Full-Day Meteora Tour from Athens

Traveling across the Plain of Thessaly, we find the monasteries of Meteora. These monasteries not only give us a glimpse into the ancient monastic life of the Orthodox Church, but also have one of the most breathtaking locations in Greece. They built their monasteries on the tops of these columns, both for safety and for the isolation they provided. In the past the monasteries were often only accessible by a rope ladder, which the monks could draw up if they were threatened and this way they were protected from the Turkish invaders that were slowly taking over the Byzantine Empire. We will also visit the site of the Leonidas’ 300 Spartans stand against the mighty army of the Xerxes of Persia - Thermopylae, or the “Hot Gates”. The Spartans and their allies lured the Persian army to this narrow pass between the cliffs and the sea and although they were defeated, their bravery allowed the other Greek city-states to mobilize and finally defeat the Persians at the Battle of Salamis.