Metsovo on a budget: how to do it well
Short answer
Yes, especially on weekdays: Metsovo is walkable, museum tickets are cheap and taverna meals are fair. A realistic minimum is about €65 a day per person sharing a room — around €28 for a bed, €22 for food, €8 for sights and €5 for transport.
A realistic daily budget
| Budget | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (per person, sharing) | €28 | €55 | €110 |
| Food & drink | €22 | €38 | €60 |
| Sights & tickets | €8 | €18 | €35 |
| Local transport | €5 | €20 | €35 |
| Per person, per day | €63 | €131 | €240 |
Approximate 2026 prices, two people sharing a room. From our Metsovo day-cost table.
Free things to do
- Sitting in the main square by the church of Agia Paraskevi
- Walking the steep lanes and stone houses of the town
- The path down to the Monastery of Agios Nikolaos, about 15–20 minutes below the town
- Window-shopping the cheese, honey and woodcarving shops on the main street
- Walking tracks and picnic spots along the shore of Lake Aoos (if you have transport)
- Views over the valley and forest from the upper town
Cheap eats
- Greek coffee in the square — about €2–3
- Kolokithopita (pumpkin pie), hortopita (greens pie) or kasopita (cheese pie) from a bakery or taverna
- Bean soup or trahanas soup at a taverna
- Grilled Metsovone, the smoked local cheese, as a shared starter
- A full taverna meal with a glass of local wine — about €15–22 per person
Where to sleep for less
Budget travellers stay in simple guesthouses below the square, with wooden interiors, where a double costs about €50–80 a night. Prices rise on winter weekends and holidays, so weekdays give the best value. There is no hostel scene; sharing a double is the cheapest option.
Getting around cheaply
Arrive by KTEL bus from Ioannina (roughly €8–12) and walk everywhere in town. A car is needed for Lake Aoos and the forest, so share one if you can. For Meteora without a car, check the Ioannina–Trikala bus, which also stops at Kalambaka.
A sample budget day
- Morning: Greek coffee in the square (about €2–3) and a walk through the lanes
- Lunch: a slice of local pie and a salad (about €8–10)
- Afternoon: Averoff Gallery (about €3–5), then the free walk down to Agios Nikolaos monastery
- Evening: taverna dinner with bean soup and a glass of local wine (about €15)
- Total: about €65 including a shared room (about €28)
More ways to save
- Pick a room with breakfast included; mountain breakfasts with pies and cheese can carry you to the afternoon.
- Share a car for the Lake Aoos and Meteora days to split fuel and tolls.
- Book well ahead for Christmas, New Year and winter weekends, when cheap rooms go first.
- Ask your host which museums are open that day before walking over, as opening days vary.
- Bring warm clothes so you are not tempted to buy them in town.
- Take local cheese home vacuum-packed rather than buying it at the airport.
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Common questions
Can you visit Metsovo on a budget?
Yes. Stay in a guesthouse below the square, eat pies and soups and visit on weekdays. Plan on about €65 a day.
Can I get to Metsovo by bus?
Yes. KTEL buses on the Ioannina–Trikala route stop in Metsovo a few times a day, roughly €8–12 from Ioannina.
Can I visit Meteora from Metsovo?
Yes, it is about an hour's drive east on the Egnatia motorway, with monastery entry of about €3–5 each.