Transport
The city and the lake are 4 km away: about €10 by taxi or €1.20 on the city bus. Zagori and Metsovo are an hour into the mountains, about €60 by taxi; Igoumenitsa port and the Corfu ferry an hour and a quarter west.
Read more: TransportGuide to Ioannina Airport
Ioannina Airport “King Pyrrhus” (IOA) sits on the plain north-west of the city, 4 km from the centre and the lake, at 480 metres above sea level between the mountains of Epirus. It is a domestic airport: Aegean, Olympic and Sky Express link Athens several times a day all year for the city, its university and the Epirus region, and there are no scheduled international flights. Around 200,000 passengers a year.
The terminal is small and run by the Greek civil aviation authority: one hall, taxi rank, city bus stop and car park in front. It is the gateway to Zagori, Metsovo, the Vikos gorge and the Pindus mountains, an hour away in every direction, and it is famous locally for its winter fog.
Parking
A car park in front of the terminal, from about €2 an hour or €8 a day. Its customers are Epirus residents on the Athens flights, so it is busiest around holidays and quiet in summer.
Read more: ParkingCar rental
Rental firms have desks at the terminal with cars in front. Epirus is mountain country with coaches once or twice a day, so a car is the way to Zagori, the Vikos gorge, Metsovo and the Pindus; from November to March ask for winter tyres or chains.
Read more: Car rentalLocal tips
- Winter fog is the airport’s reputation: from November to February the first morning flight is delayed or diverted to Thessaloniki several times a month. Check the live board before you leave for the airport, and book the afternoon flight if you have the choice.
- The city bus stops at the door for €1.20; with the lake ten minutes away, there is no reason to pay for a taxi unless you have luggage for a week in the mountains.
- Corfu is reachable by land and sea from here: 75 minutes to Igoumenitsa on the motorway and a 90-minute ferry. Cheaper than flying via Athens and often quicker.
- Ninety minutes before a flight is plenty; the hall is small and the queue is the length of one aircraft.
See also
Prices and timetables are indicative and change seasonally. Confirm before you travel.