We start our tour early in the morning from Athens till Meteora. Our driver will pick you up from your hotel/ apartment or the airport/ port. The travel time is about 4,5 hours.

Kalabaka est une ville et le siège de la municipalité des Météores, dans la région de Trikala, en Thessalie, en Grèce. Au recensement de 2011, sa population était de 12 000 habitants, dont 8 330 dans la ville même. Les monastères des Météores sont situés à proximité de la ville.

In this tour we will visit Meteora, a unique location full both in terms of landscape and christian faith. The Meteora is a rock formation in central Greece hosting one of the largest and most precipitously built complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries, second in importance only to Mount Athos. The six monasteries are built on immense natural pillars and hill-like rounded boulders that dominate the local area. It is located near the town of Kalambaka at the northwestern edge of the Plain of Thessaly near the Pineios river and Pindus Mountains. Meteora is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The name means “lofty”, “elevated”, and is etymologically related to meteor

From the early Christian times, the Meteora vertical cliffs were regarded as the perfect place to achieve absolute isolation, to discover peace and harmony and, thus, to support man’s eternal struggle for spiritual elevation. The gigantic rocks of Meteora are perched above the town of Kalambaka, at a maximum height of 400 m (1200 ft). The most interesting summits are decorated with historical monasteries, included in the World Heritage List of Unesco We arrive at Meteora and visit up to three Monasteries. Breathtaking at first site, the Monasteries are of great cultural and natural importance. Split from earthquakes, weathered from the wind and the water over millions of millions of years, these immense rocks are an authentic masterpiece of mother nature. The Meteora is a rock formation in central Greece hosting one of the largest and most precipitously built complexes of Eastern Orthodox Monasteries. The six (of an original 24) monasteries are built on immense natural pillars .

visite du monastère d'Osios Varlaam

Thermopylae is world-famous for the battle that took place there between the Spartans and the invading Persian forces. For three days they held a narrow route between hills and the sea against Xerxes. A traitor named Ephialtes of Trachis showed the path to the invaders. The Legendary Spartans denied to surrender and they fought till the last one. A tragedy, showing the spirit and the mentality of Greeks.Thermopylae is a place in Greece where a narrow coastal passage existed in antiquity. It derives its name from its hot sulphur springs. In Greek mythology the Hot Gates is one of the entrances to Hades. Thermopylae is the site of a battle between the Greek forces and the invading Persian forces, commemorated by Simonides of Ceos in the famous epitaph, "Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, That here obedient to their laws we lie." Thermopylae is the only land route large enough to bear any significant traffic between Lokris and Thessaly. To go from north to south along the east .

visite du monastère de Rousanou aux Météores

As we leave the magnificent Meteora behind us, let us not overlook the Battle of Thermopylae of 480 BCE, which has long been the topic of cultural motivation, as it is perhaps the most famous military last stand of all time. The monument of the Great Leonidas, King of Sparta, in Thermopylae, will grace our path on our way back to Athens in the late afternoon. Thermopylae is world-famous for the battle that took place there between the Greek forces (notably the Spartans, Lakedemonians, Thebans and Thespians) and the invading Persian forces, commemorated by Simonides in the famous epitaph, "Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, That here obedient to their laws we lie."

Léonidas était roi de la cité grecque de Sparte et le 17e de la lignée des Agiades, une dynastie qui se réclamait du demi-dieu mythologique Héraclès et de Cadmos. Fils du roi Anaxandridas II, il succéda à son demi-frère, le roi Cléomène Ier, sur le trône vers 489 av. J.-C. Léonidas joua un rôle notable dans la Seconde Guerre médique, où il mena les forces grecques alliées jusqu'à la bataille des Thermopyles (480 av. J.-C.), où il tenta de défendre le col contre l'armée perse. Il mourut au cours de la bataille et entra dans la légende comme chef des 300 Spartiates. Bien que les Grecs perdirent cette bataille, ils réussirent à chasser les envahisseurs perses l'année suivante.

Free time for lunch at a traditional Greek tavern with your friends and family or shopping at Kastraki, a picturesque village near Meteora.

We start our way back to Athens late in the afternoon. The drive is about 4,5 hours.