Ioannina Hotel

Recommended Hotels:

Nearby Locations: Larisa hotel, Corfu hotel, Volos hotel, Thessaloniki hotel, Karditsa hotel, Chalkidiki hotel, Parga hotel, Pelion hotel

A few words about Ioannina:

Ioannina

Ioannina (ΙΩΑΝΝΙΝΑ in Greek) is a city in and capital of Epirus, Greece, with a population of approximately 100,000 and lies at an elevation of 600 metres above sea level. It is capital of a prefecture with the same name. The city lies on the western side of Lake Pamvotis. Ioannina possesses one of the most numerous amount of municipalities and communities in all of Greece. It is bordered by Albania in the north, Kastoria in the northeast, Grevena in the east, the prefecture of Trikala in the east, Arta in the southeast, Preveza in the south and the prefecture of Thesprotia in the southwest and west. It is the largest prefecture in Epirus. (Covering almost half of Epirus.)

The city has a General and a University Hospital; a University named University of Ioannina (5 km south of the city) with 16 departments and 13,000 students; as well as several departments of the Τechnological Educational Institute of Epirus, the headquarters of which are located in Arta.

The wireless network operating in the city is called Ioannina Wireless Network. It was founded at the end of 2002 and began operations in 2003.

The city is associated with Ali Pasha, the Ottoman-appointed ruler of Albania, Macedonia and Thrace, who was killed in 1822 by the Sultan's agents in the Moni Panteleimonos on the island at the center of Lake Pamvotis. The monastery (which was once Ali-Pasha's secret hideout) is now a museum containing paintings, information, and even re-creations of Ali-Pasha's living quarters on his island hideaway. Passengers are ferried back and forth from the mainland to the island (about a 15 minute ride each way) on small motorboats which run on varying schedules, according to the season. (About once every half hour, or more, in the spring and summer, much less in the winter.) The museum is not the only attraction on the island--there are many gift-shops, tavernas, churches and bakeries on the island's quaint, winding streets. Some of the people of Ioannina even choose to make the tiny island their yearlong home, with simple rowboats moored outside their homes, or in small "marinas", just in case they need to get to Ioannina proper when the motorboats are not running.

Ioannina is famous for its spring water Zagori which is sold over much of Greece.

Botanically, the region of Ioannina is dominated by robust, fragrant pine trees, many of which grow within the city itself, especially around the old castle, or fortress walls. Embarking into the castle walls is an adventure unto itself...just make sure you trace your steps so you don't get lost. The bizarre layout of the castle's streets, with roads going in circles or leading to dead ends was designed to confuse pirates of old who breached the castle walls, so that they would get lost within the fortress, and hopefully be captured before escaping with their bounty. (Most of the time, it did, in fact, work.) There are still some Greeks today who get a lost trying to exit the fortress, even if they've been there before...that's how confounding the street design is. So, if you decide to visit the fortress, make sure you have no deadlines to meet, and plenty of time on hand in case you get lost...because you probably will!

The city's logo is orange and white with an the omicron, the last letter of the Greek alphabet (it corresponds with the English letter "o") and portrays an orange drop on the top.

Geography

The geography of the region is rugged and mountainous, made up of mountain ranges including Tymfi in the northeast, Lakyos in the east, Xerovounio (Greek for dry mountains), Tomaros in the southwest and the Grammos mountains in the far north. The 40th parallel crosses between Delvinaki and Konitsa. Much of the land lies south of the 40th parallel.

The mountains dominate the east, north, west and south. Fertile lands dominated the areas within Ioannina.

Recent snowstorms happened in the beginning of the 20th century. A snowstorm on January 31, 2005 closed schools and streets and clogged and closed most of the roads. Highways were slippery and tire chains were required.

Tourism

The prefecture of Ioannina, like most of the Greek mainland, is, mostly for lack of publicity and familiarity, not as popular as the islands among tourists. Yet the area, along with its natural beauty, has quite a few worthwhile and interesting historical attractions.

In the city

Ioannina is famous throughout Greece for its silverwork, with many shops selling beautiful silver jewelry and decor (serving trays, recreations of shields and swords, trinkets, etc.) at quite reasonable prices. The ornate style of the jewelry and artwork reflects more Turkish, rather than Greek, sensibilities, due to the long Turkish occupation of the area. Ioannina is also one of the few places in Greece where one can purchase a hookah, a water-filled device which can be packed with ordinary or flavored tobaccos, and were very popular with the Ottomans during their occupation of the region. Hardly any Greeks smoke using hookahs; they are sold mainly to tourists as novelty items. The hookahs vary in size from tiny to enormous (sometimes 4-5 ft. tall) and are often quite attractive, even as a piece of decor if the purchaser chooses not to actually smoke out of one, or just don't smoke, period. For those who would like to experiment smoking with a hookah, most hookah merchants carry a wide variety of various flavored tobaccos.
Within the castle in the centre of Ioannina city, the mosque of Aslan Pasha houses the Municipal History Museum, which includes works of folk art, as well as weapons and swords from the period of the Ottoman occupation of the area.
The island in lake Pamvotis has a traditional settlement. The monastery where Ali Pasha was killed is now a museum.

Outside the city

A few kilometers south of the city is the Vrellis wax statue museum, displaying scenes from Greece's history. A small dependance in the city centre is free to the public;
The Dodoni oracle archeological site;
The Vikos-Aoos National Park, including the Vikos gorge, through which the Voidomatis river flows;
Mount Smolikas, with 2637 meter Greece's second highest mountain;
The Zagoria villages, partly in the Vikos-Aoos National Park;
Metsovo, in winter a ski resort;
The caves of Perama, a few kilometers northeast of Ioannina;
The monument in Zalongo for the women of Souli;
The war museum in Kalpaki. (There is also a fairly modern supermarket in the village of Kalpaki, in case you need to stop for some last minute items.)
Bourzani Bridge, near Melissoptera
Papingo, a favorite ski resort of Greeks and some knowing tourists. The area surrounding, or leading up to Papingo possesses an exquisite natural beauty, boasting dramatic cliffs, lush valleys, and the Vikos Gorge, the largest canyon in Greece and (disputably) in all of Europe. The gorge is a much sought-after destination for many serious hikers and mountaineers from around the world.
The village of Papingo proper is surrounded by snowcapped mountains (in winter) and also has provisions for lodging as well as quaint, intimate taverns serving up traditional Greek food, coffee, and spirits.

Become a Partner Contact Us