Meteora

The sandstone pillars in central Greece were shaped by erosion millions of years ago, and in the 14th century monks began climbing them looking for a place nobody would find them. Today the six surviving monasteries are reached by steps cut into the rock — once the only way up was a net and a rope.

There were once 24; today only six operate — four monasteries of monks and two of nuns. Each closes on a different day of the week, so it's worth checking the schedule before planning more than one. The dress code is strict and applied without exception: women wear a skirt below the knee and cover their shoulders (skirts are lent at the entrance if you don't have one), men wear long trousers.

Most visitors reach two or three monasteries in a day, with driving breaks between them — the distances aren't great, but the roads wind. The base is the town of Kalambaka (or the smaller village of Kastraki, closer to the rocks themselves), a ten-minute drive from the first monastery. Sunset from the free viewpoint above Kastraki, where most of the monasteries are visible at once, is reason enough not to rush back to town.