Meteora - Day Trip by Train from Athens

Athens, Greece

Catch the train of 8:27am to Kalambaka in the morning from the Athens Railway Station and enjoy a trip that will give you the chance to admire the beauty of the countryside. Arrive around 1:30 pm in Kalambaka, a small town built at the foot of the majestic grey rocks, and crowded by the Meteora Monasteries.

Arriving in Kalambaka, our English speaking driver will be waiting you holding a signboard with your name on it and will transfer you to the Meteora Monasteries. For three hours you will have the time to explore at least two or three Monasteries. Meteora is included on the UNESCO world heritage monument list.  The monasteries are perched on top of towers of sandstone, which for centuries provided totally inaccessible retreats for the monks.

The most visited Monastery is the Holy Monastery of Great Meteoron, which is the largest of the monasteries located at Metéora. It was erected in the mid-14th century and was the subject of restoration and embellishment projects in 1483 and 1552. The building serves as the main museum for tourists. The Katholikon (main church), consecrated in honour of the Transfiguration of Jesus was erected in the middle of 14th century and 1387/88 and decorated in 1483 and 1552.

At the end of the day, our driver will transfer you back to Kalambaka, where you will have the time to scroll around and have a light lunch (not included). At 17:22 p.m. the train departs from Kalambaka, and arrives at 22:15 back to Athens.

USD $121.00

Review by:   soda99,    May 2018
This was a wonderful private trip. The trains were very slow but that is expected, but everything else was wonderful.

Review by:   Keith C,    April 2018
Simply an amazing tour. It's probably out of their control but wish we could have stopped in more of the monasteries.

Review by:   Yelena U,    April 2018
Very intelligent tour guide who unswerving on many questions and went above and beyond just a tour. breathtaking views! very doing trip on the train 5 hours each way - truly worth of effort!

Review by:   Katey B,    March 2018
The few hours in Meteora were well worth this trip! We had Ilias as our guide. He was very timely and courteous and it was like our own private car. He stopped at the best sites for us to take photos and answered all of our questions. You can tell how much he loves his town and is proud of it. He even stayed with us for dinner and walked us right to the train door for our trip back to Athens. We saw two monasteries and stopped at plenty of other great viewing spots along the way. If you only have one day to visit Meteora you won't be disappointed.

Review by:   Laurence D,    March 2018
I highly recommend this trip. The train ride from Athens was fairly long 5-6 hours each way, but still well worth it for the quality of the sights. Our tour guide was highly knowledgeable and the bus driver was an expert at helping participants get the best photos possible of the amazing landscapes.

Review by:   marta.gseda,    March 2018
The Meteora area is a stunning area to visit. I had to rate the trip with 3 stars primarily because of the disorganization of the trip. You travel solo the first 5 hours of the trip. The issue I ran into was that the company did not send me in advanced the electronic ticket nor instructions on how to get them. I called them the day of the trip when they opened and they told me someone at the train station would give me paper tickets. That did not happen. At the last minute someone showed up and made me run to the train it was about to pull out. I ended up having to purchase the ticket on the train and wound up moving multiple times because I did not have a reserved seat. The taxi tour guide in the Meteora area was very good gave a good tour. Others that did the trip also experienced the same problem no electronic ticket or instructions provided but at least they found the person at the train station with the tickets - which they complained did not have anything showing the name of the company running the tour asked him because he had a clipboard. If I hadn't had the confusing incident at the start of the trip, I would give it a 5 star I have substracted 2 stars because of the organization at the start of the trip.

Review by:   jcraia,    March 2018
Great trip!!!

Review by:   rustycatz,    March 2018
Wonderful trip even with very long train ride. Train stopped several times on siding to let another train pass through or so it seemed to us, adding about an hour to our trip--a very long day! The weather was the biggest obstacle--cloudy in Athens and continued to fog up and rain was pouring upon arrival in Kalambaka/Meteora. We went mostly for the views and sadly there were none to speak of. The museums were very helpful in explaining the Greek Orthodox belief. There were plenty of wet cats about the monasteries -- to keep the mice away?_br/_ Our guide, Elios sp? was very informative and nice. He was easy to spot once we left the train. He did his best to keep us dry with umbrellas but the wind and rain was ferocious. We saw two monasteries and their museums/bookshops. The weather was miserable so we chose to go back to town for a nice meal in a warm restaurant. Food delicious. He took us through town and showed us local spots and stopped for a few pictures. The fog did part for a short while. He said that we had the best day out of a week of rain! I would definitely recommend Elios for your guide. Would be five stars except for the rain and the train ride. Train food not highly recommend. We traveled A cabin.

Review by:   Joseph S,    February 2018
Best trip to take out side of Athens

Review by:   hekai,    February 2018
Wonderfull place, charming, interesting and gorgeous.. a must do in Greece, you wont regreat it.

Review by:   Eileen F,    February 2018
What an amazing trip! Meteora does not disappoint, from the phenomenal vistas to the monasteries themselves. When you think of byzantine Greek Orthodox church murals...this is exactly what you see. It's breathtaking! Also, we had a great guide...Vasilly. He was knowledgeable, very nice and got us back to our return train with food and plenty of time to spare. We really liked him!!

Review by:   Simon A,    January 2018
This tour was one of the highlights of our Greek holiday. Our driver Vasilis was amazing, his knowledge of the area and the fact that he grew up here added so much to our tour. Vasilis knew the best photo locations and ensured that we got the best out of the tour.

Review by:   Neville K,    January 2018
This is a trip worth doing, a long day, but you see so much of the country from the train. Our guide was excellent, it was like our own private car, even taking us for a meal for our return journey. Meteora was amazing, we still tell people about it. Thank you Viator, everything went perfectly.

Review by:   Susan W,    January 2018
Loved this tour. Yes it is a long journey on the train and back but well worth the effort. George our tour guide was excellent and very informative. Would definitely recommend.

Review by:   Alice M,    January 2018
Long train ride, but soooooo worth it. These monasteries are a tribute to determination and deep faith.

Review by:   rondenelli,    December 2017
The excursion was well run and organized. A very pleasurable experience with a nice bus.

Review by:   Helen M,    November 2017
This was the my favorite trip. The train was right on time and our driver was waiting for us on the other end. He was a very nice fellow who gave us little tidbits of information regarding the monasteries. Meteora is a sight to behold, truly amazing. We picked up a sandwich in town to enjoy on our train ride home. It was a long day but well worth it.

Review by:   CYMORI,    November 2017
Overall ok tour.

Review by:   L L,    November 2017
Summation: The monasteries, nunnery, cliffs and fall foliage was amazing!!! My personal tour guide Vasilis was equally amazing!!! The train ride I was seated in 1st class was excruciating!!_br/_ Details: The monasteries and nunnery are literally on the edge of very high cliffs, an engineering miracle. The historical artifacts and paintings are fascinating and the priests and nuns are happy to engage in conversation. As promised by Viator, my personal guide was waiting for me when my train arrived. Vasilis was gracious, informative and professional. The train was close to as stated in the tour announcement, meaning the route and scenery matched. I was seated in 1st class and was wishing I was off the train. The engineer drove soooo slooowww 1st class cabin contains six seats 3 on each side facing each other, therefore stretching your legs is not possible unless no one is assigned the seat in front of you the seats do recline, but again, if someone is seated in front of you, there is no room to recline the 1st class cabin does have a glass door and a light dimmer works only if everyone wants dimmer lighting, but other than that ... the cabin is not impressive. There is a dinning car for cash only snack purchases and table and chairs for eating no lien, the dining car is for the entire train ... tour and commuters. If the train is your choice, bring work to do to keep your mind busy for at least 11 hours!!

Review by:   Wanxin F,    November 2017
The guide was very engaging thruout the tour! And Meteora was magical! The 10 hour train journey just to visit this place for a day is totally worth it. To witness the creation from God landscapes and formation and determination from men to build the monasteries without modern machinery is breathtaking!

Review by:   Jason S,    November 2017
Fantastic! Personal tour guide...exceeded our expectations!

Review by:   Gloria P,    November 2017
aviator needs to give more information on how to take the train because it is to confusing. the voucher is the ticket, since the staff of the station has no idea how it works. for for a bit we lose the trip.but the pace is fascinating.

Review by:   Rejo K,    October 2017
The 10 hour train trip back and forth is hardly a deterrent to this massive, magnificent and glorious place that is Meteora. It is MUST-do if you have a day to spare. We regret not living a night and catching the sunrise. Th monasteries are charming packed with history. Nature is at its best._br/_ Our guide and driver were so courteous and punctual, the trip was complete because of which!! The guide's commentary helped a great deal. All in all, a great trip! a highlight of of our vacation!

Review by:   Zerife K,    October 2017
Meteora so so worth it. You have to see it to believe it._br/_ Tour guide should give more info._br/_ The Mama mia girls from Curaçao

Review by:   Behrouz S,    October 2017
The Meteora tour was great and it is a must see. We took a day trip although tiring and a long train ride it worth the trip. Seeing two monasteries is sufficient and I will not recommend two days trip if you do not have free time to waste. The train was comfortable and the pickup at Kalabaka and the car and the tour guide guy were all great. We had 15 minutes to pick up something for lunch at Kalabaka. Some tourists had already a lunch picked up for them, which the tour guide person mentioned it was an option on the tour, nevertheless, I never had that option from Viator. The negative side was that after we were done we all were dropped off the train station and we were told that there is food available in train station's neighborhood, which it was not true. There was still sufficient time before the train departure and the tour guide could have stopped on the city for us to pickup a sandwich for a 6 hours ride back. The cost of Viator tour is high, the tour from Kalabaka is 40 Euro per person and the train ticket run trip costs about 40 Euro, totaling 80 Euro. The Viator cost was 115 Euro per person. Since Viator does not offer anything special for extra 35 Euro not even a bottle of water, I would recommend buying the train ticket and tour from the city separately. The other tour offers a free Gyro sandwich with the tour.

Review by:   Tom C,    October 2017
So worth the long train ride. I lost count how many times I said Wow and Amazing every time I stepped out of the taxi to task a picture. It is beyond breath taking and the picture does not do it justice. This is definatily something you need to see first hand. Although I train ride is long, do some prep work and get a nice snack or lunch with you. They train didn't offer a big selection in terms of food. But once you arrive out taxi driver was so nice and accommodating. Its pretty much a private tour situation where he would tell use about the history, stop off anywhere that seem like a good photo opt. He took us to one of the smaller monetary and told us to take as long as we want. It was great that we didn't feel rush. We had around 3 hrs with him and as long as we made it back to the train by departure time everything was very relax and chill. He offered us water the entire time and took pictures for us throughout.

Review by:   Pascal M,    October 2017
This tour was amazing!

Review by:   Diane E,    October 2017
Long train ride but worth it. Mystical, peaceful and amazing!

Review by:   Angela J,    October 2017
As usual, my tour guide exceeded my expectations! I was hesitant to book this trip since it's such a LONG train ride for such a short half-day tour....but everyone told me I had to do Meteora since it's SOOO majestic. My tour guide Vasillius? went above and beyond to ensure I had a memorable experience. He took me to all the good photo spots and ensured I enjoyed the tour.

Review by:   Carlos E,    October 2017
We're so happy that we booked this tour. The train ride was long, but it had some great views along the way and first class was pretty comfortable. Our tour guide was so personable, knowledgeable, and passionate about Meteora and the surrounding towns where he grew up himself and now raises his own child. He was easy to find as soon as we got off the train, and he made the most of the 3 hours we had with him. He was ready to go as soon as we got off the train. We were able to see three monasteries, and he stopped at many places on the roadside in transit so we could get some great photos of the views. He knew all the best viewpoints and took a lot of great pictures of me and my partner for us. He also took us to a local deli to get us a few sandwiches for the train ride back. He even asked the staff if they could make the food fast because we had a train to catch. We got back to the train with perfect timing and felt that, although the time in Meteora was short, if you don't have enough time in your vacation to stay overnight to see sunrise/sunset, you really have to at least do the day trip like we did. It was one of the highlights of our 8-week vacation. It was a long day, but definitely worth it!

Review by:   Zulkifli Z,    October 2017
Absolutely dont miss this tour. Meteora is a very beautiful and amazing place. A very well organized tour, with a very knowledgeable guide, starting from Athens's train station in the morning and ended at Athens's train station again at night. Actually the tour at Meteora became a private tour for me and my wife with the tour guide only.

Review by:   William B,    September 2017
Viator would not allow a 1 star rating, but here is my recent experience_br/_ URGENT: READ BEFORE YOU BOOK WITH VIATOR

Review by:   Joanne M,    September 2017
The trip by train was very long more than 5 hours each way. First class travel was very basic. Early departure and not a lot of food or drink choices on the train. There was no free time or cafe stop during the 14 hour day to have something to eat or drink. The sightseeing the whole area and the Monasteries were amazing and we did the trip because we really wanted to see this spectacular and unique scenery with so much history. The guide was very good telling us about the area and the history and with stops for photos and monastery visits but there was no short stop for even food drink or to go to the bathroom. One of the monasteries we visited needed reasonably strenuous activity to access and it was a very hot day. We were deposited back at the railway station about 20 mins before our train departed with very vague instructions about where to get something to eat or drink and the station was small with awful toilet facilities. When we got back to Athens after midnight we had to fight with taxi drivers at the station to get a reasonable fare back to our hotel close by. When we got back to the hotel we were shattered, hungry and thirsty thankful we were in a very good hotel that provided great service. We loved and were amazed by what we saw and Meteora and its history but I would not do this trip again. I would find another way to see this magnificent place and its monasteries. I think all the passengers on the tour would have benefited from a 30 min stop at a cafe during the tour for some simple lunch a drink and toilet break. If I was running the tour I would find a way to incorporate this in the future.

Review by:   Anita E,    September 2017
The tour was advertised as a long day 5 hours on the train each way but you would be able to enjoy the scenery from your seat in the train. But this was not the case we were in a carriage where the windows had some sort of netted mesh built into them and you couldn't see out of them. Very disappointed. Also the food and drinks carriage was three carriages away and it was very hard getting through some of them because they even had individual seats going down the aisle and on the other side of the aisle were the closed in booths. When you try to buy something from the canteen the person couldn't speak English and the only menu which was in Greek and English was on the outside wall of the canteen but it was out of view from the person serving you so you couldn't point to what you wanted. Picked up by a lovely taxi driver called Verselles who drove us to the monasteries which were amazing and then dropped us to a restaurant where we had a great meal at our expense. This part of the trip was good but we paid a lot of money for those three hours of enjoyment. Our train was late by 20 minutes but the taxi driver says that's nothing yesterday it was four hours late. So go if you don't mind spending the money and don't mind sitting in a train for at least 10 hours without a view.

Review by:   Kyle S,    September 2017
Rained almost all day but was worth it when we got to the top. It cleared up for a little bit and we were able to get some of the most beautiful pictures ever. Monastery was really interesting but you will have to pay for it and women should have long skirts or pants or they will make you wear something to cover up.

Review by:   Aparna P,    August 2017
Meteora is a breathtaking experience not to be missed. However, the train was almost 90 mins late both ways therefore we could only visit 2 monasteries. If possible, stay overnight in Kalabaka for a better experience. However, if you are pressed for time this tour is a great alternate option as long as you are prepared for 12-13 Hrs. Travel time and only about 2-3 Hrs. Tour time. This was a guided tour and the tour guide was great. Upon arrival in Kalabaka, we were taken by a minibus to a restaurant for using the restroom and a quick bite. This was helpful because the train pantry does not have many options. Book first class, it is worth the extra money. In my case, after booking first class, I was informed that there were no first class seats available. At that point I did not want to do further research therefore continued with coach option. The minibus was almost full from what I recollect so it was not exactly a small group/private tour. The tour itself was great but it was almost midnight when we returned to Athens. Fortunately there were a lot of people on the train so it was not a scary experience. The taxi driver charged us extra although it was not yet past midnight. We were just relieved to get a ride to our hotel at that hour. Our hotel was centrally located near Syntagma square, FYI.

Review by:   Inna,    July 2017
Target of trip was amazing, just long train ride on the way there with delayed arrival for 1.5 hrs left us only 2.5 hours at Meteora and on the way back, with no explanation we had 6.5 hrs ride, which brought us back at midnight. Was a lot of time on train. A-class is the must, but no WiFi there

Review by:   Stephen B,    July 2017
Very disappointing tour - for a number of reasons._br/_ The train from Athens to Kalambaka is very slow and arrived 1 hour late - which seriously reduced the time in Meteora._br/_ The train was hot and stuffy with people smoking in the passage ways - despite it not being allowed._br/_ The minibus that met us at the train station was extremely cramped and the air conditioning could not cope with the outside temperature 43 degrees c._br/_ The guide admitted that she was not interested in history and was only doing this job as she could not find work as a biologist!_br/_ We arrived at 2.30pm having left Athens at 8.30am and were taken straight on a tour - without being able to stop for lunch._br/_ We only had time to visit two monasteries which were actually amazing_br/_ We were dropped back at the railway station at 5.00pm for a 5.30pm train - and the guide simply pointed to a cafe across the road and said we could get a snack there before our train departed._br/_ The train left on time but still did not arrive back in Athens until 11.45pm._br/_ Summary - a very long train journey for a few hours of Meteora!

Review by:   Emilie N,    June 2017
One long day with a thrown of visiting the great monasteries of meteora. The only think is 11 hours train, it is not easy to stay all this time for short 3 hours visit. If you like kalmpaka deserve to stay an visit the village also to visit the monasteries in different views. To be honest jimmy and Konstantinos were really nice and full of informations and best locations for great pictures.

Review by:   Janet K,    June 2017
I had been to Meteora before but this trip was incredible! Since we were a group of only three, our guide met us at the train and took us with his taxi wherever we wanted to go in this unique area. We visited several monasteries and enjoyed the natural beauty of the landscape. I thought it would be exhausting doing this trip by train from Athens all in one day but the train ride through the countryside is very comfortable and scenic. Since it was winter, it was dark on the way back so we napped a bit!_br/_ All in all it was unforgettable!

Review by:   Nicole L,    June 2017
FANTASTIC TOUR!! We had a driver pick us up from the train station, and in his private car took us to all of the monasteries. He was very knowledgeable about the area and was constantly catering the tour to us. Would highly recommend. It is a long day trip from Athens, but definitely worth it.

Review by:   Mary M,    May 2017
The only reason I am giving this over one star is because Meteora is incredible. The train ride which is advertised to take 5 hours took over 6 leaving us barely any time in Meteora and Kalambaka. We only got to visit two monasteries and we were extremely rushed. The transfer was changed day of!

Review by:   tutu,    May 2017
Such a beautiful gem. Wish we had more time to explore, but unfortunately you spend majority of your time on the train, but it's definitely worth the views. The guide was okay, but I loved the driver. He was very friendly and even took our photos for us. Although we only got to spend about 31/2 hours at Meteora the timing to see the views, take pictures, visit the monasteries and get dinner was perfect.

Review by:   rusinekfamily,    May 2017
Amazing - so worth it. Travel Class A by train - a must. We were bumped to B on return and that was not good. We had to climb a lot of stairs but OMG it was worth it. Our guides were great - stay overnight for the amazing sunrise if you can. I would go again...

Review by:   Sam S,    May 2017
This trip was well worth the climb to the top. The Trip and the Views were AWESOME!

Review by:   John P,    February 2017
Definitely a must visit if you are in Athens. Amazing and unique place. Totally worth the long day to get it done in a day without having to overnight outside the city. 1st class cabin is worth it as well. Your cabin holds 6 and has an outlet to charge your phone, door to block out track noise, a reclining seats, shades for the windows. The train has food and a washroom.

Review by:   Meghan F,    February 2017
I wish we planned our trip better since we had to travel 6 hours to get there and 6 hours back all in one day but even then it was still worth it! Meteora is DEFINITELY a place to go see on your trip but I suggest spending a night!

Review by:   Laura E,    January 2017
Weather unfortunately prevented us visiting the monestaries and our guide was left with not much to show us. He took us to a church in town but his English was a bit of a struggle and he didn and #39;t offer much information. Meteora was still incredibly beautiful and you can and #39;t help the weather!!

Review by:   Stan D,    January 2017
One day only really makes possible a brief visit to one or two monasteries and outside pictures. The train was running almost an hour late so our time was very compressed. Nonetheless I can say a good trip and worth it. The environment is stunning, the monasteries themself of pretty little interest. I would not have wanted much more time. A long trip for photos maybe.

Review by:   Shikha K,    January 2017
Meteora was the highlight of our Greece trip. The monastries were great and the views spectacular, it felt like a different world! _br/_ Also Vasillis, our tour guide, was very helpful and informative.