Thessaly Travel Guide
A monastery of Meteora, Thessaly. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Thessaly holds one of the wonders of Greece: Meteora, where six working monasteries crown rock pillars hundreds of metres high, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988. Kalambaka town sits at their feet.
The region also holds Mount Olympus (2,917 m), Greece's highest mountain, on its northern border, and the Pelion peninsula, the mythical home of the centaurs, with villages like Makrinitsa and Portaria above the Pagasetic Gulf. The Vale of Tempi cuts between Olympus and Mount Ossa.
Key destinations in Thessaly
Meteora monasteriesSix active monasteries on the rock pillars; the Great Meteoron is the largest.
Mount OlympusThe 2,917-m home of the gods: the classic two-day ascent from Litochoro.
Pelion villagesMakrinitsa and Portaria: stone mansions, the 'balcony of Pelion'.
Vale of TempiThe gorge between Olympus and Ossa, with the chapel of Agia Paraskevi.
LarissaThe regional capital: the ancient theatre and the Alcazar park.
Hover a region to explore it. Click a city pin to open its guide.
Top Cities & towns in Thessaly
Regional food
- Spetzofai (spicy sausage with peppers, the Pelion dish)
- Tsipouro, the region's spirit
Getting there
Nea Anchialos airport near Volos (VOL) has seasonal flights. The Athens-Thessaloniki motorway and railway cross Thessaly. Kalambaka (for Meteora) is reached by train from Athens via Palaiofarsalos, or by KTEL bus.