Discover Kastoria on Lake Orestiada

Kastoria combines a striking lakeside setting with historic mansions, museums and an annual winter tradition. The city lies amphitheatrically on a strip of land surrounded by Lake Orestiada. The lake provides a backdrop for a range of discoveries: a waterside walking route, a boat trip around the peninsula, and visits to historical and archaeological sites.

Lakeside, walking route and cave landscape

Kastoria Lake has been designated a natural monument of special beauty by the Greek Ministry of Culture and included in the European Natura 2000 network for environmental protection. If you want to explore the landscape on foot, there is a short circular route around the lake. It passes plane trees, old mansions and churches, and offers views over the calm waters of Lake Orestiada. Nature and architectural history meet along the same route.

The ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑ excursion boat offers another perspective, with a leisure cruise around the Kastoria peninsula. Along the way, you can enjoy views of the Dragon Cave, the Monastery of Panagia Mavriotissa and the city’s mansions. If you plan to take this trip, check the timetable in advance.

Inside the Dragon Cave, a 300-metre visitor route passes through ten chambers and by seven small freshwater lakes. Stalactites, stalagmites and palaeontological finds shape the route; these include cave bear bones that are approximately 10,000 years old. The lakeside route draws your attention to the water, trees and buildings, while the cave focuses on its formations and finds.

An archaeological excursion takes you to the open-air museum of Dispilio on the southern shore of Kastoria Lake, about 7 km from the city of Kastoria. The museum reconstructs a Neolithic lakeside village as it might have looked around 7,500 years ago. This reconstruction offers a different perspective on the long history of life by the water.

Mansions, museums and the city’s history

In Kastoria, architectural history and museum exhibits can be explored together. The traditional Papaterpou Mansion on the lakeside road on Megalou Alexandrou Street dates back to 1880. In the Apozari district, the Tsatsiapa Mansion was built in 1754. It is the city’s only surviving three-storey mansion with a rectangular floor plan and a pronounced horizontal axis. The two dates offer a specific point of comparison, while the location and design of each building provide their own architectural clues.

The Kastoria Folklore Museum is housed in the Nerantzi Aivazi Mansion in the traditional Doltso district. It presents the life of an aristocratic family from Kastoria. Also in Doltso, the Costume Museum in the mansion of the Emmanuel brothers displays authentic traditional costumes from across Greece, including elaborately made costumes from Kastoria. The two houses thus focus on different aspects of cultural heritage: family life and clothing.

The Museum of the Macedonian Struggle displays belongings of descendants of the Macedonian fighters, uniforms, photographs from the early and peak periods of the Macedonian Struggle, and historical maps. The oldest of these maps dates to 1550. The Kourshoum Mosque is also a notable historic building: it is the only one of Kastoria’s seven Ottoman mosques to have survived to this day. Experts believe it was built in the early 15th century on the foundations of an older Byzantine church.

Choose when to travel and where to stay

The Kastorian Ragoutsaria provide a special reason to visit in winter. This tradition takes place in Kastoria every year on 6, 7 and 8 January. If you want to plan your trip around it, these fixed January dates provide a clear anchor. At other times, the lakeside, cave, historic houses and museums can each shape a different focus for your trip.

When looking for a holiday rental in Kastoria, consider which of these experiences you want to shape your plans: the city’s history and museums, the short lakeside walking route or a boat trip around the peninsula. If you also include Dispilio, bear in mind that it is approximately 7 km from the city of Kastoria.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Argos Orestikón, Maniakoi, Aposkepos, Korisós, Aghia Triada, Vogatsiko, Mesopotamia Aliakmonas, Nea Kotili, Kastoria, Kleisoura, Dispilio, Kato Nestorio, Áyios Zakharías.

For the regional travel overview: Western Macedonia.