Meteora

Nothing quite prepares you for the first sight of Meteora. The rocks appear over the rooftops of Kalambaka like something imagined, vast smooth towers with buildings improbably on top. Hermits climbed into these cliffs a thousand years ago; by the fourteenth century, monks were building full monasteries on the summits, safe above a troubled world.

Visiting the monasteries is a journey in itself. Steps carved into the rock replace the old rope ladders and nets, and inside wait candlelit chapels, frescoes of startling colour and small museums of manuscripts and icons. Each of the six has its own character, from the grandeur of Great Meteoron to little Roussanou wrapped around its pinnacle, and a good guide knows which to visit when, as opening days rotate through the week.

The land between the rocks deserves time too. Old monopati footpaths climb from Kastraki village through oak woods to hidden hermitages and viewpoints the coaches never reach, and at day's end everyone gathers on the western ledges for a sunset that silences conversation. Photographers, hikers and pilgrims all get their Meteora here.

With our local team, the visit runs seamlessly: a private guide who knows the monasteries' rhythms, a hotel in Kalambaka with the rocks outside your window and the drive from Athens or Delphi arranged door to door. Paired with Delphi, Meteora makes a two or three day mainland journey that many guests call the highlight of their whole time in Greece.