Things to do in Kalabaka

Kalambaka sits directly under the rock pillars of Meteora, on the western edge of the Thessalian plain. The town is here because of the rock. Below the cliffs it holds a Byzantine church of the Dormition and not much else.

What the rock is

The pillars are conglomerate, an old river delta that hardened and then eroded away around itself. The tallest stand some four hundred metres over the plain. Monks began climbing them in the fourteenth century.

Twenty-four monasteries were founded up there. Six are still in use. UNESCO lists the place for its geology and its monasticism at once, which is rare.

The six that are open

• Great Meteoron. The largest and highest, with the old refectory turned into a museum.
• Varlaam. Next along, and it still keeps the windlass tower that hauled everything up.
• Rousanou. Low, photogenic and run by nuns; the one on most postcards.
• St Nicholas Anapafsas. Small and vertical, with frescoes painted by Theophanes the Cretan in 1527.
• Holy Trinity. The pillar from the 1981 Bond film, and the longest climb of the six.
• St Stephen. Reached by a bridge rather than steps, so the only one without a staircase.

Getting up there

Until steps were cut into the rock in the 1920s, monks and supplies went up in nets. Now there is a road with viewpoints. The old monastic paths are still there too.

• By road. Half a day covers three or four monasteries, and a full day covers the loop with time inside each.
• On foot. The climb from Kastraki, the next village along, is the honest way in and takes most of a day.
• At sunset. The western viewpoints are where the rock turns orange, and where every camera goes.
• On rope. The pillars are one of the serious climbing venues in Greece, on long conglomerate routes.

Practical

• Closing days. Each monastery shuts on its own day and they differ by season. Turning up to find two of four closed is the standard mistake.
• Dress. Enforced at the gate: long trousers for men, skirts below the knee for women, shoulders covered. Wraps are lent, and the queue for them is slow.
• Money. A small entrance fee at each gate, cash, and no combined ticket.
• Season. The plain bakes in July and August and the steps are steep. Spring and autumn are kinder, and winter mist makes the pillars look like they float.
• Trains. The branch line ends in the town, which is why Meteora is one of the few Greek sights easier by rail than by road.