Ioannina: A Lake City of Silver, Stone and Slow Winters

Morning in Ioannina starts with a slice of bougatsa, custard or cheese in crisp phyllo, dusted with cinnamon and sugar, and a walk to the water. Lake Pamvotida lies at the city's edge, 470 metres above sea level, with mountains on every side and a small inhabited island a short boat ride out. On the shore, a walled castle quarter still holds mosques, a Byzantine museum and a whole museum devoted to the silver that Ioannina has worked for centuries.

It is also a university town, which keeps it lively all year: cafés along the lakefront promenade, bars in the old bazaar streets, tsipouro and meze when the evenings turn cold. That is why it works so well in winter. The sights are close together, the museums are warm, the food is made for the season, and the villages of Zagori and the oracle of Dodona are an easy day out.

The Areas

Ioannina is compact. Most visitors stay within walking distance of the castle and the lake, and the choice is mainly about atmosphere.

• The Castle (Kastro) — the walled quarter on a promontory over the lake, with lived-in lanes, the Aslan Pasha Mosque and, at its south-eastern tip, the inner citadel of Its Kale. The most atmospheric base, with small guesthouses in restored stone buildings.
• The old town and Averof Street — the streets just outside the castle gate, where the silver shops cluster and the old bazaar becomes the city's bar district at night. Good for anyone who wants food, shopping and nightlife on the doorstep.
• Shiarava — the historic district outside the walls on Zalokosta Street, with old mansions turned into boutique hotels. Quieter, but still a short walk from everything.
• The lakefront — the promenade along the water, lined with tavernas, cheese shops and cafés, and the quay for the boats to the island. Good for walkers and anyone who wants the lake in view.
• The Island (Nisi) — a small inhabited island in the lake, about 800 metres long, with seven monasteries and waterfront tavernas. Best as a half-day visit rather than a base.
• Perama — a settlement on the north-western edge of the lake, about 5 km from the city, known for its cave.

What to See and Do

Begin inside the castle. The walls you see today hold layers from many eras: the Norman Bohemund, who took the city in 1082, probably walled the south-eastern citadel; the Despots of Epirus built churches and a palace here between the 13th and 15th centuries; and an inscription on the Central Gate carries the date 1843. The inner citadel, Its Kale, is open daily from 08:00 to 22:00 and is free to enter.

Inside Its Kale, the Byzantine Museum occupies a building raised in 1958 on the site of Ali Pasha's seraglio. Its seven halls run from the 4th to the 19th century, from early Christian finds out of Nikopolis to post-Byzantine icons. Two annexes complete the visit: the Fethiye Mosque, with aniconic frescoes and an exhibition on the city's late Ottoman years, and the Treasury, a permanent display of silverwork. From November to March the museum opens 08:30 to 15:30; a full ticket is €5.

At the other end of the castle, the Aslan Pasha Mosque, built in 1617–1618, houses the Municipal Ethnographic Museum. Its three collections represent the city's Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities: church silver and vestments, curtains from the old synagogue and costumes of the Jewish community, Ottoman fabrics and furniture from the Ali Pasha era.

Outside the walls, the Archaeological Museum in Litharitsia Park covers the region from prehistory to the end of Roman rule, with a hall devoted to Dodona and the lead tablets on which pilgrims wrote their questions to the oracle of Zeus. Then go and see the oracle itself: the site of Dodona lies about 22 km south of the city, with a theatre beneath the walled acropolis, and a winter ticket costs €4.

Perama Cave, about 5 km from the centre, was the first cave in Greece to become a visitor attraction. It formed around two million years ago in the limestone hill of Goritsa, and bones of extinct cave bears were found inside. The guided route is 1,100 metres of stalactites and stalagmites, at a steady 18°C, and it is open every day from 09:00 to 17:00.

Silver, the Lake and the Island

Ioannina is known across Greece for silversmithing and goldsmithing, and craftsmen here have made buckles, plates and jewellery for more than 400 years. The best place to understand it is the Silversmithing Museum of the Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation, opened in September 2016 in the western bastion of Its Kale. The first level explains the techniques of shaping and decorating silver, with films and multimedia; the second shows Epirote silver and gold from the 18th to the 20th century, from jewellery and weapons to household silver, alongside work by silversmiths active in the region today.

Afterwards, walk Averof Street, where shops sell both antiques and modern pieces based on old designs. It is the natural place to buy something to take home.

Then take to the water. Pamvotida is the largest lake in Epirus, filled by runoff and springs for about three million years, and the lakefront is busy most days with walkers, cyclists and the boats to the island. The crossing from the lakefront quay takes about ten minutes; boats run every half hour in summer and less often outside it.

The island is small and easily explored on foot. The Monastery of the Philanthropenoi, restored in 1291 by Michael Philanthropenos, is the one to see: its 16th-century wall paintings are masterpieces of post-Byzantine art, and on the wall of the southern side narthex stand painted figures of ancient Greek philosophers. At the Monastery of Agios Panteleimon, where Ali Pasha was killed in 1822, a small museum of the revolutionary period occupies the old cells. Stay for lunch at one of the waterfront tavernas before the boat back.

What to Eat and Drink

Ioannina claims to be the original home of bougatsa, and breakfast here is serious business. Select has been serving bougatsa and tyropita, a feta pie, since 1964, and people of every age queue for them.

Ioannina-style baklava is the city's best-known sweet, and syrupy desserts in general are a local strength. The lake shapes the rest of the table: on the island, tavernas serve frog legs, trout and eel, and you will also find pike and carp, and eel soup for the curious.

In the evening, the old bazaar is the bar district, and tsipouro with meze is the way locals spend a cold night out. Bars and tavernas change often, so ask your hosts what is good this season.

Getting There and Around

Ioannina's airport is about 4 km from the city centre, with Aegean flights from Athens and seasonal charter flights from Scandinavia. By road, drivers from Athens take the highway to Patras, cross the Rio-Antirrio bridge and continue north; from Thessaloniki, the Egnatia motorway runs all the way to Ioannina. KTEL buses leave Athens from Kifissos station and take about seven hours; from Thessaloniki the trip is about three hours. Timetables and online tickets are on ktelioannina.gr.

In the city you walk: the castle, the old town, the museums and the boat quay are all within a few minutes of each other. A car is useful for Dodona and for a day in Zagori, whose villages begin about a 40-minute drive north of the city; we cover them in our separate Zagori guide.

When to Go

Ioannina is a year-round city, and late autumn and winter suit it particularly well. Fog often settles over the lake in the cold months, the museums are quiet, and the food is at its most comforting. Days are shorter and the weather less predictable, so plan indoor sights for the afternoon: from 16 October to the end of February the Silversmithing Museum opens 10:00 to 17:00, and from November the Byzantine Museum closes at 15:30. Dodona's ticket is cheaper from November to March.

Summer brings more frequent boats to the island and long evenings on the lakefront. In September, the Lake Run takes over the shore road, a race around the lake that draws at least 2,000 runners.

Good to Know

Tuesday is the day to avoid for museums: the Silversmithing Museum and the Archaeological Museum both close that day. The Silversmithing Museum is also closed on 17 January, the city's patron saint's day, and on major holidays; children up to 17 enter free. Its Kale itself costs nothing to walk around. Bring a layer for Perama Cave, which stays at 18°C, and expect steps. Opening hours and prices change, so check them on the official sites before you go, and in winter call ahead to restaurants in the villages.

The Essence

Ioannina is a city you can hold in a weekend and still want more of. Eat bougatsa in the morning, follow five centuries of silver in a castle bastion, cross the lake for painted philosophers and a plate of trout, go underground at Perama, and end the day with tsipouro in the old bazaar while the fog comes in off the water. It is a city made by craftsmen and cooks, and the cold months show it at its best.