Inland from Athens
A Meteora day trip from Athens is a long one: 14 hours, with a coach that leaves Larissa Station at 08:00 and drives about four hours north to the rock towers and monasteries. Two tours run it, both at $94 per person and both rated 4.7. Here is how they differ and which one to book.
Quick answer
The short answer. For a day trip to Meteora from Athens, book the 9:00 AM tour with caves and lunch at $94 per person: rated 4.7 from 6,222 reviews, with three monasteries inside, the hermit caves and a choice of ten Greek mains if you add lunch. Want your meals by the sea on the way there and back? The caves and beachfront tour costs the same $94 per person.
Two tours, side by side
Both prices are per person for a seat on a shared coach. For a Meteora day trip from Athens, the real difference is the food stops and the guide.
| Tour | Price | Length | What the day includes | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 AM tour with caves | $94 per person | 14 hours | Live guide in English or Spanish, 3 monasteries, hermit caves, lunch as an option | 4.7 · 6,222 |
| Caves and beachfront stops | $94 per person | 14 hours | Live guide in English, 3 monasteries, hermit caves, meals by the sea as an option | 4.7 · 4,004 |
Hour by hour
From the 08:00 departure to the drive home.
Each Meteora day trip from Athens on this page starts in the same spot: across the street from Larissa Station, on Theodore Diligianni Street. Take the Red Line metro or a taxi. The coach leaves at 08:00 sharp. The 9:00 tour asks you to be there 15 minutes early, the caves and beachfront tour by 07:45.
The drive north takes about four hours in an air-conditioned coach with Wi-Fi and USB chargers. Halfway, both tours stop at Kamena Vourla on the coast for coffee, water or a snack. The 9:00 tour reaches Kalambaka at about 12:30, the other one reaches Kastraki, at the foot of the rocks, at about 13:00.
In Meteora you go inside three monasteries, see all six from panoramic viewpoints and stop at the hermit caves, cut into the cliffs by the first monks. On the 9:00 tour the guided part lasts more than four hours. The listed length is 14 hours, so plan to be back in Athens late in the evening.
What the price covers
Same price; here is where a Meteora day trip from Athens differs on paper.
Both: an air-conditioned coach from Larissa Station and back.
9:00 tour: a live guide in English or Spanish. Caves and beachfront tour: a live guide in English who joins the coach in Meteora. Both add an audio guide app.
9:00 tour: book the lunch option and pick one main from ten, with a Greek salad. Caves and beachfront tour: meals are optional and ordered from your seat.
Monastery entrance fees, per the caves and beachfront listing, and food at road stops.
The most reviewed
Rated 4.7 from 6,222 reviews, with a choice of lunch.
The 9:00 tour with caves and lunch costs $94 per person and is rated 4.7 from 6,222 reviews, the most of the two. This is the Meteora tour from Athens with the longest guided part on paper: more than four hours with a live local guide, in English or Spanish.
Its stop list includes the hermit caves of Badovas. Lunch is an option: book it and you choose one main from ten Greek dishes, with a Greek salad, and there are vegetarian and vegan mains. It is served in an air-conditioned restaurant before the guided part, and bottled water comes with it.
One thing to know: despite the 9:00 in its name, the listing says the coach leaves at 08:00. Check the time on your booking.
Before you go
The monasteries set the rules for clothes, and both listings spell them out. Sort these before your Meteora day trip from Athens.
Women need a skirt to the knee or longer; the 9:00 listing says no trousers for women. Men cannot wear sleeveless shirts or shorts above the knee. The caves and beachfront listing says skirts are available at the entrance of each monastery if needed.
The caves and beachfront listing says entrance fees are not included and are paid in cash, per person, at each monastery. Check the amount on your listing.
Each monastery means stairs from the parking area: 10 to 15 minutes on the 9:00 listing, 10 to 20 on the other.
Both audio guides run as a smartphone app; bring earphones. On the 9:00 tour your phone is also your ticket.
The coach leaves at 08:00, and on the caves and beachfront tour seats go first come, first served.
Food by the sea
The same price and rating, with meals by the sea.
The Meteora Monasteries Tour, Caves, Beachfront Stops & Lunch also costs $94 per person and is rated 4.7 from 4,004 reviews. The route and the 14 hours match the 9:00 tour; the difference is the food. On the way north the coach stops at a beachfront restaurant in Kamena Vourla, a few steps from the sea, and the drive back includes a dinner stop by the sea.
Meals are optional. A QR code at your seat opens the lunch menu, lets you pre-order brunch and dinner from the coach. Lunch, if you want it, is in Kastraki at about 13:00. Bottled water is handed out during the Meteora tour.
The live guiding on this Meteora day trip from Athens is in English, by a local guide who joins the coach in Meteora.
Private or combined
What the two listings say, and what they do not.
Both listings are shared: the price is per person, for a seat on a shared coach. Each mentions a private group option, so ask about a private option on the listing before you book.
Neither listing gives a price for a Meteora private tour from Athens with your own timetable. Ask through the listing, and compare it with the $94 per person shared seat.
Neither is a Meteora and Delphi tour from Athens: both go to Meteora and back. Delphi has its own day trips; see our Delphi guide.
Our verdict
Book the 9:00 tour. For a first Meteora day trip from Athens, it is the one we would take: the same $94 per person, the same 4.7 rating, 6,222 reviews, a guided part of more than four hours.
Rather eat by the sea? Take the caves and beachfront tour at $94 per person: brunch and dinner stops a few steps from the water, ordered from your seat.
Book direct
Both Meteora tours are per person, on a shared coach. The last two cards are our catamarans from Alimos Marina.
★ 4.7 · 6,222 reviews
★ 4.7 · 4,004 reviews
★ 5.0 · 395 reviews
★ 4.9 · 675 reviews
Pair it with a boat trip
After a Meteora day trip from Athens, take a slower day. Our top pick is the catamaran with a Greek meal and drinks: $191 per person for 5 hours from Alimos Marina, with two swim stops and a barbecue cooked on board. Compare it with the other sails in our list of catamarans.
Common questions
14 hours on both tours. The coach leaves Larissa Station at 08:00 and the drive takes about four hours each way.
$94 per person on both tours, for the coach and the guided visit. Lunch is an option, and the caves and beachfront listing says monastery entrance fees are extra, paid in cash.
Women need a skirt to the knee or longer, and the 9:00 listing says no trousers for women. Men cannot wear sleeveless shirts or shorts above the knee. The caves and beachfront listing says skirts are available at each monastery entrance if needed.
On a Meteora day trip from Athens you go inside three, on both tours. You also see all six from panoramic viewpoints and stop at the hermit caves.
It is an option. On the 9:00 tour, book the lunch option to choose one main from ten, with a Greek salad. On the caves and beachfront tour, meals are optional and ordered from your seat on the coach.
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