Things to do in Ioannina

Ioannina is the capital of Epirus, in the mountains of northwest Greece, and it does not resemble the Greece of the islands in any respect. It sits on a lake, it is surrounded by high country, and its old town is Ottoman. That last fact is the reason to come, and it is the thing most itineraries of Greece leave out entirely.

The Kastro, which is the main event. 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. A fortified quarter that is somebody’s neighbourhood rather than a monument is a different experience from a restored site, and it is why an hour here is not enough.

Its Kale, the acropolis. Inside the citadel, this holds the Fethiye Mosque, the tomb of Ali Pasha, and a Byzantine museum with an exceptional silverwork collection. The silver is not incidental: the city has a long silversmithing tradition and the museum is where you understand it.

The southeastern citadel. The second stronghold holds the Aslan Pasha Mosque, now the municipal museum, with a view over the lake.

Ali Pasha, who the whole city is told through. The Albanian-born governor ruled here semi-independently of the Sultan around the turn of the nineteenth century. He is not romanticised locally. He was ruthless, and the museums say so. That is worth knowing before you go, because a lot of writing about Ioannina turns him into a picturesque despot and the city itself does not.

Nisi, the island in the lake. It has a small village on it and no cars, reached by a ten-minute boat from the waterfront. On it are 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, and 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 the city uses in the evening. That evening promenade is the best free thing here and it is the moment the place stops being a sight and becomes somewhere people live.

Perama cave, on the edge of town. A large stalactite system open to visitors, and close enough to fold into a half day rather than plan around.

What Ioannina is the base for. This is the practical case for staying rather than passing through. It is the gateway to Zagori and the Vikos gorge in the mountains to the north, to Dodona, the ancient oracle with a large theatre about half an hour south, and to Metsovo and the Pindus range to the east. Our Ioannina guide has the practicalities and where to stay covers the lake and the citadel.