Theopetra's Prehistoric Cave
Theopetra's Prehistoric Cave
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
4.0
60 reviews
Excellent
29
Very good
13
Average
4
Poor
5
Terrible
9
Vicky C
Athens, Greece106 contributions
Jan 2015 • Couples
If you are into prehistoric caves this is a must see. It takes 10 minutes fron Kalambaka to get there and about 20 from Trikala on a very easy and well signed road. The cave is small (it takes 15-20 minutes to walk the root, read the information and see the findings. The temperature in the cave is warmer in the winter than outside but it still has ice in it and you must be careful where you step so you don't slip. You have to climb a flight of stairs to get to the entrance (accesss for disabled people is avilable) and the entrance fee is 3 euro. The guard-ticket holder-guide is more than happy to share with you all the information. You can see footsteps, 3 human barials (one has the whole skeleton), carvings, the excavation tools and the most anciet globaly prehistoric wall that that men of that era made with rocks to keep out the cold and wild animals looking for shelter. There is a small museum under construction that will exibit all the findings but it is not ready yet. That means that there is more to be seen like tools but not available right now. Overall, i recommend the visit.
Written January 6, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KeithC8587
Kent, WA20 contributions
Aug 2014 • Family
Thousands of people visit Meteora and most of them skip the Theopetra cave. I think that wold be a serious mistake. I found the experience fascinating and deeply moving. You'll see human footprints 120,000 years old, the grave of a young woman who died 10,000 years ago, and a wall that is 23,000 years old making it the oldest known man-made structure in the world. (Think about that - older than the Parthenon, than the great wall, than the pyramids...)
The cave is small and you could walk through the whole thing in five minutes but take the time to read the informational signs. Look around for a guard or guide and ask questions if he or she is available. The guide who was there during our visit spoke excellent English and he was more than happy to tell us about the hearths, the footprints, and the wall. It would be easy to walk through the cave and miss seeing the wall completely (it is below the paved walkway, near the entrance) so ask for directions and take it all in.
I would say the monastery of Grand Meteora (Meteora Megala) and the Theopetra cave were the highlights of my trip to central Greece. If you are planning a trip to Meteora, the first thing you should do is find out which days Grand Meteora and the Theopetra cave are open. If your itinerary only takes you there when one or the other is closed, change your itinerary! See those two sites.
Theopetra is only five kilometers south of Kalambaka so you can find lots of options for getting there. Greek roads are a little crazy so walking or bicycling would require nerve (and might be foolish) but you can easily rent a vehicle in Kalambaka if you don't have one of your own.
It costs a few Euros to get in but it is worth far more than they charge.
I don't recall any way to get a wheelchair up to the cave. There are stairs involved which are nothing compared to what you face at the monasteries but I don't think there is any way around the stairs.
The cave is small and you could walk through the whole thing in five minutes but take the time to read the informational signs. Look around for a guard or guide and ask questions if he or she is available. The guide who was there during our visit spoke excellent English and he was more than happy to tell us about the hearths, the footprints, and the wall. It would be easy to walk through the cave and miss seeing the wall completely (it is below the paved walkway, near the entrance) so ask for directions and take it all in.
I would say the monastery of Grand Meteora (Meteora Megala) and the Theopetra cave were the highlights of my trip to central Greece. If you are planning a trip to Meteora, the first thing you should do is find out which days Grand Meteora and the Theopetra cave are open. If your itinerary only takes you there when one or the other is closed, change your itinerary! See those two sites.
Theopetra is only five kilometers south of Kalambaka so you can find lots of options for getting there. Greek roads are a little crazy so walking or bicycling would require nerve (and might be foolish) but you can easily rent a vehicle in Kalambaka if you don't have one of your own.
It costs a few Euros to get in but it is worth far more than they charge.
I don't recall any way to get a wheelchair up to the cave. There are stairs involved which are nothing compared to what you face at the monasteries but I don't think there is any way around the stairs.
Written September 9, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
fkolingen
New York City, NY118 contributions
Jul 2014 • Family
Finally a place that the masses will ignore. It could even be the spiritual kind of place that Meteora no longer are, because of overcrowding. You enter and you feel, you know, some of your DNA is buried here. You went through this place. You recognize the place. You know, you feel it in your bones that your DNA lived here.
And if not here, in a place just like this. A cave. half a million years ago. Or only 120K years ago, before the last ice age. And, 15k year ago, after the ice age.
But you were here. You saw the same horizon, you saw the fertile valley below, full of animals to hunt. You were at once amazed and distraught. You lived here.
If you didn't feel it, you are not human.
And if not here, in a place just like this. A cave. half a million years ago. Or only 120K years ago, before the last ice age. And, 15k year ago, after the ice age.
But you were here. You saw the same horizon, you saw the fertile valley below, full of animals to hunt. You were at once amazed and distraught. You lived here.
If you didn't feel it, you are not human.
Written July 16, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Steve L
West Wycombe, UK40 contributions
Aug 2016 • Family
There is a sign in paper in Greek at the bottom of the hill that we think says its closed. We got to the top where its difficult to turn round and then looked online and seems to have been closed since end of June for safety reasons? Can anyone expand?
Written August 4, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
N S
Athens, Greece478 contributions
Aug 2018 • Friends
We were told at the hotel that this Cave has been closed since more than two years, and despite the promises by the minister of Civilisation that staff will be employed, so far the cave remains closed. Visitors do not in advance know that it is closed, they go there and realise that the cave is closed.. The minister seems not to care less..
Written August 17, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
k4utya
Coventry, UK119 contributions
Dec 2018 • Couples
The caves seem to have been closed for a while. The road leading upto is not maintained with evidence of land slides. Google maps incorrectly shows this as open.
Written December 22, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dr. Gee
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia10 contributions
Aug 2017 • Family
I was very very very disappointed when I was about to get there and knew by surprise that the cave is under construction !
Seriously like now? It was my top place to go and visit in there, but now I'm back to Athens with anger and disappointment..
Seriously like now? It was my top place to go and visit in there, but now I'm back to Athens with anger and disappointment..
Written August 3, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Colin G
Hazel Grove, UK494 contributions
Jun 2017 • Couples
I had not previewed the reviews on Trip Advisor so had not realised that the Cave is closed so when we turned up earlier today (0900) we found the gate locked and a notice in Greek only. We had difficulty turning the car around on the narrow road & hill but at the visitor centre found another notice on the road sign saying the cave was closed for safety reasons with no indication of a date for re-opening.
Written June 9, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Elmer T
San Diego, CA16 contributions
Sep 2016
We were very disappointed that the Theopetra cave was closed due to technical problems. (kind of ironic??) However we did visit the museum. It is very small and not even signed; we just happened to ask for it at the right place. There was NO admission and the people would not even take a donation! The museum was very small but well done with good explanations for the exhibits, It was mind blowing to realize that this cave housed people from 130,000 years ago! Hopefully the cave will be opened again soon.
Written October 16, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Emil_J_Padar
Virginia112 contributions
Jun 2016 • Solo
As caves and ruins go, it might not be immediately impressive, but this is the site of over 130,000 years of Neanderthal and then human occupation. The entire (pre)history of lithic technology, pottery, agriculture, etc. is right here in one spot. Neanderthal footprints, human burials two thousand years apart within the same family, you name it. If you're interested in anthropology, archaeology, or just how people came to be, you should see this site. It's literally part of everybody's history.
There's also a tiny museum at the bottom of the road that contains the artifacts and remains found in the cave. That's where you can actually see the progression from Neanderthal stone tools all the way to human painted pottery and jewelry.
I saw this as part of a half-day tour from Visit Meteora and was very pleased!
There's also a tiny museum at the bottom of the road that contains the artifacts and remains found in the cave. That's where you can actually see the progression from Neanderthal stone tools all the way to human painted pottery and jewelry.
I saw this as part of a half-day tour from Visit Meteora and was very pleased!
Written June 15, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ReneV1972
The Hague, The Netherlands446 contributions
When is the cave again open for public?
nikolopoulou3
Patras, Greece
αν είναι ανοικτό το σπήλαιο κ ποιες ημερες
Triantafyllos
Athens, Greece142 contributions
Δυστυχώς είναι κλειστό στο κοινό..
nikolopoulou3
Patras, Greece
καλημέρα σας, επειδη διάβασα αρκετα κ μπερδεύτηκα. Είναι ανοικτό το σπηλαιο κ ποιες ημερες??
Triantafyllos
Athens, Greece142 contributions
Είναι κλειστό στο κοινό
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Theopetra's Prehistoric Cave Information
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