Ioannina
Lakeside Capital Of Epirus And Ali Pasha'S Seat: The Walled Castle Town With The Fethiye Mosque, The Silversmiths' Tradition And The Inhabited Island In Lake Pamvotis · Ioannina, Epirus
Ioannina is the capital of Epirus, a university city on the shore of Lake Pamvotis with mountains on every side. Its old core is the Kastro, a walled town on a headland in the lake that is still lived in, with lanes of stone houses, a synagogue, and at its tip the Its Kale citadel with the Fethiye mosque and the tomb of Ali Pasha, the Ottoman ruler who made Ioannina the seat of a near-independent state around 1800 and was killed on the lake's island in 1822. A short boat ride takes you to that island, a car-free village with Byzantine monasteries and painted frescoes. The town is known for its silversmiths, its pies and sweets, and a lively student evening life around the lakefront. It is also the natural base for the Zagori villages and the Vikos Gorge, Metsovo and the oracle of Dodona. It suits history lovers, walkers and anyone crossing Epirus. Honest caveats: it is a working modern city beyond the castle walls, one or two days is enough for the town itself, winters are cold and foggy, and the lake is for looking at and boating, not swimming.
Ioannina on Lake Pamvotis, Epirus: the walled Kastro with the Its Kale citadel, the lakefront, and the island of Ioannina by boat; Perama cave nearby, Ioannina, Epirus, Greece
The Kastro is a living neighbourhood: its gates and lanes are open at all hours and free. The Its Kale citadel inside has generally opened in daytime, with the Byzantine Museum and other museums ticketed and on state hours - long in summer, shorter in winter, closed on the main public holidays (confirm). The Municipal Ethnographic Museum in the Aslan Pasha mosque and the island's museums keep their own hours. Boats to the island leave from the lakefront through the day, more often in summer, into the evening - confirm. Perama cave is visited only on guided tours. Nothing needs booking except rooms at Easter, Christmas and on summer weekends.