience was amazing and worth it! We were in awe to see and experience Gods magnificent creations. To God be the Glory!!

I have to say that this was a truly amazing and enjoyable tour. Two days is the perfect amount of time for this experience, and you get to see so many places. I was lucky enough to visit three out of the six monasteries and enjoy the magical atmosphere and spectacular views. The small group size was something I really appreciated, and the whole tour was smooth and hassle-free. I also want to thank the great drivers (I only remember the name Sakis, sorry! :D) and both tour guides — Giannis, who guided us on the first day, and Afrodite on the second (I hope I remember the names correctly! :D). They were all very friendly, kind, and informative. Thank you very much for such a wonderful tour. I hope to come back again soon!

The experience was amazing, the locations in the program were astonishing, we visited the inside of 4 monasteries and it was hard to tell which was the most interesting and beautiful, but most of all, the area it self is one large piece of natural beauty and historical and geographical wonders. The rich colors of Autumn leaves just added a magical touch. Thank you Aphrodite (our tour guide) and Sakis (our driver) for the full informative exiting and overwhelming experience in this very unique spot in the world.

Enjoyed the 2-day tours arranged by meteora throne- start ans ended at Athens 🥰 had joined afternoon tour ( guided by May alexandra and apologize i forgot to get name of driver) and morning tour (guided by Vaso and driver Chris) The logisitics are hassle-free. Tour guides are knowledgeable and friendly! The views are spectacular 🥰 2 day tour will give u chance to explore different monasteries with sufficient time. they will ensure u will not having much overlapping during the days ☺️

Our 2 day Meteora trip was one for the books!! The whole experience was seamless, well planned and unique and we’ve been to so many places. The tour package is reasonably priced whether you opt to include hotel or not. The transportation is clean, on time, comfortable and crowd isn’t so big. But the most fantastic part of it are the tour guides who made the trip educational and unforgettable—shout out to Alexandra and Aphrodite our wonderful tour guides and the cool drivers of course. Atmosphere is so friendly and welcoming all throughout the trip. Thank you Meteora Thrones, see ya again!!!

Awesome tour of the famous mountain top monasteries with excellent insight and information provided by our tour guides, Alexandra and John. So many jaw dropping sights and incredible stories, beautifully explained by our knowledgeable guides. We were floored by what we saw and learned. The tour ran smoothly and we had some free time to explore the surrounding towns too. Loved every minute. Heather and John South Australia

Sites were heavenly and hotel accommodations were adequate. Aphrodite and Kostas were so kind, patient and knowledgeable. It was clear they had developed a synergy that allowed us to feel comfortable. On the other hand, the instructor for the sunset tour was not as patient, but comparatively informative.

Extraordinary experience with the most knowledge and friendly travel agency ,it was a memory of a lifetime . I highly recommend meteora thrones agency

Excellent two day tour to Meteora. First day saw two monasteries and sunset over the rocks. Second day visited three more monasteries. Guides were great, especially Vasso, and bus drivers all drove carefully. Plenty of photo stops, good historical information, enough time at monasteries to enjoy. This sites are unique and gorgeous. Definitely worth doing if you have time. We would have preferred to leave earlier on the second day, but we guess they have to accommodate lots of groups and leaving at 6pm is the best they can do. A suggestion to the tour company … if possible, offer an earlier time to return to Athens. Here’s a tip on returning to Larissa train station in Athens late at night. The taxi drivers were all taking advantage of the tourists, making up ridiculous prices (20 euros) to bring people back into center city. We were so offended, we just hopped on the metro/subway (the entrance is right there) and easily got back to our hotel within 25 minutes. It’s easy, safe and quick.

The whole tour was well organised with good communication on accommodation, pick up times etc. The only issue was the amount of free time on the second day but you could fill in that time easily if you were adventurous.

You definitely need 2 full days to appreciate all Meteora has to offer. The long day trip would be overwhelming and sells the area short. The 2 day trip gave both structured and free time as well as allowing for a combination of activities to best experience the area. We would very strongly recommend the hike back from Grand Meteora/Varlaam to the bottom of the hill as a chance to see unique views/perspectives on the rocks and monasteries as well as getting into one of the cave dwellings and getting close to one of the few cave monasteries that still exist. The walk is easy - downhill all the way- you just need covered shoes with a reasonably grippy sole (walking shoes or boots, or joggers would be best as the trail is gravelly)

Meteora as a location, is spectacular. A must! Just jaw dropping and beautiful. But organized tour was rough! The 2 day trip.-A Big waste of time. You drive 4 hrs up 1st day. To then sit in your hotel for 3 hrs and wait for the next bus to arrive for the sunset tour which is 2 hrs long. Beautiful views. The next day you see the same Monasteries but can go inside which was nice. This was over at 1pm. We then had to wait at our hotel or walk the very, very, small town till 6pm for the bus to pick us up and head back to Athens!!! . Therefore, 5 hours of nothing! You can eat and see the whole town in 2 hours max. You board your bus at 6pm for another 4 1/2 hour drive and arrive at Athens around 11pm. So unnecessary. Why so much down time was beyond us and not needed. Made it for a very long two days. Also, bus situation…. A disorganized mess!! Do a private tour!!

The schedule / transfer system needs to be improved. On the 2 day tour, you need to vacate the hotel room on the second day but then you have 1-6pm free time in the town which is awful if temperatures are very hot (we paid €40 to keep our room to avoid 39 deg heat). Then when the 2-day tour recombines with the 1-day tour bus, there were several arguments over bus seats. The tour guides needs to make it clearer which seats are free. Also (as a fairly petite woman) had to heave our suitcases into the bus in 39 feg heat while the driver just watched. I asked for help but he refused.

The second day was basically a repeat of the information we got on the first day since they put us together with the 1 day tour. And after we get dropped off around lunch we're left for over 4 hours with nothing to do until our return bus. There were 2 stops in what were obviously partner shops to get us to spend money there, which is really disrespectful since we spent all that money to see Meteora. And not only do we get a subpar tour, we're pushed into money grabbing schemes. The bus ride home was awful! It was really hot and the driver didn't turn the AC on. People were using what they could as fans. Save yourself some money and go to Meteora by train and get a taxi to take you to the monasteries. I sure wish I did.

Waiting to go back to Athen at 6 pm on the second day is too long with 4 hour idle time. You should arrange to go back to Athen after finished 2nd day tour.

The start of the tour didn't go well. We (a huge number of people) all arrived at the location as directed. The bus driver wasn't helpful and didn't provide any info. Later two more buses showed up across the very busy road and every one is rushing to get to them. The drivers showed us our names on a very small piece of paper and every one is searching their names at the same time. It was very disorganized. It got better when we get there. The tour I signed up for has 7 people, much more manageable. The tour ended at 1:00 pm the next day, but we had to wait until 6:00 pm to accommodate the one-day tourists. Nothing to complain about, it's not a private tour after all.

We did the 2 day tour from Athens by bus. Great communication and easy to find meeting point. We had Christo as our driver and Nikolas as our tour guide for day one tour which was the sunset tour! No words can describe what we saw and what we felt! Day 2 tour with our driver Kosta and our guide Nancy was also exceptional. Nancy was so knowledgeable and had little surprises for us along the way. She warned us of the many steps but also took us “hiking” though nature before our last visit to Agia Barbara. Special points go to Kosta for his photographic skills 😉 We 100% recommend the 2 day tour … it’s an item ticked off our bucket list and something we will never forget 🙏

Loved both tours - the sunset evening tour and the morning monastery visits. We were lucky to have the same guide for both - Nikolaus. He was great - knowledgeable, enthusiastic, funny and just overall a really nice guy.

I strongly recommend anyone planning to do a tour to Meterora from Athens to do this via Meteora Thrones. We went in February 2025. - The team are helpful and responsive, regarding planning transport from Athens either by Bus or Train - The bus transport is straightforward, from Athens train station - For the tours in Meteora itself, the two guides Nikos and Giannis were fantastic in sharing local insights into the monestaries and showing us the best photo spots. We felt very looked after and the logistics were smooth. Highly recommended.

This is an amazing place to visit. We really only needed one day for the visit. On the second day, we were just going to see more monasteries and it was going to rain, so we decided to leave the tour and travel back on our own. The bus back was not leaving until 6pm, and would arrive in Athens very late, so we took our on transportation. Liked our tour guide, she was VERY knowledgeable

My son and I were recently part of a two day (one night stay) tour with Meteora Thrones and we had a fabulous experience! The bus ride was comfortable though understandably long (4 and 1/2 hours) which is why we opted to spend the night in the pretty village of Kalambaka. We went on the sunset tour on the day we arrived and a hiking tour the next morning. Our guide for the sunset tour was Maria who was both very pleasant and knowledgeable about the area and the monasteries. The following morning, Giannis guided out mildly challenging hike through the oak forest and rock outcroppings of the area. We saw the monasteries from a distance, the incredible geological features and even went into a hermit cave. Giannis explained details about the area and its history with authority. The only con I have of the trip is that our hotel's wifi service did not work. But that aside, I highly recommend Meteora Thrones Tours!

The bus from meteora to Athens was so hot everyone was profusely sweating. I usually tend to be cold so this was exceptionally warm. The driver was asked to turn on the AC but he didn’t. He was the same driver that took us from Athens to meterora. He was unfriendly and annoyed with everyone. Very uncomfortable 4 hours each way.