On winter mornings, Ioannina often seems to vanish for a few hours behind a thick veil of fog – a defining feature of its identity. Six key elements shape the city’s character: Lake Pamvotida and its Island; the Castle with its Byzantine foundations; the historic crafts of silversmithing and stone carving; a rich culinary tradition rooted in Epirus’ celebrated products; a deep historical past stretching back to the Paleolithic era; and, finally, the University. Students make up roughly 10% of the population, continuously infusing the city’s daily life with youthful energy. Together, these elements give Ioannina an irresistible appeal that cannot be fully experienced in just a few visits.

Once known primarily for medical conferences, in recent years, Epirus’s capital has come out of its relative isolation, becoming a popular tourist destination due to the completion of the national highway network and faster connections to Athens and Thessaloniki. On the small boat carrying us from the Molo to the Island, we found ourselves surrounded by twenty enthusiastic Korean travelers who photographed Lake Pamvotida nonstop. This growing mix of visitors brings a refreshing cosmopolitan tone to Ioannina that suits its noble, old-world urban character.

At the same time, Ioannina has been undergoing a quiet social transformation since 2017, when the first major tech company arrived from Germany. Once a dominant commercial hub of the Balkans, the city is now evolving into a center for technology and the digital economy that is home to a growing mix of local and international tech firms and an active start-up scene.

This emerging ecosystem has sparked a wave of renewal, attracting professionals from abroad, locals returning home, and newcomers from other countries. And with them have come new habits, their rhythms, and a fresh perspective on urban life.

Around the Kritharopazaro District

The city’s recent transformation is palpable. English and French are now commonly heard in its cafés and bars; more residents are getting around by bicycle; the culinary scene has grown more diverse; boutique lodgings continue to multiply; and digital services are rapidly improving: from QR-code menus to mobility apps and the municipal platform for reporting everyday issues. The stone-paved Kaniggos Street in the old town, running from Anexartisias to Averof Street, offers one of the clearest glimpses into this ongoing shift.

Just three years ago, the once-thriving commercial street of Kritharopazaro (the old wheat market that fell into decline in the 1960s) was almost abandoned. Today, it hosts the offices of Greece’s first neobank, a sleek workspace for digital nomads, a major tech-goods retailer, a supermarket, Halaro café-bar – where students mix with company executives – and Tsarouchi, Xenophon Bazas’ treasure-filled antique store that provides a glimpse into the city’s Ottoman past: weapons, snuffboxes, copper trays, traditional Ioannina costumes, ornate silver buckles and belts.

The streets surrounding Kaniggos are also on the rise. To one side, toward the Liampeis Arcade, you’ll find one of the city’s liveliest night-time hubs, home to long-standing favorites like Route 66 and newcomers such as Li Tseri. On the other side, follow Papazoglou Street uphill to reach Erectus, a restaurant that opened two years ago and introduced Ioannina to the culture of open-fire cooking.

Turning right onto Aravantinou Street brings you to the delightful surprise of 3Portes Gallery. Epirus-born Tasos Kaliakatsos and Sophie Fardeya, a French artist with Caribbean roots, decided to settle permanently in Ioannina in December 2022. Graduates of Fine Arts schools, they not only create their own work but also curate bold, forward-thinking exhibitions and events with a distinctly cross-regional scope.

And just as Sophie and Tasos expand the city’s artistic horizons, Elisavet from Konitsa and Mohamed from Guinea have been enriching its culinary map for the past year with traditional recipes from around the world. At Wontanara Amukanama, their multicultural café-meze spot near the central bus station, they serve everything from Turkish breakfast to Indian sweet rice pudding, as well as fragrant spiced rice with fried chicken from Ghana. Their menu features five dishes that change daily, an inspired alternative to the usual tsipouro gatherings and platters of grilled sheep.

Timeless Favorites

In addition to the new arrivals that reshape the city, Ioannina offers certain enduring experiences that never lose their appeal. First among them is Lake Pamvotida, Europe’s second-oldest lake – approximately seven million years old – home to nearly two hundred bird species, including the rare ferruginous duck, which breeds here. Then there is the Island, one of the very few inhabited lake islands in the world, home to remarkable monastery-monuments (Filanthropinon, Eleousa, Stratigopoulou) and the Ali Pasha and Revolutionary Period Museum. Among its treasures is Ali Pasha’s famed 1.5-meter-long rifle, displayed alongside masterpieces of Epirus silversmithing and a reconstruction of the drowning of Kyra Frosini.

Take the small boat from the Molo to cross over, and if you crave something sweet while exploring, try tsoumbeki, a grape-must confection with walnuts, or traditional baklava from Xilia Kantaria Zaxari, a long-established local pastry shop whose name translates to “A Thousand Quintals of Sugar.”

Across the water, the imposing Castle is perfect for leisurely walks along its cobbled lanes. Its present form largely took shape during the rule of Ali Pasha (1788-1822), though it incorporates earlier Byzantine phases. Within the walls, among other landmarks, you can find the Aslan Pasha Mosque (1618), Ali Pasha’s tomb – only his body is buried here; his head was taken to Constantinople – the ruins of his palace, the Ottoman baths, the Fethiye Mosque, the Jewish Synagogue, and the Silversmithing Museum, one of the most compelling cultural institutions in Epirus.

Today, extensive works are underway to transform the Castle into an open-air cultural park, scheduled for completion next summer. The nearly finished redevelopment of Glykeidon Square on its northern side has already revealed the full grandeur of the Ottoman baths and the Soufari Sarai, the historic cavalry school.

South of the Castle, just a short walk away, lies the Litharitsia Fortress. Perched on a low rocky hill and built by Ali Pasha, it once served as a powerful defensive outwork of the Castle. Today, it is a green oasis in the heart of the city: its well-kept playground draws families, while the Archaeological Museum, designed by renowned architect Aris Konstantinidis, traces the historical evolution of Epirus through its exhibits.

At present, there is still scaffolding at the museum’s entrance and around the central square, which is expected to be opened to the public by summer, two years behind schedule. Once these works are finished – along with the redevelopment of Pyrsinella Park at the city’s entrance and the new peripheral road connecting the Panepirotic Stadium with the lakeside promenade – the urban landscape will be significantly upgraded. And then we will have yet another reason to return to Ioannina: the city of master silversmiths and young innovators quietly reshaping its future.