Where to stay in Zagori
In Zagori you sleep in a guesthouse in a stone village. Monodendri is the start of the gorge, Papingo sits under the Astraka cliffs beside the rock pools.
- Base
- Monodendri, the start of the gorge trail
- Papingo
- Under the Astraka cliffs
- Guesthouse, 3*
- €48–66 per person in a double
In Zagori you sleep in a guesthouse in one of the stone villages, and the real choice is between Monodendri and Papingo. Monodendri is the start of the trail through the Vikos Gorge, and Papingo lies under the Astraka cliffs. There is no hostel in the region: none, and a dorm bed is found only in Ioannina.
For those heading into the gorge
Outside the door are cobbles and a stone house with a slate roof, and from here the trail through the Vikos Gorge sets off, twelve kilometres to Vikos village. The village also has the Agia Paraskevi monastery, from whose viewpoint the gorge can be seen without a single step down the trail. Anyone starting early has the shortest way to the trail from here.
It suits people who come for the gorge and the stone bridges. It doesn't suit anyone who wants the rock pools on the doorstep.
For those who want the pools
Papingo, the upper and lower village, lies under the Astraka cliffs. The rock pools that people swim in through the summer are right beside it. Entry to the pools is free, and so is parking. It is a second base from Monodendri, so you pick one of the two villages.
It suits people travelling in summer who want to go straight from the trail into the water. It doesn't suit anyone for whom the gorge is the main reason to come.
Price and hostel
A room in a three-star guesthouse costs €48–66 per person in a double, or €95–132 per room for the whole room.
For two to three nights
For two to three nights one village is enough, and that is Monodendri, because the trail into the gorge starts from here and the rest is reached by car.
- Sleeping in Ioannina for the hostel. Monodendri is 47 min to Monodendri (38.8 km) away from there, so a day in the gorge starts with a drive.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
Where should I stay in Zagori?
In a guesthouse in a stone village: Monodendri for the Vikos Gorge, Papingo for the rock pools under the Astraka cliffs.
How much does a guesthouse cost in Zagori?
€48–66 per person in a double in a three-star guesthouse, or €95–132 per room for the whole room.
Is there a hostel in Zagori?
No, none. The nearest are in Ioannina.
Ready for Zagori?
Where to next
What Zagori costs
→Zagori is cheap to look at: the gorge, the bridges, the villages and the pools cost nothing, and the bill is…
Meteora · 67 km
→Monasteries built on rock pillars, as if floating
How well does Zagori suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
Front row for the next trip
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