Ioannina: a walled citadel on a lake, in the mountains

Diagram by Greece Trips. Free to reuse with credit - CC BY 4.0.

The Kastro

The walled citadel on the lake shore is the best-preserved Ottoman old town in Greece, and it is still lived in: lanes of houses inside the walls, with two separate inner strongholds.

• Its Kale, the acropolis, holds the Fethiye Mosque, the tomb of Ali Pasha, and a Byzantine museum with an exceptional silverwork collection.
• The southeastern citadel holds the Aslan Pasha Mosque, now the municipal museum, with a view over the lake.

Ali Pasha, the Albanian-born governor who ruled here semi-independently of the Sultan around the turn of the nineteenth century, is the figure the whole city is told through. He is not romanticised locally; he was ruthless, and the museums say so.

The island

Nisi, in the lake, has a small village on it and no cars, reached by a ten-minute boat from the waterfront. It has several monasteries and the house where Ali Pasha was cornered and killed, now a museum with the bullet holes in the floor.

Boats run frequently. Between the village, the monasteries and the lakeside path it is a comfortable half day.

The city

Beyond the walls Ioannina is a substantial university city with a long silversmithing tradition, a covered market area, and a lakefront promenade that the city uses in the evening.

Perama cave, on the edge of town, is a large stalactite system open to visitors.

What it is the base for

This is the practical case. Ioannina is the gateway to:

• Zagori and the Vikos gorge, in the mountains to the north.
• Dodona, the ancient oracle with a large theatre, about half an hour south.
• Metsovo and the Pindus range to the east.

Getting there and how long

Ioannina has an airport with domestic flights, and the Egnatia motorway makes it about four and a half hours from Thessaloniki and rather more from Athens.

Two nights for the city, more if you are using it for Zagori.

Last checked August 2026. Museum hours and boat services change - see our editorial policy.

Common questions

What is Ioannina known for?

Its lakeside Ottoman citadel, the inhabited island in its lake, its silversmithing tradition, and being the gateway to the Zagori mountains.

What is on the island at Ioannina?

A small car-free village, several monasteries, and the house where Ali Pasha was killed, now a museum. It is a ten-minute boat from the waterfront.

Who was Ali Pasha?

The Albanian-born governor who ruled Ioannina semi-independently of the Ottoman Sultan around the turn of the nineteenth century. The city’s museums tell his story without romanticising it.

Is Ioannina a good base for the Zagori?

Yes. It is the natural gateway to Zagori and the Vikos gorge, with Dodona and the Pindus also within reach.

Does Ioannina have an airport?

Yes, with domestic flights, and the Egnatia motorway connects it to Thessaloniki in about four and a half hours.

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Read Zagori, Meteora, or Thessaloniki.