Ioannina: A City of History & Culture

Ioannina is the capital of Epirus and is a vibrant city with a rich cultural tradition and centuries of history. The city is located at the lakeside of Pamvotida lake and offers beautiful images combined with many attractions in the city but within a short drive also. Worth mentioning are the island in the lake with the last residence of Ali Pasha, the nearby Zagoria villages and Perama Cave. Everyday life in Ioannina is influenced by the thousands of college students that give a youthful breath and an extra boost to the city’s nightlife.

How to Get? Fly to Internation Airport of Ioannina – “King Pyrros” (IOA).

Sightseeing

Lake Pamvotida – Ioannina island

The lake of Ioannina is at an altitude of 470 meters and is an attraction for tourists and romantic walkers. In the middle of the lake there is a small island with a settlement and St. Panteleimon’s monastery where in 1822 Ali Pasha was murdered. Access to the island is by boat from Molos in Ioannina.

Fortress

Built in 528 AD as fortification of the Byzantine Empire, the fortress in the era of Ali Pasha was the largest administrative center of Greece. The fortress consists of four parts: the outer enclosure, the northwest citadel with the Aslan Paha Mosque, southeast citadel with Its-Kale and Kastropoliteia, the old town of Ioannina.

Perama Cave

Three kilometers from the city of Ioannina is the cave of Perama which created 1.5 million years ago inside Goritsas hill, just above the village of Perama. It was accidentally discovered by the residents who tried to take refuge from the bombing during world war II. It ranks among the best caves in the world with rich decoration stalactites and stalagmites in all its 1,500 feet of trail

Museums

Pavlos Vrellis Museum of Wax Effigies

Within short drive from Ioannina is the Pavlos Vrellis Greek History Museum. It is a private wax museum, the best in Greece, hosting 37 themes and 150 wax models created by the sculptor Pavlos Vrellis.

Archaeological museum

In the city centre of Ioannina is the archaeological museum with finds from the Stone Age to the Late Roman period. It includes bronze utensils, artifacts from Dodoni and a hand ax from 200,000 BC.

Byzantine museum

The museum opened in 1995 in order to preserve the findings of the wider region of Epirus from the early Christian, Byzantine era to the late-Byzantine period. Alongside it hosts musical and theatrical events and temporary exhibitions.

Municipal Folklore Museum

In the northwestern citadel of the fortress of Ioannina, inside the Aslan Pasha Mosque, operates the Municipal Folklore Museum. In addition to a panoramic view of Ioannina and the lake, visitors see exhibits from the 15th to the early 20th century, when three communities in the city of Ioannina (Greek-Christian, Muslim and Turkish-Jewish) lived together in harmony.

Archaeological site of Dodoni

Dodoni is a historical region of Greece known for its ancient theater and its oracle. The archaeological site is located 22 km from Ioannina and beside the theater and the oracle there are monuments, ancient buildings and museums.

Religious monuments

In Ioannina there are six monasteries. The oldest is St. Nicholas, also known as Stratigopoulou, from the 11th century. There are also Saint Nicholas from 1292 AD, St. John the Baptist (1506 AD), monastery of Eleousis (1570 AD), Saint Panteleimon (17th century) and Metamorphoseos Sotiros (1851 AD).

Entertainment / Activities

Vikos Gorge

It is the deepest canyon in the world according to the Guinness book of records, with a depth ranging from 450m to 1600m. The gorge collects the waters of a number of small rivers and leads them into the Voidomatis River which forms in the gorge. Vikos Gorge is located about 45 minutes drive from Ioannina and is the core of the National Park of Vikos-Aoou. A hiking trail descends into the gorge from Monodendri and leads north to the springs of the Voidomatis river.

Papingko

Papingko is located on the slopes of Tymfi at an altitude of 960 m and is divided into two villages: Megalo Papingo and Mikro Papingo (big and small Papingo). Both are among the most characteristic examples of local architecture and have been declared as traditional villages. Over Papingo rises the steep rocks formation of Astrakas (top of Timfi Mount). Other famous places near Papingko is Drakolimni, an alpine lake at an altitude o 2050 m and Colimpithres, large cavities formed in the rocky bed of the stream of Rogovou, filled with water.

Sports

Nature and sports lovers they have many choices of activities and extreme sports in the prefecture of Ioannina. If you love rafting and canoeing, the rivers of the area are ideal. For mountain lovers there are places for canyoning, hiking, climbing, mountain bike and paragliding.

Accommodation

Apart from the cosmopolitan city of Ioannina with its lively nightlife, guests can also choose between many near destinations for relaxation and variety of activities.

Metsovo

The most famous mountain village of Ioannina ditrict is Metsovo, at an altitude of 1,160 m. Metsovo has always attracted passersby and travelers. Apart from the beauty of the traditional village and the nearby ski resort, it is well known for its culinary delights, the manufacture of cheese and wine.

Zagoria villages

A cluster of 46 villages in the region of Zagoria is known as Zagorochoria and all of them feature traditional architecture and unique natural beauty.