Ioannina in One Day: Lake, Castle and Dodoni, Ioannina, Greece

Ioannina is the old Ottoman capital of Epirus, built on the western edge of a large alpine lake at 480 m altitude. It was the seat of Ali Pasha, the semi-independent Albanian-Ottoman governor who ran most of north-western Greece in the early nineteenth century from a fortified compound on this lake. Today it is a relaxed university town of 70,000 people, a walkable old quarter inside intact Byzantine walls, an island in the middle of the lake with no cars on it, and some of the best mezze in Northern Greece.

The old walled quarter (the Kastro) is the heart of Ioannina. It sits on a small promontory jutting into the lake, protected on three sides by water and on the fourth by the remaining Byzantine walls. Inside are narrow cobbled streets, two small mosques, a synagogue, a monastery, and the tomb of Ali Pasha himself.

Start at the north-eastern gate (Its Kale), a short walk from any hotel in town. Once inside the walls, head directly to the Its Kale acropolis - a raised citadel within the citadel that holds Ali Pasha's tomb, the Fethiye Mosque (converted from a Byzantine church), and the small Byzantine museum. Entry to the museum is 4€ and worth it for the context. Tomb access is free. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).