Situated in the northwestern part of Greece in Thessaly, around 350 kilometers from the capital city Athens, stands a small town called Kalambaka (commonly spelled as “Kalabaka” as well).
Compared to the Greek islands like Crete or Santorini, you may second guess whether it's worth visiting Kalambaka as a part of your trip to Greece.
If you plan to visit Meteora monastery, which is also listed as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Greece, Kalambaka is a great starting point.
While a lot of tour providers offer day trip to Meteora from Athens, exploring the nearby town Kalambaka can be a great addition to your Greece itinerary.
And this time, Lindsay of Carpe Diem My Way is sharing her insights about why you should visit Kalambaka on your way to Meteora in Greece. Let's dive in!
Located just below the UNESCO Meteora site, most people usually only pass by Kalambaka without exploring the town as a whole.
However, I would still recommend visiting Kalambaka for a day or two as the town is quite affordable to travel to. In addition to that, Kalambaka is also surrounded by stunning natural landscapes that can provide a top-notch getaway to escape from a bustling travel destination like Athens.
Firstly, food and snacks were very affordable compared to other Europe destinations, even if you compare it with other Greek destinations like Athens or Kefalonia.
Outside of our hotel, we found a fabulous coffee shop, and 4 of us had a light breakfast for €9 Euro. We got two of the most amazing tasting lattes for €2 Euro each, a muffin was only €1 Euro.
Grilled cheese, which my son was thrilled was served as a breakfast food was €2 Euro (and the cheese was to die for!) while two croissants only cost for €2 Euro.
For comparison, €1 Euro is almost equal to $1 USD.
Now yes, this is a light breakfast at a coffee shop, but in our hotel, it was €5 Euro per person for the breakfast, so two people could enjoy a typical Greek hotel breakfast for €10 Euro.
We also found that a typical restaurant on the main street had typical Greek dishes for the same amount.
Amazing scenic view around the town
Whether you plan to stay in Kalambaka for a few days or just want to explore the town for a bit, chances are you have Meteora as your main destination.
One of the most popular activities to do in Meteora is to enjoy the sunset and the scenic view around the monastery.
However, even if you don't make it to Meteora, Kalambaka can be an alternative way to spend around Thessaly region in Greece as you can still get to see the Meteora rocks from afar without having to join the popular Meteora sunset tour from Kalambaka.
Conclusion
Kalabaka is well-worth a visit when you are in Greece. While many people will quickly head up the cliffs to Meteora, there is much to discover in this small town.
If you're keen to do some shopping, you might as well want to check out what to buy in Greece.
Lindsay hails from Vancouver, Canada but has discovered she loves being a foreigner. She is spontaneous, loves travel, soccer, wine, photography and only recently discovered she loves to write. After intermittently journaling for most of her life and then talking about blogging since her first vacation as a family, she has finally put the plan into motion through Carpe Diem My Way.
