Booking fee
The booking fee includes the costs of booking your tickets such as charges for payment processing. It also covers the provision of our customer care center for processing your order, and all charges imposed by our suppliers.
* This tour requires at least one of the following per booking: Adult, Senior
This trip offers a unique experience of combining nature’s greatness with history, architecture and religion. It is an inspiring and spiritual place where one can discover their inner peace. The trip starts from Athens early in the morning. Our route will have beautiful views of the lake and sea. We will pass by Thebes, we will see Lake Yliki and Lake Kopaida, and we will drive along the beautiful city of Trikala. After this, we will arrive in Meteora, which consists of a breathtaking geological phenomenon. There, we will visit the monasteries and have a closer look at the massive rocks where one of the most important complexes of Eastern Orthodox Monasteries is located. Afterwards, we will move to the town of Kalampaka for lunch, and then we will head to Thermopylae and visit the battleground where the famous battle of Thermopylae took place between an alliance of Greek city-states and the Persian Empire. After seeing the statue of Leonidas, we will return to Athens.
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WiFi on board
Air-conditioned vehicle
Transfer in new, luxury non-smoking cars
Hotel pick-up and drop off
Luggage service
Lunch
Snacks
Admission ticket for museums & attractions
Guided Tours (only upon request)
Departure Point
Athens, Greece
Meteora, Greece Meteora is a cluster of sandstone rocks, some rising to 400 meters, northeast from the town of Kalampaka with a group of Orthodox monasteries built on top of the rocks. The Greek word Meteora means “suspended in the air” which describes these outstanding Greek Orthodox monasteries to seem as if they are floating in midair. It is believed that these rock pillars were formed about 60 million years ago, during the Tertiary Period. In the beginning, the area was covered by sea but a series of earth movements pushed the seafloor upwards. The high plateau that was created, caused many cracks which were continuously hit by extreme weather conditions such as strong winds and waves. These events impacted their shape and turned them into huge rock pillars composed of sandstone and conglomerate. In the twelve century AD, an ascetic group of hermit monks were the first people that inhabited Meteora and moved up to the ancient pinnacles and resided at the caverns of Meteora. However, monasteries were not built until the fourteenth century, when saint Athanasios established the Holly Monastery of the Transfiguration. More than 20 monasteries were built in the fourteenth century. Between the 15nth to 16nth centuries, Meteora developed and flourished by creating places of worship and Orthodox iconography. For many centuries, the monks used scaffolds to climb the rocks to bring supplies. Later, this method was replaced by the method of nets with hooks and rope ladders. Other tools needed for the access to the monasteries where wooden ladders, 40 meters in length, and baskets which were pulled up by monks. Today only six monasteries are active with a small number of monks or nuns who live in Meteora. In 1988, the Meteora monasteries were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List and the Meteora-Antichassia area is part of the Natura 2000 network hosting some rare species of birds and flowers. 180 minutes
Kalambaka, Kalambaka, Greece The small city with the great view of Meteora 60 minutes
Battlefield of Thermopylae, Thermopylae, Greece Thermopylae, which means "hot gates", is a place in Greece where a narrow coastal passage existed in antiquity. The name derives from its hot sulfur springs. In Greek mythology, it was the cavernous entrance to Hades. This passage from north to south along the east coast of the Balkan Peninsula requires use of the pass and for this reason Thermopylae has been the site of several battles. Thermopylae is world-known for the battle that took place in 480 BC between an outnumbered Greek army probably of one thousand (including the famous 300 Spartans) and the invading and extremely larger army of Persians under Xerxes. Despite being greatly inferior in numbers, the Greeks held the narrow pass for three days with Spartan King Leonidas fighting a last-ditch defense with a small force of Spartans and other Greek soldiers. Eventually, the Persians took control of the pass. Leonidas fought heroically and his heroism has impacted and made a lasting impression on later generations of Greece. Within a year the Persian invasion was repelled at the battles of Salamis and Plataea. A bronze statue of Leonidas was built at Thermopylae in 1955. Under the statue, the following is written: Molon Labe ("Come and take them"), which was Leonidas' reply when Xerxes offered to spare the lives of the Spartans if they gave up their arms. 60 minutes
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Public transportation options are available nearby
Specialized infant seats are available
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
VINCENZAP_C
14 Aug 2020
Siamo rimasti veramente soddisfatti da questo breve tour di Meteora. La guida è stata molto professionale e le sue spiegazioni esaustive e interessanti. Siamo riusciti a vedere tutto nel tempo disponibile, senza fretta. Molto raccomandato!
This tour in
Athens
is organized by
TSquared_Travel
We always double-check the availability with our local partners for each booking. Even though this is usually a swift process, it can take up to 24 hours. Once this process is completed you will receive your voucher or ticket by email. If our local partner is not able to confirm your booking we will offer you the best possible alternative. If the new date and/or time doesn’t fit your itinerary, we will reimburse the full amount paid.
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