The 10 Best Things to do in Kalambaka, Thessaly

This 15th-century monastery is carved into the mountainside and is the one most often shown in ads.

This is the smallest of the 16th-century monasteries.

This is the only convent in the area.

Founded in 1545, this monastery is the most inaccessible of its kind.

Founded in 1517, this monastery houses a valuable collection of Byzantine relics.

Natural History Museum of Meteora and Mushroom Museum is located in the city of Kalambaka, very close to Meteora. Essentially, there are two museums housed in a building of 1100 m2 that host two permanent collections: The first one is about animals and contains approximately 350 species of mammals and birds, while the second one is about mushrooms and contains approximately 250 species of mushrooms. The collection of animals consists of high quality embalmed birds and mammals, made by Europe's best taxidermists, while some of them are very rare. The mushroom collection consists of handmade mushroom sculptures maintaining the similarity of colors, shapes and size. They are presented in three stages of development, so that the visitor forms a complete picture of mushroom's life circle. The sculptures were created one by one by high skilled sculptors of the wider local region. However, it is not just the quality of the exhibits that makes our Museum great, but also the way of presentation, which is very unique for greek standards and it can be compared with other similar european museums. Animals and mushrooms are presented into dioramas which depict exactly the natural terrain where they live and grow into(i.e. woods, wetlands etc.). The result of the dioramas is magnificent and ravishing to both young and older visitors, a fact that is reflected daily in the guestbook of the Museum, as well as on our Facebook page. Phrases such as "wonderful representation", "theatrical scenery", "huge work of art", "pioneering effort", "unique effort" etc., are just few of the comments of our visitors. This is one of the reasons that during these few months of our operation, our Museum has often been the main theme for reportages by the majority of Greek media and social media, a fact which presumably indicates the value and the quality of the project. Also, as part of the effort to expand the Museum's activity, there is our Artspace with a permanent exhibition of paintings and sculptures of local artists. The artists explore projects similar to Museum's theme, connecting the natural and cultural heritage through their own artistic experience and way of expression. Finally, it is essential to be mentioned that the University of Athens, which is our official scientific advisor, supports the function of the museum as well as the provided information. It is obvious that our museum can satisfy the most demanding visitor with both its aesthetic and its provided information. Furthermore, your visit does not stop here! It continues to the Museum's cafe where you can enjoy your coffee enjoying the view of the rocks of Meteora and it ends at the Museum's souvenir shop where you have the opportunity to buy unique souvenirs, as well as a big variety of wild edible mushrooms of excellent quality, placed in a unique product packaging. These products of greek nature, having the logo and guarantee of the Museum, can be an ideal and a very tasty gift. Most of the mushrooms are collected from surrounding areas, which are famous not only for their mushroom quantity, but also for the quality. This is why, the Museum has compiled a list of activities related to mushrooms, which essentially constitutes a new touristic product and enriches uniquely the planned visit in the area of Meteora. These activities include seminars providing basic information about mushrooms, visits upon the mountain for mushroom picking, mushroom cooking, lunch or dinner with mushrooms accompanied by greek modern and traditional music and other activities that are listed more detailed in the relevant list which is at your disposal. In conclusion, one can understand that this is not an ordinary museum where everything is static. It is a museum with a special dynamic, trying to variously satisfy the requirements of its visitors. This is why visiting our Museum can be a unique experience.