Meteora Monastery-Volos, Private Tour Recommendation

[msk1]

We are visiting Volos next summer and wanting to do a private tour for the Meteora Monastery. Any recommendations?

 

msk1

[Eileen G]

Volos is a port that is not visited much by cruise ships. We stoped there 2 years ago and never saw any recomendations for a private guide so we landed up taking the ship's tour. We very rarely take ship's tours but this one was very good and reasonably priced. You might want to ask for a guide on the Trip Advisor boards.

[ombrelle]

We are visiting Volos next summer and wanting to do a private tour for the Meteora Monastery. Any recommendations?

 

msk1

 

We will be visiting the Meteora Monasteries Nov.7 with another couple we met here on CC Cunard Roll Calls. Hired a private taxi. Make sure you have a full day in port. It takes over 2 hours to get there & 2 hours to come back. Check out http://www.taxiinvolos.gr Hope this helps. Personally, I can't wait to visit these monasteries. TIP: women must wear a skirt below knees,and cover their arms,no shorts for men either. If you don't fancy a skirt,you can pack a thin one you can wear over jeans,tights,whatever you're comfortable in and just slip the skirt over it. Have a great time on your cruise!:)

[soccerref]

Meteora is a fabulous. We did a Princess ship's tour and I have posted the bit of my review that deals with our day. It may be helpful.

Day 1 - Volos – Meteora Monastery tour.

We docked close to the centre of Volos which is quite a large port. People we talked to who walked around the town were somewhat disappointed that it was so industrialised and not a pretty Greek seaside resort.

Our tour was a full day trip and I was a bit apprehensive about whether it was the right choice – monasteries are not high on my list of interests –but it turned out to be a major highlight. The 2 hour journey was long and through a wide agricultural valley so there wasn’t a huge amount to see. In fact, I ended up sleeping for most of the time so caught up on what we had missed the day before.

The tour stopped for a 25 minute toilet/coffee break in a small town close to the mountains and there was a Lidl supermarket 100m down the road. My DH popped along and got a couple of litres of wine to drink in the cabin. This was really his only opportunity so I’m glad he had the foresight to get it!

The bus carried on for a few more kms and then these huge, towering rocky outcrops suddenly appeared in the distance rising straight up out of the flat valley floor. WOW!

As the bus got nearer and began to climb the foothills we could see these buildings perched right on top of the rocks. It was an amazing sight which got even more breathtaking as the bus drove further up. There are 6 separate monasteries, each balanced on top of its own individual sheer rock tower, and we visited 2 of them – one before lunch and one after. Fortunately the busses are able to get quite close but then there is a walk over a bridge and up several sets of steps to get to the actual monastery. We had time to explore each one and they were well worth it. The paintings and carvings were beautiful, the views were awe-inspiring and the little gift shops had some pretty objects and replicas at reasonable prices. Our guide told us that we were extremely lucky with the weather because it was clear and not too hot so there was no cloud or heat haze.

Our lunch was in a small Greek taverna at the bottom of the mountains and consisted of a set 3 course meal of Greek food plus water and wine.

 

TIP - Everyone needs to have shoulders and knees covered. Females must wear a skirt – you can borrow a sarong at the entrance.

Get to the tour meeting place early so you are on the 1st bus. We were on the last bus and had to wait for stragglers before we could leave the ship so we had less time at the venues than the people on the other 3 buses.

[5326jan]

We just returned from the Princess Black Sea cruise, Sept 4-16, so I can give you VERY recent information!

 

We used Achtypis Travel and were very pleased with the tour. http://www.achtypistours.gr/volos-meteora-monasteries-lunch The vehicle was a 15-18 passenger recent model air conditioned mini bus. There were 7 of us on the tour and it worked out to be about 120E each. The cost was higher than the ship's tour, but since there were only 7 of us, we were able to move quickly and beat the crowds on the big buses. Our guide had 35 years of experience and had grown up in the area. We were treated to history, Greek Mythology and stories told through generations of her family. Unlike the ship's tour, our vehicle was small enough to get us to the tops of the hills and drop us off so that we didn't have the steep incline to walk prior to the steps! Our guide's name was Ms Mary and was obviously well known and loved by other guides at the monasteries. She will probably retire soon. She did a great job maneuvering around the crowds to get us to quiet areas where we could hear her and be isolated from the big tours.

 

If you can manage the stairs, don't miss this trip! The views are stunning! Ladies, take a large wrap or scarf to tie around your waist to enter the monasteries. Head coverings were not necessary. Men should wear long pants. Wear comfortable shoes and take water. We did not go to the largest monastery, which was fine with me. It is the one with 400 steps. The monasteries we went to were Vaarlam and Rousanou. St Stephens was closed because it was Monday. Vaarlam had 140 steps and Rousanou had fewer than 50.

 

Our tour included lunch in a restaurant in nearby Kalambaka. The travel time to and from the Monasteries is about 2 1/2 hours each way, so be prepared for that. We made a comfort stop on the way and stopped at a grocery store near port on the way back for people that wanted to buy beer, wine, sodas.

 

I recommend this tour without reservation. It does require a deposit upon booking and final payment a week prior to tour.

Edited September 22, 2011 by 5326jan

[pilotdane]

My wife and I were on the same private tour with 5326jan and I am very glad we were part of a small private tour versus the big busses. The monasteries can get very crowded as it's a very popular destination for all, not just cruise ship passengers. The smaller group and vehicle gave us more flexibility to get closer to the monasteries with less walking and we were able to work around the large groups and get in & out with less time standing in line.

[Peter D. Albert]

Volos - Meteora tour was one of the finest tours we ever had

We used http://www.taxiinvolos.gr for 200 euros. Excellent car, services, excellent driver.

We remember it as the best day of our cruise

[ombrelle]

Volos - Meteora tour was one of the finest tours we ever had

We used http://www.taxiinvolos.gr for 200 euros. Excellent car, services, excellent driver.

We remember it as the best day of our cruise

 

Hi,Peter D. Albert,

 

You don't mention how many were you. We are taking the same tour in about 2 weeks. It is costing 45 euros pp. + tip of course.:)

[Peter D. Albert]

We were four passengers. We also gave the driver 30 euros as a tip.

We discussed a lot with him, probably the price is now lower because of the season.

Anyway you are going to have a great time :)

[AnonymousKiwi]

We just returned from the Princess Black Sea cruise, Sept 4-16, so I can give you VERY recent information!

 

We used Achtypis Travel and were very pleased with the tour. http://www.achtypistours.gr/volos-meteora-monasteries-lunch The vehicle was a 15-18 passenger recent model air conditioned mini bus. There were 7 of us on the tour and it worked out to be about 120E each. The cost was higher than the ship's tour, but since there were only 7 of us, we were able to move quickly and beat the crowds on the big buses. Our guide had 35 years of experience and had grown up in the area. We were treated to history, Greek Mythology and stories told through generations of her family. Unlike the ship's tour, our vehicle was small enough to get us to the tops of the hills and drop us off so that we didn't have the steep incline to walk prior to the steps! Our guide's name was Ms Mary and was obviously well known and loved by other guides at the monasteries. She will probably retire soon. She did a great job maneuvering around the crowds to get us to quiet areas where we could hear her and be isolated from the big tours.

 

If you can manage the stairs, don't miss this trip! The views are stunning! Ladies, take a large wrap or scarf to tie around your waist to enter the monasteries. Head coverings were not necessary. Men should wear long pants. Wear comfortable shoes and take water. We did not go to the largest monastery, which was fine with me. It is the one with 400 steps. The monasteries we went to were Vaarlam and Rousanou. St Stephens was closed because it was Monday. Vaarlam had 140 steps and Rousanou had fewer than 50.

 

Our tour included lunch in a restaurant in nearby Kalambaka. The travel time to and from the Monasteries is about 2 1/2 hours each way, so be prepared for that. We made a comfort stop on the way and stopped at a grocery store near port on the way back for people that wanted to buy beer, wine, sodas.

 

I recommend this tour without reservation. It does require a deposit upon booking and final payment a week prior to tour.

 

 

I am in the process of booking this tour (partly on the strength of this review :D ). At this stage we're looking at just hiring the car and driver, no the guide. Can you recommend the length of time required to spend at the monasteries?

[pilotdane]

It worked well for us having a separate driver & guide. The monasteries are located on narrow twisting roads, have little parking and by mid morning were getting quite packed with many tour buses and cars jockeying for parking. With a separate driver we would get dropped off and picked-up right up front which made for minimal walking and no wasted time.

 

We were some of the first people off the ship and arrived at the monasteries before the crowds. They are not big and only some areas are accessible to tourists so unless you want to go into extreme detail each can be comfortably seen in half an hour. Some had almost no steps while others had quite a few so your time at each will vary considerably based on your athletic ability. I would try to get there as early as possible and plan 2 or 3 hours to see the monasteries then break for lunch before heading back to the ship. You can see more monasteries or take more time but by 1-2 in the afternoon the crowds were so thick it was killing my enjoyment and I was definitely in the mood for a quiet restaurant and a carafe of wine.

[5326jan]

It worked well for us having a separate driver & guide. The monasteries are located on narrow twisting roads, have little parking and by mid morning were getting quite packed with many tour buses and cars jockeying for parking. With a separate driver we would get dropped off and picked-up right up front which made for minimal walking and no wasted time.

 

We were some of the first people off the ship and arrived at the monasteries before the crowds. They are not big and only some areas are accessible to tourists so unless you want to go into extreme detail each can be comfortably seen in half an hour. Some had almost no steps while others had quite a few so your time at each will vary considerably based on your athletic ability. I would try to get there as early as possible and plan 2 or 3 hours to see the monasteries then break for lunch before heading back to the ship. You can see more monasteries or take more time but by 1-2 in the afternoon the crowds were so thick it was killing my enjoyment and I was definitely in the mood for a quiet restaurant and a carafe of wine.

 

 

Pilot Dane was part of our group and I concur with his opinion! Get off the ship early and get to the site before the crowds! Plan on a couple of hours, followed by a carafe of wine and local food. Have fun!:D

[AnonymousKiwi]

Thanks guys. I appreciate the replies.

You're swaying me towards going with a guide.

[stunnedinva]

We are visiting Volos next summer and wanting to do a private tour for the Meteora Monastery. Any recommendations?

 

msk1

 

Based on the recommendations here, we booked Taxi in Volos, and I can't recommend them highly enough. Our driver was Nikos, whose English was excellent, and who squired the 3 of us around in his air-conditioned Mercedes. Because we were there in July and the temperature was over 100 degrees, we opted to visit only St. Stephen's monastery inside (fewer steps) and do photo ops elsewhere. Nikos also made a shopping stop and a lunch stop at a Greek taverna, as well as taking us to the lovely town of Makrinitsa in the Pelion Mountains on our way back to Volos. Along the way, he gave us gifts of beautifully packaged baklava, small bottles of "super Ouzo," and a DVD of the areas we visited. All of this was 200 Euros. Fabulous. :D http://www.taxiinvolos.gr/

[voyagerballet]

I had recently booked trip to Meteora through Mr. Adamakis and i am more than happy to recommend his company's transfer service. It was A+++ all the way through! Previous to choosing taxiinvolos i was searching other companies to find that taxiinvolos only had positive reviews from previous clients.

 

Right from the beginning both gentleman had the cars waiting at the gate exit with our names clearly showing on the windscreens (i had booked a mercedes 200€ for 4 people and a honda hybrid 170€ for 3 people). Emails were clear, thorough and concise with very prompt responses.

 

The ride to Meteora was accompanied with excellent information about Meteora, its surrounding town, Volos, Greece and also plenty of light hearted, fun chit chat. We were able to make an "emergency relief stop" which was no problems for with them and gave us all a laugh!

 

We were able to ask to leave the souvenir shop until the end in the hope to beat the crowds to the Monasteries (which we did). The recommendations to visit 2 monasteries and then some panoramic photo stops were perfect. They would usher us along if we took too long to keep in time with everything. The recommended restaurant had top quality Greek food and when we were on the way home they got us back as quickly as they could as we were crew and had to be back much earlier than passengers.

 

I cannot stress how enjoyable this day was! The genuine and laid back service, amazing sights, food and taxi ride were enjoyed by our whole group! If you would like a more personalized, flexible, cost effective approach rather than being ushered around in big tour groups and missing out on some great panoramic photo stops i can absolutely recommend you call taxiinvolos!!!

 

Company details are as follows

 

http://www.taxiinvolos.gr

Adamakis Nikolaos - 00306980319555 (EU) OR 011306980319555 (US)

 

voyagerballet

[wocruiser]

I had recently booked trip to Meteora through Mr. Adamakis and i am more than happy to recommend his company's transfer service. It was A+++ all the way through! Previous to choosing taxiinvolos i was searching other companies to find that taxiinvolos only had positive reviews from previous clients.

 

Right from the beginning both gentleman had the cars waiting at the gate exit with our names clearly showing on the windscreens (i had booked a mercedes 200€ for 4 people and a honda hybrid 170€ for 3 people). Emails were clear, thorough and concise with very prompt responses.

 

The ride to Meteora was accompanied with excellent information about Meteora, its surrounding town, Volos, Greece and also plenty of light hearted, fun chit chat. We were able to make an "emergency relief stop" which was no problems for with them and gave us all a laugh!

 

We were able to ask to leave the souvenir shop until the end in the hope to beat the crowds to the Monasteries (which we did). The recommendations to visit 2 monasteries and then some panoramic photo stops were perfect. They would usher us along if we took too long to keep in time with everything. The recommended restaurant had top quality Greek food and when we were on the way home they got us back as quickly as they could as we were crew and had to be back much earlier than passengers.

 

I cannot stress how enjoyable this day was! The genuine and laid back service, amazing sights, food and taxi ride were enjoyed by our whole group! If you would like a more personalized, flexible, cost effective approach rather than being ushered around in big tour groups and missing out on some great panoramic photo stops i can absolutely recommend you call taxiinvolos!!!

 

Company details are as follows

 

http://www.taxiinvolos.gr

Adamakis Nikolaos - 00306980319555 (EU) OR 011306980319555 (US)

 

voyagerballet

We just returned from a cruise that stopped in Volos and had a wonderful experience touring to Meteora and Makrynitsa similar to the one described below with Nikos! I highly recommend Nikos -- he is very personable and very knowledgeable, and his price is both reasonable and a good value! We thoroughly enjoyed the day we spent with him, and the sights of Meteora are not to be missed!

http://www.taxiinvolos.gr/

 

Wendy

[John Bull]

We were in Volos just a couple of weeks ago. Would've loved to go to Meteora but ship's tour was a staggering £75 ($112) per person & with a rather early sailing we didn't want to risk renting a car & doing it on our own, so we rented (€4O) & drove up to Makrinitsa, very pleasant & very easy - but I don't think it's a patch on Meteora, those who took ship's tour enjoyed it despite the cost.

Sorry, never checked out any private tours.

 

JB :)

[kazu]

We just returned from a cruise that stopped in Volos and had a wonderful experience touring to Meteora and Makrynitsa similar to the one described below with Nikos! I highly recommend Nikos -- he is very personable and very knowledgeable, and his price is both reasonable and a good value! We thoroughly enjoyed the day we spent with him, and the sights of Meteora are not to be missed!

http://www.taxiinvolos.gr/

 

Wendy

 

Thanks to you and others' recommendations, we have booked with them as well. I find the emails prompt and very good. I usually look upon that as a sign of a good tour operator:D Thanks everyone for the info:)

[kazu]

We just returned from the Princess Black Sea cruise, Sept 4-16, so I can give you VERY recent information!

 

We used Achtypis Travel and were very pleased with the tour. http://www.achtypistours.gr/volos-meteora-monasteries-lunch The vehicle was a 15-18 passenger recent model air conditioned mini bus. There were 7 of us on the tour and it worked out to be about 120E each. The cost was higher than the ship's tour, but since there were only 7 of us, we were able to move quickly and beat the crowds on the big buses. Our guide had 35 years of experience and had grown up in the area. We were treated to history, Greek Mythology and stories told through generations of her family. Unlike the ship's tour, our vehicle was small enough to get us to the tops of the hills and drop us off so that we didn't have the steep incline to walk prior to the steps! Our guide's name was Ms Mary and was obviously well known and loved by other guides at the monasteries. She will probably retire soon. She did a great job maneuvering around the crowds to get us to quiet areas where we could hear her and be isolated from the big tours.

 

If you can manage the stairs, don't miss this trip! The views are stunning! Ladies, take a large wrap or scarf to tie around your waist to enter the monasteries. Head coverings were not necessary. Men should wear long pants. Wear comfortable shoes and take water. We did not go to the largest monastery, which was fine with me. It is the one with 400 steps. The monasteries we went to were Vaarlam and Rousanou. St Stephens was closed because it was Monday. Vaarlam had 140 steps and Rousanou had fewer than 50.

 

Our tour included lunch in a restaurant in nearby Kalambaka. The travel time to and from the Monasteries is about 2 1/2 hours each way, so be prepared for that. We made a comfort stop on the way and stopped at a grocery store near port on the way back for people that wanted to buy beer, wine, sodas.

 

I recommend this tour without reservation. It does require a deposit upon booking and final payment a week prior to tour.

 

May I ask please - did you use this company for any other tours in ports? They seem to do a number of ports but I have had a hard time finding reviews on them (other than their own testimonials on their web page).

 

Thank you:D