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Meteora Travel: How to Visit This Spiritual and Natural Wonder

• May 14, 2023
• Last updated: May 14, 2023
• Adventure , Destinations , Europe , Greece , Outdoor , Responsible Travel

Home » Travel Blog » Meteora Travel: How to Visit This Spiritual and Natural Wonder

Travel to Meteora and explore the enigmatic rocks, abandoned hermitages, and walk among hidden houses that have witnessed a lot of history. Reveal different faces of Meteora that will bring even more questions about the place before you even visit it.

Meteora in Greek means, “suspended in the air,” and when you’re wandering around, you feel like you might float up between the sandstone pillars at any second. Everything is serene, steady, and your heart slows down from the tranquillity Meteora transmits to its visitors.

Meteora travel: practical information 

If you plan to visit Meteora from Athens, the easiest way is to take a train. Go to metro station ‘Larissa Station’ and get your ticket here for Kalambaka (the closest town to Meteora) that is ideal for staying overnight before exploring the site. The direct train from Athens to Kalambaka takes about five hours.

You’ll pay 30 euros for a one-way ticket and 48 for a round-trip so you better book your ticket online to be sure that you get a seat and save some money, too. If you head to Meteora from other destinations, please check this website  for more details.

Entrance ticket for monasteries and a cave in Meteora, Greece

You’ll pay   3 euros to enter each monastery, which is not a lot if you pay for one or two of them, but in case you arrive in Meteora with a mission to see all of them, then it starts to add up. Unfortunately, for now there are no one- or two- days passes in Meteora.

The monasteries are open at different times and are usually closed one day per week. Visit the official website of Visit Meteora  for updated information about each monastery.

A visit and a short tour in Theopetra’s Prehistoric cave costs $ 3.2.

The best hotels in Meteora, Greece

Elena Guesthouse Traditional design, perfect location (only 100 m from the walking path to the rocks), very friendly staff. Book your room on  Booking.com .

Alsos House Simple, clean and comes with wi-fi, good breakfast, with fantastic view on the Meteora pillars. Book your room on Booking.com .

Hotel King Comfortable rooms in warm colours, centrally located, wifi, breakfast and all for very reasonable price. Book your room on Booking.com .

Before you visit Meteora

No matter how many photos of Meteora you’ve seen before, the first view of the giant mountains in real will be always extraordinary. When you stand at the foot of the rocks, you feel pretty humble when lifting your gaze up 1,800 ft (550 m) to the sandstone and conglomerate megaliths on which the monasteries were built.

Join one of the local tours in Meteora:

• Meteora Evening Tour with Breathtaking Sunset View
• Meteora: Easy Hiking Adventure
• Meteora Electric Bike Tour
• Private Half-Day Meteora Tour
• From Kalabaka: Morning Minibus Meteora Sightseeing Tour

History of Meteora: a few facts

But how? And who? From the very first sight, cliff walls of Meteora are different from the mountains formations you might be used to. They look smooth, almost regular and still.

The rock pillars were formed approximately 60 million years ago when in the big delta of the river a massive deposit of mud, river rocks and branches was created and after numerous earthquakes and floods, the rocks came into the surface and were formatted later by strong winds and lots of rainfalls.

Coming closer to the walls, you’ll notice horizontal lines, which are lines of deposition and vertical ones, which are signs of water erosion. Caves that became homes for hermits seeking for security and peace are a natural creation of wind.

The history of Meteora, Greece started with the secret escape of hermits who were seeking a safe place where they could contemplate and detach themselves from the life “down there,” in the villages below the rocks. Therefore, lots of the information we have about their lives is based on legends and assumptions, which makes the place even more interesting.

The first seekers of contact with God arrived to Meteora in the 9th century and only in 11-12th centuries was a Monastic community established together with the Dupiani church where they met for Sunday mass without going down to the village.

The first monastery was built in the 14th century, and by the 16th century there were 24 of them. The monks must have been very dedicated if you can imagine them carrying of their all materials in baskets on their backs or in large nets that hauled up both material and monks up to the top. Later on, when tourism started in the area, the stairs were built for visitors.

One of the interesting facts about Greece is that there were only a few monks who established each monastery and took care of it. Presently, there are only 16 nuns and less than 15 monks in all six active monasteries in Meteora.

In the 30s of the last century, a plague hit the monasteries and the monks had to make a decision whether to break the rule and accept the help from nuns (this was not acceptable because of their celibacy vow) or … to let the monastic community die. Their community survived — so we guess an exception was made eventually.

During the WWII, monasteries were raided and lots of precious works of art were stolen. Fortunately, you can still find stunning frescos, original icons, manuscripts and objects from the daily life of monks in monasteries that are open to public.

Heading to Greece? Read more articles to get inspired: 

• Things to Do in Athens, Greece: Top Attractions and Hidden Gems
• Where to Stay in Athens, Greece
• Train Travel in Europe with Interrail
• Greece Beyond the Beaches: the Undiscovered Epirus

What to do in Meteora

Despite the fact that Meteora is visited mostly for the impressive ancient monasteries built on unique natural formations, there is a plethora of outdoor activities that can make your visit even more special. If you visit Meteora in winter, you can look forward to skiing and winter climbing.

If you travel there in summertime, you can choose activities like parachuting, mountain biking, canyoning, rafting, horseback riding, or taking an archery course. In case you travel light or cannot bring your own equipment, you can rent it right on the spot in Ski centre or local travel agents in Meteora.

Hiking in Meteora

We do recommend going for a morning hike with our professional guide Lazarus, who was more informative than any leaflet you’d find in the town of Kalambaka. Apart from that, going for a longer hike and discovering some off-the-beaten paths in Meteora is better with a local guide, since the trails are not very well-maintained and the only means of orientation are the small towers of stones from sheep shepherds that you’ll probably meet while hiking between the mountains, too.

Read more articles about traveling in Europe:

• Where to Stay in Berlin: The Best Hotels and Neighbourhoods
• Hiking in Portugal: Some of the Best Trails
• Cycling In Costa Brava: All You Need To Know To Plan Your Trip
• The Best Beaches In Puglia For Your Vacations In Italy

The best views in Meteora 

There are plenty of view points from where you can get some splendid views on the still rocks, abandoned and occupied monasteries and lively villages. You can either hike from Kalambaka or Kastraki village, and you will definitely find a favourite spot to watch the sunset .

Each rock is different and especially before sunset, the shadows of the rocks create truly fascinating atmosphere of different shades of yellow, orange, red, brown & grey clouds of the rocks touched by sunbeams.

Just embrace yourself with patience as the sun often hides behind thick clouds long before it goes below the horizon.

Check out less visited spots of Meteora 

Charismatic places bring curious customs and in Meteora there are plenty of them. While exploring rock formations, you’ll most probably spot a “colourful cave,” from afar. The legend of St George the Mandilas says that a Muslim man who was seriously wounded while cutting a tree near Saint George Hermitage was miraculously healed after his wife prayed to the Saint and offered the only valuable thing she owned: a headscarf.

Within a few days the man was fit enough to walk and since then, people strongly believe that bringing a colourful headscarf up to the steep cave dedicated to St George on the 23rd of April (the day of the Saint) will bring them health and keep couples in a strong relationship. The tradition has been followed for more than 300 years and many brave people keep it alive until nowadays by climbing the cave and bringing their offers to the Saint.

Pack & travel:

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The site of Meteora survived Turkish occupation in the 14th century, but it couldn’t escape being bombed during WWII. I feel that we should be very grateful for what remained in Meteora and appreciate every single sandstone pillar and monastery on the top.

At the moment, only six out of the twenty-four monasteries are well preserved and accessible for tourists: the Holy Monasteries of Great Meteoron (Monastery of the Transfiguration), Varlaam (All Saints), Agia Triada, St Stefanos, Rousanou (St Barbara), St Nikolaos Anapafsas.

One more reason why Meteora in Greece is so exceptional: in 1988 it became an official UNESCO World Heritage Site .

Meteora is an ideal place to experience both grown-up and childlike points of view: you arrive there with a feeling of an outlandishness and amazement at this place you’ve heard about, and you leave with the impression that you’ve experienced one of the most authentic and solid wonders of the Mother Nature.

Where to eat in Kalabaka

Archontariki Restaurant Located in the centre, traditional atmosphere and very friendly staff. Recommended: potatoes stuffed with rice & classic Greek salad!

Meteoron Panorama If you’re looking for a spectacular view while tasting some Greek food, then opt for Meteoron Panorama. The price range might be a bit higher, but you pay for the view and Greek delicacies there. Go for lunch, because at a dinner you’ll miss the scenic view!

Taverna to Paramithi A very cozy place with homemade dishes for reasonable price. We had a steak there and a local mouth watering salad. We can recommend it as a place for a memorable dinner with traditional music.

Fastfood and pastries in Kalambaka

If you prefer to grab a traditional souvlaki for lunch or dinner, then head to Trikalon street, where a few local bistros are located and where you can fill your stomach for a few bucks.

For those of you with a sweet tooth, we recommend stopping by one of local pastries in the very centre of the town, just where the round turn is.

                                                              Like it? Pin it!

Disclaimer: Part of our trip to Meteora was organised by Visit Meteora. Our opinions, words, excitement and memory cards full of beautiful photos are our own.

Ivana Greslikova

• Published: May 14, 2023

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15 thoughts on “meteora travel: how to visit this spiritual and natural wonder”.

Oh! I’m pretty sure I would be in awe too. How spectacular! I came across them in a James Bond film and I’ve been wanting to visit ever since. I’ve yet to make it to Greece though. So much world too see! You photos are wonderful ❤

Thanks, Rachel! Meteora is incredibly special and we did actually the opposite: we watched the movie only after we heard James Bond was there too 😀 I really wish you can visit Greece and make a trip to Meteora, you’ll love it!

After reading this post and seeing these amazing photos I’m wondering why I’ve never been there, what am I waiting for?

I’m asking the same: what are you waiting for? 🙂 You guys are gonna love those spectacular landscape and legends!

Meteora is a place that defies description. I want to go there so badly to experience it for myself!

Hi Penelope, hope you can travel there soon, it’s certainly a very special place in Europe.

Gorgeous photos! Well done capturing one of the most unique and amazing places on a planet! 🙂

Thanks so much, Alex! It is indeed a stunning natural wonder 🙂 I guess you’ve been there?

Wow, this place is absolutely stunning. Planning to visit Greece this summer, so I hope I can add it to my itinerary!

Hi Yasmine, if you love nature and history, then you should definitely pay a visit there 🙂

This is stunning! I can only imagine how magical it must have been.

It’s even more magnificent in real 🙂

This place is beautiful! I have to plan a trip there ?

Great pictures! Yes, I have been there and it is incredible place. I hope I get to go back there again one day.

Thank you, Tracey, Meteora is indeed an amazing place to travel to! Happy travels, and hopefully you can get back one day 🙂

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Meteora Thrones – Travel Center

Authentic Hiking Meteora Tour

Best rated tour on tripadvisor, tour language, starting time.

Small Groups

Pick up / Meeting Point

Your Hotel in Kalabaka or Kastraki

• Enjoy the nature of a unique geological phenomenon
• Incredible Panoramic Views
• Expert in the area, Professional Hiking Guide
• Runs 365 days
• Small groups – personalized attention

Tour Description

Go hiking in Meteora and you’ll experience a unique convergence of nature and spirituality unlike anyplace else in Greece. 

Discover the paths of the first monks and see this unique geological phenomenon walking at its heart. Hiking in Meteora gives you the opportunity to see the monasteries and landscape from an entirely new perspective. 

The views of Kalabaka , Kastraki , and the Meteora valley throughout the walk are simply stunning. Have also the chance to visit inside 1 monastery ( Great Meteoron or Varlaam ).

Our Professional Hiking Guide will be with you to give you all the information you need about the area.

Transported with comfort and safety, by our luxury air-conditioned LIMO VIP Mini Bus to the starting point.

Combine this tour with our Panoramic Morning Meteora Tour or the Majestic Sunset Meteora Tour and have the absolute Meteora experience.

We start the pick up from the hotels.

The exact pick up time depends on where your hotel is located.

Discover the paths of the first monks and see this unique geological phenomenon walking at its heart.

Visit inside 1 monastery. Plenty of photo opportunity stops

We drop you of back to your hotel or in a nice restaurant for your dinner.

• Pick up from your hotel / AirBNB in Kalabaka or Kastraki
• Follow the Authentic Hiking path of Meteora
• Visit inside 1 main monastery
• Professional Hiking Guide
• Upon request French,Italian,Russian,Spanish (extra cost)
• Best stops for panoramic views and photos
• Free Panoramic Meteora Map
• Entrance fees of Monasteries (3 euro each)
• Licenced Tour Guide – Guidance inside the Holy Monasteries
• Meals and soft drinks
• Gratuities (optional)

Useful info

• Distance : about 8 km
• Duration : 4 hours
• Difficulty level : Easy
• Meeting point : Your hotel in Kalabaka or Kastraki
• Starting time : 09:00
• The exact pick up time depends on where your hotel is located

Appropriate clothing for everyone is required to enter the monasteries. For ladies skirts by the knee or longer are required. No pants for ladies, no shorts, no sleeveless shirt. For men sleeveless clothing and shorts over the knee are prohibited.

We highly advice you to read our F.A.Q. page for more information.

Cancellation Policy

• LAST MINUTE – Cancellation received more than 24 hrs before the tour will get a full refund
• Cancellation received within 24 hrs before the tour will incur a penalty of 100% per person (no refund)

SPECIAL RATES

• Child ( 4-12 yrs ) : 25 €
• Infant ( 0-3 yrs ) : FREE

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Meteora, Greece: Complete Travel Guide | One of the BEST Things to Do in Greece

Posted: April 23, 2024 | Last updated: April 23, 2024

Today’s Meteora, Greece travel guide will share everything you need to know about this incredible area, from what it is to how to plan your visit, what to wear when you visit, and more. I also hope I convince you to visit this magical place for yourself!

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How to Plan a Meteora Day Trip from Thessaloniki (The Right Way)

If you’ve seen photos of Meteora , I’m sure you need no convincing that taking a Meteora tour from Thessaloniki is an essential day trip.

There are a handful of ways to handle a Meteora tour from Thessaloniki: going on a guided tour, renting a car and driving yourself, or going via public transportation. Each way comes with its own pros and cons and surprises. In fact, believe it or not, it is actually cheaper  to go on a guided tour of Meteora from Thessaloniki than to DIY a day trip there using public transportation.

Below, I’ll go over the three main ways you can arrange a Meteora day trip from Thessaloniki, although the only one I have firsthand experience with is taking a guided tour. The rest are my best guesses from research. If you’ve done it any other way, please share your experience in the comments below!

Taking a Guided Meteora Tour from Thessaloniki

This is by far the easiest option and it actually shakes out to be less expensive than taking the train to Thessaloniki for some reason! The train itself from Thessaloniki to Meteora is around 29 euros – so double that, and you’ll see that do save money by taking the guided tour (and that’s not even factoring in the transportation around  Meteora – that’s just literally getting you in between Meteora and Kalambaka).

I went with Ammon Express and it cost 55 euros round trip. Monastery fees (3 euros per monastery so a total of 6 euros), lunch, souvenirs, and extras like coffee are not included in the price. This is the exact tour I took, so you can read reviews (including my own!) here.

Here’s a basic rundown of how the day goes. Ammon Express has five pick-up spots in Thessaloniki, running roughly in a straight line through the most touristic part of the city. You pick the pick-up spot that is closest to you and meet them there. Be sure to show up a few minutes early. I met them at Aristotelous Square at 8:15 and sure enough, they were about 5 minutes early. So show up early as they have to pull over and park and they don’t have an officially designated spot – you don’t want your lateness to get them in trouble, or to make other people further down the line wait!

We drove for an hour and a half and made a stop at a small café / rest area for about 20 minutes, where I grabbed breakfast and a cappuccino and used the restroom. We then continued onwards another one and a half hours to Meteora. First, we stopped at the classic viewpoint of Meteora, the one you’ve seen in all the photos, Holy Trinity Monastery, perched in isolation atop one of the most beautiful rock pillars in the entire plateau of Meteora.

Keep in mind that the monasteries you visit on your tour will depend on the opening hours of each monastery. They are only open a few days a week so if you have your heart set on seeing a specific monastery, do the research when booking your Meteora tour to ensure that it’s open on the day of our tour, and possibly reach out to your tour company to see if that’s one of the included tours.

We were supposed to see St. Stephen’s Monastery, a functioning nunnery; however, despite the schedule indicating it was supposed to be open that day, it was closed. Therefore, instead, we saw Varlaam Monastery and Great Meteoron, the second and first largest monasteries in Meteora respectively. But on the way, we stopped again at another fantastic viewpoint for photos!

Our guide at Ammon Tours was not able to come in with us into the monasteries. This is because he is not specifically licensed to be a guide in Meteora proper, which is highly regulated and in limited numbers. Our guide was able to give you plenty of explanation as he drives you around the monastery and direct us to what we should look out for, though, which was plenty for me.

In fact, I actually preferred this. Often, when taking a guided tour, I feel rather trapped by the confines of the tour and sticking with the group. As a blogger, I need to prioritize getting a lot of photos first, as it’s much easier to research the history online or in books later than it is to come back and get photos. I liked that I had free time to roam and photograph without feeling rude for ignoring my guide. However, if you are a history geek who wants every bit of the buildings you’re seeing explained, a different kind of tour may be a better fit.

We had about 45 minutes at Varlaam Monastery and about an hour at Great Meteoron. For me, this was the perfect amount of time to allocate for each and climb their many stairs, gather photos, pet the friendly monastery cats, shop for souvenirs, and see the churches and museums inside each monastery complex.

After seeing both monasteries, which is done early in the day as in general, the monasteries close around two, it was time for lunch. We were a small group of three so our guide let us choose what to do for lunch; we chose to do our own thing in Kalambaka instead of having a big lunch in Kastraki. I had a delicious gyro for just a few euros in the town of Kalambaka and went for a small walk in the city. However, keep in mind that I went in January and there were three people on my tour including myself. You likely won’t have this option in the peak season, when the tour group is larger and therefore needs to be more structured.

After lunch, it was back to Thessaloniki! We made the same coffee/bathroom break about 1.5 hours in and then continued back into the city. Since we were a small group and able to travel quickly, we got back around 5 PM having seen and done everything. However, in the summer or when traveling with a large group, you may get back closer to 6 PM or even 7 PM. It takes time to wrangle groups – especially when stairs are involved – and sit down for a multi-person lunch.

All in all, I highly recommended my Meteora tour from Thessaloniki and hands down found it the easiest, most rewarding way to visit this UNESCO World Heritage sight in a single day. A big shout out to the awesome Giorgios who shared his passion and wisdom with us, and whose goodwill and flexibility made our Meteora tour even better.

Sounds like the right tour to you? Click here to see prices, reviews, and make a booking here . Note that if you can book online, there’s no need to print – simply show your voucher on the mobile app. Gotta love technology these days!

Self-Driving from Meteora to Thessaloniki

If you rent a car, there is no reason why you can’t visit Meteora from Thessaloniki quite easily on a day trip. The roads between Thessaloniki and Meteora are excellent, although long – it takes about 3 hours point to point.

I have no experience with renting a car in Greece yet but I don’t see why it would be more difficult than driving elsewhere in the Balkans. Greek drivers can be slightly fast but not particularly aggressive or careless. However, if you travel in winter, be careful and watch the weather reports. There had been a big snow storm a few days before I went to Meteora that made many of the roads very dangerous. A few days later, they cleared it and it was perfectly fine to drive, so just check the weather and be cautious.

I did notice that we passed several toll booths on our way to Meteora but neglected to notice exactly how much we were paying each time, so do remember that you will be using a number of toll roads that may end up adding up on your Meteora day trip.

Looking briefly at car rental prices, you can get it as low as 15 euros for a manual car picking up at Thessaloniki Airport. Automatic cars start around 25 euros. There are some options to pick up in Thessaloniki city center but you’ll have to ask around to find the best rental company in the city center – it’s not something I’ve tried yet.

Don’t forget to factor in gas! At present, gas costs about 1.50 euros per liter, so that can add up to your road trip costs. As Thessaloniki to Meteora and back is nearly 500 km, I’d estimate you will pay about 60 euros of gas. Of course, that is purely my best guess and will vary depending on what car you drive and its fuel efficiency, how you drive, weather conditions, etc.

So when totaling up costs, remember that you’ll have to get to Thessaloniki airport if you’re not starting your trip there, plus the rental car and any insurance you buy, gas, and tolls. All in all, I’d say 120-150 euros is a good estimate for how much the trip will take. So if you are traveling in a large group such as 4-5 people, it may likely end up cheaper than taking a day tour. On the other hand, if you are traveling in a couple or solo, it is definitely cheaper to take the tour I mentioned above .

If you do your own tour, get an early start as most monasteries close at 2 PM in winter. In the summer, most close around 4 PM. Do your research and pick the monasteries you want to visit and their opening hours, remembering that many are closed on specific days of the week. In general, Sunday is a good day to go when most of the monasteries are open.

Taking Public Transportation from Meteora to Thessaloniki

Normally, the best advice for budget travelers is to scrap the group tour and DIY it using public transportation.

Unfortunately, that’s actually not the best option for Meteora. The Greek train website is a bit of a nightmare to use, but from what I could find, it cost 29 euros to travel to the nearby town of Kalambaka from Thessaloniki via public transportation. If you buy a return ticket, you can reduce the price a bit – I saw some return tickets for about 15 euros, and others for around 25.

Furthermore, that just gets you to Kalambaka. From there, you will either need to hire a guided tour from Kalambaka or hire a taxi to take you around Meteora, as the monasteries are not walking distance from the Kalambaka train station.

I’d only recommend doing this option if you plan to stay several days in Kalambaka, seeing all the monasteries at a leisurely pace and enjoying the area around Meteora. If you simply want to do a day trip, a shuttle and tour service is the better and cheaper option.

Whatever way you plan your Meteora trip from Thessaloniki, one thing is for sure – you’ll be glad you did it. Nothing can compare to the magic of seeing this UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of the most unique I’ve seen in the world, for itself.

Greece Travel Tips

Here are a few things to know before coming to Greece. First, you can read our article on  planning a trip to Greece  to make sure you’ve thought about each of the travel planning steps on our eleven-point checklist.

Second, if you’re planning to explore the islands as part of your trip here, we have recommendations in our  Greek Island Hopping Guide  and our  Greek Destinations Guide.  If you’re interested in the most romantic spots in Greece, we’ve narrowed the list down to our favorite  Greek honeymoon spots.

Finally, make sure you always travel to Greece or anywhere in Europe with a valid  travel insurance policy. Greece is a very safe place to travel, but accidents and theft can easily ruin your trip if you don’t have the travel insurance coverage to recover the losses. Recently my aunt fell on a train in France and needed surgery, but luckily her travel insurance covered the costs in full. Thank goodness!

For travel insurance, I use World Nomads .   I’ve been a happy customer of theirs for almost three years, and I’ve never had an issue when making a claim. I’m happy to refer them to anyone I meet.

Get a travel insurance quote for your trip here.

Originally from California, Allison has been living in Bulgaria for the last two years and is obsessed with traveling around the Balkans. She has been published in National Geographic, CNN Arabic, Matador Network, and the Huffington Post. She loves befriending dogs, drinking coffee, geeking out about wine, and cooking food from around the world.

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Hello, I want to take a day tour to Meteora from Tesaloniki, Do you know a few tour companies other than Ammon express? Do you recommend to travel with Ammon Express ? I read reviews, some of them did not recommend them/

Hi Avi, I only took Ammon Express and was really happy with my experience which is why I recommended them. It’s more of a shuttle service than a guide service because Meteora is very strict with their guide licensing, but it was perfect for what I wanted. I don’t know any other tour companies firsthand, sorry.

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How To Get From Athens to Meteora

Updated On: December 4, 2023

Written By: Pavlos Inglesis

You basically have 4 ways to get from  Athens to Meteora :

• Public Intercity Train from Athens to Trikala (4.5 hours) and then a second train from Trikala to Kalabaka (20 minutes), and then a taxi to actually take you to the monasteries/rocks or just walk for about 1 hour (uphill)
• Licensed Guided Tour that includes all train tickets from Athens to Trikala and Kalabaka, a tour guide that will explain to you what you are seeing and will also provide a minibus to take you to Kastraki village and the best locations for views on the rocks
• KTEL Bus from Athens to Kalabaka and then obviously a taxi to the monasteries or just walk (more than 1 hour hike)
• Rent a car and drive there yourself.

I honestly believe that the  Best Way to get from Athens to Meteora is by booking a licensed guided tour . This can also be done as a day trip to Meteora from Athens, but get prepared for a long, tiring, but totally rewarding day because Meteora is deep in mainland Greece, and it’s a 5-hour train trip.

• Best Day Trip from Athens to Meteora: From Athens – Meteora Monasteries Bus Tour and Hidden Caves

A guided tour from Athens to Meteora, like this one , will take you on a train from Athens Train Station (“Larissis Station” or “Larissa Station”) to Trikala Town. From there, you will get another public train to Kalabaka town, which is next to the rocks. A licensed guide will escort you anywhere during the train trips. Once you get to Kalabaka, private minibuses will pick you up and drive you to the best places on the monasteries and the local museums on the rocks. They will explain everything to you, along with many stops to the best spots for photos and views.

However, you have a few other options to get to Meteora from Athens, if you want to explore the area by yourself. These are all the options:

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It goes without saying that whatever I am detailing in this post also applies to the return trip from Meteora to Athens.

Keep reading…

ATHENS TO METEORA TIPS:

• You basically have  4 options  for getting from Athens to Meteora:  by a guided bus tour , by KTEL Bus , by public train or by renting a car and driving yourself.
• Best way To get From Athens to Meteora:  by a licensed guided bus/train tour ( like this one )
• There are no flights to Meteora; the only way to get there is by bus, car or train. The place is up on the mountains in a remote area of mainland central Greece.
• Official Website for KTEL Buses to Meteora:  KTEL Trikalon
• Bus from Athens to Meteora : you have to take it from the Liosion KTEL Bus Station ( on Google Maps ), which is unfortunately the worst in the country and really dated without any modern facilities
• Meteora on Google Maps
• Meteora’s name obviously comes from the way these billion years old rocks are standing like “meteors”
• Between April-October,  there are usually 6 KTEL Buses from Athens to Meteora and from Meteora to Athens
• How long is the bus ride from Athens to Meteora:  the bus ride takes about 5 hours
• How long is the train ride from Athens to Meteora:  the train ride takes about 5 hours in total (to Kalabaka town)
• How much does it cost to take a bus from Athens to Meteora: the bus ticket on KTEL Buses costs 29 euros but this changes so always check the official website of KTEL Buses Trikalon
• How much does it cost to take a train from Athens to Meteora: the train ticket to Meteora costs 30 euros (to Kalabaka final station) but this may change so always check the official Hellenic Trains website .
• Where to Get the bus from Athens to Meteora: you have to go to the Liosion Bus Station in Athens (NOT TO BE CONFUSED with the Kifisos Bus Station; it is a different Bus Station)
• Where to Get the train from Athens to Meteora: you have to go to the “ Larissis Train Station ” in Athens (or “Larissa Station”)
• Best Way to Get From Athens Airport to KTEL Liosion Bus Station is by taking the Express Bus X93 ( see its route here )
• Best Way to Get From Athens Airport to Athens Train Station (Larissis Station) is by taking the “Proastiakos Train – Suburban Train” ( see its route and timetables here ) ; it’s a 45 minutes train from the airport
• Where to Book the Bus from Athens to Meteora: from KTEL Trikalon website

Ok, so let’s see all the options from Athens to Meteora (that also apply to the return trip from Meteora to Athens):

ATHENS TO METEORA BUS (KTEL)

You can certainly take the Ktel bus to Trikala from Athens instead of the train (and then another bus to Kalabaka town).

In order to get the KTEL Trikalon Bus to Meteora you have to go to Liosion Bus St Station in Athens ( on Google Maps ). This is not the same station as Kifissos Bus Station and it’s in a different location.

HOW TO GET TO “LARISSA” ATHENS TRAIN STATION (ALSO CALLED “LARISSIS”)

Larissis train Station (just “Athens” stop on train routes is very easilly accesible from the airport with the suburban train (“Proastiakos”) and you can check the timetables here.

You can also get to the Larissa Train Staion by metro line 2.

HOW TO GET TO LIOSION BUS STATION

You can reach the Liosion Bus Terminal in Athens either with a bus or Metro Line 2 from Syntgmuare.

• From Athens International Airport: you have to take the X93 Express Bus

You can also see the details of X93 Route and timetables on the official website of Athens Buses.

• From Syntgma Square to Kifissos Bus Station: you have to take the Metro Line 2 (M2) and then walk for about 15-20 mins

You basically have 4 options to get from Athens to Meteora: by a guided tour or by a KTEL bus or by the public train or by renting a car and driving there. I recommend taking the guided tour because you will experience the whole trip in a much better way.

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Solomon Islands lawmakers selected a new prime minister in a secret ballot on Thursday, choosing foreign minister Jeremiah Manele, who has pledged to continue the Pacific Island nation's foreign policy that saw it grow close to China.

Hamas releases video of 2 hostages as Blinken set to travel to region

Hamas on Saturday released a video of two hostages it is holding in Gaza, including one who is a dual U.S. citizen, as the group said it was reviewing a new Israeli proposal to halt the fighting and bring some of the captives home.

The video, which lasts just over three minutes, shows U.S.-born Keith Siegel, 64, and Omri Miran, 47, from a kibbutz near the Gaza Strip border. The families of the two men confirmed their identities in a statement released by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a volunteer advocacy group.

“The proof of life from Keith Siegel and Omri Miran is the clearest evidence that the Israeli government must do everything to approve a deal for the return of all the hostages before Independence Day,” which is on May 14, the statement said.

The men were kidnapped by Hamas-led militants on Oct. 7, when the group and allied fighters stormed southern Israel and rampaged through local communities, killing around 1,200. More than 250 others were abducted that day, and over 100 were released during a temporary truce in November. Israel says 133 hostages are still in Gaza, 36 of whom are confirmed dead.

The video on Saturday, which was posted on Hamas-affiliated social media channels, is undated. But the pair make references to the Jewish holiday of Passover, which ends on Tuesday, and to being held captive for more than 200 days, suggesting the footage is recent.

Omri’s father, Dani Miran, told Israel’s Channel 12 news that he was “in tears” the second he saw his son in the video, which was the first evidence he’s seen indicating that Omri, a husband and father of two, is still alive.

The clips of Miran and Siegel were screened Saturday evening at a rally in Tel Aviv in support of the hostages. “The video shook me and all the people of Israel,” Dani Miran said in an address to the crowd.

He called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to approve a cease-fire deal with Hamas that would secure the hostages’ release. “Take one small and bloodless step for both peoples,” he said. “All the people of Israel and the nations of the world want to see an end to the bloodshed.”

In a recorded video statement, Keith Siegel’s wife, Aviva, addressed her husband, saying: “Keith, I love you, we will fight until you return.” Aviva Siegel was also kidnapped on Oct. 7 and was held for 51 days before her release.

The images of Miran and Siegel came just days after similar footage was released by Hamas showing U.S.-Israeli citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin. Together, the videos renewed pressure on the Israeli government to negotiate a deal. For months, the talks have largely been stalled, with Israel seeking only a temporary truce and Hamas insisting any pause in the fighting be linked to a more permanent cease-fire.

Israel wants the hostages released and Hamas eliminated in Gaza. For its part, Hamas hopes Israel will agree to withdraw its troops and release some Palestinian prisoners.

On Saturday, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the government could suspend a planned military operation in Rafah in southern Gaza if a deal is reached. Katz, who made the comments in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12, is not part of Israel’s five-man war cabinet, which makes decisions on the country’s military operations.

Here’s what else to know

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel Monday to the Saudi capital, Riyadh, where he will meet with Palestinian, Egyptian and Qatari leaders to discuss cease-fire efforts and humanitarian assistance in Gaza, the State Department said.

An internal investigation into 12 U.N. relief workers in Gaza who Israel alleged were involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack has cleared one person , “as no evidence was provided by Israel to support the allegations,” said Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesman for U.N. Secretary General António Guterres. Investigations into an additional three cases have been suspended because of insufficient evidence provided by Israel, he said, and eight cases remain under investigation by the U.N. Office of Internal Oversight Services.

Activists who organized an aid flotilla to Gaza said Saturday that their mission was canceled, after authorities from Guinea-Bissau withdrew their country’s flag from two of the three ships. The flotilla was scheduled to depart from a port near Istanbul on Friday after multiple delays. On Thursday, the Guinea-Bissau International Ships Registry requested a last-minute inspection, activists said in a statement, calling the decision to remove the flags “blatantly political.”

At least 34,388 people have been killed and 77,437 injured in Gaza since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry , which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but says the majority of the dead are women and children. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, including more than 300 soldiers, and says 261 soldiers have been killed since its military operation in Gaza began.

Alon Rom, Claire Parker and Susannah George contributed to this report.

Israel-Gaza war

The Israel-Gaza war has gone on for six months, and tensions have spilled into the surrounding region .

The war: On Oct. 7, Hamas militants launched an unprecedented cross-border attack on Israel that included the taking of civilian hostages at a music festival . (See photos and videos of how the deadly assault unfolded ). Israel declared war on Hamas in response, launching a ground invasion that fueled the biggest displacement in the region since Israel’s creation in 1948 .

Gaza crisis: In the Gaza Strip, Israel has waged one of this century’s most destructive wars , killing tens of thousands and plunging at least half of the population into “ famine-like conditions. ” For months, Israel has resisted pressure from Western allies to allow more humanitarian aid into the enclave .

U.S. involvement: Despite tensions between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and some U.S. politicians , including President Biden, the United States supports Israel with weapons , funds aid packages , and has vetoed or abstained from the United Nations’ cease-fire resolutions.

History: The roots of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mistrust are deep and complex, predating the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 . Read more on the history of the Gaza Strip .

• Six months of the Israel-Gaza war: A timeline of key moments April 7, 2024 Six months of the Israel-Gaza war: A timeline of key moments April 7, 2024
• Homes burned, animals killed: Palestinians describe Israeli settler rampage April 16, 2024 Homes burned, animals killed: Palestinians describe Israeli settler rampage April 16, 2024
• Blinken calls proposed Israeli cease-fire deal ‘extraordinarily generous’ April 29, 2024 Blinken calls proposed Israeli cease-fire deal ‘extraordinarily generous’ April 29, 2024

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Middle East Crisis U.S. Won’t Suspend Aid, for Now, to Israeli Unit Accused of Abuses

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• Israeli police detaining protesters during a demonstration by Israeli and American rabbis near the Erez crossing into Gaza. Reuters
• Palestinian children waiting for a water supply tank in Rafah, southern Gaza. Mohammed Abed/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
• Damage in the area of Nabatieh, southern Lebanon. Ramiz Dallah/Anadolu, via Getty Images
• Walking past posters in Tel Aviv of hostages held in the Gaza Strip. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
• Hanging around the apparent remains of a ballistic missile near the southern Israeli city of Arad. Amir Cohen/Reuters
• Palestinians on a hot day at a beach west of Deir al Balah in southern Gaza. Mohammed Saber/EPA, via Shutterstock

Follow live news updates on the crisis in the Middle East .

Blinken says the U.S. could take action if Israel fails to hold its troops accountable.

The Biden administration, which has been under pressure for its support of Israel’s war in Gaza, will not withhold military aid from a troubled military unit accused of human rights violations in the West Bank, so long as Israel continues with steps to hold the members of the unit accountable.

In an undated letter, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken told the House speaker, Mike Johnson, that the United States was working with Israel to address charges against the unit, the Netzah Yehuda battalion. Though the letter did not mention the battalion’s name, a U.S. official confirmed that Mr. Blinken was referring to Netzah Yehuda, which has been investigated for crimes in the West Bank predating the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack that set off the war in Gaza.

The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss delicate diplomacy, said that the Biden administration could still take action against Netzah Yehuda if it concludes that Israel has not taken sufficient steps to hold its members to account.

The letter, obtained by The New York Times, said the State Department had determined that Netzah Yehuda had committed “gross human rights violations” against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

U.S. officials had reached similar findings about two other Israeli military units and two civilian units, the letter said, but in those cases the Biden administration had decided not to withhold military aid because Israel was already acting to “bring to justice” culpable service members.

Mr. Blinken assured Mr. Johnson in the letter, reported earlier by ABC News , that the United States “will not delay the delivery of any U.S. assistance, and Israel will be able to receive the full amount appropriated by Congress.”

Under federal statutes commonly known as the Leahy law , the U.S. government must deny aid to foreign military units found to have committed gross violations of human rights without accountability. The law allows for the targeting of individual units without cutting off entire foreign militaries.

It was not clear what practical effect any such move might have, given that funding of specific Israeli units is hard to track, and it is unclear whether the units mentioned in the letter receive American training or equipment.

Still, the news last week that U.S. officials were considering withholding aid from Israeli military units for abuses prompted a furious response from Israel and from Mr. Johnson, a strong supporter of the current Israeli government. Mr. Johnson said this week that he had called the White House in protest and had received an assurance in writing that none of the billions in additional U.S. aid to Israel approved by Congress this week would be affected.

The Biden administration has faced growing calls to restrict American aid to Israel over its military offensive in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attacks in October. President Biden so far has declined to place conditions on U.S. aid over Israel’s devastating tactics in the Gaza war, though he has taken several steps in response to violence by Israelis in the West Bank, including placing sanctions against several Israeli settlers for what the U.S. has called “extremist” acts of violence against Palestinians.

In his letter to the Republican House speaker, Mr. Blinken said that two Israeli battalions and “civilian authority units,” none of which he named, had committed human rights abuses but that he had “determined that the Israeli government has conducted effective remediation of the units involved.” He defined remediation as a process in which a foreign government takes “effective steps to bring to justice the responsible members of the unit.”

In the case of Netzah Yehuda, which he did not cite by name, he said that “there has not been effective remediation to date” but that the Israeli government “has presented new information regarding the status of the unit, and we will engage on identifying a path to effective remediation for this unit.”

Mr. Blinken is planning to travel to Israel next week for meetings with Israeli leaders to discuss efforts to free hostages from Gaza and an impending Israeli military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, an Israeli official said on Friday. It was not immediately clear whether he would discuss Netzah Yehuda. Mr. Blinken has discussed the matter by phone with senior Israeli officials in recent days.

Under the terms of a 10-year security agreement that the United States and Israel reached in 2016, the United States must consult with Israeli officials before placing restrictions on security assistance. That consultation is ongoing, according to the U.S. official.

Netzah Yehuda, which was created to accommodate the religious practices of Israel’s ultra-Orthodox community, has been repeatedly accused of mistreating Palestinians.

In January 2022, according to witnesses, its soldiers bound and gagged a 78-year-old Palestinian American who died of a heart attack while in military custody. An investigation concluded that the two soldiers who bound the man thought he was sleeping. The soldiers faced disciplinary action but no criminal charges were brought.

The unit was transferred in 2022 from the West Bank to the Golan Heights in northern Israel, according to Mr. Blinken’s letter.

Mr. Blinken added that no other Israeli units had been found culpable of rights violations under the Leahy Law and that the administration’s deliberations “will have no impact on our support for Israel’s ability to defend itself against Hamas, Iran, Hezbollah or other threats.”

— Michael Crowley reporting from Washington

Blinken will make another wartime trip to Israel.

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will visit Israel next week, an Israeli official said on Friday, as talks on a cease-fire deal that would allow for the release of hostages held in Gaza appear stalled and tensions have risen between Israel and the United States over the war.

The Israeli official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of lack of authorization to speak publicly on the matter, said talks with Mr. Blinken would center on hostages and an impending Israeli military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

Mr. Blinken last visited Israel in March, when he warned that its plans to invade Rafah , where more than a million displaced people are sheltering, would pose severe risks to civilians. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to press ahead with those plans, saying that such an operation is necessary to eliminate Hamas battalions in the city.

Still, the Biden administration has stuck by Israel as mediators have failed to broker even a temporary cease-fire in Gaza that would give Palestinians some respite and allow for the release of hostages abducted in the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel .

The United States has proposed a deal through Egyptian and Qatari intermediaries in which Hamas would release 40 of the most vulnerable hostages in exchange for a six-week truce and the release of hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. A senior Biden administration official who briefed reporters on Thursday on condition of anonymity under official ground rules put the blame solely on Hamas for blocking the deal.

The official said that while Israel had signaled it would accept those terms, the response from Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader hiding underground in Gaza, had been “totally nonconstructive.” Hamas has since signaled that it is not completely rejecting the deal and is willing to sit down again, the official said, adding that the United States and its partners would test that in coming days.

President Biden and the leaders of 17 other nations called on Hamas on Thursday to release all the hostages in a joint statement that appeared intended to send the message that the world is not entirely against Israel and that Hamas is the main impediment to ending the war.

Peter Baker contributed reporting from Washington.

— Patrick Kingsley reporting from Jerusalem

Israel fires into Lebanon after a deadly Hezbollah missile strike.

An Israeli man was killed in an anti-tank missile attack from Lebanon, the Israeli military said on Friday, the latest in a growing string of civilian casualties on both sides of Israel’s northern border as tit-for-tat strikes intensify with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah .

The Israeli military said in a statement that the man had been carrying out “infrastructure work” when two anti-tank missiles were fired late Thursday into the area of Har Dov in northern Israel, a disputed sliver of land where Israel, Lebanon and Syria meet. Also known as the Shebaa Farms, the area is claimed by Lebanon but occupied by Israel, and has long been a crucible for violence.

Hezbollah, Iran’s most powerful regional proxy , described the overnight attack as an “ambush,” claiming that two vehicles had been destroyed in a combined missile, artillery and rocket assault on an Israeli military base in the area. The Israeli military statement did not say whether a base had been hit.

Kan, Israel’s public broadcaster, identified the man killed as Sharif Suwayed, 35, and said that his truck had been hit while he was working to improve defenses at a military base, modifications that were being carried out at night to protect against Hezbollah attacks. The Israeli military was investigating, the broadcaster reported.

Israeli forces responded by striking Hezbollah targets across southern Lebanon, among them a weapon storage facility and military compound, according to a military statement. Lebanese state media reported on Friday that multiple towns had been targeted by heavy Israeli bombardment, damaging dozens of houses. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The fighting between Hezbollah and Israel, the heaviest between the sides in nearly two decades, has shown no sign of subsiding. Israeli strikes inside Lebanon have begun to creep deeper into the country’s interior, though the hostilities for now have been confined largely to areas along the Israeli-Lebanese border.

In Israel, 19 soldiers and civilians have been killed in the recent violence, which began after Hezbollah launched rockets into northern Israel in support of the deadly Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7.

More than 70 civilians have been killed in Lebanon, along with roughly 270 Hezbollah fighters, the group has said, a figure that exceeds its losses in the 2006 war with Israel .

Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defense minister, said this week that its strikes had eliminated half of Hezbollah’s commanders in southern Lebanon, although experts expressed skepticism about that claim . They also have cast doubt on whether targeted killings of commanders could achieve Israel’s goal of pushing Hezbollah farther from the border, reducing the threat of attacks and allowing the tens of thousands of Israeli civilians displaced by the fighting to return to their homes.

Patrick Kingsley contributed reporting from Jerusalem.

— Euan Ward Reporting from Beirut, Lebanon

A baby born in Gaza after her mother was killed in an Israeli strike dies less than a week later.

A baby who was delivered through an emergency cesarean section after her mother was killed in an Israeli strike died on Thursday, a relative said, less than a week after news of her birth brought a glimmer of hope to war-torn Gaza.

The baby, who was born prematurely after a strike in southern Gaza that also killed her father and sister, suffered respiratory problems, and doctors were unable to save her, said her uncle, Rami al-Sheikh.

“I buried her in her father’s grave,” he said in a phone interview on Friday.

The mother, Sabreen al-Sakani, was killed along with her husband, Shukri, and their 3-year-old daughter, Malak, when an Israeli strike hit their home in the city of Rafah shortly before midnight last Saturday. Rescue crews took the bodies to the Emirati Hospital in Rafah, where doctors performed a cesarean section on Ms. al-Sakani, who was 30 weeks pregnant.

The girls’ uncle said that Malak had wanted to name her little sister Rouh, the Arabic word for soul. The extended family decided instead to name her after her mother, Sabreen.

Sabreen weighed just three pounds at birth, said Dr. Mohammed Salama, head of the neonatal intensive care unit at Emirati Hospital. Her birth was captured on video by a journalist from the Reuters news agency, who filmed doctors providing artificial respiration to her after she emerged, pale and limp, from her mother.

Instead of a name, doctors initially wrote, “The baby of the martyr Sabreen al-Sakani” on a piece of tape across her chest.

“The baby was delivered into a tragic situation,” Dr. Salama told Reuters, adding, “Even if this baby survives, she was born an orphan.”

— Hiba Yazbek Reporting from Jerusalem

Drone attack kills 4 workers in an Iraqi gas field, but no one claims responsibility.

A drone attack on a large gas field in Iraq’s Kurdistan region killed four workers and plunged much of eastern Kurdistan into darkness because it relies on gas to fuel its electrical plants, according to a Kurdistan regional government spokesman.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. While Iranian-backed armed groups have bases in the area, there are many competing interests in Kurdistan, leaving it unclear whether the attacks are part of the larger regional fight between Iran and Israel, which has intensified during the war in Gaza.

The Kurdistan region’s president, Nechirvan Barzani, condemned the attack and called on the government in Baghdad to investigate. “These attacks endanger the peace and stability of the country,” Mr. Barzani said, adding, “The representatives of the Iraqi federal government must do their duty to prevent these attacks and find the perpetrators from any side and punish them according to the law.”

Iraq’s joint command in Baghdad issued a statement calling the attack “sabotage,” confirming that a drone was used. The statement said Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al Sudani had ordered an investigation.

Friday’s drone attack was the second so far this year on the Khor Mor field in Sulaymaniyah Province. The last one, in January, did not inflict casualties.

“Four Yemeni workers have been killed, and the field has been severely damaged, which will cause electricity shortages,” said Peshawa Hawramani, a spokesman for the Kurdistan regional government.

Almost a million people in Sulaymaniyah Province were left without power, along with thousands more in adjacent provinces. It took about 24 hours to restore electricity after the last attack, but because the damage was greater this time, Kurdish authorities said it could take longer. While hospitals and security services have large generators, many ordinary residents have access only to limited power from shared generators.

Claims of responsibility were never made for previous attacks on the gas field, which is operated by Dana Gas, based in the United Arab Emirates, and a related company, Crescent Petroleum.

While the drone attack could stem from the regional conflict between Iran and Israel, there are other tensions in the region — between internal Iraqi factions and between Baghdad and Kurdistan. There has been a multiyear effort by the Iraqi federal government in Baghdad and the courts to reduce the Kurdistan region’s control over its natural resources.

At the same time, there is tension between Iran and Iraq over any efforts by Iraq to expand domestic gas production. Iran sells about $4 billion of gas to Iraq each year because Iraq does not have enough gas to fuel its electricity plants. Kurdistan and the Iraqi government had been discussing expansion of the Khor Mor field.

Kamil Kakol contributed reporting from Sulaymaniyah Province, Iraq .

— Alissa J. Rubin Reporting from Baghdad

Rabbis are arrested near the Gaza-Israel border at a rally to highlight starvation.

Police arrest group of rabbis and activists near gaza, the israeli police arrested rabbis and peace activists near the border with gaza..

[singing] You can arrest us, but we’re going to walk slowly, our way towards the crossing.

Seven rabbis and peace activists were arrested on Friday near the border with Gaza after they tried to take food supplies into the territory, according to two participants and the campaign group that organized the effort.

The detainees were among a group of roughly 30 rabbis and activists from Israel and the United States who were stopped by police officers as they tried to reach the Erez crossing, a major transit point between Israel and northern Gaza.

Organized by Rabbis for Ceasefire, a peace movement based in the United States, the effort was intended to build support for a truce and to highlight rising reports of starvation in Gaza . A global authority on food security, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification initiative, has predicted an imminent famine in northern Gaza, the area of the territory closest to Erez.

The protest was timed to coincide with the week of Passover , a Jewish festival that celebrates the biblical story of the liberation of Jews from slavery in ancient Egypt.

“We were making the point that Jewish liberation is bound up with Palestinian liberation, that we want freedom for all,” said Toba Spitzer, a rabbi from Boston who attended the protest but was not arrested.

The group had tried to drive into Gaza with a pickup truck carrying half a ton of rice and flour but was stopped roughly a third of a mile from the border, Rabbi Spitzer said. The effort was largely symbolic and the organizers expected it to fail given the restrictions along the border; the supplies will now be donated to needy Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Rabbi Spitzer said.

The Israeli police did not respond to requests for comment.

The author Ayelet Waldman of Berkeley, Calif., was among those arrested, her husband, the author Michael Chabon, said on Instagram .

There are widespread food shortages in Gaza. Israeli restrictions on where convoys can enter the strip, Israeli bombardment and widespread damage to roads, the collapse of Gazan agriculture, and a breakdown in law and order have all made it harder to distribute aid safely.

Aid groups and United Nations officials have accused Israel of systematically limiting aid delivery. Israel denies the assertion, blaming the shortages on logistical failures by aid groups, and has recently increased the number of trucks entering the strip.

Israeli officials say that the Erez crossing, which was primarily used for pedestrian traffic before the war, is difficult to use for aid delivery because it lacks the right infrastructure and was also badly damaged during the Hamas-led raid on Israel in October.

A majority of Jewish Israelis oppose the delivery of more aid to Gaza, according to a poll conducted in February by the Israel Democracy Institute, a Jerusalem-based research group.

Israeli protesters regularly gather at another crossing point farther south, trying to block aid convoys entering Gaza .

— Patrick Kingsley and Rawan Sheikh Ahmad Reporting from Jerusalem and from Haifa, Israel

The U.S. Army has begun work on a floating pier to move aid from ships into Gaza, the Pentagon says.

Army engineers on Thursday began construction of a floating pier and causeway for humanitarian aid off the coast of Gaza, which, when completed, could help relief workers deliver as many as two million meals a day for the enclave’s residents, Defense Department officials said.

The construction on the “initial stages of the temporary pier and causeway at sea” means that the project’s timing is in line with what Pentagon officials had predicted, Maj. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder, the Defense Department’s press secretary, said. The construction is meant to allow humanitarian aid to bypass Israeli restrictions on land convoys into the besieged strip.

General Ryder said that defense officials expected the project, ordered up by President Biden early last month, to be completed early next month. The facility is meant to include an offshore platform to transfer aid from ships, and a floating pier to bring the aid to shore.

Aid organizations have welcomed the plan, which will be an addition to the airdrops of humanitarian supplies that the U.S. military has been conducting over Gaza. But aid workers say, and defense officials have acknowledged, that the maritime project is not an adequate substitute for land convoys. Such aid convoys fell sharply when the war began more than six months ago and have only partly recovered .

Some U.S. military officials have also privately expressed security concerns about the project, and General Ryder said that the military was looking into a mortar attack on Wednesday that caused minimal damage in the area where some pier work is supposed to be done. However, he said, U.S. forces had not started moving anything into the area at the time of the mortar attacks.

The floating pier is being built alongside an Army ship off the Gaza coast. Army ships are large, lumbering vessels, so they have armed escorts, particularly as they get within range of Gaza’s coast, defense officials have said.

The United Nations says famine is likely to set in within Gaza by the end of May.

Aid workers have described bottlenecks for aid at border crossings because of lengthy inspections of trucks, limited crossing hours and protests by Israelis, and they have highlighted the difficulty of distributing aid inside Gaza. Israeli officials have denied that they are hampering the flow of aid, saying the United Nations and aid groups are responsible for any backlogs.

Senior Biden administration and military officials detailed a complex plan in a Pentagon call with reporters on Thursday afternoon, explaining how the pier and causeway are being put together, and how it is supposed to work. Army engineers are constructing the facility aboard Navy ships in the eastern Mediterranean. One official said that the “at-sea assembly of key pieces” of the pier began on Thursday.

Biden officials are insistent that the Pentagon can carry out aid deliveries through the floating pier without putting American boots on the ground in Gaza. Officials described a complicated shuttle system, through which aid would be loaded onto Navy ships in Cyprus and transported to a causeway — a floating platform — at sea.

The Pentagon’s military acronym for the project is J-Lots, for Joint Logistics Over the Shore.

The causeway at sea is different from the floating pier where the aid will be offloaded into Gaza. An engineering unit with the Israeli military will anchor the floating pier to the Gaza shore, a senior military official told reporters in the Pentagon call.

Shuttle boats run by aid organizations, the United Nations or other countries are then expected to transport the aid to the floating pier, where it is to be loaded onto trucks driven by “a third party,” the official said. He declined to identify the third party.

The official said that Israel was dedicating a brigade to provide security for the American troops and aid workers working on the pier.

The operation is expected to bring in enough aid for around 90 trucks a day, a number that will increase to 150 trucks a day when the system reaches full operating capacity, the official said.

— Helene Cooper Reporting from Washington

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