Meteora Monasteries and Thermopylae Private Day Tour
Description
A great suggestion for those of you who want to enjoy your tour in privacy and comfort, staying away from tiring big groups and stressful crowds! A private day tour from Athens to Meteora! To one of the most famous, interesting and impressive places in the world! “Meteora” is the biggest and most important group of monasteries in Greece after those in Mount Athos. We find the first traces of Meteora in the 11th century when the first hermits settled there. The rock Monasteries, a unique geological phenomenon, are in UNESCO’s List of National Heritages and are one of Greece’s cultural treasures.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Your driver will pick you up from your hotel/apartment in Athens centre or Piraeus area. The trip is approx. 3,5 to 4 hours through the valleys & mountains of central Greece and various towns and villages. Of course rest stops will be available on the way.
Meteora is the biggest and most important group of Monasteries in Greece after those in Mount Athos. We find the first traces of Meteora in the 11th century when the first hermits settled there. The rock monasteries, a unique geological phenomenon, are in UNESCO’s List of National Heritages and are one of Greece’s cultural treasures. Six of them are still active and open to visitors. We will see and take photos from the best possible spots of all six of them and we will actually visit up to three of them, depending which ones are open on the day of your visit. Entrance fee to each Monastery is 5€ per person Since Meteora is a place of worship, ladies are required to wear long skirts and have their shoulders covered, while gentlemen shouldn’t wear shorts. If you don’t have a long skirt to wear, the monastery will provide one for you at the entrance free of charge.
Kastraki is an old picturesque small village at the bottom of the impressive rocks of Meteora and like the Monasteries of Meteora, Kastraki is also designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Monument of Nature.
Kalambaka, with 12.000 population today one of the most ancient cities of Thessaly, situated also on the the bottom of the impressive rocks of Meteora. This is the place where you will have free time for lunch and possibly shopping.
Thermopylae, is world famous for the battle where 300 Spartans, led by King Leonidas, made their famous stand against the Persian invaders in August 480 BC. Thermopylae translated to English means 'hot gates' which is related to the nearby hot Sulphur springs.
Leonidas, the King of the Spartans, who fell in the battle with all his 300 warriors fighting the Persians of Xerxes in 480 B.C.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Traveler pickup is offered Pick up time can be scheduled according to your preferences. Please make your request at the special requirement’s section & we will contact you after your booking. Travelers can be picked up from all Athens centre & Piraeus Hotels. View the hotel list on our checkout page to see if yours is included among the pickup points. For pickup from Airbnb or any other location/apartment, please provide the exact address. Please note that in case the requested pickup location is in a pedestrian zone or it is not accessible by cars/vehicles, we will notify you, upon booking, of the best alternative pick up location. Please be at the meeting point 5-10min before your scheduled pickup time, in case parking or waiting time for your driver is limited. Piraeus Ferry Port Piraeus, Athens centre Drop off is at the same location as pick up
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Please note that your personal professional driver, will provide commentary in fluent English, en-route but cannot enter the archaeological sites. We can arrange for you to have a private licensed guide to escort you in the sites, at an extra cost, depending always on the availability. You may contact us on the phone number or by the email provided by Viator and we will confirm accordingly.
- The proposed itinerary may need to be adjusted in case of emergencies or special circumstances that are out of our control (e.g. extreme weather conditions, police instructions, safety reasons etc).
Reviews(8)
We had the best two days in Greece with Yannis as our driver cum guide cum historian cum restaurant guide ! He was very friendly and took good care of our entire group. Punctual and professional ! The restaurants he chose for us were top class ! We are now going back with plenty of memories of the entire trip and Yannis has a big role to play in it !
Our whole experience with Nikos Loukas tour group was seamless from start to finish! We found the booking process easy, with great communication. Then we had a fantastic day traveling between Athens and Meteora with our driver, Yannis! Yannis was prompt at our scheduled pick up time, and we felt completely cared for throughout the day. He is warm, kind, professional, and he taught us a lot about Greece. What a gem!
Our tour with Private Greece Tours was fantastic! Yannis arrived right on time to pick us up from the hotel in Athens. He had so many recommendations that were top notch and knew where to get all the good photos from the view points. The tour was very reasonably priced for a private tour. You won't find a better tour guide or company in Greece! We took the overnight tour to Delphi and Meteora. The views and landscape made us feel like we were on a different planet.
We had the absolute best experience with our tour guide, Yannis, in Greece over the past two days. From the moment we met him, he was incredibly kind, professional, responsive, and always perfectly on time. He made everything feel effortless and stress-free, which allowed us to fully enjoy every moment of our trip. What really set him apart was how knowledgeable and thoughtful he was. He explained the history of each place we were visiting in an engaging way so we had some background knowledge before arriving. On top of that, he knew every practical detail that travelers actually need, from how to dress appropriately for the monasteries, to which places only accepted cash, the best times to visit certain locations, and even the best photo spots along the way. Every recommendation he gave us was outstanding. Honestly, I would come back to Greece just for his recommendations alone. He clearly cares deeply about creating an unforgettable experience for the people he guides, and it shows in every interaction. If you are considering booking a tour, do not hesitate. He completely exceeded our expectations and was one of the highlights of our entire trip to Greece.
The driver Mr vasily are very good. It is very pleasant to join this tour.
We did a private 3-day tour to Meteora. There were 4 in our party, and the experience was perfect. Our guide, Dominick was great, very helpful and informative. The vehicle was roomy and comfortable. The recommended hotels were economical but with wonderful ambiance. Highly recommended.
George with Private Greece Tours was our driver and tour guide for 2 days and was amazing! He is so knowledgeable and willing to share everything he can. He let us guide the tour how we wanted and made excellent suggestions for things to see and do. Nikos, the owner, was so helpful and responsive when we were booking the tour as well. I would highly recommend Private Greece Tours!
This, our first trip to Greece, my wife and I decided to fly in early for our cruise and spend a few days touring with a private tour provider. She found Nikos' company and set up three days of tours. I am highlighting this one which had an overnight in Kastraki so we could tour a few monasteries and get a glimpse of something out of the ordinary. First let me say Private Greece Tours were absolutely outstanding as our transfer agent from airport to hotel (pre-crusie with Windstar), the 3 different tours we went on with our driver, Spyros, over the course of three days, and the getting us back from the cruise-to a hotel for another day in Athens (post cruise) and then back to the airport for our departure. This particular tour included stops at Chaironeia, Delphi, Arachova, Thermopyles, and Kastraki. Spyros was our driver and guide for all of our touring days and he was simply outstanding. His knowledge of the history, his driving skill, his personality, his command of the English language, were all exceptional. He and PGT simply exceeded all of our expectations by infinite measures. The tours were great, Spyros "ROCKS" as the best guide ever, and what we were able to experience on this private touring in Greece has given us memories to cherish truly for our lifetime. We can't recommend Nikos' Private Greece Tours highly enough. One day we will make another trip to Greece to see some things we didn't have time for. When that day comes this is the company we will reach out to for assistance. Simply the best experience we have ever had in years of traveling. Thank you to PGT, Nikos, Spyros, and our transfer driver. They are excellent!!!
