Greece trip report - winter in the center - Epirus, Pelion etc
Apr 19th, 2014, 03:40 AM
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Greece trip report - winter in the center - Epirus, Pelion etc
Better late then never, I am finally trying to get my act together and sit down to write this trip report. As usual I am encouraged by the Fodorites who are always ready to give advice and expert information, and my thanks to you all. This trip took place in the beginning of January, but we were mostly blessed with great weather.
So here goes:
Our first little find was Peri’s hotel near the airport.
http://www.perishotelapt.gr/
We landed in Athens at night and had a flight the next morning, and I didn’t want an expensive, impersonal airport hotel. Peri’s was perfect as they offer free transfers (although the evening driver seemed to expect a tip and I was happy to oblige. In the morning the owner took us and no tip was expected). The room was clean and totally adequate, as was the breakfast. When we arrived, we were hungry and the local taverna was closed, so the night clerk offered to order take-away or to drive us to the seaside (5 min) which we preferred. He then came back to pick us up when we finished our meal. Service above and beyond I think.
Next morning we flew to Ioannina where our friends met us at the airport and we began our trip with a visit to the caves of Perama. These are beautiful caves with amazing stalactite and stalagmite formations. The entrance (not so easy to find) is in the middle of the little town of Perama and you must join a 45 minute tour. Our next destination was the site of the oracle of Dodona (the second most famous oracle after Delphi). Well you think that should be easy to find! Even with a GPS we drove around for a while, even driving right up to the gate of this unimpressive little building with a tiny sign that we missed, and we decided this was not the place. So we turned right around and drove up and down until we decided to go back to this little building – which of course was the entrance to the site. And it closed at 3pm even though our information said 5pm. But now that we knew where it was we managed to fit it in another day!
We then drove around the lake of Ioannina to our hotel, another great find. The Kastro hotel is inside the old walls of Ioannina and a beautifully restored little hotel, great location, and service and most reasonably priced.
http://en.hotelkastro.gr/
We then spent two days in Papingo, hiking the beautiful trails around the Vikos Gorge. Papingo is an amazing little village high up in the Pindus mountains of Epirus. After reading the book Eleni, by Nicholas Gage (recommended to me on another post) we couldn’t stop thinking about the characters of the book and the hardships they faced on these mountain trails. A must-read for anyone interested in Greece.
Another lovely hotel was the Pantheon, and we enjoyed all meals in their cozy restaurant.
http://www.pantheonpapigo.gr/hotel-en.htm
More soon...
So here goes:
Our first little find was Peri’s hotel near the airport.
http://www.perishotelapt.gr/
We landed in Athens at night and had a flight the next morning, and I didn’t want an expensive, impersonal airport hotel. Peri’s was perfect as they offer free transfers (although the evening driver seemed to expect a tip and I was happy to oblige. In the morning the owner took us and no tip was expected). The room was clean and totally adequate, as was the breakfast. When we arrived, we were hungry and the local taverna was closed, so the night clerk offered to order take-away or to drive us to the seaside (5 min) which we preferred. He then came back to pick us up when we finished our meal. Service above and beyond I think.
Next morning we flew to Ioannina where our friends met us at the airport and we began our trip with a visit to the caves of Perama. These are beautiful caves with amazing stalactite and stalagmite formations. The entrance (not so easy to find) is in the middle of the little town of Perama and you must join a 45 minute tour. Our next destination was the site of the oracle of Dodona (the second most famous oracle after Delphi). Well you think that should be easy to find! Even with a GPS we drove around for a while, even driving right up to the gate of this unimpressive little building with a tiny sign that we missed, and we decided this was not the place. So we turned right around and drove up and down until we decided to go back to this little building – which of course was the entrance to the site. And it closed at 3pm even though our information said 5pm. But now that we knew where it was we managed to fit it in another day!
We then drove around the lake of Ioannina to our hotel, another great find. The Kastro hotel is inside the old walls of Ioannina and a beautifully restored little hotel, great location, and service and most reasonably priced.
http://en.hotelkastro.gr/
We then spent two days in Papingo, hiking the beautiful trails around the Vikos Gorge. Papingo is an amazing little village high up in the Pindus mountains of Epirus. After reading the book Eleni, by Nicholas Gage (recommended to me on another post) we couldn’t stop thinking about the characters of the book and the hardships they faced on these mountain trails. A must-read for anyone interested in Greece.
Another lovely hotel was the Pantheon, and we enjoyed all meals in their cozy restaurant.
http://www.pantheonpapigo.gr/hotel-en.htm
More soon...
Apr 19th, 2014, 01:26 PM
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Next installment:
The next day was a beautiful drive through the mountains: the village of Monodendri (short walk from the center of the village to the monastery with magnificent views of the Vikos), the stone bridges around Kipi, and on to Metsovo. Metsovo is already more touristy, although a very charming village. We only spent the night and continued to Meteor which I am sure I do not need to describe. My only tip – we chose the least accessible monasteries, hoping to avoid the crowds of tourist buses lined up at the most famous ones. Our strategy worked, although we may have missed the reasons that the others are more famous. We still enjoyed the calm and serenity and magnificent views, and contemplating how these amazing structures were built.
Our next destination was the peninsula of Pelion. We had no hotel reservations, and as it was still Christmas holidays we were anxious to find a place to stay. We rolled in to the village of Zagora late in the afternoon (not to be confused with the mountainous region of Zagoria that we had left a few days earlier). Zagora is also a mountain village, the largest in the Pelion. We stopped at the first hotel we saw, on the right just after the main square with the obligatory statue and church. Unfortunately I don’t remember what it was called, but it was charming and had vacancies. We checked in and had a lovely meal at the restaurant at the beginning of the square (sorry – again I didn’t get the name). The next 2 days were spent hiking completely different trails than before. We were close to the sea and the trails wound up and down around the beach and seaside towns. Beautiful!
Then it was on to Athens. This was the only day we saw rain, and as we spent 5 hours in the car driving, we really didn’t care. Athens was fun – seeing the sites, shopping, eating. I loved the sandal shop below:
http://www.melissinos-art.com/eng/sandals.html
We stayed at the Plaka hotel – extremely comfortable and reasonable with a great rooftop view of the Acropolis.
http://www.plakahotel.gr/
Some general observations – especially in the villages and small towns, everyone wants cash. Credit cards are often not accepted, even in petrol stations and small hotels. Also, try to familiarize yourself with the Greek alphabet. You will get the hang of it after a few days and is some regions not all signs are in English. Our GPS also recognized several towns with the same name, so you really need to know which region you want and more details before you blindly follow the GPS.
I didn’t mention the food, the people, and the general charm of Greece. I am sure you know all that. And if you don’t, go and find out! It is worth it!!!
The next day was a beautiful drive through the mountains: the village of Monodendri (short walk from the center of the village to the monastery with magnificent views of the Vikos), the stone bridges around Kipi, and on to Metsovo. Metsovo is already more touristy, although a very charming village. We only spent the night and continued to Meteor which I am sure I do not need to describe. My only tip – we chose the least accessible monasteries, hoping to avoid the crowds of tourist buses lined up at the most famous ones. Our strategy worked, although we may have missed the reasons that the others are more famous. We still enjoyed the calm and serenity and magnificent views, and contemplating how these amazing structures were built.
Our next destination was the peninsula of Pelion. We had no hotel reservations, and as it was still Christmas holidays we were anxious to find a place to stay. We rolled in to the village of Zagora late in the afternoon (not to be confused with the mountainous region of Zagoria that we had left a few days earlier). Zagora is also a mountain village, the largest in the Pelion. We stopped at the first hotel we saw, on the right just after the main square with the obligatory statue and church. Unfortunately I don’t remember what it was called, but it was charming and had vacancies. We checked in and had a lovely meal at the restaurant at the beginning of the square (sorry – again I didn’t get the name). The next 2 days were spent hiking completely different trails than before. We were close to the sea and the trails wound up and down around the beach and seaside towns. Beautiful!
Then it was on to Athens. This was the only day we saw rain, and as we spent 5 hours in the car driving, we really didn’t care. Athens was fun – seeing the sites, shopping, eating. I loved the sandal shop below:
http://www.melissinos-art.com/eng/sandals.html
We stayed at the Plaka hotel – extremely comfortable and reasonable with a great rooftop view of the Acropolis.
http://www.plakahotel.gr/
Some general observations – especially in the villages and small towns, everyone wants cash. Credit cards are often not accepted, even in petrol stations and small hotels. Also, try to familiarize yourself with the Greek alphabet. You will get the hang of it after a few days and is some regions not all signs are in English. Our GPS also recognized several towns with the same name, so you really need to know which region you want and more details before you blindly follow the GPS.
I didn’t mention the food, the people, and the general charm of Greece. I am sure you know all that. And if you don’t, go and find out! It is worth it!!!
Apr 19th, 2014, 02:10 PM
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Great trip report !
You have been to places , especially the Zagoria villages where foreign tourists are a rarity.
Pelion is another of my favourite regions, with many villages to explore,full of flowers and orchards and lovely beaches in the summer.
You were also extremely lucky, as this winter has been extremely mild, Zagoria and Metsovo are usually covered with snow during January
You have been to places , especially the Zagoria villages where foreign tourists are a rarity.
Pelion is another of my favourite regions, with many villages to explore,full of flowers and orchards and lovely beaches in the summer.
You were also extremely lucky, as this winter has been extremely mild, Zagoria and Metsovo are usually covered with snow during January
Apr 20th, 2014, 06:40 AM
#5
Thanks for the report - there are so few on northern Greece. I stayed at the same place in Ioannina, nice to know it's still there. I loved Dodona, but I had a car and driver as I was otherwise using public transport and there was no bus.
Amazed you had such good weather! I was there in early April, and it was definitely chilly in the evening. No crowds or buses at Meteora, though, maybe the buses were a Christmas phenomenon.
Amazed you had such good weather! I was there in early April, and it was definitely chilly in the evening. No crowds or buses at Meteora, though, maybe the buses were a Christmas phenomenon.
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