Day trips from Meteora: the mainland opens

We name the trips and say what each is. We print no drive times, opening hours or prices, because those change and mountain roads in particular defeat any figure a page could give. Check conditions in winter, when the Pindus passes carry snow.

Zagori and the Vikos gorge

The best day out, and a long one. Zagori is a region rather than a place: forty-six villages scattered across the Pindus north of Ioannina, built of grey stone with slate roofs, connected by cobbled paths and arched bridges. It looks nothing like the rest of Greece and it is the best walking country in the country.

The Vikos gorge cuts through the middle of it, a limestone canyon whose depth relative to its width has it cited as one of the deepest in the world. The river at the bottom runs dry for much of the year and appears again at the springs of Voidomatis, which is the coldest water most visitors will ever swim in.

For a day trip, take the viewpoints at Oxya and Beloi and one or two villages rather than attempting the gorge floor, which is a full-day walk in its own right. If Zagori appeals at all, consider moving there for two nights instead.

Ioannina and its lake

West across the mountains, Ioannina is the capital of Epirus and it does not resemble the Greece of the islands in any respect. It sits on a lake, it is surrounded by high country, and its old town is Ottoman.

The walled citadel on the lake shore is the best-preserved Ottoman old town in Greece and it is still lived in, with two separate inner strongholds: Its Kale holding the Fethiye Mosque, the tomb of Ali Pasha and a Byzantine museum with an exceptional silverwork collection, and the southeastern citadel holding the Aslan Pasha Mosque.

The boat out to the island in the lake is the other half of the day, and it takes minutes.

Delphi, south

Delphi is the UNESCO sanctuary of Apollo on the lower slopes of Mount Parnassus, terraced ruins above an olive plain running down to the Gulf of Corinth. It is the other great mainland stop and it pairs with Meteora rather than competing with it.

As a day trip from here it is a long drive each way and you arrive in the middle of the day, which is exactly when the coaches hold the site. It is far better taken as an overnight on the road between Meteora and Athens. Meteora vs Delphi sets out which to prioritise if you cannot do both properly.

Pelion and the coast

East, the Pelion peninsula runs out between the Pagasetic gulf and the open Aegean, with stone villages in chestnut woods on the ridge and beaches on both coasts below. Volos at its head is worth a stop for the tsipouradika alone, where you order drinks repeatedly and dinner happens to you.

It is a long day from Meteora and better as the next stop on a route east than as a return trip.

Trikala and the plain

The short option. Trikala is the nearest real town, on the plain below the rocks, with a river running through it, an Ottoman quarter and a castle above. It makes an easy half day when the weather has closed in on the mountains, which happens.

Where this leaves you

From Meteora: Zagori and the Vikos gorge is the day worth planning around, Ioannina and its Ottoman citadel is the best town within reach, Delphi is better as an overnight on the way south than as a return drive, and Pelion is better as the next stop than a day trip. All of it is by road. The order for Meteora itself is in the Meteora itinerary.

Quick answers

What is the best day trip from Meteora?

Zagori and the Vikos gorge, north into the Pindus. It is stone villages, arched bridges and a limestone canyon cited as one of the deepest in the world relative to its width. Take the viewpoints and a village or two rather than attempting the gorge floor in a day.

Can you visit Delphi from Meteora in a day?

You can, but it is a long drive each way and you arrive when the coaches do. Delphi works far better as an overnight stop on the road between Meteora and Athens, which is how most mainland itineraries sequence the two.

Is Ioannina worth a day trip?

Yes. It sits on a lake surrounded by mountains, and its walled Ottoman citadel is the best-preserved in Greece and still lived in, with two inner strongholds, mosques, a silverwork collection and a boat out to the lake island.

Do you need a car for day trips from Meteora?

Yes. Everything here is a mountain drive, buses between the towns are slow and infrequent, and Zagori in particular is a scatter of villages that cannot be reached usefully without one.