Theopetra Cave, 7km southeast of Kalambaka, has been closed to visitors since 2016 due to the fear of landslides. Its first human occupation has been dated to 130,000 years ago; it used to be possible to explore its archaeological story along specially constructed walkways. The site is not expected to reopen, but ask locally just in case.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
3.28 MILES
Of all the Meteora monasteries, Moni Agias Triados, which featured in the 1981 James Bond film For Your Eyes Only, feels the most remote. A long down-then…
3.87 MILES
Dramatically perched atop a steep pinnacle and accessed via a high narrow wooden bridge, Rousanou convent has an intimate atmosphere. Its small community…
4.24 MILES
The 15th-century Moni Agiou Nikolaou is the first monastery you reach from Kastraki, 1km from the village square. Many visitors, keen to press on to the…
4.32 MILES
The Meteora’s largest monastery looks down on Kastraki from the highest rock in the valley (613m). Founded by St Athanasios in the 14th century, it grew…
27.38 MILES
The Tossizza family mansion conjures life in this mountain town: a cosy dream of fireplaces and gorgeous carpets, and the reality of being snowbound for…
4.13 MILES
Beside the road a few hundred metres short of Moni Megalou Meteorou, Moni Varlaam was first occupied by the hermit Varlaam around 1350. It’s now…
3.36 MILES
This enjoyable museum focuses on a beautifully displayed collection of antiquarian books, from versions of Aesop’s Fables to a 1567 edition of Homer. The…
10.08 MILES
Trikala's best museum, housed in the city’s former Ottoman baths (later a prison), houses an intriguing and unusual mixture of exhibits. Displays…
Nearby Meteora attractions
3 MILES
High above Kalambaka, at the end of the road, Moni Agiou Stefanou suffered considerable damage during and after WWII, and is less architecturally…
2. Natural History & Mushroom Museum
3.05 MILES
Once you pass its forbidding modern exterior, this museum comes as a quirky surprise. Downstairs, dioramas display stuffed birds and animals ranging from…
3.28 MILES
Of all the Meteora monasteries, Moni Agias Triados, which featured in the 1981 James Bond film For Your Eyes Only, feels the most remote. A long down-then…
3.36 MILES
This enjoyable museum focuses on a beautifully displayed collection of antiquarian books, from versions of Aesop’s Fables to a 1567 edition of Homer. The…
5. Church of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary
3.55 MILES
The 14th-century frescoes in this Byzantine basilica, at Kalambaka’s highest point where the footpath sets off to Moni Agias Triados, are a match for…
3.72 MILES
A striking solitary rock column known as the adhrakhti (‘obelisk’) commands the skyline as you look up the valley from Kastraki village. Considered the…
3.78 MILES
For a panoramic break while visiting the monasteries, visit the clifftop Psaropetra Lookout, 650m south (right) from the fork in the road where continuing…
8. Moni Agias Varvaras Rousanou
3.87 MILES
Dramatically perched atop a steep pinnacle and accessed via a high narrow wooden bridge, Rousanou convent has an intimate atmosphere. Its small community…