Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Ì
Porfyron
T
26530 71579,
W
porfyron.com.
Located
beside Áyios Dhimítrios church, this lovingly restored mansion
has very large rooms with painted or carved ceilings, antique
furnishings and fireplaces; there's also a large
garden
and a
taverna (about €15/person). Breakfast included.
€100
Khristodhoulou manage
both
it and the lively café-bar out
front. Breakfast included.
€60
Ì
Papaevangelou
T
26530 41135,
W
papaevangelou
.gr.
Located at the far north end of the village, this hotel
features homely, non-institutional rooms - many with
fireplace - and four self-catering studios amid well-tended
gardens, family-friendly common areas and
a g
enial,
multilingual proprietor, Yiorgos. Breakfast included.
€75
Ì
Tsoumanis
T
26530 12108.
This restaurant is the
best in the village, with tasty soufflés, lamb and regional
dishes, an understatedly classy dining room (the old barn)
for winter, plus an unbeatable view of Mount Astráka from
the summer terrace. Expect €15-20/person.
Daily lunch &
dinner.
VÍKOS
Faraggi Vikou
T
26530 42112.
This inn is kept by
Ioannis Dinoulis and located right where the gorge trail
arrives, with modern, comfortabl
e ro
oms and a small
restaurant-bar. Breakfast included.
€40
MEGÁLO PÁPINGO
Kalliopi
T
26530
41081.
On the south side of the village,
this place offers dated but cheerful en-suite rooms, and
home-style meals at their year-ro
und
taverna, about €15
for a full meal. Breakfast included.
€60
Kouli
T
26530 41115 or 693 28 47 752.
This is
the
historic original inn, with en-suite rooms fitted with TVs
and fridges; English-speaking Nikos and Vangelis
3
MIKRÓ PÁPINGO
Ì
Xenon O Dhias
T
26530 41257.
Kostas Tsoumanis'
twelve rustic rooms are distributed over two buildings,
bracketing a decent, sometimes lively, bar-restaurant (
abou
t
€12/person). Discount for trekkers. Breakfast included.
€70
The west coast
Starting just south of where the Vía Egnatía expressway ends, the
west coast
has
some attractive
beaches
between Igoumenítsa and Préveza, among the best on the
mainland outside of Mount Pílio.
Igoumenítsa
itself, the capital of Thesprotía
province, is a purely functional ferry port. Attractive
Párga
, the most established
beach resort heading south, gets super packed-out in summer and at Easter, so is
best left for June or September visits. Just inland, there are worthwhile detours
from the main route south: the intriguing
Nekromanteion of Acheron
evokes the
legendary entrance to Hades; and the vast ruins of
Nikopolis
break the journey
to
Préveza
, a low-key provincial capital at the mouth of the marshy Amvrakikós
gulf. Down along the south coast,
Mesolónghi
is considered by Greeks as a sacred
spot for being where Lord Byron died while doing his part to liberate Greece from
the Ottomans.
Igoumenítsa and around
IGOUMENÍTSA
is Greece's third passenger port after Pireás and Pátra, with frequent
ferries to
Corfu
and
Italy
. With the completion of the Vía Egnatía from Grevená to
here, this unloved provincial capital has become the country's leading cargo port; a
mega-terminal - part of the
New Port Egnatía
- for lorries dominates the harbour, and
all shipping agencies have branches nearby, plus embarkation booths inside.
Seagoing functions and waterfront apart, Igoumenítsa is decidedly unappealing, levelled
during World War II and rebuilt in bland utilitarian style. You should hopefully be able to
get a ferry out immediately; every day in season there are sailings to Italy in the morning,
and throughout the evening. If you end up stuck for the day, you're better off taking an
excursion out of Igoumenítsa than hanging around this rather dodgy port town.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
IGOUMENÍTSA
Destinations
Athens (5 daily, 8hr); Ioánnina (9 daily; 2hr);
Párga (5 daily; 1hr); Préveza (2 daily; 2hr 30min).
BY BUS
The KTEL
is inland from the Corfu/Paxí quay on Minermoú,
corner Arhilóhou.
