Meaning ‘middle of the sky', Meteora is a unique phenomenon and without doubt one of the greatest sights in Greece. A drive through the region of Thessaly and a visit to Meteora – the monastic mountains – is quite simply going to leave you open-mouthed in awe.
These ancient Greek Orthodox monasteries sit on top of sandstone towers, carved out by natural elements. Moulded by wind and rain – and by earthquakes – they really are remarkable geology. Originally there were 24 religious centres built, of which six remain active.
Access to these incredible buildings was once by a network of drawbridges, stairways and a system of ropes and pulleys to winch the monks up and down in baskets, so they were literally ‘suspended in the air'. Thankfully, you can now access them by handy service elevators when you pay a visit. After exploring the monasteries of St Stefanos and either Varlaam or Rousanou, there'll be a stop in the beautiful town of Kalambaka for a lunch break and free time to explore.
