Thessaly is the heartland of mainland Greece, a vast fertile plain ringed by dramatic mountains that cradles some of the country's most extraordinary sights. The region is home to Meteora, where ancient monasteries perch impossibly atop towering sandstone rock pillars, and to the Pelion Peninsula, a forested mountain arm curving into the Aegean with traditional stone villages and secluded coves.
Top attractions
The most popular and significant attractions in Thessaly.
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1
Meteora Monasteries
Meteora is a cluster of Eastern Orthodox monasteries built on top of sandstone rock pillars above the town of Kalambaka, founded from the 14th century onward by monks seeking isolation. Six of the original twenty-four monasteries remain active and open to visitors, each reached by steps cut into the rock rather than the rope ladders and hoist-nets monks once used. Because the six sites are spread across the rock formations, seeing more than two or three in a day usually means driving or walking between them rather than a single walking loop.
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2
Great Meteoron (Transfiguration) Monastery
Great Meteoron is the largest and highest of the Meteora monasteries, founded in the 14th century by St. Athanasios the Meteorite on the tallest of the rock pillars. It houses a katholikon (main church) with a domed roof and an old refectory now used as a museum, along with an ossuary containing the skulls of monks who lived there. The climb up involves a long stone staircase carved into the rock face before reaching the entrance.
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3
Varlaam Monastery
Varlaam is the second-largest monastery at Meteora, built in the mid-16th century on a pillar close to Great Meteoron. Its katholikon contains frescoes painted by Frangos Catellanos, a noted post-Byzantine painter from Thebes, covering the walls with scenes of the Last Judgment and the lives of saints. A rebuilt version of the original hoist tower and barrel used to winch supplies and monks up the rock face still stands at the entrance.
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4
Roussanou Monastery
Roussanou sits on a narrower, lower pillar than the other Meteora sites and today functions as a working convent of nuns rather than a monastery of monks. It's reached by a short bridge connecting two rock outcrops, which makes it one of the more physically accessible of the six sites despite its dramatic perch. The katholikon holds frescoes depicting the martyrdoms of saints, painted in the second half of the 16th century.
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5
Holy Trinity Monastery
Holy Trinity (Agia Triada) occupies one of the most isolated pillars at Meteora and requires descending into a ravine and climbing roughly 140 steps carved into the rock to reach it, making it one of the more demanding of the six to visit. It appeared as a filming location in the 1981 James Bond film For Your Eyes Only, which brought it wider recognition outside Orthodox pilgrimage circles. The small katholikon and monk's cells reflect its history as a place chosen specifically for seclusion.
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6
Saint Stephen's Monastery
St. Stephen's is a convent of nuns and the most accessible of the six Meteora sites, connected to the road by a short bridge with no stairs to climb. Its church of Agia Charalambos, built in the 1700s, holds the relics of the saint along with a collection of icons and embroidered vestments displayed in an adjoining museum room. Its position at the edge of the rock formation gives it a different vantage point over the Kalambaka valley than the more centrally clustered monasteries.
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7
Pelion Peninsula
Pelion is a mountainous, forested peninsula east of Volos, mythologically associated with the Centaurs, covered in chestnut and beech woods that give it a different, greener character than most of Greece's coastline. Its slopes hold a scatter of stone-built villages, orchards, and a narrow-gauge railway line, while its coast alternates between pebble coves on the Aegean side and calmer beaches on the Pagasetic Gulf side. The peninsula rewards a multi-day stay with a car, since the villages and beaches are spread across winding mountain roads rather than concentrated in one spot.
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8
Makrinitsa Village
Makrinitsa is a stone-built village on the slopes of Pelion above Volos, laid out around a central square shaded by a large plane tree and lined with 18th- and 19th-century mansions (archontika) built by merchant families. Cobbled paths connect the square to the village's churches, including Agios Ioannis with its carved wooden iconostasis, and the settlement looks out over the Pagasetic Gulf and the town of Volos below. Cars are largely kept to the outskirts, so the core of the village is walked rather than driven.
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9
Volos Archaeological Museum
This museum holds one of the most important collections in Greece for the Neolithic settlements of Sesklo and Dimini, both located near Volos and central to understanding early farming communities in Europe. It is also known for its collection of painted funerary stelae from ancient Demetrias, displayed together in a way that lets you see how the paint has survived on many of them. The single-floor layout makes it easy to work through chronologically without backtracking.
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10
Tsagarada Village
Tsagarada is a Pelion village spread across several hamlets rather than one center, connected by paths through chestnut and plane forest. Its main square, Agia Paraskevi, is shaded by an enormous plane tree said to be several centuries old and among the largest of its kind in Greece. The village's stone mansions and slate roofs are typical of Pelion's built style, which developed from wealth generated by the silk trade in the 18th and 19th centuries.
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Practical information
What you need to know before you go.
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- Monastery dress code: covered shoulders, below-knee skirts or trousers; shorts not allowed, Many Pelion villages have no ATMs — carry cash from Volos before heading up, Parking at Meteora monasteries is limited in summer — arrive by 09:00 or take a tour minibus, Photography inside most monasteries is restricted or prohibited — check signs at each entrance, The Pelion road from Volos to east-coast villages involves many hairpin bends — allow extra time
Tips for visiting attractions
Make the most of your sightseeing time.
Book Meteora monastery entrance in advance during July–August. Dress modestly (covered shoulders and knees) for all monasteries
wraps are available at monastery entrance shops for €2
The six monasteries stagger their closing days so it is possible to visit 2–3 in a single day with good planning. The best free photography viewpoints are from the Meteora road itself
car pull-offs throughout offer stunning vistas without paying admission
Frequently asked questions
How many Meteora monasteries can I visit in one day?
Realistically 3–4 monasteries in a full day if you drive between them and allow 45–60 minutes at each. Each monastery has a different closing day, so plan around the schedule. Great Meteoron and Varlaam are the most impressive — prioritise those if time is short.
Can I visit Meteora without a car?
Yes. Kalambaka and Kastraki both have hotels within walking distance of some monasteries. Local buses run a circuit route on certain days. Guided minibus tours from Kalambaka cost €20–35 (~$21.50–37.80) and cover all six monasteries with commentary. Several trails also connect the monasteries on foot for fit visitors.