Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ruined Byzantine basilica of
Áyios Ahíllios
, while another ruin,
a sixteenth-century
monastery, Panayía Porfaras, lies at the southern end of the islet. For unrivalled views
of Mikrí Préspa climb up to the summit of the islet's hill.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
PRÉSPA LAKES
By bus
Although there are two buses on Mon, Wed and Fri
from Flórina (1hr), in order to explore the region, you really
need a vehicle.
Tourist o
ce
Áyios Yermanós has the helpful Préspa
information
permitting;
T
23850 51211,
W
www.spp.gr), focusing on
the wildlife of the national park; given sufficient warning,
the centre can arrange guides for birdwatching trips into
the park. The area's only post office is here too.
centre
(daily
9.30am-7.30pm,
staff
ACCOMMODATION
Although facilities are basic, Préspa is becoming increasingly popular, so you'd be wise to reserve a room in advance during
midsummer, especially at weekends. Free camping is available near the
Plaz Prespon
taverna (see below).
Mimallones
Lemós
T
23850 51422,
W
mimallones.gr
.
Undoubtedly Préspa's smartest accommodation, this
spacious modern hotel has large, comfortably furnished
rooms, a massive ba
r-cu
m-lounge and firendly management.
Breakfast included.
€60
O Yiorgos
Mikrolímni
T
23850 23622.
Very basic
en-suite rooms in an unattractive concrete block, but it
's al
l
about the location, as the lake lies mere metres away.
€30
To Arhontiko
Psarádhes
T
23850 46260.
An effectively
converted old stone house, this place offers decent en-suite
rooms, th
e up
per ones with lake views, and a warm
welcome.
€40
Xenonas Iy Paradosi
Opposite the church, Áyios
Yermanós
T
23850 51266.
Plain yet cosy guesthouse with
friendly owners and simple but clean rooms. The best b
ase fo
r
a variety of food and other facilities. Breakfast included.
€40
4
EATING
Plaz Prespon
Koúla beach
T
23850 46220.
A fairly run-
of-the-mill taverna which is nonetheless the best option in
the immediate area and can rustle up simple grills for around
€7, the odd fish and basic salads.
Daily 11am-10pm.
Taverna Syndrofia
Psarádhes
T
23850 46107,
E
tinaxr10@gmail.com.
A
good spot to sample
fassoládha
(bean soup), lake fish, unavailable elsewhere
in Gree
ce, a
nd the proprietor's wine. There are also a few
rooms.
€40
To Tzaki
Near the church, Áyios Yermanós
T
23850
51470.
The best taverna in the whole region offers a good
range of tasty
mayireftá
such as pork in wine sauce and
baked aubergines, as well as succulent meat cooked in the
gástra
(clay oven).
Daily noon-11pm.
Kastoriá
Set on a hilly, wooded peninsula extending deep into slate-coloured Lake Orestiádha,
KASTORIÁ
is one of the most interesting and attractive towns of mainland Greece. For
centuries it grew rich on the
fur trade
, using the pelts of local wild beavers (
kastóri
in
Greek). Though these animals were trapped to extinction by the nineteenth century,
Kastoriá still supports a considerable industry of furriers using a mixture of imported
pelts and locally farmed beavers. You'll see pelts drying on racks, and fur megastores
with profuse Russian signposting hinting at the target market. The town also has a
strong tradition of
rowing
, and rowers can be seen out on the lake most days. Even
the Oxford and Cambridge Blues have been known to practise their strokes here.
For most visitors, however, Kastoriá's main appeal lies in traces of its former
prosperity: dozens of splendid
arhondiká
-
mansions
of the old fur families - dating
from the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries, plus some fifty Byzantine and medieval
churches
. About the only reminder of Muslim settlement is the minaret-less Koursoún
Tzamí, marooned in a ridgetop car park; there's also a patch of an originally Byzantine
fortification wall down on the neck of the peninsula.
Karýdhis
For a sense of what Kastoriá must once have been during its heyday, head for the
former lakeside quarter officially called
Karýdhis
but better known as Dóltso. Among
