Meteora All Day Tour From Athens

It was a long drive from Athens but an incredible site. Be ready to do lots of walking up and down stairs. Our driver was excellent and told us a lot of history of Greece and the area during the drive. He was also very handy for pickup after we came back from the monistary

We booked a full day trip to Meteora with a stop at Thermopyle. The experience from start to finish was fantastic! Booking was easy through Viator's website. Our guide was Dimitris (didn't get his last name). He showed up promptly at 8 am in a smaller air-conditioned van (not the typical big tour buses that make for a noisy and less personal experience) and we were his only customers for the day. Let me say that Dimitris represents all that is best in the Greek people-genuine warm hospitality, accommodating our every wish, an absolute gold mine of knowledge about Greek history, modern day culture, politics--basically no question went unanswered. His observations showed also the thoughtful nature of the Greek people--always thinking about why things are the way they are! My husband and I were so amazed and impressed with him!! Regarding the trip..after about 4 hours through fabulous scenery of mountains and lakes, (with a short restroom break) we reached Meteora. Unfortunately the largest monastery was closed that day (all of the 6 may not be open every day), so we went to Varlaam, the 2nd largest, and Roussanou a smaller one. The van took up all the way up to the steps which we had to climb on foot, not a bad climb at all and jaw-dropping vistas all around. Varlaam was built in the mid-14C, well worth the visit. We actually go to see them hauling mortar and sand up about a 1000 meters to the very top using an ancient bucket and pulley system. Nothing like it in the world! The church itself is beautifully decorated with rich paintings and everywhere the views are just stunning! The second monastery was a much smaller one. Dimitris was willing to take us to see another, but after the first one the mind's eye becomes saturated somewhat. He then recommended a restaurant off the touristic traps, which served wonderful Cretan food--plentiful, fresh, and relatively inexpensive. The owners welcomed us like family. We had fried calamari and greek salad for starters, I had the lamb shank slow-baked with herbs and my husband had lamb in feta cheese. Both delicious! Bill with a glass of wine was only about 26 euro! Wish I got the name of it! Then off to Thermopyle the site of epic battle where 300 Spartans led by King Leonides, 700 Thespians and 100 or so slaves held off the might of the Persian empire in about 480BC. They died there! Poignant! We arrived back at about 9.30 pm. Despite running a hour late, Dimitris didn't rush us. Highly recommend the trip!!