Best things to do in Kalambaka

Meteora, roughly translated as "suspended in the air," serves as one of the largest and historically most significant Eastern Orthodox monastery complexes in Greece, inscribed on the World Heritage List. The complex consists of a group of monasteries reachable only by narrow staircases painstakingly cut into steep sandstone cliffs. Orthodox monks settled in this region in the 11th century, originally building 24 monasteries, six of which remain intact. Each monastery possesses an important collection of precious sacred manuscripts and medieval frescoes, representing some of the finest examples of post-Byzantine painting. Wear shoes suitable for rugged terrain. Also take note to wear clothing that covers your knees and shoulders when entering the monasteries.

The largest and oldest of the monasteries in Meteora, Monastery of the Great Meteoron gives insight into the former monastic way of life. The original, much smaller monastery was established about 1340 by monk St. Athanasios and was added on to St. Iosaph later. Visit the kitchen, which contains the original bread oven and soup hearth, both hundreds of years old. Look around the carpenter's workshop and cellar to get an idea of daily life for the monks who once lived here. Outside, you'll find the sacristy, where the skulls and bones of former inhabitants are gathered.