# Ioannina Travel Guide: The Lake, the Castle and the Island > Ioannina travel guide: the Kastro and Its Kale, the island in Lake Pamvotida, Ali Pasha's story, Epirus food and day trips to Perama and Dodoni. URL: https://theauthenticgreece.com/ioannina-travel-guide/ Last updated: 2026-10-30 --- Ioannina is the capital of Epirus, a lively university city on the shore of Lake Pamvotida with a walled old town, two Ottoman mosques, a small inhabited island and a long, colourful history centred on Ali Pasha. Give it one or two full days for the Kastro, the island and the museums, then use it as a base for Zagori, the Perama cave and the ancient oracle at Dodoni. It is one of the most rewarding cities in mainland Greece and one of the least crowded. ## Quick facts - **Where:** northwest Greece, capital of Epirus, about 480 m above sea level. - **Getting there:** flights from Athens to Ioannina airport; by road around 1 hour from Igoumenitsa, about 3 hours from Thessaloniki on the Egnatia motorway, and roughly 4.5 to 5 hours from Athens. - **Time needed:** 1 to 2 days for the city, 3 to 5 with Zagori and Dodoni. - **Best time:** spring and autumn; winters are cold and foggy but atmospheric, summers can be hot. - **Good for:** history, food, walking, a base for the mountains. ## A city shaped by Ali Pasha Ioannina was an important Byzantine town, but its golden age came under Ottoman rule, when it grew into a centre of trade, crafts and Greek learning. From 1787 to 1822 it was the seat of Ali Pasha, the ambitious Ottoman Albanian ruler who built a semi-independent state across Epirus and much of Albania, entertained Lord Byron and negotiated with Napoleon as if he were a king. The Sultan finally sent an army against him, and he was killed in January 1822 on the island in the lake. His tomb, his palace grounds and countless legends remain, including the story of Kyra Frosini, the noblewoman he is said to have drowned in the lake in 1800. The city joined Greece in 1913. Today it has a large university, which keeps the cafés and bars busy, and a strong craft tradition, especially in silver. ## The Kastro The walled old town, the Kastro, juts into the lake on a rocky promontory. It is still lived in, with houses, small hotels and cafés inside the walls, and it is a pleasure simply to wander. The walls you see today largely date from Ali Pasha’s rebuilding in the early 19th century, on Byzantine foundations. ### Aslan Pasha Mosque In the northeastern citadel stands the Aslan Pasha Mosque of 1618, with its minaret and lake views. It now houses the Municipal Ethnographic Museum, with costumes, weapons, silverwork and objects from the city’s Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities. Nearby, the Old Synagogue recalls the Romaniote Jewish community, Greek-speaking Jews who lived in Ioannina for centuries; most of them were deported by the Nazis in 1944. ### Its Kale The inner citadel, Its Kale, occupies the southeastern corner. Here are the Fethiye Mosque, the tomb of Ali Pasha beside it, the remains of his palace (now home to the Byzantine Museum), the old treasury building and the arcades of the former kitchens, where a café now serves coffee under the trees. The **Silversmithing Museum**, opened in 2016 in one of the bastions, is the most modern museum in the city and very well presented, tracing the craft from mountain workshops to fine church silver and jewellery. Allow two to three hours for Its Kale and the museums, and check current opening days, as several sites close one day a week. ## The island (Nisi) A short boat ride from the quay below the Kastro walls brings you to the island, simply called Nisi. Boats run frequently throughout the day, roughly every half hour in summer and less often in winter; the crossing takes around 10 minutes and the return fare was a few euros (around 3 euros in 2026, check at the jetty). The island has one car-free village of low stone houses, reed beds, fishermen and tavernas, and several Byzantine monasteries. - **Agios Panteleimon:** the monastery where Ali Pasha was cornered and killed in 1822. The small Ali Pasha museum here shows his belongings, weapons and prints of the period; you can see the bullet holes in the floor of the upper room. - **Agios Nikolaos Filanthropinon:** founded in 1291, with remarkable frescoes, including an unexpected row of ancient Greek philosophers painted on the walls. - **Panagia Eleousa and Stratigopoulou:** smaller monasteries reached by footpaths around the island. Go in the late afternoon, walk the path around the island, then eat at one of the lakeside tavernas before the last boat back. Check the time of the last boat at the quay before you leave. ## Around the lake and the city The lakefront promenade is where the whole city walks in the evening. A level route for walking or cycling follows the shore from below the Kastro past Kastari park and on through the lakeside neighbourhoods, with wooden bridges over the reeds and around 170 recorded bird species on and around the water. Back in the centre, Averof street and the lanes below the Kastro are lined with silver workshops and jewellery shops, and the Archaeological Museum in Litharitsia park has good finds from Dodoni, including the lead tablets on which pilgrims wrote their questions to the oracle. ## Day trips from Ioannina ### Perama Cave Only about 4 to 5 km from the centre, on the far side of the lake, the Perama cave was discovered by villagers during the Second World War. Guided tours of around 45 minutes follow a lit route past stalactites, stalagmites and underground pools; the temperature stays around 18°C all year, so bring a light layer in summer. ### Dodoni About 20 km southwest, the oracle of Zeus at Dodoni was one of the oldest in Greece, where priests read the god’s will in the rustling of a sacred oak. The setting below Mount Tomaros is beautiful and quiet, and the Hellenistic theatre, which held around 17,000 spectators, is one of the largest in the country. Allow an hour or two, and check the current ticket price and hours before you go. ### Zagori, Metsovo and the coast The big draw beyond the city is Zagori, with its stone villages, arched bridges and the Vikos gorge, about 40 minutes to an hour away by car; see our [Zagori travel guide](https://theauthenticgreece.com/zagori-travel-guide/). Metsovo, an hour east on the Egnatia, is a mountain town known for its cheeses and wine, and it lies on the way to the [monasteries of Meteora](https://theauthenticgreece.com/meteora-monasteries/). Heading west, you reach the Ionian coast and [the harbour town of Parga](https://theauthenticgreece.com/parga-travel-guide/) in about 1.5 hours. ## What to eat in Ioannina Epirus has some of the best home cooking in Greece, and Ioannina is the place to try it. Pies are the local obsession: thin, hand-rolled pastry filled with wild greens, cheese, leeks, pumpkin, chicken or meat depending on the season, from crisp *tiropita* to soft cornmeal-based *batzina*. Lake tavernas serve trout, eel, crayfish and, for the adventurous, frogs’ legs, while meat tavernas grill lamb and offer rooster in red wine. Finish with syrupy baklava or kataifi from one of the old pastry shops, and taste the local tsipouro and the feta from Dodoni and the Zagori villages. Our guide to [Greek dishes to try](https://theauthenticgreece.com/greek-food-guide/) covers the wider national menu. ## Where to stay Staying inside the Kastro walls is the most atmospheric option, with a handful of small hotels in old houses, quiet nights and the lake a few minutes away. The streets around the central square and the lakefront have more choice and easy parking. If you are driving and want mountain air, many visitors split their stay between Ioannina and a guesthouse in Zagori. ## Practical tips - **Car:** the city is walkable, but a car is almost essential for Zagori and Dodoni. Our guide to [renting a car in Greece](https://theauthenticgreece.com/renting-a-car-in-greece/) explains insurance and driving rules. - **Weather:** Ioannina is colder and wetter than the coast. Bring a jacket outside summer; fog over the lake is common in winter mornings. - **Museums:** opening hours change between summer and winter and many sites close on one weekday, so check before planning a museum day. - **Combining:** Ioannina sits on the Egnatia motorway, making it an easy stop between [Thessaloniki](https://theauthenticgreece.com/thessaloniki-travel-guide/) and the Igoumenitsa ferries to Corfu and Italy. - **Nightlife:** thanks to the students, the bars around the centre stay busy late from October to June. Ioannina rewards curiosity. Walk the walls in the morning, take the boat to the island in the afternoon, and end the day with pies, grilled trout and a glass of tsipouro by the lake. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Is Ioannina worth visiting? Yes. It combines a lived-in walled old town, a lake with an inhabited island, good museums and some of the best food in Greece, with far fewer visitors than the islands. It is also the natural base for Zagori and the Vikos gorge. ### How do you get to the island in Ioannina? Small boats leave from the quay below the Kastro walls throughout the day, roughly every half hour in summer and less often in winter. The crossing takes about 10 minutes and the return fare was around 3 euros in 2026, so check at the quay. ### How many days do you need in Ioannina? One full day covers the Kastro, Its Kale and the island, and a second day lets you add Perama cave and Dodoni. With Zagori, plan three to five days in the region. ### How far is Ioannina from Athens? By road it is roughly 4.5 to 5 hours from Athens via the Ionia Odos motorway. There are also flights from Athens to Ioannina airport, which is just outside the city. ### What food is Ioannina famous for? Ioannina is known for Epirus pies with greens, cheese or meat, lake fish such as trout and eel, frogs’ legs, and syrupy pastries like baklava and kataifi. Local tsipouro and feta from Dodoni are worth trying too. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Ioannina worth visiting? Yes. It combines a lived-in walled old town, a lake with an inhabited island, good museums and some of the best food in Greece, with far fewer visitors than the islands. It is also the natural base for Zagori and the Vikos gorge. ### How do you get to the island in Ioannina? Small boats leave from the quay below the Kastro walls throughout the day, roughly every half hour in summer and less often in winter. The crossing takes about 10 minutes and the return fare was around 3 euros in recent sources, so check at the quay. ### How many days do you need in Ioannina? One full day covers the Kastro, Its Kale and the island, and a second day lets you add Perama cave and Dodoni. With Zagori, plan three to five days in the region. ### How far is Ioannina from Athens? By road it is roughly 4.5 to 5 hours from Athens via the Ionia Odos motorway. There are also flights from Athens to Ioannina airport, which is just outside the city. ### What food is Ioannina famous for? Ioannina is known for Epirus pies with greens, cheese or meat, lake fish such as trout and eel, frogs' legs, and syrupy pastries like baklava and kataifi. Local tsipouro and feta from Dodoni are worth trying too.