An Ioannina itinerary: three Ottoman days

Three days is right: one for the citadel, one for the lake and the museums, one for the mountains beyond. Everything else is in the Ioannina guide.

Day 1: 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.

Do both in one afternoon and take your time with the silverwork, which is the collection people are surprised by. Ioannina was a silversmithing city and the museum treats that seriously.

Eat inside the walls in the evening. The Kastro is a residential quarter rather than a monument, which is what makes it worth staying in rather than visiting.

Day 2: the island, and the lake

A boat crosses to the island in Lake Pamvotida in minutes, and it is the other half of the city. There is a village on it with no cars, several monasteries around its shore, and the house where Ali Pasha was killed, which is now a small museum.

It is a half-day at most and a good one: a lake village, a walk round the shore under the trees, and lunch. Go in the morning while the light is on the mountains behind.

Give the afternoon to the lakeside promenade and the modern city, which is a university town and livelier than its mountain setting suggests.

Day 3: Zagori and the gorge

The reason to give Ioannina a third day. Zagori is a region rather than a place: forty-six villages scattered across the Pindus mountains north of the city, built of grey stone with slate roofs, connected by cobbled paths and arched bridges. It looks nothing like the rest of Greece and it is the best walking country in the country.

The Vikos gorge cuts through the middle of it, a limestone canyon whose depth relative to its width has it cited as one of the deepest in the world. For a day trip take the viewpoints at Oxya or Beloi and one or two villages rather than the gorge floor, which is a full-day walk of its own.

If the mountains appeal at all, move up there for two nights rather than day-tripping.

How to adapt this

Two days. The Kastro on the first, the island and the lake on the second. That is the essential Ioannina.

As a stop between Meteora and the coast. This is how most people meet the city, and one night is enough for the citadel. Athens to Ioannina covers the run.

In winter. Epirus is a winter destination in a way the islands are not, and Ioannina is at its best under cloud with the lake still. The Zagori roads carry snow, so check.

With a car. Necessary for Zagori and useful for everything else. The city itself walks.

Where this leaves you

Three days in Ioannina: the Ottoman citadel and its two strongholds on the first, the island in the lake and the promenade on the second, and Zagori and the Vikos gorge on the third. It is a lake city in the mountains with the best-preserved Ottoman quarter in the country, and it is the opposite of a Greek island holiday in every respect.

Quick answers

How many days do you need in Ioannina?

Three: one for the walled citadel, one for the island in the lake and the city, and one for Zagori and the Vikos gorge in the mountains north. Two days covers the city itself.

What is the Kastro in Ioannina?

The walled citadel on the lake shore, the best-preserved Ottoman old town in Greece and still lived in. It holds two separate inner strongholds: Its Kale with the Fethiye Mosque, Ali Pasha’s tomb and a Byzantine museum, and the southeastern citadel with the Aslan Pasha Mosque.

Can you visit the island in the lake?

Yes, a boat crosses in minutes. The island has a car-free village, several monasteries and the house where Ali Pasha was killed, now a small museum. It is a half day and best taken in the morning.

Is Ioannina worth visiting?

Yes, and it is usually undersold as an overnight stop. It is a lake city in the mountains with an Ottoman quarter you can walk around, an exceptional silverwork collection, and the Zagori villages and Vikos gorge within reach.