Dates of Trips: November 22, 2017 and November 26-29, 2019
In this post, I’ll be sharing the highlights of my 2019 trip to northern Greece with Steve, an unforgettable road trip from Athens up to the stunning Zagori Villages with a stop at Meteora along the way. Our original plan was to revisit my previous Peloponnese itinerary, but shortly after landing in Athens, I was reading The Other Side of Midnight and got inspired by its depiction of northern Greece. So, we changed course —one of the many reasons I love keeping our travel plans flexible!
I’ll cover Athens with the Mt. Pelion Peninsula in another post, so this one will focus entirely on our northern Greece adventure.
My love of mainland Greece started with Meteora in 2017. I had never seen such a magical place. I’ve included photos from both of my trips there at different times of the day.
Day 1: After finally securing a rental car (since, for that particular year, they were strict about requiring an international driver’s license—something we now make sure to get annually from AAA), we set off on a 3.5-hour drive from Athens to Meteora. Meteora is known for its dramatic rock formations and centuries-old monasteries that are built high on top of the towering cliffs.
We got there in perfect time for sunset. I’ve gone to multiple spots in the park and Sunset Rock is the best. I’ve attached some blogs I found helpful as well as some useful information.
Driving from Athens to Meteora: A Complete Guide to Visiting Meteora by Car in 2024
Meteora View Points: The Best 11 Photo Locations for 2024
These are sunset pictures from both my 2017 and 2019 trips.
We stayed (both trips) at the Meteora Hotel which was a beautiful lodge overlooking Meteora. I’ve linked the website.
Day 2: Staying so close to the monasteries, we were able to explore them a bit during the day light as well.
I didn’t go in to the monasteries either time but have recently done research for my mom and linked the official website. She ended up buying some amazing cheese to bring home, so look out for the cheese vendor!
Updated 2024 – Meteora Monasteries Opening Hours and Days
From Meteora, we hit the road toward Vikos Gorge which is basically the Grand Canyon of Greece.
I’ve linked a helpful blog we came across.
Zagori, Greece: An Adventurous Travel Guide for 2024
The drive time was nearly 3 hours and absolutely beautiful.
Our first stop was supposed to be Vikos Gorge but we came across the iconic stone bridges of the Zagori Villages.
This one is the Kokkorou Bridge⬇️
We then drove 35 more minutes north to the Beloi Viewpoint Hike. I’ve linked a photography blog and the AllTrails below.
https://www.mibreit-photo.com/blog/vikos-gorge-photography-guide/
Beloi Viewpoint on AllTrails
It was less than two miles to the main viewpoint of the gorge. The trail was beautiful and we even came across a bunch of cows.
The lighting at 2pm wasn’t the best so I’d recommend starting really early for this one.
From the viewpoint along the route we noticed a pullout which ended up being the Vradeto Steps. This is the original pathway between villages built in the 1700s. If you complete the whole trail, it’s a 3 mile hike with 1151 feet of elevation gain. Pretty sure we did not end up completing the whole thing that day. But we got some great pictures.
Vradeto Steps on AllTrails
At this point, we still didn’t have a place to stay for the night, so I pulled out Google Maps and noticed nearby Kores Boutique Spa—a newly built gem with stunning views of the surrounding mountains. Even better, since it was the off-season, we managed to book a room for just 90 euros a night!
Kores is located centrally in Vitsa, one of the Zagori Villages. You could opt to stay in Monodendri, Papingo, Kapesovo, Aristi as well.
And the views were amazing!
Day 3: I picked a really cool trail on AllTrails that gains about 2400 feet in elevation from Aoos River Gorge to Panangia Stomiou Monastery. I’ve linked below.
Aoos Gorge: Konitsa – Panagia Stomiou Monastery on AllTrails
But when we parked we actually started the wrong trail and when I looked at google maps, I thought we could just trailblaze over. I was wrong and we eventually turned around but not before running into some cool mountain goats!
We made our way back to the river and started the correct trail.
The river was silvery blue and the fall colors were amazing.
The was a rope and a sign here that was in Greek and pretty sure it said “stop” but I wasn’t going to turn around again. On the way back down we found the correct trail and didn’t have to take the risky one again.
We finally reached the monastery and the views were worth it.
Going down was much easier. But our final hike time was still around 5 hours.
Day 4: Today could have been considered an AllTrails fail. At this point of my life, I had not learned to check the elevation gain on trails and only used mileage to determine suitability. I picked a 10.2 mile trail ranked as “hard” but with our charcuterie board and haribo peaches, I figured we were fine. Our hike was to Drakolimni, a glacial lake in the Pindus Mountains. I read there was Astraka Mountain Refuge at the top where we could get Greek coffee and eat lunch so I figured there would at least be a nice spot for a break.
Drakolimni of Tymfi on AllTrails
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/greece/epirus–3/drakolimni-of-tymfi?sh=sxlnu6&u=i
This ended up being the second hardest hike we’ve ever done.
We started at the Papingo Rock Pools on the way and spent some time wandering and taking photos.
We then left for the trailhead. My first clue should have been that the parking lot was empty and I had read that it is a very busy trail (maybe in summer?).
We began our hike and I realized how hard 10 miles of climbing would be. But hey, it was beautiful.
I started to notice perhaps a storm rolling in.
And then at some point visibility got pretty bad
This was as close to the lake as we got because the wind was horrible and I saw lightning and figured we better run back. Oh and there was no coffee or snacks of course because the lodge was closed. Because it’s off-season (summer and winter only).
I didn’t get many pictures on the way down because apparently I got altitude giddiness and couldn’t stop laughing. I even took off my glasses and broke them in half laughing hysterically. I think I scared my then new boyfriend (he stuck with me though).
There was a little fairy forest at the end of the trail with little bears in the mossy trees.
We ended the day in the garden of a nearby cafe drinking soup and eating sandwiches, curing my altitude issues.
Made it back just in time for this sunset view from our hotel⬇️
Our hotel had a spa so we enjoyed massages and the saunas on our last evening.
Day 5: Back to Athens to close out the trip
This was our second international trip together and the last where Steve didn’t insist on approving the itinerary and hiking plans 😂
I just arranged for my mom and her friend to go to Meteora, Vikos Gorge and the Zagori Villages as part of their Greece tour. I plan to detail her 10 day itinerary (they’re adding the Peloponnese and Delphi) in a separate post when they return.
Let me know if you have questions or I can help you plan your trip!
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