Kalabaka

Kalambaka lies in the Thessaly valley, watched by the surreal rock formations of Meteora. Due to its geographic location, is one of the most important touristic destinations for mainland Greece. Although not especially attractive in itself, Kalabaka is a destination rich in history with many important monuments to visit. It holds magnificent old post-Byzantine churches with remarkable frescoes, plus a few museums, one devoted to the Greek Education and the other to Natural History and Mushrooms. Other highlights include the Church of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, a 14th-century basilica, at Kalambaka’s highest point and the prehistoric cave of Theopetra, the deposits of which start at the Middle Paleolithic (50,000 BC) and last until the end of the Neolithic period (4,000 BC) without gaps. Worth visiting is the picturesque neighborhood of Sopotos with the stone cobbled alleys and the traditional houses, some of them built right next to the towering rocks.

During the Hellenistic and Roman times, the town was known as Aeginion. This name is testified by an inscription located in the eastern part of the Church of St. John the Baptist. At the beginning of the 10th c., the town is mentioned as Stagi, a name that is preserved until today. During the German Occupation of Greece (1941-1944), Kalampaka was burnt down by the German army in 1943. The town was rebuilt after the war and doubled its population in recent years, mainly because of the tourism growth.

The town has hotels of all categories and budgets, modern camping, restaurants, tavernas and several shops. As it takes a couple of days to see all the nearby monasteries, most visitors spend a night or two either in Kalambaka or Kastraki. Don’t miss to taste hand-made sausages, home-made pies, tsipouro and local wine. Kalambaka has a tradition in the production of hand-made, wooden-carved objects, but also in the making of religious icons that are painted by domestic artists. You can find many workshops mostly outside the town’s center.

Kalampaka is 350 km away from Athens and 238 km away from Thessaloniki.  The town has a railway station that connects it with the mainline station of Palaiofarsalos in Thessaly and with Athens.