This 3 weeks was an extension of the 2 weeks I spent in Albania. I wanted to see new areas and revisit one previous stay. So much of northern Greece is mountainous: green, forested, with vast views, and smaller cities and towns but decent roads and an area you can do by public transportation with careful planning and time, but a car is definitely easier.
From Sarandë, Albania, I took a 35 minute ferry to Corfu, arriving in Corfu Town.
My Albania report is here.
Corfu: 5 nights, Apollon Hotel in Paleokastritsa
After getting off the ferry, it was a 5 minute or so process for immigration and entering the EU. Then I walked about 10 minutes out of the harbor area to the Green Bus stop for a 40-50 minute Bus A9 ride to Paleokastritsa, the end of the line. Plenty of taxis were available and it would have cost €50-60, I think. But I opted to wait about an hour for the €2.30 bus. Which originated in town and was fairly jam-packed when it arrived to where I was waiting. But it stopped and let me in on the bottom step by the door - my first views of Corfu for 30 minutes: doors and feet! Ha!
I had a hard time deciding where to stay on Corfu, without a car. I opted for this hotel because it is ON a beautiful beach - no stairs, hills, or long walks. There were a few restaurants available and bus service. While I had options for things to do, it turned out to be so beautiful that I didn’t want to leave. There’s a little 45 minute boat tour that takes you around the nearby coastline and into some caves, which was so enjoyable I went 2 days in a row (and they didn’t charge me the 2nd time). Webcam of the beach here. I did one long day trip (arranged by the hotel) to Paxos and Antipaxos, with van pickup at and delivery back to the hotel.
Ioannina: 2 nights, Hotel Dioni
Heading to the mainland, it seemed like time for another travel adventure. This one was made up of bus Paleokastritsa to Corfu, 1.5 hr ferry Corfu to Igoumenitsa, then 1.5 hr bus to Ioannina, and taxi to hotel. I left about an hour between each leg and surprise, it all worked! I wasn’t sure whether the bus in Igoumenitsa would be running on a Sunday (the internet had conflicting opinions) but it did and was right on time. It took all day but wasn’t hard or the least bit uncomfortable.
This hotel was fine, had free parking, nice staff, and was about what I had expected. But the area seemed oddly deserted even though it was fairly central. I probably wouldn’t send someone here - it was serviceable but nondescript.
However, Ioannina itself was a delightful surprise! The waterfront along the lake, with boat rides and an island, is pretty and there was such a vibrant cafe scene that erupted around 8:00pm. Walk the same street at 7:45 and again at 8:30 and you wouldn’t believe it was the same place. There is a castle: basically it is the remaining walls of the castle but inside are homes, hotels, apartments, restaurants - a living castle. This is where I would opt to stay on a return trip.
Car Rental: In Ioannina, I rented a car for a week from Red Fox Car Rental, https://redfoxcarrental.gr/en, a strictly local small company. My initial plan called for picking a car up in Ioannina and dropping off in Thessaloniki and I went so far as to make a reservation through AutoUnion, which feels just like AutoEurope (which had no options for my trip). However the cost, with one way drop off fee, was going to be twice as much as the round trip local rental (plus $28 bus Ioannina to Thessaloniki instead of driving).
This was another delightful experience: I had a great new car, discussed local tourism issues and Greek life with the owner, and although it was business-like, it was a very relaxed rental.