Did you ever hear about this place? I have the feeling that this epic place is off the radar of many tourists. Also, it seems that Instagramers didn’t discover and conquer this place yet (which is a good thing 😉 ) Of course, Meteora Monasteries are not an insider tip either as they are listed as UNESCO World heritage and guide books claim it as a must-go place in Greece. And truly it is. We were there in April and were really amazed by its beauty. In this blog post, I want to share the best viewpoints of Meteora with you.
Don’t miss to read about day trips in the area of Thessaloniki by clicking here.
But first a short introduction about the monasteries. Originally 12 monasteries were built in spectacular locations: High in the air on natural rock pillars. Today 6 monasteries are still active (meaning monks are still living there) and open for the public to be visited. Unfortunately, the exact date of construction is not known but there is evidence that the monasteries were built in the 11th or 12th centuries.
But now let’s have a look at the best viewpoints of Meteora Monasteries.
Best viewpoints of Meteora: 1. View at St. Nicholas Monastery & the valley
When driving along the winding street up to the Monasteries after the village of Kalambaka and after passing the first monastery (St. Nicholas Monastery) you will arrive at this little viewpoint on the left side of the street from where you have a stunning view at St. Nicholas Monastery and the whole surrounding, look yourself:
It is not really indicated as viewpoint but there is some space to park your car on both sides of the streets, so you will realize that you can stop there. This is where it is located on the map:
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Best viewpoint of Meteora: 2. Observation deck 1
There are two so called „observation decks“ marked in Google maps and it seemed that they are very popular ones, also where buses stop because there is more parking space than the first mentioned viewpoint. I guess in summer it might get very busy there, but when we were there in spring it was ok, and the view is really stunning:
This is where the viewpoint is located:
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Best viewpoints of Meteora: 3. Observation deck 2 or Sunset rock
This one is my favorite one on the list of the most stunning viewpoints of Meteora Monasteries: Inofficially it is called sunset rock because obviously, you can watch the sunset from there. We didn’t do that because we already visited Meteora early in the day. But I mean look at this pic which I took during the day – how stunning must it be for sunset?!
This is the location of the viewpoint:
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Best viewpoints of Meteora: 4. View from Monastery of Varlaam
The Monastery of Varlaam is the second largest Monastery of Meteora and is very well maintained with a beautiful kind of trace from you have a great view at the winding street, the area and other monasteries. Look yourself:
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And the monastery itself is really cute as well, have a look:
Besides the list of the best viewpoints of Meteora Monasteries, I want to give you some more useful information which you should know before visiting Meteora. There you go:
Best time to visit Meteora?
The best time to visit Meteora Monasteries is in Spring. Because the trees are green and blooming and it is not too hot yet.
What else do you need to know about Meteora monasteries?
The opening hours of the monasteries differ throughout the year, also among the monasteries. Some are open longer than others and every day one of the monasteries in closed. Make sure to check the opening hours here, before you go. (https://meteora.com/meteora-monasteries-opening-hours/)
How to dress at Meteora Monasteries?
When entering monasteries, women are required to wear long skirts. You should also know that long pants are not sufficient!
I hope you liked my list of the best viewpoints of Meteora Monasteries? I think sunset and sunrise must be an even more stunning time to visit it and it must even feel more epic. I really recommend going early in summer because crowds must be there in high season. I will definitely come back here and do some hiking as well as watching sunset and sunrise there.
Do you want to add a location to my list of the best viewpoints of Meteora Monasteries? Then just drop a comment below and share your experience with others! Thanks so much!
