What's on in Kalabaka (Meteora), Greece through the year

Busy — Christmas holidays in Greece, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Monasteries on winter hours (1 Nov – 31 Mar), Cloud on the pillars (1 Nov – 15 Mar (usually))

Busy — Clean Monday, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Clean Monday

  23 FebCarnivalClosuresCrowded

  Clean Monday, the first day of Orthodox Lent and 48 days before Easter, is a public holiday. Offices and most shops close, families head outdoors to picnic and fly kites, and tavernas serve Lenten food such as seafood, bean dishes and flat lagana bread. Source ↗

Still on: Monasteries on winter hours (1 Nov – 31 Mar), Cloud on the pillars (1 Nov – 15 Mar (usually))

Busy — Independence Day, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Independence Day

  25 MarNational holidayClosures

  25 March, also the feast of the Annunciation, is a national holiday. Schoolchildren and bands parade through town centres under blue-and-white flags, banks, offices and most shops close, and fried salt cod with garlic sauce is the traditional lunch. Source ↗

Still on: Clean Monday (23 Feb), Monasteries on winter hours (1 Nov – 31 Mar), Cloud on the pillars (1 Nov – 15 Mar (usually))

Peak crowds — Orthodox Easter, Easter holidays (Orthodox) in Greece

• Nature

  Spring on the rocks

  1 Apr – 31 May · usuallyWildflowers & blooms

  The pillars are green to the base and the footpaths between the monasteries are at their best before the plain heats up. Griffon vultures are on the thermals by mid-morning.

• Holiday

  Orthodox Easter

  10–13 AprEaster & Holy WeekCrowdedClosures

  The monasteries keep the full liturgical week and Greek visitors come for it, so the town is booked out and the sites keep their own hours rather than the posted ones. Source ↗

• Season

  Climbing and hiking season

  1 Apr – 15 Jun · usuallyTrail season

  The conglomerate towers have been climbed since the 1970s and spring is the window, along with mid-September to November. Midsummer rock is too hot to hold by ten.

Busy — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Spring on the rocks (1 Apr – 31 May (usually)), Orthodox Easter (10–13 Apr), Climbing and hiking season (1 Apr – 15 Jun (usually))

Peak crowds — travelers describe it as peak season, Summer holidays in Greece

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Climbing and hiking season (1 Apr – 15 Jun (usually))

Busy — Summer holidays in Greece, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

• Hazard

  Thessaly plain heat

  1 Jul – 25 AugExtreme heat

  This inland plain is one of the hottest places in Greece and the rock radiates it back. Monastery visits mean stairs in full sun, so it is an early-morning trip in high summer. Source ↗

Peak crowds — August coaches, Summer holidays in Greece

• Holiday

  August coaches

  1–31 AugSchool holidaysCrowded

  Day coaches from Thessaloniki and the Athens road arrive together in the middle of the day, and the narrow monastery stairs are one-in-one-out. Go at opening or at four. Source ↗

Still on: Thessaly plain heat (1 Jul – 25 Aug)

Busy — Summer holidays in Greece, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in September.

Busy — Ohi Day, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Nature

  Autumn colour in the Pindus

  15 Oct – 20 Nov · usually

  The oak and beech on the slopes behind the rocks turn through late October, and the coaches have gone. It is the quietest good month here.

• Holiday

  Ohi Day

  28 OctNational holidayClosures

  28 October marks Greece's refusal of the 1940 Italian ultimatum. School and military parades fill town centres in the morning, flags hang from balconies, and banks, offices and many shops close for the day. Source ↗

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Closure

  Monasteries on winter hours

  1 Nov – 31 Mar

  From November the six monasteries drop to short winter hours and each closes two or three days a week rather than one. Plan the loop around the closures or you will drive past locked gates. Source ↗

• Season

  Cloud on the pillars

  1 Nov – 15 Mar · usuallyFog seasonRisk

  Winter mornings put low cloud in the valley with the monasteries standing above it, which is the photograph everyone comes for. It also means some days you see nothing at all.

Still on: Autumn colour in the Pindus (15 Oct – 20 Nov (usually))

Busy — Christmas holidays in Greece, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Monasteries on winter hours (1 Nov – 31 Mar), Cloud on the pillars (1 Nov – 15 Mar (usually))