This section is dedicated to take away all your "I wish someone had told me that before I went!" experiences. This way, you can spend less time settling in, and more time making new friends in your chosen hostel. We share our insider knowledge of tips, tricks and important things to look out for in Kalabaka.
Kalabaka (Kalambaka), Greece, is a small town in Thessaly in the north of Greece, at the foot of the mountains where the famous UNESCO World Heritage Site Meteora Monasteries are located. The town (along with nearby Kastraki, which should be considered part of Kalabaka, starting as soon as this ends) serves almost exclusively as base camp for people coming to visit the monasteries, which can typically be done in one day or two, although a few people stay several days in order to do some hiking. Once boasting twenty-four monasteries at the top of the rock summits, today only six remain, as well as several ruins and hermit caves.
The town receives all types of tourists seeking to visit the monasteries and not much else, since due to the place's location and size, there is not much more to see or do. Despite the fact that tourism is the main industry and what most locals do for a living, there are not many accommodation options. Hostels in Kalabaka (Kalambaka), Greece, are scarce; most are located in the Kalambaka area and a few are in the Kastraki area. Visitors looking for a hostel in Kalabaka (Kalambaka), Greece, should take in consideration that the ones located in the first zone will be the closest to the the train station as well as to the bus "station" and most restaurants and cafés, while the ones in the second group will be closer to where the hiking trails begin.
The traveler looking for a hostel in Kalabaka (Kalambaka), Greece, should be aware this is an old town, with simple buildings and installations. Most hostels in Kalabaka (Kalambaka), Greece are very small and could be considered poor by European hostel standards. Many of them have limited hot water, or bedsheets hanging to make-shift walls, since they are usually small houses or large flats or whole floors refurbished into hostels, not originally conceived as guest houses. However, this should not be a big issue since the tourist looking for a hostel in Kalabaka (Kalambaka), Greece is likely to stay one night or two at the most.
Written by local enthusiast for Kalabaka hostels
afzalazar