Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Car -- Ioannina is 8 hours from Athens by car.

By Plane -- Aegean Airlines, at 11 Pirsinella off Central Square (tel. 280/112-0000 or 26510/65-200; www.aegeanair.com), offers daily flights from and to Athens. Olympic Airlines (tel. 26510/26-518 or 26510/23-120) flies to Ioannina from Athens, usually twice a day. At least once a day there are Olympic flights between Ioannina and Thessaloniki. Olympic's office in downtown Ioannina is in a building at the far side of the triangle of greenery at the top of the Central Square. Hours are Monday through Friday from 8am to 3pm; outside those hours, try the airport office at tel. 26510/39-131. The airport is about 4km (2 1/2 miles) from the center of town; public buses (nos. 2 and 7) run frequently from the main square, but you will probably find it more convenient to take a taxi.

Visitor Information

Epirus Tourism Directorate, at 39 Leoforos Dodonis (the main street exiting top of square; tel. 26510/41-868; eotioan@otenet.gr). Summer hours are Monday through Friday from 7:30am to 2:30pm and 5:30 to 8:30pm, Saturday from 9am to 1pm; winter hours are Monday through Friday from 7:30am to 2:30pm.

In summer, the city also maintains an information booth down on the lake, to the left of the fortress and by the quay where you get the boats to the islet Nissi; it's open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 8pm.

Also helpful are the many travel agencies, particularly Daskalopoulos Yiannis Tour World, 13 28th Octobriou (tel. 26510/29-667; www.daskalopoulos-travel.com).

Fast Facts

There are numerous ATMs in the center of Ioannina (and also a couple in Metsovo); branches of the big national banks can handle all money exchanges. There is an internationally known medical school and hospital at Dourouti, some 7km (4 miles) south of Ioannina. There is another hospital at Hatzikosta (2km/1 mile). For Internet access, try the Webcafe (tel. 26510/83-215), well back on the left in the Sarka Stoa, opposite 16 Pirsinella (leading off the main square); it's open daily from 11am to 3am. Self Service Laundry, 3 Tsirigoti (tel. 26510/25-542), around the corner from the KTEL bus station, is open Monday through Saturday from 8am to 2pm, and also Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 5 to 8:30pm. The tourist police are located at Police Headquarters, 11 28th Octobriou 11 (tel. 26510/25-673); it's open daily from 7am to 2am. The main post office is on 3 28th Octobriou (tel. 26510/26-437). It's open Monday through Saturday from 7:30am to 8pm; in the off season, it's closed on Saturday. The telephone office (OTE) is at the rear (right) on 4 28th Octobriou, open daily from 7am to 10pm.