Meteora is a cluster of conglomerate towers rising out of the plain of Thessaly in northern Greece, above the small towns of Kalambaka and Kastraki; six of its historic monasteries are still inhabited, and climbing on the monastery towers is not allowed. The rock is a grey-brown conglomerate of cobbles and pebbles set in sandstone, climbed mostly on slabs and walls by balancing on protruding cobbles. The towers were opened from the 1970s by German climbers from Saxon Switzerland, so most routes are run out between ringbolts and only a few modern lines are closely bolted. Kalambaka is on the railway from Athens, Larissa airport is about 85 km away, and Kastraki makes the usual base, with campsites and the local guidebooks on sale. Spring to the end of May and early to mid autumn are the best seasons; summer is very hot.
GuidebookMeteora Best of Classics, Vangelis Batsios (2023). Buy from climbing-guide.eu. The route pages here are aggregated by AI from public sources; climb with the guidebook.
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The Bell (Glocke), Western Group, above Kastraki
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Greece · Meteora
A short, steep and very well-protected line up the middle of The Bell's smooth south-west wall, on typical Meteora cobbles. Three sustained pitches of 6a to 6a+ lead to a short 6c bulge that goes at A0. An unusually reassuring introduction to Meteora conglomerate.
6cVIII-5.11b6cVIII-5.11b4 pitches100 m
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