The whole Epirus region is a day-trip destination from Ioannina. Dodona half an hour south is the easiest single excursion — the oracle of Zeus and its great theatre.
The Zagori villages north of Ioannina are the great prize: 46 stone-built villages scattered through high beech and oak forests, connected by old packhorse paths and arched stone bridges. Megalo and Mikro Papigko, Monodendri, Kapesovo and Vradeto are all small enough to spend a slow day in. The Vikos Gorge, between them, is one of the deepest in the world and one of Europe's classic walks.
Further afield, the mountain town of Metsovo sits on the pass to Thessaly and is famous for its wine, smoked cheese, and traditional Aromanian (Vlach) architecture. The monasteries of Meteora are a two-hour drive across the mountains. South toward the coast, the Roman ruins of Nicopolis near Preveza are worth a half-day stop.
