Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - My inefficient plans for Greece

One monastery is closed every weekday, including Monday. Check the schedule.

Only one monastery does not need a climb, and it gets packed. Here is my rundown:

Vaarlam: Interesting walk up, so much to see at the top. Beautiful views, gorgeous, extensive. The cream of the crop. Best to avoid when the big tour buses come.

Grand Meteoron: Lots to see and an even more interesting and longer climb up. Best to avoid the big tour buses.

Holy Trinity: The most outrageous climb up. Worth it for the climb. Not so much to see at the top, but many, expansive gorgeous views. A bit rocky on top so be careful about your footing. The most outrageously perched monastery. There is a view from the road which is astonishing. Hard to imagine it ever gets crowded, given the difficulty of the climb, but you should tackle it if possible. All you have to do is take your time.

St Nikolas: Very simple, very steep climb up, almost nothing to see except for the gorgeous views. I doubt lines are a problem here, though a big tour bus could pull up at any time.

Rousanou: Easiest climb up. There is a bonus hike you can take once up there. Very small but pretty. Also hard for me to imagine crowd control is a problem.

St Stefan: No climb. This means it is always packed with visitors. The best reason to go here is the museum.

For me the climb up is as much fun as anything, so I looked forward to each one.