We had an amazing trip with Chris and Dinos. They were extremely knowledgeabble, helpful and made sure we were able yo see all of the monasteries. I also liked being able to go by train from Thessaloniki so we could relax and have space to move around rather than being cooped up in a bus for hours straight.

The organization of the train journey is a disaster. There is no help from the organizer and at the train stations in Thessaloniki and Palaeofarsalos there are no indications of which platform the trains are leaving from. When I arrived in Kalabaka it was a big surprise that the tour was not carried out by the booked tour operator but by another company that I had deliberately not booked. I would have expected information about this. Accordingly, there was a different program than the booked (no visit to the Dormition of the Blessed Mother) and booked services (WiFi on board, water bottle, panoramic map) were missing. The biggest surprise, however, was that it was a Spanish-speaking tour (which was not a problem in that I understand Spanish, but was never asked in advance). The tour itself and the Spanish-speaking guide were nevertheless impressive.

Wonderful time in an extrordinary place.

An amusing and knowledgable courier who guided us smoothly throught the major sights. The order of the visits was sensible, with the most strenuous first. Each of the abbeys was special in its own way: whether it was the remarkable frescoes of the Great Meteora, the more intimate Varlaam abbey or the lovely formal gardens of St. Stephens. Varlaam paid somewhat more attention to the visitor experience with, for instance, appropriate music playing in the antechurch and clear walkways to help visitors move around smoothly. Our courier was careful to make sure that the group were briefed on eating and drinking needs. The supply of water bottles were very welcome.