Meteora “Suspended in the Air” Monasteries Private Full-Day Tour, Lunch & Drinks Included, Plus Thermopylae Battlefield
€795
We visit the famous monasteries on a long private day tour from Athens to Meteora. The private tour to Meteora from Athens includes a long day and a long drive. Still, this trip to the monasteries of Meteora, which defy logic and inspire awe, is worth it! Some people opt for the “train” version of this trip, which is cheaper but comes at a “price”: a “difficult” day with limited time at the monasteries!
Meteora (translation: suspended in the air) is a breathtaking UNESCO World Heritage site in central Greece featuring 14th-century Eastern Orthodox monasteries built atop massive, natural sandstone pillars.
During our private day tour of Meteora, you will explore two or three amazing monasteries, depending on your fitness, available time & pace.
More importantly, we’ll drive around the Meteora street maze, finding different spots to take great photos and enjoy the amazing views. As you marvel at one monastery, you notice another, and then another … and another.
On the way back to Athens, we have included two stops to make our return trip easier and more enjoyable.
The first stop is to stretch our legs at the Thermopylae battlefield, famous for the “300” of King Leonidas of Sparta.
Then we also stop to enjoy a great lunch with drinks under the guidance of your tour leader and a treat. An authentic Greek lunch & location that avoids the typical tourist traps of the Meteora’s nearby restaurants.
This IS a real private tour to Meteora from Athens! No strangers in the same car, so flexible to your needs! Starting from your Athens hotel at 7:00 am, we return around 6-7 pm. Any other way to visit Meteora, such as by train or bus, will simply mean a lot more travel time and the logistics of different transportation (taxi, train, local transport, etc.), and, of course, less Meteora! Overall, this one-day private tour is unique because the Monasteries of Meteora are unique. Here are all your alternative ways to visit Meteora!
Key Tour Facts
Suggestion: If you want to make the trip more relaxed and pleasant, you can use Delphi as the stepping stone and create a 2-day/1-night tour away from touristy Athens!
Duration: 11-12 hours
Language: English
Departure: 7:00 a.m. from Athens [earlier too, if you are early starters too … and we can avoid the traffic]
You can book this tour online now. The pricing shown is for 1 or 2 people (not per person).
For more pricing details & options, please see the “Pricing” tab below, or Contact Us for a quote for more than 2 people.
And … don’t forget to select the tour “Start Date” before “Adding to the cart”!
Why this private tour to Meteora from Athens? It is a … private and personalized tour just for you. You will save time and experience the most amazing location in Greece authentically. The destination is “touristy” but you will still experience “real Greece” if you follow in the footsteps of your driver/tour leader.
A long day and trip but worth the trouble and cost. This is a more pricy way to visit Meteora but the alternatives of a tour bus or the train will probably disappoint you and leave you exhausted!
We begin the drive towards the north area of Athens, where you will arrive at Meteora in around 3.5 hours without any unnecessary touristy stops.
Visit two (maybe 3) of the incredible monasteries depending on the day of your visit. Originally occupied by 11th-century hermits, the monasteries later became hiding places for monks when the Roman Empire started to fall. The two monasteries you may visit are subject to change depending on the day of the visit since most have different opening days. Typically, the monasteries to be visited include the Grand Meteora Monastery and Moni Agiou Stefanou or Moni Varlaam.
After exploring Meteora, return to your private vehicle for your trip back to Athens which takes around 3.5 hours. A couple of necessary stops on the way to stretch your legs, and of course, enjoy great lunch.
☼ After your booking, expect full communication at all times with all details, questions answered, pick up location/times, etc.
☼ Great lunch & drinks included.
☼ In-car bottled water & tour information booklet.
☼ Brand new non-smoking vehicle (2018-20) and non-smoking driver.
☼ Hotel pickup and drop-off.
☼ Each person is allowed one small carry-on bag.
☼ Optional: Vegetarian lunch can be arranged in most cases. Please let us know in advance.
☼ Pickup and drop-off in areas outside of Athens (subject to an additional cost).
☼ During lunch: Seafood or fish is excluded due to variable pricing.
☼ Children under 6 years old are not allowed.
☼ Excess luggage strictly not allowed.
☼ Gratuities (optional).
The price for this tour is €795, which is the total for 2 (two) people.
Discounted pricing: We offer alternative payment options (family rates, solo travelers, small-group bookings, pay on the day of the tour, etc.). Please get in touch with us to get the best rate based on your payment method, number of people, and age.
PS. Payments made via PayPal are subject to an additional 6% (the approximate fee PayPal charges for all transactions), and payments by AMEX are subject to an additional 4%, which the client must pay to Eudaimonia on the day of the booked tour. There is no extra charge if you pay with any other common (not business, not rewards) credit card with fees exceeding the normal 2.8%.
The distance used to be 4 hours plus the extra time to exit Athens, with the morning traffic adding 20-30 minutes. The situation has recently improved due to the new motorway in the last part of the trip, making the distance to travel approximately 3.5 hours plus traffic.
From your Athens hotel, cruise ship (Piraeus port), or a pre-arranged meeting point very close to your location.
This tour can ideally be combined with a private tour of the Delphi archeological site as the stepping stone with one one-night stay right next to the famous Meteora rocks. If you don’t spend more time than need at Delphi, this 2-Day Delphi & Meteora will give you the chance to visit the Meteora monasteries on both days; the evening of day 1 and the morning of day 2 for lots of photos!
This 2-day tour will be much more relaxed. The extra cost of the hotel in Meteora will compensate for your hotel if you were in Athens. We suggest that any chance you have to stay out of Athens, just take it!
These are reminders and additions to things you have already read in other sections.
All our tours include lunch and drinks, and all multi-day tours include quality accommodation. Professional guide, dinner (on multi-day tours), and all kinds of tickets (sites, trains, boats, etc) are not included. You can read more about “What is included & excluded in our tours and why!” from our FAQs-not-4-DUMMIES.
☼ To keep our vehicles fresh and comfortable, we ask that guests avoid eating or drinking (except water). Water is always available, and we’ll stop along the way as needed if you need to snack.
☼ Fish and seafood are not included in our budget, as their costs cannot be estimated with sufficient accuracy in advance. Pescatarian guests are invited to enjoy our delicious vegetarian cuisine during the tour. In the evenings, we’ll recommend the best spots for fresh seafood so you can experience it at your leisure. Got allergies, several restrictions, or foods you don’t enjoy? Tell us in advance, and we’ll do our best to please you!
☼ After you book, we will ask for some of the following: any food allergies, a single passport number (required by local authorities), names of all passengers, luggage details, pickup/drop-off locations, and a WhatsApp number, which is very helpful during the tour.
☼ Luggage is typically not included on day tours. In other situations (multi-day tours or transfers), we expect a maximum of one checked bag per person [65x40x25 cm or 26x16x10 inches] and a carry-on or backpack. We do not allow luggage on the vehicle’s seats or in your laps to protect both our passengers and our vehicles. If you have additional luggage, please let us know in advance. We can arrange for a larger vehicle or help you store part of it. We may have to cancel if you … surprise us!
☼ If you are too tall or heavy, we need to know in advance! If we have advance notice, we can arrange the appropriate vehicle. Please use 225 lbs (105 Kg) as the maximum weight you need to inform us of. If in doubt, please let us know your weight and height before you book, and we’ll get back to you. It’s not a personal question, but for your own comfort! We can use a larger vehicle if we have advance notice.
☼ An adult must always accompany children (minimum age is 8 years). Please let us know if anyone gets car sick! Greece is not flat!
☼ Due to uneven surfaces, most tours are not suitable for people with mobility impairments or wheelchair users. We apologize for this, but if the sites don’t or can’t accommodate people with mobility issues, we can’t help.
☼ We are flexible on tour duration, so there is no rush during the tour. We also expect you to be reasonable and respect your driver/tour leader’s efforts. Sometimes there are specific restrictions (like not missing the sites’ closing times during the off-season or catching a train, boat, etc.) which will “dictate” our itinerary/timing and require your full cooperation!
‘Eudaimonia’ is the trading name of Eudaimonia Private Tours of Greece, a tour provider officially registered under the Greek National Tourism Organization with business license number 1245E70000044101. The ‘client’ or ‘customer’ is the person or persons who have made a confirmed booking with Eudaimonia.
CANCELLATION POLICY FOR TOURS, TRANSFERS AND SERVICES
(a) Cancellation Policy for day tours, half-day tours, and transfers:
☼ Cancellations made greater than 60 days before the scheduled tour date will be fully refunded minus service fees, as mentioned below.
☼ Cancellations made between 60 to 30 days before the scheduled tour date will be refunded 75% of the agreed total tour fee minus service fees.
☼ Cancellations made between 30 to 7 days before the scheduled tour date will be refunded 50% of the agreed total tour fee minus service fees.
☼ Cancellations made 7 days or less before the scheduled tour date will incur a 100% charge.
EXPENSES: In addition to the above, but only after the 60-day full refund period, all of Eudaimonia’s expenses agreed upon through the email exchange of communication concerning or are part of the day or half-day tours or transfers, such as site tickets, train/boat tickets, or any other bookings for the client (wine tasting, restaurants, etc.), will be deducted from the amount to be refunded.
SERVICE FEE: Finally, a service fee of 9% (of the total amount agreed) will also be deducted from any refundable amount, including the 60-day full refund case. This corresponds to the time spent on the client’s booking.
(b) Cancellation Policy for multi-day tours (at least one night stay/overnight or more):
☼ Cancellations made greater than 90 days before the scheduled tour date will be fully refunded minus expenses and services fees, as mentioned below.
☼ Cancellations made between 90 to 60 days before the scheduled tour date will be refunded 75% of the agreed total tour fee minus expenses and services fees.
☼ Cancellations made between 60 to 30 days before the scheduled tour date will be refunded 50% of the agreed total tour fee minus expenses and services fees.
☼ Cancellations made 30 days before the scheduled tour date will incur a 100% charge.
EXPENSES: Additionally to the above, but only after the 90-day full refund period, all of Eudaimonia’s expenses agreed upon through the email exchange of communication concerning or are part of any multiday tour, such as site tickets, train/boat tickets, hotels booked for the client, or any other bookings (wine tasting, restaurants, etc), will be deducted from any amount to be refunded. This will be an amount of approximately 25%-30% of the total tour cost.
SERVICE FEE: Finally, a service fee of 18% of the total amount agreed will also be deducted from any refundable amount including the 90-day full refund case. This corresponds to the time spent on the client’s booking.
(c) Special client-specific arrangements/agreements & cancellation policy:
There may be client-specific payments & bookings (full or partial) agreed upon through e-mail communication mentioned -for example- as “non-refundable” or different from the main cancellation policy “refund dates”. Then, these client-specific agreements will precede any other interpretations made from this main cancellation policy. Therefore, it is the specific written (email) agreement between each client and Eudaimonia that can only precede this main cancellation policy -if it is different- and determines the cancellation policy for each client.
(d) Other issues:
Eudaimonia reserves the right to make subtle changes to tour itineraries. Eudaimonia reserves the right to substitute vehicles and/or drivers should they arise. Eudaimonia reserves the right to change or cancel your booking without any penalties beyond offering a full refund. Should change and/or cancellation prove necessary we will give you -if possible- reasonable notice & where available, offer you a comparable alternative. If an alternative is not available or acceptable you will be entitled to a full refund.
Eudaimonia encourages all clients to communicate as early as possible concerning cancellation issues which could allow the agency to offer a better refund – partial or full- to a client despite the standard cancellation policy described in this document. This is a decision not to be discussed with or disputed by the client and will be made entirely by Eudaimonia to better serve the client if it is possible.
Eudaimonia itineraries are flexible, and if possible, the requirements of clients will be facilitated. Eudaimonia reserves the right to vary, modify, or cancel any itinerary, either partly or wholly. Itineraries published are sample itineraries only and may be amended without notice. Eudaimonia also reserves the right to use alternative vehicles to those advertised.
Eudaimonia is not responsible for the costs of any other travel arrangements affected due to our cancellations or rescheduling of any tour departure.
Bookings can only be used by the client/s to whom the booking was initially arranged; no other person can use the booking in any circumstances.
The client will be asked to produce a valid photo and/or passport number identification.
(e) Force Majeure
It is only at Eudaimonia’s discretion to refund fully, partly, or not at all if a customer cancels under certain conditions including even “Force Majeure”. Eudaimonia strongly recommends that the client purchase travel insurance.
The Client agrees to all the above when booking any of Eudaimonia’s tours and services.
